Cleeve Abbey was a Cistercian abbey which was founded in 1198 by William de Roumare with monks from Revesby Abbey in Lincolnshire and has some of the best preserved monastic buildings in England. Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1533 the abbey church was demolished so it could no longer be used as a place of worship, but unusually the rest of the monastic buildings were left untouched and became a private house and passed though several owners one of whom was Robert Radcliffe the 1st Earl of Sussex who was granted the house in 1538 by the King.
Cleeve declined in importance and by the early 17th century had become a farm and was extended by the construction of a farmhouse. In the 1860's the abbey was acquired by the Luttrell family of Dunster and George Luttrell began repairs to arrest the decay of the buildings at this time the site ceased to be used as a farm and was divided up into three rented cottages.
Excavations on the site by George Luttrell in the 1870's supervised by the archaeologist CH Sampson traced the extent of the abbey church and discovered evidence of other buildings and features.
Today the abbey is a Grade I listed building and has been scheduled as an ancient monument and it is in the care of English Heritage.
(Information from the English Heritage guide book)
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