history of the abbey
Built in 1133, Missenden Abbey remained a religious house for nearly 400 years. After Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1536, the Abbey and its land were sold or leased to new owners.
Purchased by William Fleetwood, the Abbey building then became a country mansion. The Fleetwood family were to occupy the house for the next 200 years, followed by 70 years of ownership by James Olham, a wealthy ironmonger. The house was then sold to John Ayton. Renaming it ‘Strawberry Hill’, Ayton made a number of Gothic-style alterations to the building. In 1815, it was sold to the Carrington family, who counted Benjamin Disraeli among their house guests.
Remaining with the Carringtons until 1946, the Abbey was then sold to Buckinghamshire County Council, who used it as an adult learning centre. From there it grew into a training venue and, over time became known as the Missenden Abbey Conference Centre.
Following an extensive fire in 1985, the entire interior was gutted and faithfully restored to its earlier splendour: vaulted rooms, the ceremonial staircase, stained glass and ornate plasterwork, all were recreated with the aim of following the architectural traditions of the original building.
The restoration was finally completed in May 1988, when the new building was officially reopened by HRH the Duke of Gloucester.
Missenden Abbey has been owned by Buckinghamshire New University since the mid ’90’s.
Tracing its origins back to 1893 the university is a vibrant and dynamic institution putting the student first and preparing them with degrees relevant to today’s fast moving world.
Missenden Abbey – a place that works for business
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We are frequent users of Missenden Abbey because we haven't found a better combination of location, facilities, atmosphere and service anywhere. The Missenden Abbey team is responsive, flexible and always thinking about how to improve their offering. And the food is great!
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