Rievaulx Abbey, a photo from North Yorkshire, England

Photographer's Note

Rievaulx Abbey was founded by St Bernard of Clairvaux as the first Cistercian monastery in the north of England. 12 monks arrived in 1132 and by the 1160s it housed around 650 men and was one of the most powerful monastic houses in Britain. Walter Espec from nearby Helmsley Castle owned the land in the Rye Valley on which Rievaulx Abbey is built.(The name "Rievaulx" is derived from "Rye Valley") As an active supporter of ecclesiastical reform Espec was the abbey’s patron and gifted them 1000 acres of land. Many of the buildings, the ruins of which are still here today, were built by Aelred, the third abbot and the most prominent religious figure of his day. After his death in 1167, Aelred was canonised and the presbytery was re-built in the 1220s in a more elaborate style to house his remains. Its full height is still visible today.

After the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1538 the new owner of Rievaulx Abbey, the Earl of Rutland, began dismantling the abbey’s contents. Some of the building materials were used to build many of the cottages in the village.

Much of the rubble left by Rutland was still there in 1917 when the owner at the time, who was unable to afford the upkeep of the abbey, gave the site to the government, who employed Sir Frank Baines to make the restorations necessary to avoid collapse of the buildings still standing. Between 1918 and 1921 veterans of WW1 were engaged to clear the 90,000 tonnes of rubble. Unfortunately, much of the “rubble” was archeologically important and it is now lost. Also, rubble was used to level near-by fields, so obscuring important earthworks of the abbey. The site is now owned and maintained by English Heritage, of which I am a member.

This photo shows what remains of the abbey’s church still at its full original height. The main part is the presbytery where the main altar would have been. The south transept is on the left. There is a view of the east end in the WS

delic, ls7902, maltese, snunney, josepmarin, mickyg, jwmunro, riclopes, eza1701, Photo65Net, besnard, renerob, carper, chrisnet, jmcl, abulafia, Floydian, vbl, syd1946, stego, UlfE, asajernigan, pboehringer, sabyasachi1212, salvator, danos, JCG, Didi, fotomis has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

delic (6735) 2007-04-21 7:22

Hi Kath,
Impressive landmark in relatively good condition. I like your composition here, esp. how you kept the vertical lines straight.
Best wishes,
Hakan

grattounet (0) 2007-04-21 7:22

bonjour,
Très jolie prise de vue, tu à su faire ressortir cette architecture d'antan ... comment on peut en arrivé là ;)

ls7902 (7380) 2007-04-21 7:24

Hello Kath,

Very impressive capture of the monastery & ruin. Good composition, colors, and exposure. And thanks for the informative notes. Great WE to you. Latiff.

maltese (22909) 2007-04-21 7:34

Hi Kath,
Quelle superbe architecture, bien mis en valeur par ton cadrage.
Une beau témoignage de ce que nos ancètres savaient construire.
Très belle photo.
Amicalement
hervé

isabib (1953) 2007-04-21 7:34

Hi Kath,

Great POV and composition of this ruined abbey. I like how you framed it filling the whole shot.

Well done and TFS!

snunney (130967) 2007-04-21 7:42

Hello Kath,
A very pleasing pov on the Abbey that allows us to see the full extent. The overcast sky adds to the mood, whilst the architectural detail is well brought out. Natural tones and very good clarity.

four (529) 2007-04-21 7:56

There's a green tinge to this on my monitor Kath.
Have a look at the workshop I did with a tweak to colour balance.

[workshop] [compare]

josepmarin (59385) 2007-04-21 8:12

Hello Kath,
This monastery in ruins seems to want to stand up proudly in spite of the passage of time. Your setting catches it in all its real dimension, and with a good perspective. Good contrast between its old stones and arches with the blue sky and the green grass that they surround it.
Nice work.
Regards,
Josep

mickyg (815) 2007-04-21 9:51

I personally prefer the shot in WS .. I don't know why but maybe the posted shot tries to show to much .. you have good exposure and clarity on both Kath .. nice work

PixelTerror (0) 2007-04-21 9:56

Hi Kath
Back to Olde England I see, nice piece of heritage you found here that sadly seems to have been a bit neglected in the last 500 years, good comprehensive angle but I agree about the color cast, I tried a WS
Have a nice week end,
Jean-Yves

