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The abbey was famous in its time, and received
frequent visits from royalty including Kings Edward I, II,
and III and King John. King Henry III held royal court at
the abbey during his reign. When King John sealed the Magna
Carta at nearby Runnymede in 1215, Adam the Abbot of Chertsey
was present. King Henry VIII dissolved the abbeys in 1537,
and the extensive property of the Chertsey abbey passed to
the crown and the buildings largely demolished. Today, the
only visible remains are the buried ovens in the abbey and
some stonework beside the abbey river. Some of the stone was
reused in a number of surrounding buildings including Oatlands
Palace near Weybridge. Foundations of the Abbey Chase bridge,
which has a grade II historical listing, are reputed to have
been constructed by the monks. It is also believed that the
bridge was used by the monks as a water race for their flour
mills. The mills were demolished early in the 20th century.
In 1920, Colonel Clare commenced building Abbey Chase home.
The original design included a first floor but this wasn't
realised until 1990 when a Chertsey builder made the addition.
The property was then converted to the Abbey Chase Nursing
and Residential Home. In 2002 the home has benefited from
a 20 bed extension that has been sympathetic to the original
character of the building.
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