All that's left behind.

Kirkstall Abbey in the rain. In fact I will go one better. Kirkstall Abbey in the torrential rain in August.

Dark dank and incredibly damp and cold. So in short a perfect day for a lovely Gothic ruin experience.

We walked Monza at the old grave yard....and then returned home with him because the rain made it a bad idea to leave him wet in the car....soggy doggy went home for a snooze and a rub down.

we set off to Kirkstall and stopped off at Fathers house, he lives just by the Abbey. He never ever goes there.   Lee wanted to borrow a router. Father has one in his garage. He never goes in there either.
"what's a router?" asked father. "have I got one?"
It turned out he had a new one that had never come out of its box and Lee could take it as long as he could borrow it back if he needs it.

We then called in to the supermarket to buy lunch. Lee had left his wallet behind. All I had with me was five Bratz dolls and a camera. These do not make for good currency. So  Lee parked the car just by the museum in Kirkstall whilst stating clearly that he was not getting wet. Drive and wait, but no rain today thank you.

Lee waited in the warm dry car and I got out in the cold August rain to take these photos.....

Monks established this Abbey in in 1147. By 1182 the buildings you see here had been finished.....it remained prosperous until 1534 when Henry V111 became supreme head of the church in England.

Religious houses were abolished because of their link to the Catholic Church and Rome. This dissolution of the monasteries decimated Yorkshire.

22 November 1539 the kings agents formally entered the abbey and the community was dissolved for ever.

The monks were turned out into the world to starve as they no longer had a place to live or means of earning a living...The Abbot was given the gate house as a home. He was the only one who it turned out alright for.

With the monks gone...the land was sold and the Abbey fell into ruin.

Kirkstall Abbey a ruined Cistersian Monestry now a public park and beautiful tourist trap.
The picturesque ruins have been drawn and painted by J.M.W. Turner no less. The king of light himself.....

These ruins are all that is left behind.

Lee was born in Kirkstall in one of the streets just by these old ruins and played here as a small boy....
He can tell truly terrifying stories of how he and his brother would climb up the walls and then run along the top to the huge window at the top of the tower....once he made himself a swing with an old bit of rope high up......

On the widow at the top of this picture. Just him and an old piece of rope......We had our wedding reception here and our best photo is with this window in the background....

The ruins were just left to decay when Lee was a little lad and no one bothered about kids climbing on them. To day it is very different with health and safety laws. Leeds city council now own the site...often it is used for plays and concerts now as well as film showings in the cloisters. Parts of the roof and stone work have been repaired  and the site is used for Kirkstall festival and  markets.

The old gate house is  a museum and cafe. We visited the Museum once....so it is time I went again me thinks. It is stuffed with old toys, dolls and games and has a recreation of a Victorian street.

Lee stayed in the dry warm car on this visit. I took with me some Bratz dolls that I was given for my birthday in July. I did not want to take them out in the rain...so these are just pictures of Kirkstall Abbey and no fancy stuff. It was too wet and poxy for messing around.

As it turned out we had to go back home to pick up Lees wallet and then come back out to buy all the stuff for dinner and lunch too...we were starving by the time I got back.

And yes it is still raining. Tomorrow we are staying in Yeadon. Hale is forecast again.