Another ruined abbey on my bucket list, Tintern Abbey on the banks on the River Wye in Monmouthshire in Wales, on the boder of Gloucesteshire in England. Founded in 1131 as the first Cistercian abbey in Wales and only the second in Britain, it was rebuit in the English Decorated style in the mid to late 13th century, the present structure dating from 1269 - 1301. Sadly, on the day of my visit the nave, transepts, quire and chancel were off limits for restoration. The ruins betray an extensive monastery, at its height as evidenced by what must have been magnificent east and west windows. The Black Death devastated the Abbey's income. It was suppressed in September 1536 in the first wave of closures of minor foundations with incomes of less than £200 per year.
