Stone corbel decorated with a grotesque head, Rievaulx Abbey, Rievaulx, North Yorkshire

Rievaulx Abbey was founded in 1132 and was the first outpost of the Cistercian Order in the north of England. By the 1160s, it housed a community of 650. Suppressed in 1538, the dismantled and ruined site became a popular attraction for tourists and artists from the 18th century. In the early 20th century the site was stabilised and fallen debris removed to expose buried remains.

Historic England Archive DP072075