Combining history and exercise in North Yorks
Posted Nov 27, 2009 By Jeff Maguire
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Jeff Maguire, West Carleton EMC
Visitors walk through a section of the immense ruins of Fountains Abbey near Ripon, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1132, the vast Cistercian monastery operated for more than 400 years until 1539 when King Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. The largest structure of its kind in England, the abbey ruins along with nearby Studley Royal Water Garden, is now a much visited UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the latest in an ongoing series of travel articles by EMC feature writer Jeff Maguire. He and his wife Kathleen, who live in Carleton Place, have traveled extensively in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Continental Europe for 15 years. North American destinations, including Ottawa Valley and eastern Ontario day trips, will feature from time to time.
Jeff Maguire, West Carleton EMC
A section of Studley Royal Water Garden near Ripon, North Yorkshire, England with the 'Temple of Piety' in the background. Studley Royal Park, including the water garden, was built 250 years ago around the ruins of Fountains Abbey, the largest and best preserved set of Cistercian structures in England. The vast and spectacular property which includes a deer park and many other buildings is a World Heritage Site. The Temple of Piety was constructed to commemorate the huge amount of labour which went into establishing the garden.
EMC Lifestyle - I have written extensively recently about Yorkshire, undoubtedly our favourite area of England and the British Isles.
In general the county offers a slice of life in Great Britain. There are rolling dales, forbidding but picturesque moors and spectacular coastal views as well as some of the most pleasant seaside villages in this island nation.
Yorkshire offers visitors a good look at urban life in modern Britain with large centres such as Leeds and Sheffield among its principal cities. For history buffs there is a veritable smorgasbord on offer. One of the best options is ancient York with so many features including York Minster, the second largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe, the Shambles, a narrow medieval street lined with shops and tea rooms, Clifford's Tower, a preserved fortification (all that remains of a 13th Century castle) and of course the spectacular medieval walls which enclose York city centre.
There are many museums, historic sites and spectacular castles and residences across Yorkshire, England's largest county.
This time around I will focus on an incredibly interesting experience we had during our most recent visit to Britain in September.
Our West Yorkshire friends the Iretons have been kind enough to take us on numerous excursions across the country, but in particular to places and historic sites in their native Yorkshire. This year's visit was no exception, but we have covered so much of the county and done so many things they had to think more carefully to come up with options.
Because Kathleen and I are now very familiar with the United Kingdom, in the end they turned to us. In a phone call prior to our departure Martin said, "Tell us where you would like to go and Wendy and I will take you there!"
Honestly - does it get any better than that? For history buffs like us, it didn't take long to come up with ideas. One place we have long wanted to tour is the historic city of Chester in the County of Cheshire, northwest England. This time, thanks to our good friends, we enjoyed a splendid visit. I will offer a glimpse of Chester in a future article.
A few weeks before departure we were watching a program on TVO which focuses on digs being undertaken at historic sites across the U.K. The archaeological excavation in this particular program was near Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire.
Abbey visit
The mere mention of Fountains Abbey turned on a light for me. "I have always wanted to see Fountains Abbey," I said to Kathy. "Now there is a place we should go this time."
Flash ahead a few weeks! Sitting in the Ireton's home, the day after we arrived, Martin again asked if we had come up some suggestions. He's a stickler for detail and wanted to get the itinerary firmly established.
"What about Fountains Abbey," I ventured. It's not far away, is it?"
There was instant recognition on Martin's face. He immediately reached for his copy of 'Hudson's Historic Houses and Gardens', a comprehensive guide to historic sites across the U.K. We have our own copy by the way (circa 2004) and the book's 500-plus pages are a gold mine of information. Well worth the £10 ($19 CDN) investment, plus shipping charge, for anyone seriously considering visits to historic sites in Great Britain!
Martin easily found the right page. "It's a National Trust property Wendy," he said, a sly smile crossing his face.
You see, Martin retired recently and as a leaving gift his firm gave the Iretons a precious and expensive gift. National Trust life-time passes. The National Trust is a U.K. charity which, among other things, is committed to preserving and protecting more than 300 houses and gardens and some 50 industrial monuments and mills, all of which are open to the public. For a fee of course!
"All right," chuckled Martin. "Let's go to Fountains Abbey."
We thought it was a good option too. In exchange for driving us there, our friends at least had the advantage of using their passes. The really great news is that they were very interested in seeing the site which they had not visited previously.
The abbey, more correctly it is called 'Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal', is located near the small village of Aldfield. That's about four miles west of the cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire, off the B-6265 roadway. People like our Carleton Place friend Melba Barker will know Ripon isn't far from the lovely spa town of Harrogate, North Yorks. Melba loves Harrogate and little wonder!
Fountains Abbey is a ruined Cistercian establishment. It was founded in 1132 by a group of monks who left St. Mary's Benedictine Abbey in York with the intention of founding a new, more devout monastery.
Hudson's Guide describes it as, "One of the most remarkable sites in Europe." In the wake of our visit, I will underline the point.
Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. It is now a Grade 1 listed building, which gives it special status. Owned by the National Trust the abbey, in concert with the nearby Studley Royal Water Garden, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Rideau Canal in our area recently won the same much sought after designation!
The sprawling site also encompasses one of the finest monastic watermills in Britain along with an Elizabethan mansion. Studley Royal is one of the best examples of a surviving Georgian water garden. St. Mary's Church (circa 1873), built by William Burges, who is said to be "the greatest of the Victorian art architects," is also on the huge property. The church overlooks the medieval deer park which is home to more than 500 deer.
Good exercise
Wendy has had both hips replaced in recent years, but she gamely soldiered along. We must have walked 10 miles. It is a massive site, although the carefully manicured pathways and the views, especially carefully designed glimpses of the spectacular water garden, made the trek more than worthwhile.
