St Benet's Abbey
A riverside abbey ruin on the Bure, where an 18th-century windmill rises from a medieval gatehouse, the most unusual sight in the Broads.
St Benet's Abbey was founded around 1020 and is the only abbey in Norfolk that escaped dissolution under Henry VIII. The Bishop of Norwich still serves as its abbot, and each year on the first Sunday of August he arrives by boat to preside over an open-air service. The ruins are dominated by the 18th-century windmill tower built into the surviving gatehouse walls, standing alone over the open marshland. Visitors can arrive by boat or walk from the village of Ludham. Entry is free.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden
- How Hill & Toad Hole Cottage
- Ranworth Broad & St Helen's Church
- BeWILDerwood
- Museum of the Broads
- Hickling Broad
- Wroxham & Hoveton
- Horsey Windpump