The water garden at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

Studley Royal water garden is the result of a breath-taking vision from John Aislabie and his son William. These tranquil but playful gardens continue to delight all these years later. Recognised as a site of cultural importance, they were granted World Heritage Status in 1986 for everybody to enjoy.

Polly sits high up on Tent Hill

Discover folly 2018! 

The National Trust’s contemporary art programme folly! is back for 2018, bigger and bolder than ever. Celebrating the playful, whimsical style of Studley Royal water garden, the four designs which will bring fresh colour and curiosity to the landscape in April have been revealed.

Studley Royal Water Garden in the eighteenth century

The history of Studley Royal 

During the 18th-century John Aislabie had great plans to impress visitors to his Yorkshire estate and so turned the surrounding woods and valleys into the Georgian water gardens we see today.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal from Surprise View

Find out about this World Heritage Site 

Our 18th-century water garden, incorporating some of the largest Cistercian abbey ruins in Europe, helped us to achieve the status of a World Heritage Site. Find out how that impacts the work we do.

The classical statues at Studley Royal water garden after restoration work

Our Conservation Work 

Managing the impact of flooding, adapting to climate change, conservation work, sharing the stories of this amazing place are all key priorities in the work we do. Here are some of the projects that have been going on.

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