After the Dissolution of the monasteries ordered by Henry VIII, the abbey fell into ruin and the stone used to build forts along the coast. Only the foundations remain of what was once the largest Cistercian abbey in England. The cloister has partly survived, notably the 13C refectory which was converted into the parish church. An interesting feature is the stairway leading to what was the reader's pulpit, behind a screen of Purbeck marble columns.