St Mary’s Abbey

St Mary’s Abbey. . , Welcome to St Mary’s Abbey , Once the richest monastery in the north of England, sketched by Turner , JMW Turner visited York several times during his long association with Yorkshire. In 1797 during his first tour, the artist visited St Mary's Abbey and took the time to draw the detailed view of the doorway to the Abbey church. , St Mary's Abbey was founded by the Normans. William the Conqueror himself gave permission for the monk Stephen to create a new monastery here before 1086. With the support of the nobility, St Mary's soon grew to fill this large site at the edge of the city. , By the thirteenth century, the Abbey was wealthy enough to plan and build an elaborate new church, completed in 1294. It was built in a similar style to York Minster with sweeping arches and large stained glass windows. At around 120m long, it stood as an architectural rival to the Minster for more than two centuries. , St Mary’s fell victim to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539. Its riches were confiscated and the building taken apart, then left to collapse. The ruins of the church today still give a sense of its scale and grandeur. , Turner also drew Ouse Bridge from many different angles. At the time the bridge had five arches spanning the river but it was rebuilt in 1821 with just three. , On Turner’s second major trip to York in 1816, he was seeking more distant views of the city. He revisited St Mary’s Abbey and Ouse Bridge and also made numerous sketches of the river, as well as views of the Minster from the north and east. , Take time to trace Turner’s footsteps on the Turner Trails throughout Yorkshire. , Discover the landscapes that inspired one of Britain’s greatest artists , Follow in Turner’s footsteps with our podcasts, downloadable leaflets and walking trails , Find out more at yorkshire.com/turner , ( photo captions ) , St Mary’s Abbey, West Portal, Tweed and Lakes sketchbook. Image reproduced by permission of the Tate Gallery , Illustration of St Mary’s Abbey , Ouse Bridge, York Ouse Bridge and Minster from Downstream, Tweed and Lakes sketchbook. Image reproduced by permission of the Tate Gallery