Denny Abbey
| Denny Abbey | |
|---|---|
The main remnants of the abbey buildings, showing the door to the Templar church at centre, and the priest's house at right | |
Location within Cambridgeshire | |
| General information | |
| Type | Abbey |
| Location | Waterbeach |
| Town or city | Waterbeach |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°15′41″N 00°11′26″E / 52.26139°N 0.19056°E |
| Elevation | 6m |
| Website | |
| https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/denny-abbey-and-the-farmland-museum/ | |
| References | |
| https://explore.osmaps.com/ | |
Denny Abbey is a former abbey near Waterbeach, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire, England. It is now the Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey.
The monastery was inhabited by a succession of three different religious orders. The site is a scheduled ancient monument. The church and refectory buildings survive and are Grade I listed buildings. Also on the site is a barn built in the 17th century from stone taken from the abbey.
The site, on an ancient road between Cambridge and Ely, was settled by farmers as early as the Roman period. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded that it was owned by Edith the Fair (also known as Swanneck), the consort of King Harold, in 1066. It was owned subsequently by the Breton lord, Alan, 1st Earl of Richmond. The place-name "Denny" is first attested in Templar records of 1176, where it appears as Daneya and Deneia. The name is thought to mean "Danes' Island".