World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 — 2021 66 Appendices
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66 World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 — 2021 Appendices Appendix 1 Facts and figures about the World Heritage Site 69 Appendices Appendix 2 A short history of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal 70 Appendix 3 Planning and policy framework for the World Heritage Site 73 Appendix 4 List of World Heritage Site stakeholders 77 Appendix 5 Outcomes of public consultation 79 Appendix 6 Evaluation of delivery of objectives and actions 96 in WHS Management Plan 2009-2014 Appendix 7 English Heritage and National Trust Conservation Principles 101 Appendix 8 Conservation Action Plan 2015-2021 102 Appendix 9 Geodiversity Audit 127 Appendix 10 Landscape Character Assessments 135 Appendices World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 — 2021 67 Appendix 1: Facts and figures about the World Heritage Site When did the In 1986 Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal was designated a World Heritage Site (WHS). Its title on the World Heritage List is ‘Studley Royal Park including area become the ruins of Fountains Abbey World Heritage Site’. The boundaries were largely drawn to reflect the land in National Trust ownership at that time. The WHS a WHS and how is 822 acres (333 hectares). big is it? Administrative The Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal WHS lies in the Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council authority areas. The Fountains areas Abbey and Studley Royal WHS is also within the boundary of the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Rivers The River Skell flows through the valley from the south-west; feeding the formal ponds, canals and cascades that form the central features of the water garden before exiting in the direction of Ripon. Farmland The estate also includes an extensive deer park, which contains a large deer population consisting of three different species; these are Sika, Red and Fallow deer. There are also three tenanted pastures totalling 90 acres of farmland. Public rights The Studley Royal Deer Park including Mackershaw and the Seven Bridges Valley is open to the public. Each year we estimate that 150,000 visitors come of way just to enjoy this free area of the estate and the many walks through it. Nature Four areas of the WHS are designated Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs). The WHS also lies within the boundary of the Nidderdale Area conservation of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Heritage Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal estate is a designated UNESCO WHS. A buffer zone for the WHS was approved by the World Heritage Committee in designations 2012. The site has one scheduled monument (the abbey ruins); eight Grade I listed buildings; eight Grade II* listed buildings and 38 Grade II listed buildings. In addition to this the estate is listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens as Grade I Special Historic Interest. The village of Studley Roger which lies just outside the WHS is a Conservation Area. People There are currently 79 members of permanent full and part time staff employed by the National Trust at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal with an additional 60 members of staff working flexibly during our peak seasons. Almost 400 people volunteer across 28 different teams. Visitors On average, over 350,000 people visit Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal estate each year (344,113 in 2013) with an estimated 150,000 additional people visiting the deer park. This makes the estate one of the most visited ‘pay-for-entry’ sites of the National Trust and one of the most popular historic sites to visit in Yorkshire. The National Trust segments visitors into seven core ‘user-groups’. This segmentation helps site managers to identify who uses their sites and how they can improve opportunities and increase enjoyment. Detailed segmentation research at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal identified that the site is most prominently visited by ‘Out and About’ (spontaneous and sociable visitors), ‘Explorer Families’ (active, educated and enthusiastic people spending time as a family) and ‘Curious Minds’ (visitors generally over 45 with broad interests). Appendix 1 World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 — 2021 69 Appendix 2: A short history of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Introduction abbeys in Britain. Its wealth was largely the North’. Built on a magnificent scale Studley estate was broken up when sold built on the wool trade and vast donated from the outset, the design that was by its last private owner, Henry Vyner, in The Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal or purchased land holdings. It was contrived by the Aislabies, understood 1966. It was then that the High Stables, estate has a special and significant history. dissolved in 1539 and sold the following and incorporated every major new garden Wheatbriggs House and the Pheasantries This section