The Abbey

Delapré Abbey, Northampton, was one of only two Cluniac nunneries built in England (the other being at Arthington in Yorkshire); the Cluniac order was a branch of the Benedictines and fell under the rule of the great abbey at Cluny in Burgundy. Typically there were about twenty nuns resident at the abbey at any one time. It is thought that there was (and possibly still is) an underground passage linking the nunnery to a friary based in the centre of Northampton, by way of Bridge Street.

After later use as a private residence and in war service, the house became the Northamptonshire County Records Office and the County Record Society; at present the house is empty and a fierce debate continues locally over its future use. The building is Grade II* listed.

The Abbey is reputed to be haunted by a "Blue or Grey Lady" - reputedly a nun - who is said to have been seen frequently on the main staircase.

The present buildings

What remains today consists of four ranges based around an almost square courtyard; this is probably all that remains of the earlier cloisters, with the passage around the north, west and east sides being the former cloister walks.

The thicker walls found in the northern part of the building are probably part of the walls of the aisleless church of the nunnery. Almost nothing of the original medieval buildings remain apart perhaps from two small recesses found in the cloister walk which could have been to keep night lights in.

What is seen today is the result of work that started with the passing of the house to the Tate family after the dissolution.

The stables, found at the northern end of the property date, date from around 1750-65 and were renovated in 1971 by John Goff, the then County Architect.

The Cluniac Prayer

"O God, by whose grace thy servants the Holy Abbots of Cluny, enkindled with the fire of thy love, became burning and shining lights in thy Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and may ever walk before thee as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever."

After the dissolution

In 1542 the Tate family purchased the Delapré Estate from the Crown and it was the Tate family that started the work on the gardens. One of the family - Zouch Tate - is recorded as having laid out a typical Elizabethan-style garden. This is thought to have been where the enclosed formal garden can now be found.

The Tates lived at Delapré until 1764, when the estate was sold to the Bouverie family. The majority of the present buildings date from this time. As with many local estates (such as Castle Ashby) the grounds show the style and influence of Capability Brown.

The Tates' Elizabethan garden was transformed into a walled garden of fruit and vegetables and orchards were planted elsewhere - mimicking the earlier fruit garden of the original nunnery.

It is thought that the present walled garden is located on the site of the nuns' burial ground, and evidence of graves was discovered during the garden's construction.

During the 19th Century, other typical Victorian features were added, such as the rock and water gardens and garden conservatories for peaches and grapes - these fruit growing buildings still remain; a ha-ha was also constructed.

A short history of the Abbey

• 1145 - Delapré Abbey was built by Simon, the son of Simon de Senlis the 2nd Earl of Northampton.
• 1290 - The death of Queen Eleanor, Queen of England. On 28 November 1290, Eleanor of Castile the wife of Edward I died at Harby, Nottinghamshire. Her body was embalmed at Lincoln, and later on 4 December a procession began to Westminster Abbey accompanied by the King. The procession travelled through Northampton and to the convent at Delapré for the night. The King himself stayed at Northampton Castle. The following day the procession left Delapré and at the top of the hill the ground was consecrated. On this spot, one of the Eleanor Crosses was errected.
• 1460 - The Battle of Northampton took place at Delapré, between the Yorkists and Lancastrians.
• 1538 - Under the dissolution Henry VIII forced the Abbey to surrender to the Crown.
• 1543 - The Delapré estate was let by the Crown to a tenant.
• 1550 - The Delapré estate was sold by the Crown to the Tate family.
• 1756 - The estate was sold by Sir Charles Hardy, Governor of New York, husband of Mary Tate, to Edward Bouverie for £22,000.
• 1905 - The Abbey was let by the Bouverie family to John Cooper, Northampton boot and shoe manufacturer.
• 1914 - Miss Mary Bouverie moved back to the Abbey.
• 1940 - The War Office took over the Abbey. Miss Bouverie moved to Duston and later returned to a room over the stables in 1942.
• 1946 - Northampton Corporation purchased the estate for £56,000.
• 1948 - The War Office gave up its use of the Abbey house.
• 2005 - Plans are announced by Northampton Borough Council to form a new Delapré Abbey Trust.

The formal garden

In 1977 and 1978 three sculptures were introduced to the walled garden:

• "The Lady with Kittens" and "The Lovers", the work of Walter Ritchie, were gifted to Northampton after being displayed at an exhibition of brickwork sculptures at The Building Centre, London. The large brick panels depict episodes in the adventurous life of the mythical lady, Sarah Wellington-Gore.
• "Woman and the Fish" is a listed sculpture by Frande Dobson, one of UK's most respected sculptors. This was given to Northampton after the Festival of Britain in 1951 and had previously stood in the Memorial Gardens in the town centre, where it had been totally vandalised. It was then repaired and transferred to its current position as a fountain after an appeal for funds to meet the high costs of restoration.

"Lady with Kittens" close up of the head

"Woman and the Fish" at Delapré

"The Lovers"

The grounds today

There are about 500 acres of parkland and 8 acres of more formal gardens. The more ornamental features include:

• Delapré Abbey
• A walled garden
• Rock and water gardens
• A ha-ha
• Tree sculptures
• Delapré Woods
• A lake

Nearby on part of the estate is the public Delapré Golf Course.

The future of the Abbey

A volunteer group, "The Friends of Delapré Abbey" campaigns to keep the Abbey in good order, open and available for public access. This organisation was granted charitable status in June 2006 and it is hoped that this will make available new income streams to allow renovation and repair work on the fabric of the building.

Northampton Borough Council has also agreed to set up a new body to be called "The Delapré Abbey Trust" as a vehicle to take forward the ownership of and responsibility for the Abbey; it is planned that this new Trust will work closely with the Friends in the future to secure the future of the buildings.

The grounds are now being used for commercial and private events, such as weddings, parties etc, and these activities are generating much needed income.

Queen Eleanor Cross

One of only three remaining Eleanor Crosses is located at the Hardingstone end of the Delapré Abbey estate.

References

• The Buildings of England - Northamptonshire. N Pevsner (Second edition). ISBN 0300096321