The Abbey, Britain's largest monastic ruin, was founded in 1132 by 13 Benedictine monks seeking a simpler life. They later became Cistercian monks.

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539 by Henry VIII, the Abbey buildings and over 500 acres of land were sold by the Crown to Sir Richard Gresham, a merchant. The property was passed down through several generations of Sir Richard's family, finally being sold to Stephen Proctor who built Fountains Hall probably between 1598 and 1604

A remarkable Elizabethan mansion, Fountains Hall was built partly with stone from the Abbey ruins. Today there are two rooms open to the public.

Fountains Hall

The Studley Royal Estate, a separate estate from Fountains Abbey until 1767, was inherited by John Aislabie in 1693. After his expulsion from Parliament in 1721 (following the South Sea Bubble scandal) he devoted himself until his death in 1742 to creating the Water Garden. His visionary scheme to transform what had been a wild, wooded valley was completed by his son William, who purchased the Abbey ruins in 1767 and landscaped the Seven Bridges Valley and Abbey grounds.