Fountains Abbey Estate, North Yorkshire
5th Most Visited of the National Trust Properties
This World Heritage Site contains one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. Ironically the formerly magnificent abbey was originally established by devout monks seeking a simpler existence. After Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries it was sold off to merchant Sir Richard Gresham. The socially ambitious politician John Aislabie inherited the estate in the late 17th century, and incorporated the atmospheric ruins into an elegant water garden that included mirror-like ponds, follies and statues. The name derives from the large number of natural springs in the area.
View of the ruins at Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire. © National Trust Images/Sylvaine Poitau
