It was sponsored by the Earl of Shrewsbury and designed by A.W.N.Pugin. The original conception was described in the Dublin Review in 1842, although practical matters like limited funds meant that the actual execution fell somewhat short of the ideal. Nevertheless, the Cistercian monks that lived there would have appreciated its simplicity, both internally and externally.

"The whole of the buildings", wrote Pugin, "are erected in the greatest severity of the lancet style, with massive walls and buttresses, long and narrow windows, high gables and roofs, with deeply arched doorways. Solemnity and simplicity are the characteristics of the monastery, and every portion of the architecture and fittings corresponds to the austerity of the Order for whom it has been raised."

Over the years, the building has been extended and refurbished, particularly in the 1930’s. In general, this has been carried out in keeping with the original style

Today, it remains an active monastery, although the monks have changed from sleeping in cubicled dormitories and reading in a common room to a system where each monk has his own cell. Apart from being more humane, this allows for a pursuit of prayerful solitude and silence, more in line with today’s culture.

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