An interior view of Shap Abbey, showing the low interior walls and the west tower...

The abbey is located west of Shap village, along the River Lowther, and is of Premonstratensian origin. The earliest parts of the abbey are late 12th to early 13th century and are at the western end of the presbytery. It has a cruciform plan and lies west-to-east, with a tall west tower dating to the 16th century. It is a square tower which has a tall pointed arch on the ground and a three light pointed window in the upper stage, with steped corner buttresses. The upper stage is ruined and roofless. On the east, internal side are the marks of an early steeply-pitched roof and a flat-pitched roof dating to the 16th century, added when the nave walls were heightened. On the east range of the cloister was the vestry, chapter-house, which extended beyond the range, and a warming-house. The south range contained the dining hall and was originally two storeys.