Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0 Why visit
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is worth allowing time for because it combines monastic architecture, ruins and the historical setting of a religious community. The site is more useful than a quick photograph: its surviving features give clear evidence of how the place developed and how people used it. Key things to concentrate on are main landscape viewpoints, geological, coastal, moorland or mountain features, formal or botanical planting and contrasting garden and parkland areas. Its position in or near Ripon also makes it a practical anchor for exploring the surrounding region without reducing the visit to a simple landmark stop.
What you will see
- main landscape viewpoints.
- geological, coastal, moorland or mountain features.
- formal or botanical planting.
- contrasting garden and parkland areas.
History
Fountains Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks in 1132 and became one of the wealthiest monasteries in England before the Dissolution in 1539. The adjoining Studley Royal water garden was developed in the 18th century.
Photographs
Chris Heaton · CC BY-SA 2.0 · full attribution on the image credits page.
Visitor tips
- 1
Allow enough time for the principal features rather than treating the stop only as a photograph.
- 2
Check the official visitor page shortly before travel for access, booking and any temporary restrictions.
About Yorkshire and the Humber
York’s medieval core, abbey ruins, country estates and the limestone and moorland landscapes of the Yorkshire national parks.
Open the United Kingdom guide
