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01
Dec
Temporary marquee approved at Fountains Abbey as £4.6 million Studley project nears
A giant marquee will be used as a temporary tearoom at Fountains Abbey next year during work on the £4.6 million Studley Revealed project.
The project will see a major redevelopment of the Studley Royal end of the World Heritage Site near Ripon.
A larger café, accessible toilets and a new admission point will be built at Studley Royal. The cafe, which is currently on the deer park side of the site and free to access, will be inside the water garden in the pay-for-entry part of the site.
Work is due to begin early next year and end in spring 2027.
North Yorkshire Council this week approved plans by the National Trust, which owns the site, to erect a 108 square metre marquee near the main visitor centre at Fountains Abbey.
It will be used as a restaurant and tearoom while the Studley tearoom is out of use for three months at the end of 2026.
The café at the visitor centre will remain open; the nearby marquee will cater for the extra demand expected by the Studley tearoom being out of use.
Ripon Civic Society told the council the marquee would have a significant detrimental impact on enjoyment of the abbey.
But council case officer Mike Parkes, who granted approval, said the impact would be “less than substantial”, adding:
The visitor centre
That has to be weighed against the public benefits. It has been found that in maintaining refreshment custom the proposal will aid the understanding and enjoyment objectives of the management plan, and equally contribute in economic and social terms, in maintaining adequate accommodation which might otherwise deter visitors to the World Heritage Site.
Under the terms of the planning approval, the marquee can operate between October 1, 2026 and December 31, 2026.
Studley Revealed update
The council granted planning permission for the project in February this year.
The National Trust, which has owned Fountains Abbey since 1983, wants to remake landscape features of Studley Royal Water Garden, which was designed by John Aislabie in 1718 and is regarded as one of England’s best surviving Georgian water gardens.
The Stray Ferret asked the trust for an update on the project.
A spokesperson said:
Since our planning application was granted earlier this year, the scope of the project is much the same. We’ve just applied to discharge pre-commencement planning conditions. Submitted information includes a tree method statement detailing how we will protect the retained trees during the build, and details on how construction will be managed on-site in terms of vehicles, deliveries and operating hours.
The tearoom at Studley Royal lakeside will close during construction. There will be no access to/from the water garden throughout the build at the Studley end of the estate. Instead, visitors will be able to enter at the visitor centre and West Gate accessible entrance.
Toilets in the Studley car park will remain open. Facilities at the main visitor centre will be available and we’ve been granted temporary planning (subject to conditions) for a marquee to cover over the outdoor seating at the main restaurant in the winter months during the build.
Changes to our normal operations will be communicated to our visitors through our website, social media and onsite signage.
You can find out more about the Studley Revealed project here.
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