St Mary's Abbey, York

Power and wealth

The abbey was one of the wealthiest Benedictine houses in England, its estate covering the whole of today's Museum Gardens, and its abbot ranked alongside the Archbishop of York. Its boundary walls of the 1260s still mark the edge of the site. Henry VIII's suppression of the monasteries ended its life: the monks were pensioned off in 1540.

What survives

The most striking remains are the nave and crossing walls of the abbey church, with tall pointed windows open to the sky. You can also trace the cloister and see the Marygate gateway, St Mary's Lodge. The abbot's 14th-century house survives too, as King's Manor, and stone carted from the ruins was reused across the city, including at Clifford's Tower.

Visiting

The ruins sit inside Museum Gardens, which open daily, so they make an easy stop on a walk between the station and the Minster. Combine them with the Roman Multangular Tower a few metres away and Bootham Bar, one of the medieval city gates. Rise. Coffee and The Fat Badger are close by for a break. The ruins photograph best in late afternoon light.

Highlights

• Founded 1088, once the richest abbey in northern England
• Gothic nave walls of the abbey church
• 1260s boundary walls and Marygate gateway
• Set in York's Museum Gardens
• Abbot's house survives as King's Manor

Good to know

• Inside Museum Gardens, open daily during set hours
• Combine with the Multangular Tower and Yorkshire Museum in the same gardens

Frequently asked questions