With over 800 years of history, Newstead is a monastic abbey from the late 12th century and was the former home of Romantic poet Lord Byron.
1. Newstead Abbey
Newstead Abbey is located off Nottingham Road, Ravenshead. The former Augustinian priory was converted to a domestic home following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it is now best known as the ancestral home of Lord Byron. Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
2. Medieval Era
Newstead was established as a monastic house in the twelfth century and still retains its medieval character. One of the highlights is the surviving structure of the West Front, which dates back to the late thirteenth century. Visitors can explore the cloisters, the Chapter House (now functioning as a Chapel), as well as view stone carvings and manuscripts. Photo: Phoebe Cox
3. Lord Byron
The most flamboyant and notorious major English Romantic poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, was also the most fashionable poet of the early 1800s. Lord Byron was also a Member of the House of Lords. Byron lived at Newstead Abbey (his ancestral home, which he inherited at age 21) between 1808 and 1814. Photo: Phoebe Cox
4. Newstead Abbey gardens
Newstead's 300 acres of parkland are renowned for their beauty, greatly enhanced by the River Leen, which supplies water to the lakes, ponds, and cascades that grace the gardens. The park is home to a variety of wildlife, including peacocks and swans. Among its highlights is a Japanese Garden, considered one of the finest examples of its kind in Britain. There is also a Spanish Garden, a Victorian interpretation of a box parterre, and a rockery inspired by Benjamin Disraeli's novel "Venetia." Photo: Phoebe Cox