Fountains Abbey: History of Yorkshire monastic ruins known as one of the largest and best preserved monasteries in England where The Secret Garden and The Witcher were filmed

Fountains Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery located near the village of Aldfield and operated for 407 years.

It became one of the richest monasteries in England until its dissolution, by order of Henry VIII in 1539.

The abbey was used as a location by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark for the music video of their single ‘Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) in December 1981.

In 1983, Studley Royal Park including the ruins of Fountains Abbey was bought by the National Trust and is maintained by English Heritage. The abbey is Grade I listed building.

Both the 1993 and 2020 versions of The Secret Garden were filmed as well as the 2006 film The History Boys.

In October and November 2020, a number of scenes were filmed in the abbey and its surroundings for the second series of Netflix’s The Witcher.

History of Fountains Abbey

The abbey was founded in 1132 by 13 Benedictine monks from St Mary’s in York.

They wanted to move away from the lavish and unruly lifestyle of the monks in York, so they escaped and sought a simple and devout life somewhere else. They stumbled upon the land where Fountains Abbey was founded.

Three years later, they settled into their new way of life and had been admitted to the austere Cistercian Order.

During the first half of the 13th century, Fountains increased in reputation and prosperity under the next three abbots, John of York, John Hessle and John of Kent.

These three abbots managed to complete another expansion of the abbey’s buildings, which included enlarging the church and building an infirmary.

Fountains Abbey was suddenly closed in 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries ordered by Henry VIII. The abbot, prior and monks were sent away with pensions.

In October 1540, the Abbey buildings and land were sold to Sir Richard Gresham after they were seized by the Crown.

Sir Stephen Proctor, who built Fountains Hall, acquired the site in 1597. Between 1627 and 1767, the estate was owned by the Messenger family who sold it to William Aislabie. He was responsible for combining it with the Studley Royal Estate.

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William landscaped the ruins and expanded the garden upstream to Spa Gill Wood. The ‘Surprise View’ was designed to offer a dramatic view of the abbey ruins.

In 1966, West Riding County Council bought the estate and the National Trust acquired it in 1983. The estate became a World Heritage Site in 1986.