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.
- This article is part of our throwback series inspired by rediscovering many photos after moving 40k to Lightroom.
- 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’ve not been to England, but I have a couple of friends that live there. That would be grand fun.
Have a fabulous day. 🙂
I loved visiting England, and for me that included some friends as well.
Incredible! Those are some amazing pictures. I can totally undertaker the appeal. I love exploring old, old, old buildings. Around here I have more castles and temples to visit than I could possibly fit into a lifetime!
There were so many options for us, we couldn’t see them all either. I am just glad we chose to include Fountains Abbey.
I’m going to have to do some research into what happened to all of these abbeys that they are now ruined. Such a shame.
It was Henry VIII. In the short version, he needed a divorce which wasn’t allowed by the church so he started the Church of England. Destroying the old church and with it the abbeys.
They’re cool and they make beautiful photos!
LOL – Yes, that sums it up.
I’m with you – I could explore them all day. Great shots, Rhonda!
Thanks Steve.
I love looking at ruins and these look right up my abbey — ha ha.
Anyway, I wish I would have read this before my recent trip to the UK. I would’ve loved to see them in person.
There is so much to see in the UK. You would have had to give something else up for the day.
even the ruins look so intriguing… thanks for sharing
I really do love the ruins. Something interesting around every bend.
Hi Rhonda – England was changed with Henry’s ruining and ransacking the Abbeys and Monasteries … the buildings are quite extraordinary … I’ve loved visiting historical places since I’ve been blogging – more understanding of the history and our heritage. I’ve never properly looked round a ruined Abbey – but they’ll be on my list – and those you saw in the north of England .. I saw decades ago – but have forgotten them. I was very impressed with Durham Cathedral, Castle and the buildings intertwined with them …
Thanks for the reminder .. cheers Hilary
I look forward to your photos when you get back to the North.
I love architectural shots, especially long hallways, archways and churches. These are some beautiful shots.
Thanks Tracy 🙂
I can see why you can’t get enough. So beautiful.
Thanks Carrie-Anne. 🙂
Beautiful! I’ve been to Fountains Abbey, but not to the others – it was amazing. There are also some amazing ruins in the Scottish borders (Kelso and Jedburgh) if you ever get the chance to go!
Thanks Molly. Hopefully I will remember. We loved the UK, so I am sure we will get there again someday.
This part of England is so fascinating to me. Your images showcase it nicely.
Thanks for linking up with “Through My Lens”
Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography
Thanks. It’s really nice to get a compliment from such a talented photographer.
You found some really interesting views and hidden parts of the abbey. Beautiful photos.
Thanks. We love to explore places like this.
stunning shots!
Thanks Tanja 🙂
Hi Rhonda – I see I commented three years ago … and have posted some of my Durham visit … my father and I went up decades ago, but it was so so hot – yes that hot … that we couldn’t face going inland and stayed near the sea … but I’d love to visit – looks amazing … and you had good weather … cheers Hilary
I can’t image the UK ever being that hot. 🙂
Brilliant photos Rhonda I enjoyed seeing these and congrats for getting them with a blue sky too which can be quite rare here heheh!
Have a tanfastic week 🙂
We got lucky, a bit of blue sky, then some overcast too.
Gorgeous abbey. That’s one of the things I liked in England – being able to actually explore ruins like that.
Me too. I loved exploring the abbeys and castles. The British countryside is so special.
Great shots, and it looks like a great way to visit the past. I would enjoy snooping around these grounds.
Have a fabulous day, Rhonda. ☺
I can image you here. You would love it.
That’s stunning. What was on the floor? Doesn’t look like flagstones?
I think it was mostly hard packed dirt, but really I don’t know.
The overcast skies could indicate you’re in south central WI too, lol. It’s been mostly to partly dreary here. I love the angles and shots you found in this beautiful old abbey.
Really, I could have been anywhere green and lush. And, thanks.
Rhonda your photography is always fabulous. Love the ruins.
Thanks Carol.
Never a fan of Henry XVIII, now I like him even less. Thanks for sharing!
He was a bit of a baby, requiring things to go his way.
I’ve only been to London, but I’d love to visit Fountains Abbey sometimes. These ruins surely look like a good subject for photography. Great pictures, Rhonda.
Yes, next time spend some time in Yorkshire at the abbeys and castles. So much to see and photograph.
Such a beautiful place indeed Rhonda.. I have not got the chance to go there, though, but happy to add it to my list
There are several abbeys and castles in Yorkshire. It was such a great day.
Gorgeous architecture and landscaping too! There’s nothing more awesome than European castles and monasteries. Thanks so much for sharing these amazing pics!!!
I agree. I just love these old ruins. We went to one after the next. It was such a great few days.
This looks like a place my whole family would LOVE! I think I’d enjoy a tour just once. After that I’d prefer to roam.
My whole family loved it, although I think a few of them were getting tired of so many castle and abbey ruins by the last few we visited.
Wow! I LOVE these pictures. Seriously good.
Thanks.
Beautiful photos! I used to live in Scotland and loved the history of visiting old castles and abbeys. Was always very cold though…
We were so lucky when we were in Scotland, a week of unseasonably warm weather. I think it was 24-26 in May.
I would love to tour the castles in Europe with all the great things that go with them. Your photos are great.
While I love the castles in Europe, it’s these old ruins that really captured my imagination.
The Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal look so intriguing and grand. The magnificent structures look imposing against the beautiful English countryside. The history that resides in these stone structures must indeed be fascinating.
Studley Royal is the Park, Fountains Abbey is the structure.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.