Kirkstall Abbey was a Cistercian Abbey, part of a holy order of monks introduced into Britain from France in 1128. Over 90 Cistercian abbeys were built in Britain, Kirkstall was one of the first and in the present day it is one of the most finely preserved medieval ruins in the country. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade 1 listed building. The land it sits on is now a small narrow area of encapsulated countryside within the urban sprawl of the City of Leeds. This EarthCache has been placed with kind permission from Kirkstall Abbey and Abbey House Museum, Leeds Museums and Galleries.
Construction on the Abbey began in 1152 when the land close to the small village of Leeds was gifted to the monks by Henry De Lacy, lord of Pontefract castle. The site was chosen because of its proximity to building materials, the river Aire, and because it was far from settlements, in line with the monks' desires for isolation and self sufficiency. The geology of the area around Leeds comprises three underlying rock types, all of which have shaped the nature of the landscape. The Millstone Grit and Coal Measures of the Upper Carboniferous Period characterise central and west Leeds, and the Magnesian Limestone strata of the later Permian Period can be seen in the buildings as Leeds stretches towards the Vale of York. In addition, there is a small area of Triassic Sandstone at the very edge of the Leeds boundary to the north east.
The Abbey and this section of the Aire valley is bordered on the opposite bank of the river by the steep rocky incline of Bramley Fall, now a pleasant park. Wooden structures were found by archaeologists at the river bank showing that stone was quarried at bramley fall and transported across and along the river to the Abbey site. Bramley Fall Stone is still quarried to this day, a strong stone which weathers well, being highly water resistant and resistant to shocks. This type of millstone grit sedimentary rock is common to areas around the Pennines. The name millstone grit arises from its uses in mills, and here the features of the landscape show us the mill for the Abbey - a series of millponds were situated west of the Abbey under what are now the playing fields, and their lines can still be traced on aerials photographs - and the goit, or mill beck, off the river Aire is a pleasant walk.
In 1539, the Abbey was surrendered to king Henry VIII for the dissolution of the monasteries. The remarkable preservation of the Abbey to this day is likely due to it being held as an estate by several prominent families before much of of its stone was removed for use in other local buildings. It has been held by Leeds Corporation/Leeds City Council since 1889.
In 1954-5, an interesting addition appeared in the surrounding Kirkstall Park with the creation of the Geological Garden - some old photos are uploaded with this cache listing. This Garden was shaped to form the British Isles, and slabs of native and important stone were arranged by area, with notes on their qualities. There were exhibits of fossils, and a 'dinosaur footprint'. Sadly, this Geological Garden no longer exists, and even local people are hard pushed to tell you where exactly it stood, or how long ago it was removed. In fact it stood on the banks of the river near where the bowling green is now, and was the brainchild of Henry Cherry Versey, a local and celebrated geologist born in 1894 who died in 1990. Samples of rock included some rare granites and marbles, as well as more everyday examples, set out on a foot map of the British Isles, with plaques telling visitors about the location and qualities of the rocks displayed. Some locals remember it as a 'graveyard' due to the way the slabs of stone stood, and when it fell into disrepair, and became a little-visited corner of the grounds, it was eventually removed in around 2004. It stands in history now as a much misunderstood and misinterpreted idea, but lives on today with this EarthCache. No matter what happened to his garden, I suspect Mr Versey would approve of EarthCaches.
In order to log this geocache, please answer the following questions. You can message or email me through my profile. You not need to wait for confirmation or a response to log a find but I will try to respond to each message.
1) The stone of the Abbey is everywhere around you. Describe the colour and texture, are the quartz grains even? Can you see any evidence of weathering? There is some lichen on the face of the stone. What colour is this and on which face of the stone does it gather (north, south, east, west)?
2) the Abbey is made from Bramley Fall Stone, which is stone from a very specific area. What common name is given to this stone which is a feature of the Pennines?
3) the stone you see before you was formed during which Period? What does the name of that Period signify?
4) Visible from the stated coordinates are a number of stone pillars. Some still support the structure of the Abbey and some are freestanding. In which room of the Abbey are these located? How many pillars are there? How many still support the structure? Are there any differences in the weathering or colouration of the stone pillars and what might this tell us about them?
5) Name three other types of rock found in the British Isles that may once have formed a part of Henry Versey's Geological Garden.
Please enjoy the abbey respectfully, and upload a picture with your log if you can. To visit the former site of the geological garden, head north West past the visitor centre to the site of today's bowling green.