Easby Abbey

At the weekend we had a tour of North Yorkshire, exploring a number of pre-Reformation churches and Easby Abbey.

We love Abbey ruins, they are so remote and have a romance about them that has intrigued people for centuries. JMW Turner created a couple of paintings of Easby Abbey, which help us to understand how the Abbey looked before excavation began in earnest, in the mid 19th Century.

As interest in ruins grew towards the end of the 18th Century, as a result of the growth of the Tour in the UK, the ruins of Easby Abbey became something of a landmark. In 1792, George Byng, Viscount Torrington, wrote that "there cannot be a more perfect ruin or a nicer ruin....or one of happier situation".

Antiquarian interest in the site developed in the late 19th Century. In 1885 the Abbey was party excavated by Sir William St John for the Society of Antiquaries.

The Abbey is now in the care of English Heritage, and its history and location make it a wonderful place to visit.