Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey is a large ruined Cistercian monastery near Ripon in North Yorkshire, England, originally founded in 1132. Its well-preserved medieval ruins and adjacent 18th-century Studley Royal Water Garden form a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

The site comprises substantial stone ruins of the abbey church and monastic buildings, extensive cloistered areas and monastic precincts. The adjoining Studley Royal Water Garden offers canals, formal landscaping and picturesque vistas that link to valley walks and a deer park; together they form a broad heritage landscape.

Founded by a group of monks in 1132, Fountains Abbey became one of the largest and wealthiest Cistercian houses in England. It was suppressed and dissolved in 1539 under the orders of Henry VIII, after which the abbey fell into ruin and the surrounding estate was transformed in the 18th century into the landscaped water garden.

The abbey and Studley Royal lie a few kilometres northwest of the city of Ripon in North Yorkshire, set in a river valley carved by the River Skell and surrounded by parkland and walking trails.

• UNESCO and management: Part of the UNESCO World Heritage site 'Studley Royal Park including Fountains Abbey' and managed by the National Trust; combined access typically covers the abbey, water garden and valley walks.
• Dates: Founding and dissolution dates: established in 1132 and dissolved in 1539 during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, leaving the extensive ruins visible today.

What to See #

• Abbey ruins: Abbey ruins including the eastern transept, cloister precinct and chapter house survive in substantial carved stone and form the core monastic complex from the 12th century.
• Studley Royal Water Garden: Studley Royal Water Garden is an 18th-century landscaped garden and canal system that sits in the same valley and is integrated with the abbey ruins to form the World Heritage site.
• Park and walks: Deer park and valley walks provide views across the abbey and gardens and link to trails that follow the River Skell through the estate.