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RUFFORD ABBEY

Site Plan 1:2500 @ A2

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Site holds a monastic ruin, an example of a peaceful and considered lifestyle that has been forgotten.

Rufford Abbey Craft Centre held on site that promotes materiality and making.

Proximity to Nottingham.

Interest in the juxtaposition between a Christian monastery and Buddhist rituals.

Rufford Craft Centre holds workshops and exhibits works by artists and sculptors. The Craft Centre is held in the old stables building of Rufford Abbey, rather than the ruined portion of the abbey. Weekly workshops can be attended by the public or by school classes. Workshops include photography, ceramics, jewellery making and life drawing. Exhibitions showcase a variety of British and local artists and designers.

rufford craft centre

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rufford abbey

Rufford Abbey once held a cictersian monastery before the dissolution in 1536. The Abbey was bought after this and the monastery portion of the building was demolished and converted into a manor house. The image on the right is an infra-red image which shows the original foundations of the monastery (http://www.westlothianarchaeology.org.uk), and the pdf above shows the original layout of the monastery.

cistercian monastery

positive vs negative potential

crumbling and demolished monastic buildings have been lost and forgotten.
workshop led crafts at the craft centre only offer 'teacher' led workshops, no room for personal and mental improvement.
scope for extension to the craft centre.
unused and rejected remains of the abbey have potential to be restored whilst preserved.

ISSUES on the site

Pedestrian Flow 1:1000 @ A3

Life of the Site 1:1000 @ A3