Much of the original monastery, including the abbey church was demolished in the period after the dissolution; only two statues, now on display in the Great Hall, have been found from the original church. The monastic parts of the current house are the Great Hall, the north side of the original square of the cloisters as well as the monks’ accommodation, the Upper Refectory and the Undercroft, which was the abbey’s working area, and the Chapter House, which has been converted into a chapel. Other rooms have been subsequently converted into State Rooms and show no evidence of their earlier use. Prideaux added some bedrooms and a reception area in the front of the building as part of his conversion of the abbey to a private house.
The gardens of Forde Abbey are one of the main attractions. They are listed as Grade II* in the National Heritage List for England as a “historically important garden”.[6] The Roper family has maintained and improved the gardens during their tenure. The gardens cover 30 acres (120,000 m2) including several water features, planted gardens and an arboretum. The lawns were laid out in front of the house in the 18th century and many of the trees were planted in the 19th century.