Welcome
This week we continue our tour of Yorkshire and visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is a magnificent collection of ruins, walks, lakes and even a deer park.
We also celebrate the 65th Birthday of a very special bear.
Hope you enjoy Traveling Through History with me this week.
Michelle
Savvy Travel Historian
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October Theme - Abbeys
Fountains Abbey & Studley Water Gardens
Background
One of the largest and best preserved Cistercian monastery ruins in England, it was founded in 1132 and operated for 407 years until its dissolution in 1539.
Located around 55 minutes north west of York and 10 minutes west of Ripon, Fountains Abbey and Studley Water Gardens can easily be an entire day visit, depending on which time of the year you go as the entire park incorporates a number of walks that are well worth doing.
History
Fountains Abbey’s history begins with controversy in 1132.
Thirteen monks from nearby St Mary’s Benedictine Abbey in York, were exiled and fled, then asked for protection from Thurstan, the Archbishop of York. They wanted to live their lives in accordance with strict Benedictine rules and St Mary’s had become lapsed with extravagant diet, behaviour and their clothing, so no longer following the strict Benedictine ways.
A riot ensued and the monks left and were eventually given land by Thurstan to establish an abbey near the River Skell, a secluded and remote location, where they could devote their lives to prayer and meditation.
They almost didn’t survive their first winter, living under an elm tree and covering themselves with straw and almost gave up. In 1135, after asking for assistance from Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux in France, they became the second Cistercian abbey in Yorkshire after Rievaulx (the abbey we looked at in Issue 18).
The land they were given contained six different springs and this inspired them to call their new abbey ‘Fountains’.
Not dissimilar to other monastic orders in England that we have previously discussed, Fountains had its fair share of controversial abbots, with dismissal, disgrace and resignations all part of the story.
Rivalry amongst religious orders in the north was not uncommon and this often led to periods of instability and difficult financial circumstances.
In 1143, Henry Murdac was elected abbot but his opposition to the election of William FitzHerbert as Archbishop of York resulted in an angry mob attacking the abbey in 1146 and resulted in all but the church and a few surrounding buildings being burnt down.
(Murdac was subsequently appointed as Archbishop in 1147!)
He set about rebuilding and the stone church was extended. These works were completed around 1170.
It was not until 1150 that some stability was brought to the abbey by Abbot Richard who held the post for the next 20 years. He added more accommodation, finished the church and at the time of his death the Chapter House was almost complete.
During the European famine of 1194, the abbey supported local people for six months.
Like Rievaulx, Fountains was subject to increased taxation in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.
Through a number of disasters with crops and advanced selling of wool fleece that didn’t meet expectations, the abbey fell into disrepair and the state of its buildings and grounds suffered. Invasion by the Scots in the early 14thC made matters even worse.
By 1330 the abbey was no longer making a profit and had to borrow money to survive.
The Black Death (plague) of 1348-1349 exacerbated the problems and the loss of manpower due to death was almost ruinous.
Thomas Swinton was abbot from 1471-1478 and he kept a detailed memorandum book that gives exceptional details for historians on the life of the abbey at that time.
Marmaduke Huby (1495-1526) almost doubled the number of monks from 22 to 52 and added the 49 metre tower now known as ‘Huby’s Tower’.
William Thirsk, the next abbot, was eventually removed and later hanged, due to his role in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
The final abbot, Bradley, was who surrendered Fountains to the Crown in 1539 as part of the dissolutions.
In 1540 the abbey buildings and land were sold to Sir Richard Gresham and he was required to make the abbey ‘unfit for religious use’ and set about removing anything that was able to be resold and wooden doors placed on the abbey’s entrance remained largely this way until the property was purchased in 1597 by a local, Steven Proctor, who used stone from the abbey to build Fountain’s Hall nearby.
In 1627 the Messengers purchased and five generations of the family would live at Fountains (in the hall) until it was sold to William Aislabie in 1767. William owned the neighbouring estate Studley Park and the two estates were merged.
It is William who crafts the gardens we see today (see outline below).
William began restoring the abbey ruins and added his own touches, such as a raised viewing platform and classical statues, but archaeological excavations did not begin until the mid 1800s.
Thomas Philip, 2nd Earl de Grey, inherited the estate from 1845 and upon his death his nephew the Marquess of Ripon, later the Viceroy of India, became its owner.
After his death in 1859, Clare Vyner acquired the estate. The Vyners were good friends of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). It is thought that Fountain’s Hall was to be fully restored to become a country retreat for them, but the abdication in 1936 stopped those plans.
In 1932, the Abbey had been restored sufficiently enough to have a commemoration for its 800th year, which their majesties attended.
Upkeep on the two estates became too much for the Vyners and they sold it and Fountains Hall in 1969 to West Riding County Council.
Visitor numbers grew and after a number of appeals, the National Trust acquired the property in 1983.
In 1986, Studley Royal Park, which includes the ruins of Fountains Abbey and the abbey itself was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Here is a link to its listing.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/372/
In 2021, a medieval tannery was discovered at Fountains and delighted historians and archaeologists.
This article in the Guardian gives full information about it.
Construction
The Nave
The Nave was used by the lay brothers who were the labourers of the abbey. On the left of this picture, through the doorway, were the stairs they took to their dormitory, which enabled them to pray before starting work for the day.
The Crossing
The Crossing and Presbytery are the oldest parts of the abbey and were where the original wooden church building stood.
