About us
A history of The Winery/Abbey
Located within The Abbey in Burton, it was first used in 650 AD for religious purposes by St Modwin (“Modwena”) along with her two Irish nuns during the 7th and 9th centuries. St Modwin died in Scotland but she is believed to have been buried on the site circa 780 AD. The site was established in 1003 as a Benedictine Abbey by Wulfric Spott (believed to be a descendant of King Alfred) and was further developed thereafter. In the 13th to 14th centuries there were around thirty monks in residence though this had fallen off to almost half the number by the 1520s.
The abbey was dissolved in 1539, to be re-founded in 1541 as a college for the Dean and four Prebendaries or Religious Canons. It was again dissolved in 1545 and granted to Sir William Paget. The town of Burton upon Trent was merely the close areas around the Abbey between 1010 and 1540 AD. (It was not until the middle of the 17th century when the brewing industry started to expand.) Parts of the abbey church were initially retained for parish use, but most of the buildings were however demolished and replaced by a new church between 1719 and 1726. The main part of the current premises was originally the chapel and another smaller hall. The small hall was built of stone from the ground up to the first floor, then half-timbered to a fine open roof all in English oak. It was the home of the monk with the title "Master of the Infirmary".
From 1910, the Burton Club Ltd took occupation of the premises and built on the current brick and mock timber framed single storey extension in two phases, i.e. 1911 and 1920. In 1975, the Burton Club consolidated their occupation generally into the first floor rooms and the ground floor was subsequently turned into Public House premises to known as “The Abbey Inn”.
After sympathetic and loving restoration from The Kerry family, The Winery has been restored in grandeur and returned to its former glory within local society. Our passion is to offer excellent wines at affordable prices, as well as producing the best food for consumption in the area. The bar and restaurant areas have been tastefully and sympathetically designed to maintain the integrity of the historic abbey.
Our terrace area outside, with rolling lawns and next to the banks of the river Trent, offers the opportunity for more relaxed dining where you can kick your shoes off and enjoy a glass or two in the shadow of the abbey.
Brewing was reportedly thirsty work in those days and as a reward for their hard toil each monk at Burton Abbey was given a personal allowance of 16 pints per day!
