Red walls of a medieval monastery - Sweetheart Abbey



Just off the main street in the lovely village of New Abbey in Dumfries, Scotland, is the beautiful remains of a Cistercian Monastery with the sweetest of names - Sweetheart Abbey.

Sweetheart was established in 1273 by Lady Dervorgilla. Dervorgilla was the widow of Lord John Balliol who in life was Lord at Barnard Castle in County Durham. Following his death Dervorgilla had his heart embalmed and placed in a casket made of ivory, which she kept on her dining table. She then invited the poor and needy to come to her table as an act of charity. Just one of many she would undertake in her life, including the foundation of Sweetheart Abbey in memory of her late husband.

Sweetheart was established as a daughter house to Dundrennan Abbey, which I wrote about in this previous blog post, and was conceived as a shrine to human and divine love.

The church, as with all churches in the Cistercian order, was dedicated to St. Mary and is in the typical cruciform shape, symbolising the cross on which Jesus was crucified. The site holds the church alongside domestic buildings to the south, the cloister, dormitories, chapter house etc.





I visited this site after a visit to an all together different attraction the Garden of Cosmic Speculation (it's amazing - well worth a visit when it's open). The short break was an early birthday treat from my other half back in 2016 - she knows me well.

On arriving at Sweetheart Abbey I was first struck by the similarities to another abbey I know well, Furness Abbey. The layout and the style can easily be attributed to the Cistercian order and how they constructed such monastic sites. But the red sandstone, used in both sites, intrigued me. As it turns out both abbeys sit on the same swathe of red sandstone that sweeps down from Scotland across parts of Cumbria to Furness.

We had a good wander around the site, enjoying some sunshine (something lacking the previous day at the Garden of Cosmic Speculation) and the wonderful medieval architecture. I had purchased the guide book, as I always try to do, which really helped bring the site to life. I would always recommend that you get a guide book when you visit sites like this - not only will it help you to enjoy the site more and learn more but it will also help the site going into the future.




This was my Grandpa's favorite abbey when he was alive and I have to say it is up there with with my favorites too. The pink hues of the red sandstone, the grand arches and ornate windows, mixed with the peaceful setting, create a magical place to visit - especially on a nice sunny day. The connection to my Grandpa, who sadly passed away when I was 6, also makes the site even more special for me.

I would thoroughly recommend a visit to Sweetheart Abbey, it is well worth the visit - especially if, like me, you love abbeys.



Location: Main St, New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8BU, UK

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