Buildwas Abbey, also known as The Abbey of St Mary and St Chad, was founded in 1135 for a community of reforming Savignac monks. In 1147, they merged with the austere Cistercian order.

Located next to the River Severn, the abbey operated an extensive water management system, including water meadows, leats, fishponds, mills, and a fish weir. Indeed, the abbey's name is derived from the Saxon words of 'belde' and 'was' meaning shelter and water meadow. 

Like many other religious houses, the abbey became a victim of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, in 1536.