Gothic style. Little remains of the building, except for three walls of the chapter house and part of the cloister, though the ground plan of the abbey is traced out. The main interest lies in the gatehouse which is among the earliest large-scale uses of brick in England. It stands two storeys high and is structurally intact. There are few windows in the building, and the internal dimensions are cramped due to the thickness of the walls. The outside of the building is adorned with three almost life-size statues directly above the gate. A bridge over the moat adjoins the gatehouse and is fortified with walls and garderobes. The nearby Abbot's Lodge is also a Grade I listed building. Elements of the ground floor of the monastic range of Thornton Abbey were converted to a house and the first floor rebuilt in the 17th century, reputedly by Sir Vincent Skinner, but the structure collapsed upon completion. Archaeology Thornton Abbey was relatively under-examined for its size and importance, until English Heritage launched a program of research beginning in 2007. This initial non-invasive research was followed by excavations performed by the University of Sheffield Department of Archaeology between 2011 and 2016, directed by Dr Hugh Willmott. In 2013, continuing excavation work uncovered a Black Death plague pit in the cemetery of the abbey's hospital, containing the remains of at least 48 individuals including the skeletons of 27 children. DNA was successfully extracted and tested positive for Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the plague, making this the first instance in Britain of a Black Death mass grave found in a rural, rather than urban, area. Dr. Willmott stated: "The finding of a previously unknown and completely unexpected mass burial dating to this period in a quiet corner of rural Lincolnshire is thus far unique, and sheds light into the real difficulties faced by a small community ill-prepared to face such a devastating threat." Burials at the abbey William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle Aveline de Montfichet, wife of William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle References External links Page on English Heritage's website Blog post on the plague pit excavation, including video clips English Heritage sites in Lincolnshire Ruins in Lincolnshire Monasteries in Lincolnshire Augustinian monasteries in England 1539 disestablishments in England Religious organizations established in the 1130s Grade I listed buildings in Lincolnshire Christian monasteries established in the 12th century