Creake Abbey

On Sunday 16th June at Creake Abbey ruins there is a performance of Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' by Moving Parts Theatre Company at 6pm. For tickets, please visit movingpartstheatre.com or click on the link in the 'Before You Go' section below.

Free Entry

Open any reasonable time during daylight hours

Address:

Burnham Road, North Creake, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 9LF

Before You Go

Set in tranquil countryside, the flint-walled ruins of this Augustinian abbey church tells a sad story of monastic disaster. After a devastating 15th-century fire, it was drastically reduced in size, with arches and windows blocked. Then plague struck, the last abbot died alone, and in 1506 the abbey closed.

Read more about the history of the abbey

Before You Go

Summer Outdoor Theatre: On Sunday 16th June in the abbey ruins we have a perfomance of Shakespeare’s 'Much Ado About Nothing' at 6pm by Moving Parts Theatre Company. Please click here to buy tickets. Picnics can be pre-ordered from The Barn Café (not English Heritage managed) - please click here to order. The abbey ruins are open to the elements so please dress accordingly for the weather, and bring a chair and blanket as needed. If the weather is against us, the performance will go ahead in a barn near the Courtyard Shops.

Parking: There is a grassed area for parking, accessed via the left fork on the main drive, signposted 'Abbey Ruins'.

Access: The abbey is accessed via a gate that is suitable for wheelchair users.

Facilities: English Heritage has no facilities at the abbey but it is next to a courtyard with a café, some locally-owned shops and services, and accessible toilets. In addition, on the first Saturday of most months, the courtyard and adjacent barns host an award-winning farmers' market. The courtyard is accessed via the right fork on the main drive, signposted 'Shops & Café'. Visit Creake Abbey's website for more details, and to check opening hours for the café and shops as they are not open every day.

Dogs: Dogs on leads are welcome. 

Plan a Great Day Out

If you would like to explore more Norman places in North Norfolk, why not visit the delightful village of Castle Acre, 20 miles to the south of the abbey. It is a one of the finest surving examples of a Norman planned settlement in the country and has an extraordinary wealth of history to delve into. The village is dominated by the monumental ruins of two of the three sites in our care there - the atmospheric Cluniac Priory and the impressive motte-and-bailey Castle and its extensive earthworks. The third site is the Bailey Gate - the surviving north gate of medieval fortifications, under which the road through the village passes.

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