ABSTRACT

Croyland Abbey in the fens of south Lincolnshire has long attracted the attention of artists like John Cotman, or Peter de Wint, as a picturesque feature in a watery landscape. Croyland's long history is only partly reflected in the remains of its abbey church, although the saint's relics remained the focus of the building until the Reformation. The west portal of the church, with its Guthlac imagery, prepares visitors for the presence of the shrine close to the high altar of the church. The church from the crossing eastwards and all the monastic buildings have been lost, but a great deal of worked stone has been recovered in the course of grave-digging. The Perpendicular arcades also employ giant orders and therefore follow the design of the 13th-century work. The relative proportions of 13th-century window, however, suggest Grantham's north-west window was the model. The south elevation of the Romanesque nave was modified in the 13th century, and a hybrid bay formed.