Cerne Abbey was a Benedictine monastery founded in 987 AD in the town now called Cerne Abbas by Æthelmær the Stout. AElfric of Eynsham, the most prolific writer in Old English was known to have spent time at the abbey as a priest and teacher. Following the dissolution, the buildings were mainly demolished with only parts of a gatehouse and possible guesthouse incorporated into later buildings. Strangely, the very elaborate stone vaulted porch of the abbot's hall also survives in the midst of a wooded lawn.