Kirkstall Abbey facts for kids
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 Location in West Yorkshire
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| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Cistercian |
| Established | 1152 |
| Disestablished | 1538 |
| Mother house | Fountains Abbey |
| Diocese | Diocese of York |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Abbot Alexander |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Site | |
| Location | Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England |
| Coordinates | 53°49′16″N 1°36′24″W / 53.8210°N 1.6066°W |
| Visible remains | Substantial |
| Public access | Yes |
Kirkstall Abbey is an old, ruined monastery in Kirkstall, which is a part of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It sits in a public park right next to the River Aire. It was started around the year 1152 by a group of Cistercian monks. Cistercian monks were a special type of Christian monk who lived simple lives and spent their time praying and working. The abbey was closed down in 1538 during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when King Henry VIII closed many monasteries in England.
The beautiful ruins of Kirkstall Abbey have been drawn and painted by famous artists like J. M. W. Turner, Thomas Girtin, and John Sell Cotman. In the late 1800s, Leeds City Council received the abbey as a gift from Colonel North. They opened it to the public, so everyone could visit. The old gatehouse of the abbey was turned into a museum, which is now part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group.
Contents
How Kirkstall Abbey Started
Around the year 1152, a powerful lord named Henry de Lacy got very sick. He promised to build an abbey dedicated to the Virgin Mary if he got better. When he recovered, he kept his promise. He gave land at Barnoldswick to Abbot Alexander and twelve monks from Fountains Abbey.
The monks tried to build their new abbey at Barnoldswick for six years. However, the place was very difficult to live in. So, Abbot Alexander started looking for a better spot. He found a beautiful, heavily wooded valley by the River Aire in Kirkstall. Some hermits were already living there.
Abbot Alexander asked Henry de Lacy for help. Henry de Lacy was very understanding and helped the monks get the land from William de Poitou. The monks moved from Barnoldswick to Kirkstall, and the hermits either joined the abbey or were paid to move. Most of the abbey's buildings were finished between 1152, when the monks arrived, and 1182, when Abbot Alexander's time as abbot ended. The stone used for building, called Millstone Grit, came from Bramley Fall, which was on the other side of the river.
The Abbey Buildings
Most Cistercian abbeys in England, like Fountains, Rievaulx, Tintern, and Netley, were built using a similar design. Kirkstall Abbey is a great example because many of its parts are still standing.
The main church building was designed in a simple Cistercian style. It had a short chancel (the area near the altar) and transepts (the parts that stick out like arms of a cross). Each transept had three small chapels. The building was very plain, with simple windows and no fancy decorations. The nave (the main part where people sat) did not have a triforium (an upper gallery). The windows and doorways had round tops, but some of the arches inside were pointed, showing early Gothic style. Later, in the 1400s, the large window at the east end was replaced with a smaller one. The tower above the middle of the church was made taller in the 1500s, just before the abbey was closed.
The cloister (a covered walkway around a central open space) was on the south side of the church. It ran along the entire length of the nave. On the east side of the cloister was the chapter house, where the monks met daily. Next to it was a small room called the sacristy, and another small room that was probably a parlour (a room for talking). Beyond these was the calefactory, or warming house, where the monks could warm themselves. Above all these rooms was the monks' dormitory, where they slept. Stairs led from the dormitory down into the church.
On the south side of the cloister, you can see the remains of the old refectory (dining hall). Later, a new, larger refectory was built. Near the refectory entrance, there were arches for the lavatory, where monks washed their hands. The west side of the cloister had vaulted cellars (storage rooms) with the dormitory for the lay brothers (monks who did manual labor) above them.
Some other buildings were located to the southeast of the main abbey. These might have been the abbot's house or the infirmary (where sick monks were cared for). There was also a very large hall. Between the monastery and the river were fish-ponds, and the abbey also had a mill nearby, with its own mill stream.
The Abbey's Later Story
On November 22, 1539, Kirkstall Abbey was given up to King Henry VIII's officials during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The king gave it to Thomas Cranmer in 1542, but it returned to the crown when Cranmer was executed in 1556. Sir Robert Savile bought the estate in 1584, and his family owned it for nearly a hundred years. Later, in 1671, it passed to the Brudenell family, who were the Earls of Cardigan. Much of the abbey's stone was taken and used to build other structures in the area, including steps leading to the river bank near Leeds Bridge.
During the 1700s, the beautiful ruins became popular with artists from the Romantic movement. They were painted by famous artists like J. M. W. Turner, John Sell Cotman, and Thomas Girtin. In 1889, the abbey was sold to Colonel John North, who then gave it to Leeds City Council. The Council did a big project to fix up the abbey, and it was opened to the public in 1895.
An African American writer named William Wells Brown visited Kirkstall Abbey in 1851. He wrote about how much he loved the peaceful beauty of the ruins and how they fit into the natural landscape.
Kirkstall Abbey Today
Kirkstall Abbey is a very important historical site. It is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled ancient monument, which means it's protected. After a big renovation project, there is now a new visitor center. It has fun, interactive exhibits that teach you about the abbey's history and what life was like for the monks. You can enter the abbey for free, but donations are welcome. Sometimes, free guided tours are available.
From 1995 to 2009, the Leeds Shakespeare Festival took place in the abbey's cloisters every year. The abbey grounds are a public park, and they are used for special events like the annual Kirkstall Festival and open-air concerts.
Across the main road from the abbey, the old abbey gatehouse is now the Abbey House Museum. It's also a very important historical building.
Kirkstall Abbey has also been used for TV shows and concerts. On March 19, 2011, it was the location for a live BBC Three event called Frankenstein's Wedding... Live in Leeds. The Kaiser Chiefs band played two concerts there in September 2011, with thousands of fans attending each day. The BBC Television series Gunpowder (2017) also filmed some scenes at Kirkstall Abbey.
See also
In Spanish: Abadía de Kirkstall para niños
