Buckland Abbey - National Trust

Buckland Abbey - National Trust A medieval abbey nestled in the Tavy Valley on the edge of Dartmoor. We welcome feedback – both positive and negative. It helps us to learn and grow.

In the 13th century, Buckland Abbey was home to the Cistercian monks who built the Abbey and the incredible Great Barn, and lived and farmed the estate for 250 years until the Dissolution. Henry VIII sold Buckland to the Grenville family who went on to sell it to Sir Francis Drake. Buckland Abbey, now a house with a combination of furnished rooms, tells the story of how the two seafaring adventure

rs - Sir Richard Grenville and Sir Francis Drake - changed the shape of the house and the fate of the country. In the 1940s, Buckland Abbey was gifted to the National Trust by a local private landowner after it was put up for public auction by the Drake family. Visitors can now experience more than seven centuries of history as they explore the rooms of the Abbey, the Buckland estate, the meadows, the orchards and enjoy the lasting peace and tranquility the monks created more than 700 years ago. About
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📣 Buckland's roses are at their peak! 📣 Between the old-fashioned varieties in the Kitchen Garden and the striking shows...
14/06/2026

📣 Buckland's roses are at their peak! 📣

Between the old-fashioned varieties in the Kitchen Garden and the striking showstoppers in the Elizabethan Garden, you can't move for the scent of roses at Buckland Abbey in June.

Do you have any roses of your own? This week is the ideal time to dead-head the blooms that are going over: depending on your variety of rose, you may get flowers a-plenty in the weeks to come.

Buckland Abbey's beautiful gardens are open 10am-5pm daily 🌹

[Image description: four images of roses at Buckland Abbey, different varieties in white, pink and orange in different parts of the garden.]

🎉FRIDAY 10TH - SUNDAY 12TH JULY : 75th Anniversary Weekend ⛪Buckland Abbey warmly invites you to step back in time and c...
13/06/2026

🎉FRIDAY 10TH - SUNDAY 12TH JULY : 75th Anniversary Weekend ⛪

Buckland Abbey warmly invites you to step back in time and celebrate a weekend full of history, live performances, and fun activities for all ages. From outdoor leisure to immersive historic experiences, there's something special for everyone to enjoy.

Pack your picnic and relax on the beautiful lawn with a leisurely lunch. Make the most of the weekend by trying out classic lawn games like tennis or co****le. Take a moment in the barn to enjoy live choir performances throughout the weekend, filling the air with beautiful harmonies.

Interested in Tudor fashion? Join us for our Costume Try-On Day from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday, 11th July. Our talented volunteer costume team will help you explore and try on authentic period costumes—perfect for creating memorable photos!

As you descend the elegant Georgian staircase, be sure to view photographs showcasing Buckland Abbey as it appeared 75 years ago. Visitors are also encouraged to share their own memories of Buckland Abbey and the 1950s, helping us celebrate and preserve local history.

Don’t miss our historic cooking demonstrations focusing on 1950s cuisine, including dishes served at the Abbey’s opening ceremony in 1951.

A special edition pin badge will be available in the shop, and you can pick up a postcard from the bookshop for a small donation—wonderful keepsakes to remember your visit.

[ID: a sketch of the Abbey from the 1950s opening posters, text reads '75th Anniversary Weekend 10th - 12th July'

'The tiny details just make me so happy. It's hard to believe they're over 400 years old!' said one of today's visitors ...
11/06/2026

'The tiny details just make me so happy. It's hard to believe they're over 400 years old!' said one of today's visitors to the Armada Maps exhibition in Buckland Abbey's Nave Gallery.

Crafted shortly after the attempted invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Armada Maps are more than simply charts: they're a cartographic comic-strip, telling the tale of the conflict from the British perspective.

Be sure to set your course for Buckand Abbey: this limited exhibition is only open for a matter of weeks. Find out more here: https://tinyurl.com/3xxydf2n

The Armada Maps are on loan from Royal Navy Museums.

📸 Emma W

[Image description: visitors engage with the framed Armada Maps in an intimate exhibition space at Buckland Abbey.]

09/06/2026

🔪Historic Bites: Tudor Whitsun 🥄

Join historic cook Nicky as she shares insights into the celebration of Tudor Whitsun, while demonstrating how to make traditional Whitcakes.

The historic cooking team are back in the Tudor Kitchen on 10th and 12th July for a 50s feast!

📽 Georgia

[Video description: Nicky is in historic costume and talks about what food is being made and how the Tudor's celebrated Whitsun]

It's officially the end of Volunteers Week 2026! We hope our wonderful Tamar Valley volunteers feel valued and treasured...
09/06/2026

It's officially the end of Volunteers Week 2026! We hope our wonderful Tamar Valley volunteers feel valued and treasured all year round, because we couldn't care for our places without them.

Want a new hobby that makes a difference? We have new great new volunteering opportunities at Antony, Buckland Abbey and Cotehele for your consideration.

