The Abbey was founded in 1895 by Rev Charles Plomer Hopkins (1861-1922) Known as the Order of St Paul, what began as a collection of of tents and basic huts, grew at the hands of the community with additional labour offered by able bodied men passing through the area. A couple of key dates:

The Gatehouse was built between 1901/02 - 1904

The Abbey Church was built between 1901-1907

The Pensionary was built between 1929-1930

With the last few members of the community advancing in years (it is claimed in 2020, the average age was just over 70) it was decided to rehome them and sell the Abbey. 

 

 

 

Parts of the Abbey were listed (Grade II) in November 2025, you can see the details of the listing here: 

Abbey Church and Monastic Buildings, Alton Abbey