[workshop] [compare]

jwmunro (286) 2007-04-21 10:21

Hello Kath -

Back to North Yorkshire I see. This looks like a place I need to put on the itinerary for this fall. Excellent note - I do like your English history notes as they are most informative. The image is well composed and executed. It is really too bad that the sky could not be better but I guess that is North Yorkshire in the winter. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

riclopes (35577) 2007-04-21 11:32

Olá Kath, this reminds me a lot one ruins that we have in the center of Lisbon, which is in worst conditions because of the earthquakes. The composition is very good and I would never see the green cast refered in the critics, but making a comparison, I like the WSs. Should yours be more natural or theirs?
Ric

eza1701 (3345) 2007-04-21 12:07

Hi Kath,

Nicely composed and exposed shot of this beautiful place and as always from you, a very informative note. I think you have done a great job of exposure on this photo, not blowing the sky although shooting upwards.

Best regards,
Paul.

besnard (59196) 2007-04-21 12:55

Bonjour Kath
Retour au pays avec un très bon cliché de cette abbaye bien cadrée qui nous permet d'apprécier toute la beauté et la majesté de l'architecture.
Merci pour le partage et bon week-end.
Nicole

Gerrit (62042) 2007-04-21 12:55

Hi Kath,
impressive ruins. I wonder from whet year the building is from what you are showing the remains.
It looks rather gothic and one expect from Bernard de Clervaux in de 12th century still the highlights of the romanesc architecture (Cluny).
A very good picture by the way of this dramatic ruins in their fine setting,
regards, Gerrit

carper (96) 2007-04-21 13:27

ah Kath yourt back home,
good shot here, the composition is nice, good light fine details and a very good contrast. good job, have a nice day
gr. jaap

chrisnet (23062) 2007-04-21 15:54

Hello Kath,
Excellent framing for this beautiful architecture, I can see many details here, good sharpness too.
Regards
Christian

gilou530 (34) 2007-04-21 16:15

salut kath
de retour au pays, pour nous montrer les vestiges anglais, un cadrage qui nous donne la totalité des ruines,bien mis en valeur par une bonne lumiére et netteté
amitiés
gilbert

jmcl (14535) 2007-04-21 17:30

Hi Kath,

I love the contrast between the Spring greens and the ancient building .. thoughtful and beautiful ..

take care,

John

abulafia (4900) 2007-04-21 17:47

Hi Kath
I just had to comment on this one, it is definitely high on my favorite list from when i worked in the UK.
I believe it was the first abbey ruin i visited in the UK.
You have presented this wonderful place very well here.
Have a nice weekend
Harry

Photo65Net (43144) 2007-04-22 3:33

Bonjour Kath,
This compo is very pleasant.
I like how POV, colors and exposure emphasize this architecture, and stones texture.
Very nice,
Regards,
JB.

Floydian (30970) 2007-04-22 5:22

Hi Kath,
I read some comments about the colour cast, and yes there is some, although very slightly. I think it has more to do from the time when you took this picture. Light is terrible and making something perfect out of it can be very very difficult. By that i think you can be proud on it because it is probably the best you can get in this light. Composition and lines are well choosen, not just a snapshot....good work.
Regards, Henk

batalay (41261) 2007-04-22 7:57

Hello Kath,

A truly worthile contribution to TE — a flawless photograph accompanied by a thoroughly informative note — in the best spirit of Trekearth. I had a general idea of the abbey's origins in the 12th century, and its dissolution under Henry VIII, and you've filled in many of the details. I am also happy to know that you are a member of English Heritage, which has been so successful in historic preservation in England.

Churchill once said to the Americans, "We have everything in common with you, except the language." Of course, on TE (as it is in my scientific meetings) the common languge is 'Broken English.' I keep thinking, if I were to meet some of TE friends from Belgium, France, Holland, etc. we would have a harder time commununicating than we do in written 'Broken English.' You are unusually articulate, but do you speak with the Northern English/Yorkshire accent when you speak?

Warm regards, and enjoy the weekend.

Bulent

sergio1 (12152) 2007-04-22 8:09

Hi Hi Hi my friend

How are you??? I'm fine but missng, ahahahah.

I like very much this picture, your compo is classic but nice. The lights and contrast are good.

Regards
Sergio

vbl (1421) 2007-04-22 10:12

Hi Kath:
really a magnific shot.
I think is a magnific place, good compo tnat give to us an idea about this special place
regards vanessa

syd1946 (1167) 2007-04-22 10:54

Hello Kath,
Very impressive Abbey and well composed image.With your note is very good and interesting presentation,Thanks,

Regards,
Thomas

UlfE (14641) 2007-04-22 16:00

Hi Kath,

An excellent POV. It gives a very good idea what it looked like when it was not a ruin. I am really impressed that you have mangaged to fill almost the whole frame with just the monastry. Great job!

