Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are amongst the several old abbeys, castles, and monasteries in Yorkshire that we visited before arriving in Oakham for the night. Lush and green, the gently rolling hills of the British countryside reminded me of our home in New Zealand, although the frequently overcast sky confirmed that we were in the UK.
Located in Studley Royal Park, Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It was founded in 1132 just after Rievaulx Abbey. Both flourished for over 400 years until Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of all monasteries in 1539.
I can only imagine what the abbey looked like in her glory. Here are 17 of my favourite shots of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. See if you agree that her ruins portray an incredible masterpiece:
Can you spot our girls?
Once a magnificent dormitory at Fountains Abbey
Wildflowers growing in one of the walls
More Information on Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal:
- You can find Fountains Abbey approximately 5 kilometres (3 miles) south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire.
- The ruins of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park are UNESCO World Heritage listed.
- Do you prefer a tour? If so, check out this one from Viator.
- If you are an overseas visitor and love castles and old ruins, get either a 9 or 16 day English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass. It will give you unlimited access to over 100 sites across England. Unfortunately, Fountains Abbey is not one of them as it is owned and maintained by National Trust.
- We found Lonely Planet’s Great Britain Travel Guide to be very useful.
- We stayed at various Premier Inn hotels throughout our travels in the UK and found them to be clean, comfortable, and affordable. We always check prices at Booking.com.
Have you been to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal or any of the Cistercian abbeys in England?
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I love those pictures! I have a couple of friends from England and we were talking about the English countryside. Looks like they were quite right about its beauty.
Can you go and visit with your friends? Perhaps they could take you to the countryside.
Awesome photos! I remember learning about this at school, and for all the years I lived in the UK, never visited. Really enjoyed your pictures. (saved to my England board on Pinterest)
Thanks.
Lovely pictures! They look similar to the world-war ruins that I visited near Manila last year. Loved the rustic charm of these monuments!
These ruins are from age rather than war.
Beautiful! England is definitely a lovely place to visit. I haven’t seen this fountain yet.
Fountains Abbey is one of several medieval ruins in the British Countryside.
I haven’t been lucky enough to visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. But they certainly look stunning, a photographer’s dream location.
I could have stayed there for days, playing with the sunlight against the structures.