Studley Royal

Studley Royal is a deer park near Ripon, North Yorkshire, which is part of the same estate as Fountains Abbey.

It is looked after by the National Trust, but whereas you have to pay an entry fee to Fountains, Studley Royal is free.

There's a church and a few houses within the park.

The original Studley Royal House burned down in 1946, but the stable block survived and has been turned into a private house.

Studley Royal: History

Studley Royal House was a Medieval country pile owned by the Mallory family.

George Aislabie married Mary Mallory, and their son John Aislabie (1670-1742) inherited the house in 1693.

John Aislabie was elected MP for Ripon at just 25, and when he was 48 he became Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He got into trouble during the scandal of the South Sea Bubble.

The South Sea Bubble

The South Sea Company consolidated the government's national debt.

The government's creditors assigned their rights to the South Sea Company in return for shares. The government was to pay interest to the company, and the company would pay dividends to its shareholders.

The South Sea Company also traded. It had an exclusive right to sell African slaves to Spanish and Portuguese colonies in South America, and it had a whaling fleet.

Neither of these businesses made much money.

The bubble came about in 1720. The South Sea Company's share price went from about £120 in January to £1,000 in August.

The company 'sold' shares to influential politicians without requiring payment, so that if the share price went up they could sell them back and pocket the difference. It also lent people money to buy its shares.

By the end of 1720, the share price was back down to £100 or so.

Some people who had borrowed money to buy shares at the top of the market were bankrupted.

An investigation showed that John Aislabie had been given £20,000 worth of stock in return for promoting the debt consolidation scheme in his role as Chancellor.

He was found guilty of 'the most notorious, dangerous and infamous corruption'. The punishments were explusion from Parliament, removal from the Privy Council, a fine, and imprisonment in the Tower of London.

That was the end of John Aislabie's political career.

He returned to Studley Royal and threw himself into transforming the gardens.

He created the deer park and water garden. His son William Aislabie (1700-1781) added Fountains Abbey to the estate.

George Robinson, Marquess of Ripon (1827-1909) was a later owner. He had St Mary's church built.

The Vyner family were the owners of the estate in the 1900s, and lived in Fountains Hall.

Studley Royal House was let to Queen Ethelburga's School during World War II. Shortly after they left, the house burned down (1946)

Visiting Studley Royal Deer Park

If you're visiting Fountains Abbey first, you can walk through to Studley Royal near the water garden's lake.

Alternatively, you can get to Studley Royal on foot from Ripon. Or if you arrive at Studley Roger by car, you can drive into the deer park and continue to a paying car park near Studley Lake.

You can see the layout of the estate on the site map.

The Deer

There are around 380 deer, herds of red, sika and fallow deer.

The rut in Autumn is the most interesting time of year to see the deer, as the stags battle for the right to mate with the does.

For your own safety you have to be a little bit careful not to approach too close to the stags.

Other Wildlife

There's always a chance of seeing other wildlife at Studley Royal, for example stoats and brown hares.

There are hedgehogs too.

The birds you might see include barn owls and tawny owls.

Buildings

St Mary's Church was built in 1870 for George Robinson, Marquess of Ripon. Architect William Burges designed it in the Victorian Gothic Revival style.

Near the church is the Choristers' House, also a William Burges effort.

The house is now a holiday rental property.