We moved to this part of Yorkshire about 3 years ago and as part of my acclimatisation I decided to research & draw some of the local delights. 

This is Fountains Hall. The house was built by Stephen Proctor about 400 years ago, partly with stone from the abbey ruins. It is an example of a late Elizabethan prodigy house. After Proctor's death, Fountains Hall passed into the possession of the Messenger family, who sold it to William Aislabie 150 years later. The Hall became redundant and was leased to tenants and at one time parts of it were used for farm storage.

The hall was renovated and modernised between 1928 and 1931, and the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) often stayed here as guests of Lady Doris Vyner. 

During the Second World War, Fountains Hall housed evacuees. Studley Royal became the wartime home of Queen Ethelburga's School and the school's sanatorium was at Fountains Hall. The stable block and courtyard was used for dormitories while one corner became the school chapel.