Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery near Ripon in North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1132 under the direction of Thurstan, archbishop of York, and over the next four centuries became one of the wealthiest monasteries in England thanks to its large and diverse landholdings. The monastery was dissolved in 1539 as part of the English Reformation and its estates sold. Fountains Abbey is now within Studley Royal Park, a landscaped garden created in the eighteenth century. Even in its current state, Fountains is described by Historic England as "the best preserved of English abbeys and [...] the finest picturesque ruin." The majority of the buildings were constructed in the Romanesque and Early English Gothic style between 1170 and 1247, with significant additions in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The abbey church and many of the claustral buildings survive, including the chapter house, refectory, and lay brothers' dormitory, as well as ancillary structures such as the guest houses, abbey mill, and bridges. The abbey is protected for its historic significance, having been designated a grade I listed building and a scheduled monument by Historic England. It also forms part of the Studley Royal including the ruins of Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site. It is owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage, and is open to the public.