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Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It was founded in 1132, and dissolved in 1539. The Abbey buildings and over 500 acres of land were sold by the Crown to Sir Richard Gresham, at the time a Member of Parliament and former Lord Mayor of London. The site was acquired in 1597 by Sir Stephen Proctor, who used stone from the monastic complex to build Fountains Hall.

Between 1627 and 1767, the estate was owned by the Messenger family who sold it to William Aislaby who was responsible for combining it with the Studley Royal Estate. The full history of Fountains Abbey can be seen at Link

This is the Refectory where the monks took their seats on wooden benches along the walls, a distance apart from each other and in silence, although they could use sign language to communicate when necessary. One monk would climb the pulpit, which would have been to the right here, to read aloud from devotional texts while the monks were eating.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park are Grade I listed and are owned by the National Trust and managed by English Heritage.