The second half of our Moorsbus trip last weekend was to Rievaulx Abbey. It is quite close to Sutton Bank, though by road it is quite a meander. Katharine and I both walked from Sutton Bank to the abbey last year, a route of around six miles, and I struggled a little. My asthma medication had been changed, and was rather less effective (since resolved with another change).
The ruins of this magnificent place are very impressive - the church must have been a remarkable sight before King Henry VIII decided he wanted the wealth of the church, which led to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the late 1630s.
The Crown siezed the wealth of the monasteries, stripping them of anything of value and abandoning the rest. Locals then made use of some of the stone for constructing farm buildings and houses. I suspect many of the houses in Rievaulx village are made from these ruins - the far end of the church has had most stone removed, and that is closest to the village.
Today the ruins are in the care of English Heritage, and they have created a small museum of finds from the site, and beside the entrance have created a shop and cafe. The cafe is well worth a visit, and I suspect last weekend's first visit of the year will be the first of quite a few!
Our next post won't be until Monday. Have a good weekend!
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
To walk through these ruins is a moving experience. The place must have been awe inspiring before its destruction. The work of creating such a range of builtings was enormous - even the course of the River Rye was diverted to create the space for all the buildings.
Thank you all for your lovely comments and favs, they are very much appreciated.
To walk through these ruins is a moving experience. The place must have been awe inspiring before its destruction. The work of creating such a range of builtings was enormous - even the course of the River Rye was diverted to create the space for all the buildings.
Ian
Thank you Vesna - quite often, as part of our Moorsbus trips, we call here because it has a nice tea shop as well as beautiful ruins!
Ian