Studley Royal - Ripon, North Yorkshire (NT)
The Studley Royal Estate passed into the care of the National Trust in 1983. At that time Fountains Hall was an empty shell, its contents having been dispersed when the previous occupants, the Vyner family, sold the estate. Considerable conservation work was needed to stabilise the building before it deteriorated further. It has now been restored to an habitable state to be used for staff accommodation and holiday flats. Through the main door, visitors to the estate can view the oak-panelled Stone Hall and adjoining exhibition room. There are plans to restore the Chapel Room on the upper floor to be used for small functions and guided tours.
Fountains Hall
The land around Studley Royal was inherited by John Aislabie from his elder brother in 1699. Following his disgrace as Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time of the infamous South Sea Bubble and his release from imprisonment in the Tower, he set about creating a landscape with water gardens and classical temples.
Studley Royal Water Gardens
His son, William, bought the remains of the adjoining Fountains Abbey in 1768, and it is thanks to his and successive owners efforts that so much of it remains today. The walk along the Skell from the abbey to the deer park is delightful, the trees and statues providing variety and interest everywhere. Partridges roam and cry around your feet as the water is transformed from the domestic uses of the abbey in former days to the half-moon pools and the bridge over the cascade.