What exactly is an abbey and does it differ from a priory? This book clarifies the seeming confusion by answering these questions and much more besides. This new edition, in a larger format, includes descriptions of over 200 individual sites open to the public and over 90 colour photographs.

Abbeys and priories are both types of monastery and the author traces the history of monasteries in Britain from Anglo-Saxon times to the Dissolution under Henry VIII. He describes the different monastic orders, the running of the monasteries and the daily life of the monks and nuns, the layout of monastic buildings, the influence of the religious houses on life in medieval times and their effect on the landscape, all with references to examples accessible to the public. This new edition has been enlarged into the 'Discovering Handbook' series and is fully illustrated in colour.

Introduction
The earliest monasteries
The monastic orders
The officers of the monastery
The layout of a monastery
The daily life
The Dissolution
Principal monastic sites in England
Principal monastic sites in Scotland
Principal monastic sites in Wales
Other monastic sites
Monasteries today
Further reading