roxden Abbey is a ruined abbey founded in around 1176 near Alton (Alton Towers) by Bertram de Verdun who sought monks from a Aunay-sur-Odon Abbey in Normandy to construct the new church. It was common at this time for nobles to found abbeys to pray for themselves and their families. Much of the building work was orchestrated by Abbot Walter of London from 1242 until 1268 who was the fifth abbot to hold the position. The wealth of the abbey came from its many sheep, but over time the abbey fell upon hard times. and was suppressed in 1538 by King Henry VIII. Only small sections of the abbey now remain and are under the care of English Heritage. Unfortunately a road was built straight across the remains of the main church making some parts out of bounds. Sections of the remaining buildings are both Norman and Early Gothic in design.