The Abbey was founded in 1145 by monks. although it took over one hundreds of years to complete, it was not a large monastery.

The abbey was closed in 1536 by order of Henry VIII and the estate was given to the Talbot family, Earl of Shrewsbury who used it as a part-time hunting lodge until around 1610. The Abbey was later acquired by the Savile family in 1626, it remained in their ownership until the mid-20th century.

In 1938, the Rufford estate was sold, this was quickly followed by military use during World War Two. The house continued to decay and in 1956 a controlled demolition had to be carried out leaving the building much as you see it today.