Muchelney Abbey was sited on what was, at the time, a small island in the marshes of the Somerset Levels. The foundation date for the Abbey is unclear. One tradition claims that King Athelstan established it around 933AD, whilst another claims that King Ine founded the abbey around 693AD. Wessex suffered from heavy Viking incursions during the intervening years, so it's possible that the church was founded, abandoned and then re-founded. When excavations were carried out in the 1950s, the remains of an 8th Century church were discovered, lending credibility to the earlier foundation date.

Whatever the case, it is known that a Benedictine house existed at Muchelney by the latter part of the 10th Century. The church was rebuilt and extended in the 12th Century, following the Norman conquest. One of the latest buildings to be completed on the site was the abbot's house, which dates from the late 15th or early 16th Century. The abbey was dissolved on the 3rd January 1538AD, following a visitation by Thomas Leigh:

Today, only the ground-plan remains to show where the church once stood. The only buildings that remain are the abbot's house and the south cloister walk (now incorporated into the house). The house survives in excellent condition, and this feature alone makes Muchelney Abbey worth visiting. Other features scattered around this quiet and secluded village include the almonry barn, a thatched monk's lavatory and a priests house - built by the abbey in 1308AD to house the parish priest.