The Abbey is a beautiful Grade 1 listed medieval building, located in the historic village of Sutton Courtenay, near Oxford. Its special atmosphere of stillness and receptivity makes it an ideal place to run group and individual retreats, training events, small conferences, and days for planning or creative exploration of new forms of management or self-development.

The Abbey was built in the early thirteenth century as an administrative centre for the great Benedictine Abbey of Abingdon. It soon passed into the hands of the Courtenay family, lords of the manor of Sutton, and over the next two centuries it developed its present charming courtyard form. Its acquisition by the Dean and Chapter of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 1485 guaranteed its survival until 1900, when it passed into private ownership.

Our vision is a world of unity and understanding. Our role in helping to create this vision is to offer a space for spiritual and practical work and reflection. Rooted in Christianity, we are open to the wisdom of all people and all faiths. Our experience is that those who live, work or stay at the Abbey take something special away with them, something of benefit to many people, places and societies throughout the world.

The present charity, called The Abbey Sutton Courtenay, rescued the house from a property developer in 1980. A small resident community seeks to return the place to its early roots as a space for spiritual and practical work, reflection and social witness. Nearly 800 years old, the Abbey has become a national treasure as well as repository of wisdom and learning. The benefits of history, however, do not come without a cost. A top class restoration programme is essential to secure the fabric of the Abbey and upgrade its facilities to meet modern expectations of safety, efficiency, comfort and accessibility.