Lee Abbey has been based on Christian community since it first opened in 1945. It now has three parts:

1. The Christian centre based near Lynton in North Devon. It operates in much the same way as Scargill, with regular conferences being held throughout the year. There is a community of about 90 serving the 10,000+ guests who come each year to the main house and the recently opened youth centre.
2. A hostel in London for 150 overseas students, served by a community of about 35.
3. Two smaller communities in UPA areas in Bristol and Birmingham.

In the late 1950s Lee Abbey decided that North Devon was inaccessible for those from the north of England and tried to find somewhere which could reflect the experience and the excitement of the Devon community. A group scoured the Midlands and the North, and discovered Scargill House.

A major money raising effort by the Lee Abbey 'Friends' enabled Scargill to be bought and launched.

Until recent years Scargill and Lee Abbey, though independent of each other, have always been seen as sister-communities engaged on very similar Christian work and with good communication between them. Until recently the Wardens of Scargill and Lee Abbey met regularly, and they were invited to attend each other's Council meetings. For this reason the Lee Abbey Council has been very concerned about the closure of Scargill and it has made very generous gifts of personnel and financial backing to the re-starting of Scargill.

You can find out much more about the present work of Lee Abbey by clicking on the following links:

www.leeabbey.org.uk/devon and www.LeeAbbeyLondon.com