BY ALLISON LEE
Byland Abbey is a ruined monastery and small village located in Byland, North Yorkshire. Founded as a Savigniac house in 1135, the abbey was later absorbed into the Cistercian order in 1147.
Its early history was marked by disputes with four other religious institutions: Furness Abbey, Calder Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, and Newburgh Priory. By the late 14th century, however, Byland was regarded as “one of the three shining lights of the north.” While it never matched the financial success of Rievaulx, the abbey was renowned for its sheep-rearing and wool exports, and its church was considered among the finest 12th-century churches in Europe.
By the late 12th century, Byland housed 36 monks and 100 lay brothers. By the time of its dissolution in 1528, numbers had dropped to 25 monks and an abbot. The Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1535 valued the abbey at £238. In 1539, the abbey was dissolved, and its site granted to Sir William Pickering. It later passed to the Wombwell family, who still own it today.
Now classified as an ancient monument by Historic England and Grade I listed, the site is maintained by English Heritage. In October 2017, extensive conservation work was carried out on the church’s west front, including the famous Rose Window, to repair water damage and repoint the stone walls.
Byland Abbey is well worth a visit. Admission is free, and its extensive ruins include all the main abbey buildings. Walking around the site, visitors can sense the abbey’s history through its vast church and cloister, which were surrounded by three ranges housing the monks’ domestic quarters.
The Chapter House, where meetings were held, was vaulted over four central columns and contains the only surviving stone lectern base in Britain. A tour also includes the parlour, kitchen, and refectory. The lay brothers lived in the west range, separated from the choir monks by a lane, with their own dormitory, refectory, and cloister.
The abbey also once had an infirmary, demolished in the 14th century and replaced with a series of apartments—a reflection of the decline in communal living. Other abbeys, such as Rievaulx, similarly lost their infirmaries during the later Middle Ages.
After exploring Byland Abbey, it’s worth a short detour to The Abbey Inn, which was taken over by The Tommy Banks Group in 2023.
Since then, the inn has received widespread acclaim:
- January 2024: Named Best Sunday Roast by Rate Good Roasts
- March 2024: Awarded Top New Restaurant in Yorkshire at the Condé Nast Traveller Awards UK
- September 2024: Described by The Sunday Times as “the best-located pub in Britain”
- 2025: Rose to No. 27 in the Top 50 Gastropubs List, won Sustainable Pub of the Year (Estrella Damm), crowned Best Sunday Roast in the UK, and ranked No. 8 in The Good Food Guide’s “100 Best Pubs”
The Grade II-listed 19th-century inn has been sensitively refurbished by the Banks family, with care taken to preserve its original features. The three bedrooms, designed by Tommy’s mother Anne, blend country charm with subtle nods to the building’s heritage. The inn sits beside the magnificent ruins of Byland Abbey, offering a truly unique setting.
Allison Lee is a smallholder from North Yorkshire who has written for the Yorkshire Times and other publications. Her website can be accessed here.