It is a ruined Cistercian monastery, founded in 1132. Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved Cistercian houses in England. Along with the adjacent Studley Royal Water Garden, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Many of the original materials of stone, glass and lead were taken, but the majesty of the Abbey remains.

Although bleak in winter, the Abbey comes alive in Spring against a backdrop of the surrounding grounds of Studley Royal Park - 650 acres of woodland, deer park and ornamental gardens created as a form of compensation for the Abbot, who was hanged after the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII.

Also on the grounds is Fountains Abbey Mill, the only twelfth century Cistercian cornmill in Britain and one of only a few surviving in Europe. It was built originally as a huge monastic watermill and granary, but in its time it has also been a sawmill, a stine mason's workshop and even a generating station for electricity.

Fountains Abbey is maintained by English Heritage, and owned by the National Trust. It is immediately adjacent to another National Trust property, Studley Royal Park, with which it is jointly marketed. The Trust also owns Fountains Hall, to which there is partial public access.