Croxden Abbey was founded in 1179 and at its height was home to 70 Cistercian monks. With the site bisected by a road that cuts diagonally through the church, the surviving ruins include the towering parts of its 13th century church, infirmary and the 14th century abbot's lodging. 

After its suppression in 1538 the abbey and its land became a farm. The ruins were taken into state guardianship in 1936.