Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
Fountains Abbey
A World Heritage Site and England's largest and best-preserved Cistercian abbey ruin, linked to an 18th-century Georgian water garden.
Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132. After the Reformation it fell into ruin, but its church tower, cloisters and the nearly 100-metre-long Cellarium vaults have largely survived. Beside the ruins, the Studley Royal Water Garden, laid out in the 18th century, features the Moon Pool, garden temples, canals and a deer park. It is one of England's finest Georgian water gardens, and the two sites together are listed as a World Heritage Site. Managed by the National Trust, admission is about £20, and a full visit on foot takes half a day. It lies about 50 km from York, near Ripon, and about an hour's drive.
Opening hours
Approx. 10:00–17:00 (until 16:00 in winter)
Nearby sights
- Harrogate
- Knaresborough
- Rievaulx Abbey
- National Railway Museum
- Museum Gardens & St Mary's Abbey
- York Art Gallery
- Mansion House, York
- Bettys Café Tea Rooms