Editing Battle Abbey (section)

===Present day===
In 1976, the Webster family trustees sold Battle Abbey to the British government (albeit aided by a substantial contribution from a group of American philanthropists);<ref>{{cite book |last=Pryce |first=Roy |title=Battle Abbey and the Websters |date=2005 |publisher=Roy Pryce |location=Heathfield, East Sussex |isbn=0952809311}}</ref> it is now in the care of [[English Heritage]].<ref name=":0"/> In 2016, [[Historic England]] commissioned tree-ring analyses of oak timbers from the [[gatehouse]], [[dorter]] and [[reredorter]] to help identify when these areas might have been built. Findings imply phased building and local timber acquisition, with samples indicating early- and later-fifteenth-century building work.<ref name=":0"/>

The church's high altar reportedly stood on the spot where Harold died. This is now marked by a plaque on the ground, and nearby is a monument to Harold erected by the people of [[Normandy]] in 1903. The ruins of the abbey, with the adjacent battlefield, are a popular tourist attraction, with events such as the [[Battle of Hastings reenactment]]s.

All that is left of the abbey church itself today is its outline on the ground, but parts of some of the abbey's buildings are still standing: those built between the 13th and 16th centuries. These are still in use as the independent [[Battle Abbey School]].<ref>[https://www.battleabbeyschool.com/ Battle Abbey School]</ref> Visitors to the abbey are usually not allowed inside the school buildings, although during the school's summer holidays, access to the abbot's hall is often allowed.

The church was used as the primary ground for the filming of band [[Black Sabbath]]'s music video for "Headless Cross", the title track of the album of the same name released in 1989.