Calder Abbey was established in 1134 and, after a checkered history, today it is a ruin in private ownership, attached to a magnificent but decaying Arts and Crafts mansion house. Occasionally it is opened to the public and today we joined the guided tour. The site is very different from a user-friendly English Heritage ruin. It is seriously overgrown with brambles and the highly invasive Himalayan Balsam. But this didn't detract from the pleasure of looking round this piece of history.
