Wroxall Abbey History

From the moment you enter the front gates and slowly descend down the driveway, the extraordinary and tranquil setting of the Wroxall Abbey Estate will truly take your breath away. As you explore the luscious grounds, the behemoth Mansion House and the primitive Abbey, decades of rich history come whirling as you take a step back in time to what Wroxall Abbey Estate originally was.

The early origins of the estate dates back as far as 1146 A.D, when a group of Benedictine nuns were founded by Hugh Fitz Richard of Hatton (Lord of Hatton). Hatton had provided over 3,000 acres of land to the church, to form a monastery known as the Priory of St. Leonard. It’s original remains, still sit directly opposite the Abbey.  

In 1544, following the dissolution of monasteries by King Henry VIII, the estate was awarded to Robert Burgoyne, a commissioner of the dissolution.  Following the death of Robert Burgoyne, the estate remained in the Burgoyne name, passing down from generation to generation. His son, (also Robert Burgoyne) and the High Sheriff of Warwickshire, demolished part of the church, however, built the Elizabethan style Mansion House.

In 1713, the Burgoyne family finally sold the estate to the renowned Sir Christopher Wren. Wren used Wroxall Abbey as his own his own personal retreat with members of his family often staying at the house. Once again, the estate passed down through many generations of the Wren family. Records of the estate show that the Theodisa Wren was the final member of the Wren family to be in possession of Wroxall Abbey.

Following Theodisa Wren’s marriage to Chandos Hoskyns of Harewood in 1837, Wroxall Abbey Estate was sold to James Dugdale in 1861. During his tenure, James Dugdale built a new Mansion House as well as new formal grounds and gardens. The estate was inherited by James Broughton Dugdale who subsequently died 1932.

The estate was leased to The Laurels School and eventually purchased in 1963, when the school ultimately became known as The Wroxall Abbey School for girls. It remained a school until 1995, when the estate was purchased by the Quinn family ahead of planning permission for commercial use for a hotel. As of 2000, the estate has been operating as a hotel.