BUCKLAND Abbey has won a prestigious national award in recognition of its fantastic public service.

Hannah Jones, education and support services manager for the National Trust site near Tavistock received the Internet Britain and Ireland Commendation Award on behalf of the abbey at Earl?s Court, London last Thursday.

The awards are given each year by the Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI) to recognise a handful of attractions throughout the country who best help people to understand and enjoy national culture and heritage.

Buckland Abbey received the highest category commendation award for its ?The Way Ahead? project ? a re-interpretation of the site.

The awards were presented by AHI patron, television personality Lloyd Grossman.

?There is much to praise in this project at Buckland Abbey ? the computer programmes, the emphasis on people, the overall quality of the ?lifetimes gallery?, the brevity of the text on panels and the attempts to make an historic building and its story more accessible.?

The Abbey has seen 700 years of change from its roots as a Cistercian monastery, through its conversion to Tudor mansion to its current status as a 21st century museum.

The Way Ahead project aimed to repair and refresh the building, telling visitors more about the history of the property and Sir Francis Drake, its famous 16th century owner.