Kirkstall Abbey

Today I went along to Kirkstall Festival down by Kirkstall Abbey and took the opportunity to enjoy the ruins of the monestry. The abbey really is beautiful, especially with the sunlight pouring through the archways. I learnt quite a bit about the abbey during my visit, it's got its own drainage system which you can see running through the ruins.

Interesting Facts:
-the abbey used to have a main road running through it
-monks used cabbage leaves as toilet paper!
-they had to have a separate kitchen for meat by order of the pope.
-when Henry VI came to power the monestry was shut down and looted for anything of value including the church bells
-when drinking alcohol, monks had to use two hands to hold their vessel as a symbol of humiliation.
-monks were only allowed to talk in the tiny parlour room.