Studley Royal Park is an 800-acre estate. It includes the ruins of Fountains Abbey – named after the six springs that watered the site.
The abbey was founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks. They had left St Mary's Abbey, York, to follow the Cistercian order.
Their leader St Benedict's rule was a firm one: ‘Idleness is the enemy of the soul. For this reason, the brethren should be occupied at certain times in manual labour; at other times, in sacred reading.’
Fountains became wealthy