🌳 ANTONY (PL11 2QA) | ROOM GUIDE | SUNDAYS

Join us as a House Experience Volunteer (or 'room guide') on Sundays between March and October. There's so much to bring to life in Antony's magnificent house near Torpoint, Cornwall.

⛪ BUCKLAND ABBEY (PL20 6EY) | ROOM GUIDE | VARIOUS DAYS

Try out room guiding for size at Buckland Abbey. This unique house, monastic church turned Tudor country seat, is full of stories to tell our visitors. This vacancy is open on multiple days of the week near Yelverton, Devon.

🍏 COTEHELE (PL12 6TA) | SHUTTLE BUS DRIVER | BOOKSHOP | ROOM GUIDE

Are you proud of your driving skills? You might be just the person we need to help make Cotehele more accessible by driving our shuttle bus across the site. This vacancy is available on multiple days of the week.

Or perhaps you're a book lover! Our bookshop volunteers look after our second hand bookshop near the house at Cotehele and generate thousands of pounds for our essential conservation work through their role. This vacancy is for a shift on a Tuesday.

We're also on the look out for room guides who can welcome visitors to captivating Cotehele's house, a vacancy that is available on various days at Cotehele, near Saltash.

🔗 Head to this link and search for our places to find the role you're drawn to: https://tinyurl.com/mu9f2zfa

📸 ©National Trust Images/Cristian Barnett/James Dobson/Emma Whitworth

[Image description: a collage of shots from Antony's house, Buckland Abbey's collection and Cotehele's bookshop with text highlighting the places and roles available.]

🌸 GUIDED GARDEN TOURS - 9 AND 11 JUNE 🌷What better way is there to explore a garden?One of the members of the garden tea...
08/06/2026

🌸 GUIDED GARDEN TOURS - 9 AND 11 JUNE 🌷

What better way is there to explore a garden?

One of the members of the garden team will meet you by the Great Barn at 2pm and take you on a tour of the garden, offering their knowledge of the plants and history of the gardens.

This gentle stroll around different areas of the garden, its history and its planting will offer any visitor a deeper insight into the Abbey gardens.

Free Event, Normal Admissions Apply.

📷 Barry

[ID: an up-close photo of a pink dahlia with a green background]

The Armada Maps have landed at Buckland Abbey!Discover these incredible pieces of history, documenting the events of the...
06/06/2026

The Armada Maps have landed at Buckland Abbey!

Discover these incredible pieces of history, documenting the events of the Spanish Armada campaign off the south coast, on loan from the Royal Navy Museums and on display for a limited time only - until 31 July.

Plan your visit and see them up close: https://tinyurl.com/3xxydf2n

[Image description: three images show wide-angle views and up-close shots of the ten Armada Maps on display within a blue room]

In 2023 we revealed the Pym Murals in the Nave Gallery. In 2026, we are displaying the historic maps that inspired them....
05/06/2026

In 2023 we revealed the Pym Murals in the Nave Gallery. In 2026, we are displaying the historic maps that inspired them.

Originally commissioned in the 1950s by Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery with the support of the Astor family, Buckland Abbey's murals were in place for its opening to the public in 1951 during the Festival of Britain. They depict the life of Sir Francis Drake, the Abbey's most famous resident, including scenes from the Spanish Armada as well as his circumnavigation of the globe.

The artist Roland Pym (1920-2006) was an established mural painter and set designer, and in 1951 he was contacted by the Plymouth Museum and later the Astor family, who owned a collection of 16th century maps depicting scenes from the Spanish Armada of 1588. The collection of 10 maps, over 350 years old at the time, were sent to Pym to use as reference material in his studio in Kent.

In 2020, the Royal Navy Museums took the Armada Maps into their care with the financial assistance of the public, the National Memorial Heritage Fund, the Art Fund and others to preserve the precious artefacts for future generations. The maps, a unique collection of ten originals in exquisite condition, are now considered a national treasure.

The Armada Maps will be on display from Saturday 6th June to Friday 31st July and it will be only the second time they have ever been displayed to the public. Join us in the Nave Gallery to witness history colliding to tell the story of the resistance of the Spanish Armada.

🔗 For more information and opening times, head here: https://tinyurl.com/3xxydf2n

📸 Barry Mitchell

[Image description: two of the giant Pym Murals in the Nave Gallery at Buckland Abbey. They are large artworks in wooden frames with cartographic elements and theatrical flourishes around the edges.]

Happy Devon Day! Though we may sit just  a few miles from the border with Cornwall, Buckland Abbey is no less proudly De...
04/06/2026

Happy Devon Day!

Though we may sit just a few miles from the border with Cornwall, Buckland Abbey is no less proudly Devonian. Here we eat our scones cream-first and we're passionate about telling stories from Devon in this special place, steeped in history.

What do you love most about Devon? Share you love for our wonderful county below 💚

📸 Barry M

[Image description: the Elizabethan Garden at Buckland Abbey with roses in full bloom, the Abbey beyond.]

Address

Buckland Abbey
Yelverton
PL206EY

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+441822853607

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