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Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Yorkshire's ruined abbeys

Six Cistercian monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII, kept beautiful by the National Trust and English Heritage.

Yorkshire was the heartland of medieval English monasticism — at the Dissolution in 1538 it lost more abbeys than any other county. Six survive in spectacular ruin: Fountains, Rievaulx, Bolton, Whitby, Jervaulx, Byland. Each is a different mood — Fountains is the grandest, Whitby the most haunting, Bolton the most photogenic.

Places in this guide

Fountains Abbey📷 4

UNESCO World Heritage · Yorkshire & the Humber

Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey — ruined Cistercian abbey in Yorkshire, England, UK.

↗ nationaltrust.org.uk
Rievaulx Abbey📷 5

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey — ruined medieval abbey in Yorkshire, England, UK.

👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Bolton Abbey📷 5

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Bolton Abbey

Bolton Abbey — estate in Wharfedale in North Yorkshire, England.

Free👶↗ boltonabbey.com
Whitby Abbey★ Iconic📷 4

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey is a abbey in the United Kingdom.

♿👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Jervaulx Abbey📷 5

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Jervaulx Abbey

Jervaulx Abbey — abbey in North Yorkshire, England, UK.

Free👶↗ jervaulxabbey.com
Byland Abbey📷 3

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Byland Abbey

Byland Abbey — monastery in North Yorkshire, England, UK.

Free👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk
Kirkstall Abbey📷 5

Abbeys & priories · Yorkshire & the Humber

Kirkstall Abbey

Kirkstall Abbey — Cistercian monastery in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

Free👶↗ museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk
Roche Abbey📷 3

Abbeys & priories · East Midlands

Roche Abbey

Roche Abbey — abbey in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, UK.

Free👶↗ english-heritage.org.uk