150 acre public park in North Nottinghamshire, open all year round. This attractive site features the ruins of a medieval monastery, a contemporary craft centre, gardens, woodland walks, children's play village and a lake.
Things to see and do
- Enjoy woodland and lakeside walks
- Explore the ruins of 12th century abbey and later country house
- Children's Play Village and Children's Garden - for youngsters aged three to eight
- Visit the vaulted Undercroft and find out about the life of Rufford's medieval monks
- Admire modern sculpture in the Formal Gardens
- Relax in the Savile Restaurant or Coach House Cafe
- See how light makes pictures in the Camera Obscura
- See modern ceramics in the Apsidal Gallery of the Orangery
- Fabulous free annual events such as the Earth and Fire international ceramics fair or our annual World War II re-enactment weekend
- Visit changing exhibitions of contemporary crafts in the Craft Centre Gallery.
Abbey to Country House
The present day park once formed part of a 12th century Cistercian abbey and its estate. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, the land and buildings began a slow transformation into a country house estate, owned first by the Talbot and later the Savile families.
One of its most famous owners was the Elizabethan aristocrat and property magnate George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, whose wife ‘Bess of Hardwick’ later built Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire. Rufford was later purchased by the Savile family of Yorkshire, and eventually became their principal country seat.
Decline of the Country Estate
By the early 1900’s, the Rufford estate comprised some 18,500 acres, but had begun to feel the effects of rising running costs and reduced incomes. It was eventually sold in 1938.
Much of the land was bought by Sir Albert Ball, a Nottinghamshire industrialist, who resold the country house and its grounds to the eccentric Henry de Vere Clifton. By the late 1940’s, after years of neglect, the main buildings were suffering from structural damage.
From Private Estate to Public Park
In 1952, in an attempt to salvage this once proud feature of the county’s heritage, we purchased Rufford Abbey and 150 acres of its grounds.
Despite strenuous efforts, funds for renovation were not forthcoming, and in 1956 safety concerns meant that part of the house had to be demolished. The responsibility for the fabric of the remaining building fell to English Heritage.
The remains of the country house and its grounds were officially designated a country park by us in 1969. A park ranger service was set up, and an extensive renovation scheme commenced.
The lake was reformed and re-landscaped, the park meadows and formal gardens established, and in 1980 the Stable Block was opened as a Craft Centre, with a Gallery, Gift and Craft shops.