Cheers,

Ulf

ahmetgedikli (25609) 2007-04-22 16:05

Hi Kath,
A good shot!I like this composition and your notes very interesting.
Well done
Ahmet

stego (24132) 2007-04-22 16:22

Hi Kath,
I see with satisfaction that you went back to the "English Heritage" series. That doesn't mean that I don't miss CR, of course...
A very clever pov, as usual and a great luminosity and good sharpness. You weren't very lucky with the weather - the sky is a bit dull, but that doesn't do much harm.
As for the colour, I think I notice a slight excess of green/yellow, that doesn't look much real, but it can be caused by the light and it is almost unnoticeable. The WS of Colin `four´ looks a bit nicer, contrarily to PixelTerror's one.
I also like very much the view of the East End, specially for the little detail of the houses on the left and the sky visible through the windows. However, it's a bit tilted.
Cheers, José.

asajernigan (21427) 2007-04-22 20:50

Kath,
The ruins are great. Your composition is fine with outstanding sharpness and DOF. The lighting and colors are great with nice detail.
TFS,
Asa

pboehringer (770) 2007-04-22 22:49

There is the answer to my question at your last Costa Rica shot. You coming back to the old english abbeys. Wonderful sample that you got here and your POV is excellent to explore the play of light and shadows in the building. I'm looking foerward to see a lot of upcoming abbey pictures.
TFS, Peter

sabyasachi1212 (19779) 2007-04-23 0:20

Hi Kath,
Wonderful capture of this very fine piece of architecture. Though in ruins it seems to indicate a very eventful past. Excellent proportions.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

salvator (19110) 2007-04-23 3:43

Hi Kath,
Nice composition of this ruin. The details on the ruin, and the colors are very nice. Best regards. Salvator.

danos (110407) 2007-04-23 6:22

Hello Kath,
nice the perspective and the POV of Rievaulx Abbey.Your composition,colors,and exposure of the structure gives a great deal dimension to it.The details of the monastery are great.Very informative your note.Well done.
Regards,Danos

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2007-04-23 6:23

This place is superb and you composed your image well! Nice angle with the lightning on the castle wall there.
Best wishes,
Achim

Guluzar (379) 2007-04-23 6:53 [Comment]

Show Comment

renerob (601) 2007-04-23 10:03

Hi Kath,
This is a wonderful capture of this fine piece of architecture, also i do like the composition on this shot, i do think that old monasteries stand so proud on the landmark.
Regards Irene

JCG (35153) 2007-04-23 17:09

Hi Kath,

A new interesting sight on these vestiges of the religious past. Beautiful development of these ruins where the good luminosity gives a pretty relief to the unit and emphasizes all the details. The additional photograph supplements well the subject and thank you for the instructive comment. Cheer Kath.

With all my friendships,

Jean-Charles

berek (50518) 2007-04-24 11:43

Hi Kath,
I can see all detail for this historical place. well framed picture. thanks for notes . greetings.
Burak

paura (25802) 2007-04-25 18:57

Kath,
Beautiful compo and POV in this shot from the interesting building. Rievaulx Abbey is really an amazing place.

Paulo

Standa (1877) 2007-04-26 16:40

Hi Kath,
the composition of this photo is realy good, I like the way you captured this monumental architecture and your informative note.
Best regards,
Stanislav

jojo31 (1601) 2007-04-28 2:28

bonjour
excellente vue belle architecture
et bon cadrage
bravo

jojo

Didi (61589) 2007-04-30 3:33

Hi Kath
Very strange The name of Rievaulx has a similitude with the Vaulx-de-Cernay abbey in the Chevreuse Valley south Paris.
It's also a ruin.
Very good general view.
Cheers.

aralda (1240) 2007-09-22 6:54

How beautiful this is! Great that you joined English Heritage! I was about to say that you're one of the few members here who showcase English Heritage.
Raluca

Photo Information

Copyright: Kath Featherstone (feather) (51130)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-03-11
Categories: Architecture, Ruins
Camera: Nikon D200, Nikkor 24-120mm AF-S, VR, RAW
Exposure: f/14.0, 1/25 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): North Yorkshire Moors, English Heritage, Helmsley and Rievaulx [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-04-21 7:15