Initially published to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the establishment of the Cistercian order in 1098, this is a guide to all the Cistercian abbeys in Britain. The 86 sites include the beautiful ruins of Tintern, Fountains, Rievaulx and Melrose, as well as the home of Sir Francis Drake and the burial place of the last Welsh Prince of Wales. Each gazetteer entry describes the history and architecture of the site and the people connected with it, and there are chapters on the overall history and architecture of the Cistercian order. There are also plans of all the abbeys, a detailed bibliography, and practical details such as grid references and information on access to each site.
Dr David Robinson has published extensively on aspects of the monastic history and architecture of medieval England and Wales, and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Dr Janet Burton is a Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Wales, Lampeter. Dr Nicola Coldstream is a leading authority on English medieval architecture and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. Dr Glyn Coppack is a Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments with English Heritage, and Dr Richard Fawcett is a Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments with Historic Scotland.