Visitors to Rufford Abbey Country Park today can still see much of the original monastery buildings from the 400 year occupation by the “white monks”.
The varied architecture of the later house is seen in the imposing Tudor-style entrance porch and tower on the western front of the house, which was built in the late 1830s to designs by Anthony Salvin.
Lord Savile’s Kitchen is housed in the restored Victorian kitchen of the Abbey’s remaining Jacobean wing and offers wholesome home cooked lunches and traditional cream teas. It has been carefully converted to retain many of the features of the 2nd Baron’s country house kitchen, including a flagstone floor, a range and two ovens, a roasting mechanism and a stone sink; with water sourced from the now-exposed underground well.
The stable block was built in the 1660s and originally housed about 20 horses. It now houses the craft and gift shops and a wide range of interesting souvenirs for visitors to purchase.
The site is now managed by Parkwood Outdoors in partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council.