Abbey or priory · near Grindleton · Lancashire

Sawley Abbey

Sawley Abbey is a Cistercian monastery. This one stands 1.5 km northeast of Grindleton. Its status is a Grade I listed building.

Photo: Sawley Abbey, Alexander P Kapp (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Where

1.5 km

northeast of Grindleton

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 13%

#1,081 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Aug

highs of 18–20°C

In brief

Abbey or priory near Grindleton

Just outside Grindleton

Sawley Abbey is 1.5 km northeast of Grindleton. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Grade I listed building

On the official list of protected heritage; Grindleton has 4 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

The weather, month by month

Aim for June to August, when Grindleton reaches 18–20°C.

Jan7° / 2°116 mm

Feb7° / 1°118 mm

Mar9° / 2°103 mm

Apr12° / 4°76 mm

May15° / 7°76 mm

Jun18° / 9°91 mm

Jul20° / 11°107 mm

Aug19° / 11°117 mm

Sep17° / 9°125 mm

Oct13° / 7°143 mm

Nov9° / 4°141 mm

Dec7° / 2°171 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Grindleton, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Grindleton. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Grindleton’s full climate →

About

Sawley Abbey

Upkeep is seen to by English Heritage. 5 Wikipedia editions have an article on it. Nearby, Pendle Heritage Centre (11 km) heads a list of 13 within 15 km.

Grindleton’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Abbey or priory
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Grade I listed building
Wikipedias: Covered in 5 languages
Town: 1.5 km northeast of Grindleton
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/sawley-abbey

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Where it sits

The map centres on Sawley Abbey, in orange, with nearby places numbered.

Towns near it

Bases for a visit

By population, Clitheroe leads the 8 with 16,626. These are the towns that list it, beginning with its own.

1 · 1.5 km southwest of it

Grindleton

441 people · 2 places to visit

2 · 2.1 km south of it

Chatburn

1,125 people · 2 places to visit

3 · 3.5 km southwest of it

West Bradford

564 people · 2 places to visit

4 · 3.5 km southwest of it

Clitheroe

16,626 people · 3 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Sawley Abbey is	People	Places to visit
Grindleton	1.5 km southwest of it	441	2
Chatburn	2.1 km south of it	1,125	2
West Bradford	3.5 km southwest of it	564	2
Clitheroe	3.5 km southwest of it	16,626	3
Waddington	5 km southwest of it	1,005	3
Gisburn	5.8 km northeast of it	567	1
Sabden	9 km south of it	1,582	4
Barrow	9.1 km southwest of it	1,388	4

Make a day of it

More to see nearby

There are 13 within 15 km, 4 museums, 3 historic houses and an abbey or priory among them.

MuseumPendle Heritage Centre11 km away · 100K visitors a year 2

Abbey or priory · English HeritageWhalley Abbey11 km away 3MuseumMuseumGawthorpe Hall13 km away 4

MuseumClitheroe Castle Museum5.9 km away 5

Historic houseBrowsholme Hall9.3 km away 6

MuseumBancroft Mill9.8 km away 7Historic houseHistoric houseMartholme13 km away 8

Historic houseNorthcote Manor14 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Questions people have about Sawley Abbey

Where is Sawley Abbey?

Sawley Abbey is 1.5 km northeast of Grindleton, Lancashire.

What is Sawley Abbey?

Cistercian monastery in Sawley, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom.

Who runs Sawley Abbey?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Sawley Abbey?

June to August are the warmest months in Grindleton, with afternoon highs of 18–20°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Sawley Abbey a listed building?

Yes: Grade I listed building.

What else is there to see near Sawley Abbey?

Within 15 km: Pendle Heritage Centre (11 km), Whalley Abbey (11 km), Gawthorpe Hall (13 km) and Clitheroe Castle Museum (5.9 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (7)

Sawley Abbey: Alexander P Kapp, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Pendle Heritage Centre: Peter Worrell, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Whalley Abbey: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Clitheroe Castle Museum: Gpwitteveen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Browsholme Hall: Hugh Chevallier, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bancroft Mill: Chris Allen, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Northcote Manor: CillaLowe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.