looks at the history of the year to Sir Richard Gresham, a London fashion as it emerged. The resulting were sold into separate ownership, while lives of the Cistercians at Fountains merchant, who recouped some of the gardened landscape revolved around eye- the gardens, abbey and parkland were Abbey, the medieval origins of the Studley purchase price by selling the abbey’s catchers, contrived vistas and carefully acquired by West Riding County Council. Royal estate and the development of the building materials. In 1597, Sir Stephen designed water features and contrasts, all There was a huge backlog of conservation designed landscape under the Aislabies. Proctor acquired the Fountains estate taking full advantage of the topography work to be addressed. The National Trust It also introduces the families who have and built Fountains Hall (1597-1604), of the Skell valley and the presence of acquired the estate in 1983 from North owned the Fountains and Studley Royal partly with stone from the monastic the abbey ruins. Studley Royal became an Yorkshire County Council (successor to estates over time, the history of tourism complex. The Messenger family owned the outstanding illustration of the successive the West Riding County Council). Since on the site and the land use history of the Fountains estate from 1627 to 1767, when landscape fashions of the 18th century, then, a programme of restoration and estate and associated sites. it was purchased by William Aislabie and and was a frequent and important stop on conservation has been under way in combined with Studley Royal. Mackershaw cultural tours of the north of England. the water garden, Fountains Hall, and, Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal was a managed woodland let by the Lord in partnership with English Heritage, — a brief history of the Manor at Studley from the 14th Ever-growing numbers of visitors inspired at the abbey mill (opened to the public many of the changes carried out by The present Fountains Abbey and Studley century until 1730, when it was purchased in 2001) and to the monastic precinct subsequent owners. The Marquis of Ripon Royal estate only became a single entity by John Aislabie and incorporated in the wall. The abbey ruins have been in the took over the estate in 1859. In 1870, he in 1767. In the medieval period, it was Studley Royal designed landscape. guardianship of the State since 1966 and commissioned the renowned architect comprised of three distinct components: their consolidation has progressed since The Studley Royal estate was owned William Burges to design St Mary’s Church that date. — Fountains Abbey monastic estate, both by the Mallory family from 1452 until (which was built between 1871 and 1878) inside the precinct wall boundary and 1667, when George Aislabie acquired it at the western end of the main vista across Fountains Abbey from foundation to some adjoining lands through marriage to Mary Mallory. The the park, aligned with Ripon Minster. dissolution deer park, probably of medieval origins, Although subsequent owners did not alter — Mackershaw Wood, a fragment of the is first recorded in 1577 and has been much of the Aislabies’ original design, Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 by pre-Conquest estate of the Archbishop progressively extended. Studley Park, they slowly withdrew from its extremities a group of 13 dissident Benedictine monks of York which was landscaped with formal avenues whilst the lack of maintenance gradually who left St Mary’s Abbey in York in search in the later 17th century by George resulted in some landscape features of a more austere religious way of life. — the village of Studlei Magna in the Aislabie, retained its original manor house suffering irreversible decay. However, The abbey they founded became known present deer park, which became the until 1748, when it was largely rebuilt. the abbey ruins were well cared for, as ‘Sancta Maria de Fontibus’ (Charter of Studley Royal estate in the 16th century The associated landscape garden built especially during the second half of the Confirmation by Henry I, 1133) and joined the reformist Cistercian order as Fountains Abbey, founded in 1132 in by the Aislabies between 1670 and 1781 19th century, when major excavations and a daughter house of Clairvaux in France. unpromising circumstances, soon became made Studley Royal nationally famous; it research took place. In 1946, Studley Royal The Cistercian ideals of austerity, simplicity one of the richest and largest Cistercian was even referred to as ‘The Wonder of House was destroyed by fire. The historic 70 World Heritage Site Management Plan 2015 — 2021 Appendix 2 and solitude fulfilled the aspirations schemes for the creation of a new northern ownership of George Aislabie, following 1718 to 1742, John Aislabie developed the of the founders of Fountains Abbey. diocese, one of which included using the his marriage to Mary Mallory and the ‘Water Garden’ along the River Skell: the former Fountains Abbey estate as the death of the last male Mallory. canal was created and the valley bottom After a near collapse in the early years financial base.