After the Augustinian abbey was sold as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, it was bought by Sir William Sharington, a Renaissance adventurer.
On acquiring the property Sharington had the convent church demolished except for its north wall, which he retained to form the south wall of the mansion. At the eastern end of it he built a beautiful octagonal tower, which is now known as Sharington's tower.
The tower with its staircase and vault was built in an Italian style, after Sharington was impressed with Italian architecture after his visits to Rome during Henry VIII’s reign. He is thought to have had the impossible task of persuading the Pope to sanction Henry VIII’s divorce of Henry from Katherine of Aragon.
To the north of his new house Sharington formed a large stable block.
Later in the history of the abbey Charles Talbot studied the history of the house and recorded that Sharington began to convert the nunnery into a lay dwelling and was influenced by tradition and environment. He described the buildings as being of particularly solid and beautiful construction and in some respects very similar to medieval.
Our archive picture was taken around 1923 and used in Country Life.
Today's picture is taken from approximately the same place the other side of the River Avon. Over time you can see the banks have been worn away by the high floods and pressure of the water.
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