The Elizabethan map, dating back to about 1587, was found at the National Archives at Kew in London.

It was drawn by Ralph Treswell, a renowned surveyor and cartographer, who was among the first in England to produce scaled plans of estates.

The document shows evidence of a 12th century church, a water mill and visitor or pilgrims' accommodation.

It also reveals the abbey drew water, not just from the nearby lake as previously thought, but from a spring in the lower Cotswold hill-slope which collected water and directed it to the abbey through a lead pipe.

Experts said the rare find revealed for the first time a clear picture of what the site looked like shortly after the dissolution of the monasteries.