Shedding light on the fall of Fountains Abbey

More than 300ft long, the space was once where the lay brothers, who worked on the upkeep of the abbey and carried out all the many and necessary chores, ate, slept and socialised.

However, normal life for the religious orders came to an abrupt end under Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, and, after 1539, silence fell on the Yorkshire abbey.

Built in the 12th century, the cellarium's maze of intricate passageways and rooms were a hub of activity for 400 years as Fountains Abbey grew into one of England's richest religious houses.

But the monks' rapid expansion plan, encouraged by the lay brothers, led to economic collapse. A series of poor harvests, the Black Death and financial mismanagement saw the community downsized in the 14th century.

However, the abbey still wielded considerable influence and was inevitably a major target for Henry VIII and his supporters. Just a few months after the monks were evicted, the dismantling began and the estate was sold to Sir Richard Gresham.

Today ,the cellarium's only inhabitants are bats. About eight species live in the ceiling nooks, including Pipistrelle, Noctule and Daubenton's bats.

Technical details: Nikon D2xs camera, 12-24mm lens, exposure 125th at f4, iso 400.