Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery to the west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, set in grounds which are now a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c.1152 and was over seventy five years in construction. In 1534 it was closed down in the ‘Dissolution of Religious Houses’ ordered by Henry VIII. The monks were pensioned-off, the roofs stripped of lead and some buildings converted for agricultural use.

Many famous artists such as JMW Turner, Thomas Girtin and Moses Griffith came to paint Kirkstall Abbey's picturesque ruins. Today large parts of the Abbey can still be seen and explored free of charge.