Abbey remains today only through an extremely archaic and peculiar chapel located on the outskirts of the quaint market town of Coggeshall in North Essex. It was founded in 1140 by King Stephen of England and Matilda of Boulogne. Its religious order changed from Savigniac to Cistercian Christianity in 1147. In 1216, the abbey was raided by armed forces alongside King John. During the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt, the abbey was broken into and raided. Its financial standing had been bad since the 13th Century due to excessive spending, and when it closed in 1538 the abbey was heavily in debt. The abbey church was ransacked and demolished, and a house was built on the monastery site in 1581. The abbey gate chapel is what is left today, serving as St. Nicholas Chapel.