We were ready for bed that night I can tell you. We did a lot of walking in order to see the many highlights locations. Wonderful exercise though - I'm certainly not complaining!
I can't begin to detail everything about Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal in one newspaper article. But a brief backgrounder is in order, if only to further tempt history buffs.
Three years after arriving in the valley of the River Skell, which provided shelter from the weather and all of the materials necessary to build a monastery (not to mention much needed running water from the river itself), the monks were admitted into the austere Cistercian order.
The abbey housed up to 80 choir monks who were known as "white monks" because their habits were made from sheep's wool which wasn't dyed.
It was a difficult existence! Besides constructing the massive series of structures which formed the abbey the lay brothers, who also lived at the site, worked the farms (granges) which belonged to the order. In the early years there may have been hundreds of lay brothers. They were distinguished by the wool robes they wore, dyed in darker colours.
The brochure and map we purchased notes most of the abbey buildings date from between 1140 and 1270. The north tower was added by Abbot Huby during King Henry VIII's reign.
It was the infamous English monarch who was the author of the abbey's downfall. The institution operated for more than 400 years, until 1539 when Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of the monasteries. The roof was stripped away by Henry's henchmen, rendering the buildings unusable by the monks. The Abbot, Prior and monks were sent away, although they were given pensions. The Crown took over the extensive property.
The abbey buildings and over 500 acres of land (some two square kilometres) were sold by the Crown in 1540 to merchant Sir Richard Gresham, father of the founder of the Royal Exchange in London, Sir Thomas Gresham.
It remained in private hands until the 1960s when heritage organizations, including English Heritage which maintains the property and the National Trust, which owns it, became involved. It is now a much visited site with a large reception centre, guided tours and a small museum where details of the abbey's history can be found.
We were particularly impressed by the Fountains Abbey Mill which is considered the best preserved watermill in England. It's the only 12th Century Cistercian corn mill in the country and has been in continuous use for more than 850 years. Besides its role as a huge monastic watermill and granary, it has also served as a saw mill, stone mason's workshop and even a generating station for electricity.
The medieval mill would have ground wheat, oats and barley to feed the entire abbey community. The mill continued to grind corn until 1927 and although no original equipment remains, a "hands on" model on site demonstrates how the machinery worked.
The mill was fully restored in a joint effort by English Heritage and the National Trust that began in 1993.
Incredible place
To say the extensive property is "spectacular" understates it! The abbey ruins themselves are staggering in their proportions. And these are only the remaining structures. There were many others which failed to survive the ravages of time. In addition nearby Fountains Hall, part of which is accessible to the public (the elegant mansion was built in the early 17th Century by Sir Stephen Proctor), was erected on the site of earlier monastic buildings.
Still, it is the sheer scale of the place that impressed us. How did the monks erect such massive, well built stone structures, using only rudimentary equipment? It's a question we have asked ourselves while visiting historic churches, castles and manor houses across the U.K. and Europe.
The answer appears to have been a combination of brute strength, incredible patience, determination and, above all, total commitment to the task at hand.
We stood and marveled at the massive dimensions of the Fountains Abbey ruins and wondered what the site must have been like when it was an active monastic community? Incredible really!
Today floodlights have been strategically placed and the entire setting is lit up at night. It must be an impressive sight and perhaps we'll have a chance to witness it some day?
This week I can only highlight the interesting story about Studley Royal Water Garden which is immediately adjacent to the abbey site. The destinations are marketed together by the National Trust.
The river valley provides the perfect place for the water garden with its ornamental lakes and cascades. There are broad avenues and a number of interesting architectural additions make the landscape truly beautiful.
The carefully designed vistas around the water garden are beyond picturesque. They are breathtaking!
Studley Royal Water Garden has survived the ravages of time, largely unaltered, for some 250 years.
One particularly interesting feature of the garden is a decapitated Roman statue which overlooks the ruined abbey. The location has been nicknamed 'Anne Boleyn's Seat', a reference to Henry VIII's second wife. She was beheaded at the whim of her cold-hearted husband who, of course, played a major role in the downfall of Fountains Abbey.
Above all perhaps is the peace and tranquility the entire site provides. Part of the old growth forest also remains and there are trees there which defy description they are so incredible to behold.
With no modern signs in sight (wires are carefully hidden) we felt as if we had stepped back in time. In truth we have joined the lengthy list of visitors, a long tradition of people who have come to see the impressive abbey ruins and experience the truly beautiful water garden and park.
HOW TO GET THERE: We were fortunate enough to travel to Fountains Abbey by car which allowed us to enjoy the many beautiful sights North Yorkshire offers. The site is eight miles west of the A-1 (north-south auto route) and the main entrance is four miles from Ripon off the B-6265. Ripon is accessible by rail from Harrogate which is 12 miles to the south. Harrogate can be reached by train from York which, in turn, is on the main east coast line from London. From Ripon there is regular bus service available to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.
For information on opening times (the site is accessible year-round) and details of the many exhibitions, seminars, outdoor concerts and other activities (you can even get married at Fountains Hall), visit the website www.nationaltrust.org.uk and have some patience as you navigate the complex site. There is even a section specifically for overseas visitors.
For us the visit was something of a physical challenge and I don't recommend it for the elderly or infirm, unless of course you are using a wheelchair or four-wheel scooter (Batricars) which can be booked in advance. Tours for the visually impaired are also offered.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are hard to beat for those who enjoy history and the great outdoors, perfectly combined!
If you have any comments or questions for Jeff Maguire, he can be reached by e-mail at: jeffrey.maguire@rogers.com.
