1921 – Present
A very tricky subject. Much has occurred within the bounds of what was once the Abbey’s gardens and grounds.
In the same way as the internals have been stripped of their Vivian glory, it’s fair to say that the Abbey has lost much of its external glory. The tower was removed, most of the ornamental chimney work has gone, and also much fine detail has been damaged or removed in places. The grounds themselves have suffered, the original lions on the western steps were destroyed when the University built the Library in the 1930s, the angle of the steps being altered causing them and the walls near them to be rebuilt. The lions at the east entrance have been turned 90 degrees when they were removed for cleaning and replaced wrongly.
In the future I mainly want to cover the transition from the Vivian home to the University administrative centre and try and map out for the website the way the building has changed, as this completes the study on the building.
In “recent” years the Abbey has seen a lease of life with entrants from Singleton Park being now guided through the underpass, through what was once the coach house onto the main route to Fulton House. The gardens and paths on the west and south sides of the house are very much improved from how they were in the 1990s.
