The estate was bought in 1958 by David Astor (son of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor), owner of the local Manor House since 1945 and publisher of The Observer (1948–1975).
From late 1960 until 1970, the Astor family leased The Abbey for a peppercorn rent to the Ockenden Venture.
The Ockenden Venture, now Ockenden International, is an English development non-governmental organisation established in 1951 that helps displaced persons become self-sufficient.
The Abbey was used as a refugee children's home.
The room which now serves as the dining room was used as a class room for the Ockenden students.
The solar was a dormitory for girls while the boys stayed in the room now housing the library.
Joan and Dane Leadlay were the first Ockenden houseparents of The Abbey.
Initially, The Abbey housed refugee girls from Poland, followed by students from Rumania, South Africa and Tibet.
Margaret Dixon took over the running of The Abbey in 1966, bringing with her some of the older Donington boys.

In October 1973, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, visited The Abbey as part of his first trip to the West.
He held a reception in the great hall for fellow Tibetan people who since the 1960s had fled to the United Kingdom after the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
The Buddhist leader wanted to meet people who were “thinking deeply about the problems of mankind”.
He urged British Buddhiststo “develop compassion”.

In 1974 it was lent, by David Astor, to the exiled Colin Winter, who was the Anglican Bishop of Damaraland, now the Diocese of Namibia.
The Abbey was then used to house the Namibia International Peace Centre.
In 1972, Winter was deported after opposing South Africa’s policy of apartheid but remained 'bishop-in-exile'.
In England, he continued to advocate for Namibian independence and he was known for his anti-establishment remarks, such as his criticism on Margaret Thatcher in 1978.

Astor visited Sutton Courtenay frequently, and regarded it with a great deal of affection.
Visitors over the years included Winston Churchill, Evelyn Waugh, Lady Mary Lygon, Chips Channon and Lady Diana Cooper, who described the village as “the place above all others for romance and gathering rosebuds and making hay and jumping over the moon,” and noted how “flowers literally overflowed everything and drifted off in to a wilderness”.
Astor, after a trip to Jura, helped a local family, the Mackenzies, relocate to Sutton Courtenay, knowing that Highland life wasn't kind to the family.
Later members of the Mackenzie family continue to live in the village today.

In 1975 Astor resigned as editor but continued to support a number of charities and to finance pressure groups for causes that he strongly believed in, such as the Koestler Trust, a charity helping ex-offenders express themselves creatively.
Astor died in December 2001, and is buried in All Saints' parish churchyard, Sutton Courtenay in a grave with a simple headstone bearing only his name and years of birth and death.
In an adjacent grave is his friend Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell.
Astor bought both burial plots when he learned that Orwell had asked to be buried in an English country churchyard.
The estate was bought in 1958 by David Astor (son of Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor), owner of the local Manor House since 1945 and publisher of The Observer (1948–1975). From late 1960 until 1970, the Astor family leased The Abbey for a peppercorn rent to the Ockenden Venture. The Ockenden Venture, now Ockenden International, is an English development non-governmental organisation established in 1951 that helps displaced persons become self-sufficient. The Abbey was used as a refugee children's home. The room which now serves as the dining room was used as a class room for the Ockenden students. The solar was a dormitory for girls while the boys stayed in the room now housing the library. Joan and Dane Leadlay were the first Ockenden houseparents of The Abbey. Initially, The Abbey housed refugee girls from Poland, followed by students from Rumania, South Africa and Tibet. Margaret Dixon took over the running of The Abbey in 1966, bringing with her some of the older Donington boys.
In October 1973, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, visited The Abbey as part of his first trip to the West. He held a reception in the great hall for fellow Tibetan people who since the 1960s had fled to the United Kingdom after the Chinese invasion of Tibet. The Buddhist leader wanted to meet people who were “thinking deeply about the problems of mankind”. He urged British Buddhiststo “develop compassion”.
In 1974 it was lent, by David Astor, to the exiled Colin Winter, who was the Anglican Bishop of Damaraland, now the Diocese of Namibia. The Abbey was then used to house the Namibia International Peace Centre. In 1972, Winter was deported after opposing South Africa’s policy of apartheid but remained 'bishop-in-exile'. In England, he continued to advocate for Namibian independence and he was known for his anti-establishment remarks, such as his criticism on Margaret Thatcher in 1978. 
Astor visited Sutton Courtenay frequently, and regarded it with a great deal of affection. Visitors over the years included Winston Churchill, Evelyn Waugh, Lady Mary Lygon, Chips Channon and Lady Diana Cooper, who described the village as “the place above all others for romance and gathering rosebuds and making hay and jumping over the moon,” and noted how “flowers literally overflowed everything and drifted off in to a wilderness”. Astor, after a trip to Jura, helped a local family, the Mackenzies, relocate to Sutton Courtenay, knowing that Highland life wasn't kind to the family. Later members of the Mackenzie family continue to live in the village today.
In 1975 Astor resigned as editor but continued to support a number of charities and to finance pressure groups for causes that he strongly believed in, such as the Koestler Trust, a charity helping ex-offenders express themselves creatively. Astor died in December 2001, and is buried in All Saints' parish churchyard, Sutton Courtenay in a grave with a simple headstone bearing only his name and years of birth and death. In an adjacent grave is his friend Eric Arthur Blair, better known by his pen name George Orwell. Astor bought both burial plots when he learned that Orwell had asked to be buried in an English country churchyard.
The Abbey, Sutton Courtenay