North Yorkshire Abbeys

On Sunday morning we visited a couple of abbeys.


We live a few miles from the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. When I say "the moors", a lot of people imagine areas they have seen in films, such as Wuthering Heights or Hound of the Baskervilles. In the North Yorks Moors there are areas like that but most of it is farmland or wooded, with steep sided valleys, rather like green oases. During the 12th - 15th centuries, these valleys were remote and easily cut off from towns and cities during winter. They were ideal for the religious orders of monks and a number of abbeys were built. When King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic church and established the Church of England, the abbeys were "dissolved", the monks and lay brothers were thrown out, the abbeys and all their lands were sold. The abbeys were then stripped of their lead and other metals and timbers and the stone used for other buildings. This has left a number of ruins; today these ruins are very carefully managed and maintained by a HM Government agency, English Heritage and they are a major attraction for tourists and families.

We were en route to Rievaulx Abbey but we passed another abbey, Bylands Abbey, that was deserted so we stopped to have a look around. Also, Bylands Abbey is undergoing some restoration works and so it is free entry at the moment.

After thirty minutes, we drove on another 10miles to Rievaulx Abbey (pronounced Reevoh). This is more into the Moors which probably saved it from a lot of the stone from being taken away.

A new Visitors' Centre has been built

The main buildings

The Abbey church

Inside, looking from the altar down the nave

The very large cloister, with the wooded valley side behind.

Reconstructed bit of the cloister

The tannery

The refectory

On site is a small museum of found objects, this is thought to be Jesus

A winged devil

This shows grain being delivered by packhorse to the on-site windmill

We finished in time for lunch on the terrace of the new cafe. Rievaulx is very popular at weekends with families. We also heard several different European languages being spoken. After lunch we retreated to our home, around 17 miles, to escape the sun for a couple of hours.

LUT Guy Arab

Walking back home from the Post Office, I had to go up the hill towards the parish church. Parked up outside the church was this lovely bus on wedding duties. It is a Guy Arab V, new in 1964, and operated by Lancashire United Transport (LUT). Now preserved at a transport museum, it has the occasional run-out. I did not have my camera with me so these two photos are from t'internet.

Oscar Wilde, Barry Lyndon and Nude Cyclists

Of late, the weather in the UK has been very warm and sunny. I have taken to retreating indoors for lunch and early afternoon. I went to the Cityscreen cinema for two consecutive days.

Saturday.

This is very good film about the final years of Oscar Wilde, after he left prison. He was in dire financial circumstances, living in hotels in France. The film was written, directed and starred Rupert Everett, his masterpiece, a real tour de force. I loved the film, great acting, magnificent mise en scene, but very sad.

Oscar Wilde is buried in Pere Lachaise cemetery, we visited the grave in 2014.

Sunday.

Back at the cinema for an afternoon showing of "Barry Lyndon", part of a season of the films of Stanley Kubrick. This was the first time I had seen it on a big screen and it was marvellous.

Nude cyclists.

Those readers of a delicate disposition should stop reading now.

On Saturday evening, when we left the cinema we found there was a demonstration taking place. Around 80 cyclists were on the "Annual Naked Bike Ride", they were protesting to raise awareness of the "Vulnerability of Humans on the Roads". There were bikes and riders of all shapes and sizes.

Best of all, they were met with lots of laughter and giggles and general good humour. Even the police officers thought it was funny.