The cloisters have fallen silent as a religious landmark near Alton has gone on the market.

Bids are being accepted for Alton Abbey as trustees are disposing of the building between Beech and Medstead.

The abbey was originally founded around 1884 as the Society of St Paul with an aspiration to give solace and shelter to destitute merchant seamen.

The abbey has been home to a monastic society of Anglican Benedictine monks for decades but their numbers have dwindled in recent years.

Just a handful remained – their average age was ‘just over 70’ – when the abbey went into Covid lockdown in 2020 but it did not reopen afterwards.

Indeed, the writing was probably on the wall as oblates and supporters were asked to “consider the future of the Abbey and the community” in a letter circulated around the time by a bishop.

The building recently ceased to function as a religious establishment and has been effectively abandoned with the few remaining monks being reputedly rehoused. 

Tony Souter also made enquiries about accommodating Ukrainian refugees in the abbey but was unsuccessful with secrecy and silence being frequently encountered in his approach.

Trustees would prefer for the property to be snapped up by another religious community but it’s unlikely to be bought by a Church of England group because of its size.

The price tag seems to be around £6million but there’s a lot on offer with the site including an abbey, gatehouse, bungalow and outbuildings.

The site also boasts extensive landscaped gardens and 13.51 hectares of pasture and woodland.

There’s also a cemetery so its successful buyers will have to make arrangements to maintain and retain access.

The property is being marketed by Carter Jonas LLP of Winchester with price on application, for more details look for Alton GU34 on www.carterjonas.co.uk