Ten years ago The Windhorse Trust (a charity created to support and promote Buddhist lifestyles & projects) bought Abbey House. It's the oldest house in Cambridge in constant habitation since it was built in the late 16th century. The local council who sold it, had been given the house by Lord Fairhaven in 1946, on the understanding it would be used in some way for the benefit of the local people. Unfortunately none of the ideas suggested ever came to anything. So on the death of the last remaining sitting tenant in 2000, they rather controversially decided to sell the house and grounds. In selling it to the Trust, there was one stipulation, that for the next 25years the house would be opened to the general public for at least one day a year, as a sort of minimal nod towards respecting Lord Fairhaven's request.
So every year the men's communities of Abbey House go through a huge upheaval of their lifestyle, and of their rooms. For one day the hidden history of Abbey House and its grounds is made publicly available. Community members become Tour Guides, run a cafe and welcome folk into their home. Between 12-4pm on Saturday 10th September, as part of the local Cambridge Open Day the communities open wide their doors. This year the somewhat sultry weather encouraged lots of people to visit, somewhere in the region of 350-400 people walk around the living rooms and bedrooms or lounge in the walled garden. Here are a few pictures to give you a little idea of what an Abbey House Open Day can be like.
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Padmasalin making cakes
early in the morning |
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The view from the lounge window
of our garden before we opened |
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| Vidyasiddhi cleaning the lobby |
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| Floors need hoovering |
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| Furniture needs removing |
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| Jnanasalin constructing display boards |
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| Samamati assembling shoe racks |
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| Matthew making flower arrangements |
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Bedrooms need rearranging so
significant features can be seen |
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| A new shrine for the occasion |
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Padmasalin's cakes & biscuits
awaiting the first group of visitors |
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| A tour in process on the front lawn |
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| Dridhakarin (on the far right) as one of our Tour Guides |
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| Our first visitors viewing the history of the house |
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| Taking in our garden |
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| Visitors lounging on the patio |
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| Exploring the garden |
