The monastery Edward I promised to the Virgin Mary

Imagine surviving a storm at sea and promising the Virgin Mary a massive monastery in return. That is exactly what Edward I thought he was doing in the 1260s. He wanted to build a Cistercian powerhouse, but the reality of 13th-century politics stalled his plans. Civil war and a lack of cash turned his grand vision into a project that struggled to be completed.

Edward moved the project from Darnhall to the Delamere Forest because the first site was unsatisfactory. He intended it to be the largest Cistercian monastery in the country. Instead, war with Wales drained the treasury, and the building shrank as masons and builders were lost to the war effort. Even worse, the monks were often accused of serious crimes including rape, and the local population got so fed up that a mob killed the abbot in 1336.

Nature eventually finished what the budget couldn't. A great storm in 1359 brought down the massive nave. The site was eventually closed by Henry VIII in 1538, though the abbot accused the King's men of fraudulently forging his signature on essential legal documents.

Today, you can still see parts of these ambitions. The manor house is a private golf club, but the medieval refectory and kitchen remain. The foundations of the church and cloister have been excavated, sitting in the dirt as part of a scheduled monument.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons