Abbey Ruins

The Abbey Ruins at Jervaulx Park are the remnants of a Cistercian monastery established in 1156. This site features early English architecture constructed from sandstone ashlar. The ruins include the church, which consists of a nave, transepts, and a choir, with a cloister located on the south side of the nave. The chapter house is positioned to the east, while the kitchen and dormitory are situated to the south.

The footings of the church rise to about one metre high, revealing an aisled nave, transepts with eastern aisles, and a short choir that includes a lady chapel. The pier bases are octofoiled with keels. The lady chapel currently houses stone coffins, and the north transept contains a complete stone altar, with additional remains in the south transept. At the crossing, there is a mutilated stone effigy from around 1280, likely representing Ralph Fitz-Henry. Several medieval grave covers can be found in the nave.

To the south of the church, the outline of the cloister is visible. The chapter house, which is rectangular in plan and has two round-headed windows on its eastern side, has walls that stand approximately two metres high and includes a stone bench inside. The vault of the chapter house rested on six surviving monolithic octagonal marble columns with crocket capitals, although these have been recently vandalized.

To the south, the walls of the meat kitchen remain intact, featuring two large fireplaces. Adjacent to this is the monks' dormitory, with its west wall still standing at full height and nine lancet windows at the first-floor level. Various other building remnants and numerous architectural fragments are scattered throughout the site. The ruins are scheduled as an Ancient Monument.