Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey, situated 26 miles N. of York and 10 E. by N. of Thirsk, is a ruined edifice, Norman and Early English in style, originally built for the Cistercian order by Walter l'Espe in 1131. The ruins consist of the choir and transepts of the church, with a choir-arch 75 feet high, the refectory, and the gate-house. They occupy a beautiful site in the valley of the river Rye; 'Rievaulx' is but a Norman-French translation of 'Rye vale.' At the dissolution this was one of the richest foundations in Yorkshire.