Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey WHS

‘There is a deep relationship between the heritage and river; the world-class water gardens would not exist without the Skell and yet at times the Skell threatens their very existence.’ Sarah France, World Heritage Coordinator

In 2007 and 2012 the river that flows through the World Heritage Site burst its banks causing catastrophic flooding to the ruins of Fountains Abbey and the 18^th century water garden.

Working with Nidderdale AONB, farmers and landowners and our local community we submitted a successful bid to the National Lottery for the Skell Valley project. This £2.5M project will transform the river valley making heritage, places and people more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Natural Flood Management measures upstream of the World Heritage Site will slow the flow of water and reduce soil run-off into the river.