Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Garden is located just outside of Ripon in a secluded valley, this National Trust property aims to please the eyes of visitors to Herriot Country with their stunning Cistercian abbey ruins, Georgian water garden, a medieval deer park, Elizabethan Hall and a Gothic church.
The Abbey offers guests a free guided tour to see how wealthy and powerful the Abbey grew up to be. As well as uncover the story of the devout monks who founded the Abbey in search of a simpler life, and to see the mill created by them with their impressive machinery skills.
Studley Royal Water Garden is a perfect example of what English gardens used to be like that shocked people all over the world during the 18th century, which is what makes this place a huge World Heritage Site. This garden was created by father and son John and William Aislabie who put together a fantastic design which linked to the later style that became closely associated with Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Eye catchers and follies were a common feature within English gardens and the Aislabies built many of these. Elegant ponds and cascades merged with rustic bridges, classical temples and statues, please the visitor’s eyes just as much as the Georgians had. There is nothing my eye-catching than the monumental ruins of Fountains Abbey.
Fountains Abbey is open all year-round, it is in such a close distance from where James Herriot lived that he may have visited this himself. The Abbey contains fascinating walks each season with its own unique sights to see. Go to watch the wildlife, enjoy the autumn colours by floodlight or even dress warm to see the ruins shine with the frost as winter returns.
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Fountains Abbey Church
Fountains Abbey Daytime
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Fountains Abbey Holiday Home
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Fountains Abbey Restaurant
