Alton Abbey

[1] The community was founded by the Revd Charles Plomer Hopkins in 1884, as the "Society of Saint Paul", in Rangoon (Burma) and Calcutta (India) to work with destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and their chaplains.

Noted for its beauty and tranquility, Alton Abbey has been described in The Times as "the best-kept secret in the Church of England",[2] The community was founded by the Revd Charles Plomer Hopkins in 1884, as the Society of Saint Paul, in Rangoon (Burma) and Calcutta (India) to work with destitute or distressed merchant seafarers and their chaplains.

With the agreement of the other monks, they make Benedictine Vows of Stability, Conversion of Life, and Obedience for a period of three years.

Companions are women and men who make a commitment to regular worship with the monks, either at the Abbey or in their life outside.

[6] A thinly disguised version of Alton Abbey appears in Sinister Street (1913) by Sir Compton Mackenzie.