I was dumbfounded to first learn of the sheer scale of Burton Abbey which occupied a 14 acre site. I remain amazed that I could have lived in Burton for decades before discovering that such a huge structure ever existed. What I had always known as the Abbey was in fact, a relatively small annex which spent at least some of its time as an infirmary. The complete Abbey in fact extended to include all of what is now the Market Hall and Saint Modwen’s church.
The above picture is my re-creation based on the below 1661 engraving by W. Hollar that appears in numerous sources and can be found on a plaque of the outside wall of the Coopers Shopping Centre close to the ‘Market Entrance’.
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