Abbeys and Priories of the UK Trivia Quiz

Located high on the cliffs in Whitby, North Yorkshire, this abbey has fantastic sea views and atmospheric ruins. Originating as a monastery in the seventh century, the buildings became a Benedictine abbey before falling prey to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the first half of the sixteenth century.

Thanks to Bram Stoker, who used Whitby and the church next to the abbey as Dracula's first landing place in England in his novel about the vampire, Whitby Abbey is now associated with the character.

Tintern Abbey is in Wales, but only just over the border from Gloucestershire in England. Founded in 1131, this Cistercian abbey is located on the banks of the River Wye in a particularly picturesque position.. Another victim of Henry VIII's purge, the buildings fell into disrepair in the sixteenth century.

Tintern Abbey has been a source of inspiration to poets and artists alike. Wordsworth was inspired by it in a 1798 poem and J M W Turner is just one of the artists to have painted the ruins.

Battle Abbey owes its existence to William the Conqueror, who had made a vow to build a monastery if his conquest of Britain was successful. The abbey is built on the site of the historic Battle of Hastings and was part of his penance for the invasion, as ordered by Pope Alexander II. The altar supposedly marked the spot where Harold II met his death.

It was occupied as a Benedictine monastery until 1538 when it was destroyed during Henry VIII's purge. Having been privately owned for many years, it became government property in 1976 and is part of English Heritage's portfolio.

Melrose was the first Cistercian abbey to be founded in Scotland and dates from 1136. Melrose is located on the River Tweed and is close to the English border. The Scottish king, David I, was responsible for ordering the building of several abbeys, partly to emphasise that he, and Scotland, were in control of the area.

The first monks at the abbey came from Yorkshire, though, having been based at Rievaulx Abbey. Monastic life continued into the 1500s despite the buildings suffering damage from regular English incursions during the reigns of Edwards I and II, and Richard II. Although many of the original buildings fell into disrepair, Sir Walter Scott led efforts to restore and repair the ruins, and the abbey is under the care of Historic Environment Scotland.

Cleeve Abbey is in Somerset, near Watchet, which is a small harbour town on the Bristol Channel. The abbey dates from the late twelfth century and was one of the Cistercian establishments, although not one of the best known nor particularly successful.

Being a small site made it an early target for dissolution which happened in 1536. The main building became a manor house and then farm buildings before the realisation that the abbey could become a tourist attraction. The buildings which remain are among the best preserved in the UK, with the gatehouse being particularly impressive. Cleeve Abbey inspired the author Elsie J Oxenham to create her many books in the 'Abbey' series, although she moved the location.

North Yorkshire has a range of ruined abbeys to visit including Byland, Kirkham and Rievaulx, but Fountains Abbey has possibly the most spectacular ruins of all of them. Dating from 1132, Fountains began life as a Benedictine abbey in 1132 but soon became a Cistercian establishment, the most important in England. It is located near Ripon.

As you'd expect, it did not survive Henry VIII and was closed in 1539. The site still has extensive remains, in particular the vaulted undercroft which was a dormitory. Fountains is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is owned by the National Trust with English Heritage responsible for its upkeep.

Holyrood Abbey was founded by King David I in 1128 in Edinburgh. Legend has it that it was an act of thanksgiving when he was saved from being killed by a deer by the appearance of a crucifix, which stopped the deer's attack. Holyrood means 'holy cross'. The abbey was regularly used by Scotland's parliament for meetings during the thirteenth and fourteenth century.

The sixteenth century saw the abbey suffer severe damage, from English attacks and local mobs and it fell into ruins. The remaining ruins are next to Holyrood Palace, the official home of the British monarch in Scotland and located at one end of the Royal Mile. The abbey can be visited but only as part of a visit to the adjacent palace.

The town of Neath is in South Wales, just inland from the Bristol Channel. Neath Abbey was a Cistercian monastery dating from 1130 and was the largest abbey in Wales. It was built on the orders of a Norman lord, who donated it to a French order of monks, the Savigniacs, who merged with the Cistercians in 1147.

Dissolved in 1539, by the late eighteenth century the buildings were used as for an iron foundry and the original abbey became buried in waste. Excavation of the ruins began in the first half of the twentieth century, with much of the original layout visible and many of the walls still standing. There is also an undercroft which was used as a dormitory. The abbey is in the care of Cadw, the Welsh government authority responsible for the preservation of ancient monuments and buildings.

Lindisfarne Priory is situated on the island of that name, which is also known as Holy Island, located off the coast of Northumbria in the northeast of England. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway during low tide. An abbey was established on Lindisfarne as long ago as 634 AD in Anglo Saxon times, before being destroyed during Viking raids in 793 AD.

In Norman times, a new monastery was established on the island as a subsidiary to Durham Priory on the mainland, a Benedictine establishment. The priory was closed down in 1536, as part of the dissolution, with the buildings falling into ruins. The island remained a site of pilgrimage, as the earliest site where Christianity took root in England, and the remaining buildings are now an English Heritage site.

Located on England's west coast, in Cumbria, St Bees was the first monastery in the area and dates from 1120. It was built on the orders of the Lord of Egremont, a Norman. Another Benedictine monastery, it was dissolved in 1539.

Unlike the other religious buildings in the quiz, although many of the buildings were demolished the most important part, the nave, was saved. This became the basis of the present day parish church, although much remedial work was needed. According to their website, all the original church buildings are still in use and the main west door into the building dates from the 1150s.