The National Trust acquired Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal from North Yorkshire County Council in 1983. In 1987 it was declared a World Heritage Site for its outstanding historic and aesthetic importance.

It is now one of the Trust's most visited pay-for-entry properties attracting over 300,000 visitors a year.

© Kippa Matthews

The Abbey

The abbey, Britain's largest monastic ruin, was founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks seeking to live a devout and simple lifestyle. Within three years, the little settlement at Fountains had been admitted to the austere Cistercian Order and with that came a most important development; the introduction of the Cistercian system of lay brothers.

The lay brothers relieved the monks from routine jobs, giving them more opportunity to dedicate their time to God. It was due to the lay brothers that Fountains attained its great wealth and economic importance, via wool production, lead mining, cattle rearing, horse breeding, stone quarrying and other industrial and agricultural concerns. By the mid thirteenth century Fountains had become one of the wealthiest religious houses in England.

© Jenny Coupland / National Trust

Tower & Decline

In the 14th century economic collapse followed bad harvests and Scots raids, and the Black Death exacerbated the effects of financial mismanagement. The community of lay brothers reduced in size and in the late 15th century dairy farming replaced sheep farming.

Despite its financial problems and itsdeviation from the original idealism of the founding monks, Fountains Abbey remained of considerable importance in the cistercian Order and the abbacy of Marmaduke Huby (1495 - 1526) marked a period of revival. Fountains once again flourished, and the great perpendicular tower built by Huby symbolises his hope for the Abbey's future, and his initials boldly carved out on the tower, as elsewhere, spell out his personal ambition.

However this revival was brought to an abrupt end in 1539 by Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.

© Balthazer Nebot

Studley Royal

The Studley Royal Estate was inherited  by John Aislabie in 1693 and remained separate from Fountains Abbey until John's son William purchased the Abbey ruins in 1767 and landscaped them as a picturesque folly to be viewed from the Water Garden.

Between them these two gifted amateurs created what is arguably the most important 18th century water garden in England. The garden stands today much as it was first conceived and as it was depicted in a series of early views attributed to the painter Balthazar Nebot.

The Water Garden, with its formal, geometric design and its extraordinary vistas, was inspired by the work of the great French landscape gardeners but is entirely individual in character. Studley was also influenced by the work of Queen Anne's gardeners. George London and Henry Wise. Their designs were characterised by mirror like stretches of water in which garden buildings and follies would appear reflected.

© FASR archive

The Deer Park

The Park is the oldest feature of the Studley Estate dating from the medieval period. The 360 acre park is still grazed today by 500 Red, Sika, and Fallow Deer.

Studley Royal House once stood here, but was largely destroyed by fire in December 1716 and was almost entirely rebuilt. However this building, too, was extensively damaged by fire in 1946 and was demolished shortly afterwards. Only the impressive stable block, built between 1728-1732, has survived, and is now a private residence.

The Deer Park is an important area for nature conservation, with its unimproved grassland, and fallen trees providing a vital habitat for many species of invertebrates which, in turn, contribute to a thriving eco-system.

© Abbey and people, early 20th Century, FASR archive

Victorian Visitor Attraction

From the middle of the 19th century the ivy-covered ruins of the abbey rose in fame and popularity as a visitor attraction. People would travel by train and arrive by car or charabanc and there were strict rules governing the behaviour of visiting parties. A poster from 1863 has survived announcing the grounds to be open two days weekly, Mondays and Saturdays at a charge of sixpence per head. Visitors could not eat, drink or smoke in the grounds and were asked "not to linger in the Abbey or Gardens but to move slowly forward". No such restrictions are in place today, visitors can stay all day and picnic wherever they like.