Blanchland Abbey (Church of St Mary the Virgin)

The Church of St Mary the Virgin at Blanchland is the surviving fragment of a Premonstratensian abbey founded here in 1165. The white-robed canons of the order gave the settlement its name, from the French "blanche lande". At the Dissolution in 1539 the monastery was largely demolished, but the north transept, crossing tower and part of the chancel were retained and adapted for parish use, giving today's church its distinctive L-shaped plan.

Inside, medieval stonework is set off by carved grave slabs of former abbots and canons, some inscribed with croziers, shears and crosses. The 13th-century lancet windows in the chancel, the squat 15th-century tower and the ancient roof timbers all repay a slow look around. Fragments of the abbey's original cloister and refectory can still be traced in the neighbouring buildings and the walled garden of the Lord Crewe Arms.

The church remains an active place of worship for the village and is usually open to visitors during daylight hours. It is signposted from the village square, only a short walk from the 773 bus stop, and forms the natural centrepiece of any visit to Blanchland.