Description:
Sheltered in the valley of the River Skell in North Yorkshire lies one of Europe´s most remarkable sites. The Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal estate contains a combination of buildings and landscape features of superlative importance. The estate was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987. The romantic ruins of Fountains Abbey are the largest and most complete of Cistercian ruins from the 12th century. The 18th century garden of Studley Royal survived substantially in its original form. The estate has 54 buildings listed under Act of Parliament as worthy of preservation, including a 12th century mill, the elegant Fountains Hall from the 16th/17th century, temples, pavilions, statues and bridges. Within the extensive parkland are a splendid 19th century church, a lake, herds of deer, avenues, venerable trees and a ravine.