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The abbey was founded in 1132 by a group of monks expelled from the Benedictines. They affiliated with the Cistercians, and Fountains grew up in Norman style. It went through a bad patch in the 12th and 13th centuries, but revived in the 14th and 15th, then Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1539. The land came into the hands of the Mallory and Aislabie families, who beautified the river valley with a landscaped water garden. Most visitors start from the west entrance and visitor centre, free parking. Look into the stables (which exhibits medieval textiles) and Fountains Hall (a beautiful Jacobean mansion with a display of the 1930s, when a model farm was established for the unemployed.) You then descend into the valley for the old water mill, then the abbey ruins, with a cloister, church and living quarters. The Huby Tower on the north transept looks much newer: it was added just before the Dissolution. Continue downstream through the water park, dotted with cod-classical follies and a few modern art installations. This leads to the north gate, where you can exit to see Studley Park then show your ticket for re-entry. You can also start from this end but parking is charged.
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.
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