Presbytery
Located between the tower and the chapel (far left end), the Presbytery shows the change from the early less ornate part of the church, to the splendour of a ‘modern’ medieval church as a result of an upgrade in the 13thC. It was where the high altar stood, celebrating Mass and Communion.
Chapel of the Nine Altars
Added in the mid-1200s, the Chapel with its nine altars was used by ordained priests to say Mass on request to those who were visiting or had given gifts or land to the abbey.
The big windows allowed a lot of light into this area of the abbey, which would have been quite dark beforehand.
Cloisters & Chapter House
The Cloister was where monks could sit and contemplate, meditate quietly or read. The grassed area was the Cloister, directly ahead was the Refectory and to the left, the arched entrance to the Chapter House where abbey meetings were held and discussions took place.
Refectory
The Refectory was where the Monks ate their dinner, sat at tables along the walls facing inwards. They ate two meals a day in summer and only one in winter.
Originally, meat was never eaten in this building, but later as rules were relaxed, they could on specified days.
Abbot’s House
Abbots would have originally used the same accommodation as monks, but as more international visitors arrived at Fountains, and more guests needed to be received, a separate house was created. Abbot Huby, built this two story house that even had a fireplace!
Prison cells were placed below the abbot's house and iron rings on the floor to shackle prisoners can still be seen.
Infirmary
This eastern view of the abbey shows the infirmary to the left in the image above.
Almost a miniature copy of the abbey itself, the infirmary enabled sick and elderly monks to live their lives here being cared for by the infirmarer and his helpers.
Guesthouses
Guesthouses were added to the site in the 1160s, but were set a distance from the abbey itself. Monks were allowed to greet any guests they saw, but not to have any conversations with them.
The two properties each had a hall, fireplace, a bedchamber and toilet over the river!
The abbot would visit guests here and the guest-master served them during their stay.
The West Range
Known as the ‘Cellarium’, this area is a magnificently preserved example of a cold food store from medieval times.
The lay brothers were also accommodated in this area. While we can see from one end to the other now, it would not have been like this when first constructed. It would have been made up of smaller store rooms, plus accommodation.
Studley Royal Water Garden
Studley Royal is one of the few remaining 18thC gardens still in almost its original form and one of the most magnificent water garden properties in England.
The above view is called ‘Anne Bolyen’s Seat’ and was designed to give a glimpse of the abbey ruins in the distance and cause visitors to have a sharp intake of breath when they come across it.
The landscape form has been little altered since designed by John Aislabie and his son William in the early 18thC.
The formal water garden John and his son created took into account the natural landscape of the property and they created a variety of ponds and bridges to create formal and geometrically shaped vistas throughout the property.
In 1767 William purchased the Fountains Abbey ruins and completed the garden creating the magnificent vistas we see today and contributed to its World Heritage listing.
Significantly, they are shown now in their almost original form and have been impressing visitors for 200 years.
St Mary’s Church
Designed by William Bruges and constructed from 1870-78, St Mary’s is a masterpiece in high Victorian Gothic architecture and considered to be one of his finest works.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Ripon commissioned the construction of the church following a tragic family death in 1870, and it sits within the Studley Royal deer park in which the deers roam freely.
A small group of aristocratic tourists were on expedition in Greece when they were kidnapped and a ransom was requested. During the rescue attempt, the hostages were murdered by their captors during the ensuing panic. The funds used to build the church was the ransom money that the families had allocated but no longer needed. Two churches were built in the memory of Frederick Grantham Vyner, the son of Lady Mary Vyner who owned the estate adjoining Studley Royal. His sister Henrietta was the Marchioness of Ripon.
Relevant Travel Information:
A map of the Abbey & Park can be found here, including a number of trails that can be walked and their length.
Full details about Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal can be found here:
Full Visitor Information is shown via this link:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/yorkshire/fountains-abbey-and-studley-royal-water-garden
There is a cafe/restaurant, tea house, children’s playground, shop, plant nursery and you can bring your dog.
You do not need to book in advance but in high season and on good weather days, the car park can get filled by lunch time.
Operated by English Heritage, St Mary’s church is open from April - mid-October from 1pm - 3:30pm daily.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-marys-church-studley-royal/
This Week in History
Happy 65th Birthday Paddington Bear
Last week, on Friday October 13 it was the 65th Birthday of the publication of Michael Bond’s first Paddington Bear book, A Bear Called Paddington. A rare first edition now costs in excess of £12,000.
The Guardian had a nice article explaining some of the reasons why Paddington’s is loved, the World over. I thought you might like to read it.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/13/65-years-of-paddington-bear
To commemorate this milestone, Royal Mail have issued sets of stamps to celebrate.
https://shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/paddington?
Paddington named after Paddington Station in London has a few things to celebrate their connections. Here’s a lovely photo of my mum sitting on Paddington’s bench at the station.
Michelle is a speaker, author, content marketer, historian and mother of 3 boys.
After 25 years in business and as the ‘Content Marketing Queen’ for the past 12 years, she has helped countless small businesses understand and develop their content strategies and focus on a customer first approach.
Savvy Travel Historian is her passion project, and her weekly newsletter is available on Substack, Paragraph and Mirror. The latter two allows you to collect each Issue as an NFT.
Michelle is co-host of the Web3 By Three Podcast, a weekly show which talks about current stories in the Web3 space and how it applies to B2B marketing, sales and operations. The show is recorded live every Wednesday at 4pm EST/ 9pm UTC on LinkedIn, YouTube & Bolt+.
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