Dogs mercury – one of several indicators of ancient woodland at Bradwell Abbey
Chapel window at Bradwell Abbey, ca. 1340. The contemporary, stylised painted letter ‘M’ refers to the Virgin Mary, to whom the chapel was dedicated
Farmhouse at Bradwell Abbey – medieval 16th and 17th century buildings

Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes

Complex historic sites often require a multi-disciplinary team to understand issues & address areas of conflict.

The Bradwell Abbey site is not only a scheduled ancient monument, but also contains a small colony of brown long-eared bats and a number of monastic fishponds, which are a well-established breeding ground for great crested newts. The newts use the semi-ruinous stone walls for hibernation.

Mel Morris Conservation was appointed by John Cunnington Architects in 2004 to write a Conservation Management Plan. Mel sourced an archaeologist who is an authority on monastic sites and worked with a local ecologist with a detailed knowledge of local wildlife habitats.

Mel Morris worked in close collaboration with both sub-consultants to understand the significance of the site and address the complex areas where conflicts could arise.

The Conservation Management Plan was accompanied by a gazetteer, which is an informative, structured way of understanding a site with many elements - standing buildings, structures & archaeological remains.