Studley Revealed reimagines the historic Canal Gates at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, reconnecting an 18th-century masterpiece with its original landscape. Through careful conservation of the Grade-II listed Tea Room and a new, quiet extension, the project restores lost sightlines, revives the garden’s spatial order, and creates accessible visitor facilities. Working closely with the National Trust, Rankinfraser, and a skilled design team, the scheme blends architecture and landscape into a single, considered composition that honours history while welcoming visitors for centuries to come

The Canal Gates once formed the formal arrival to John and William Aislabie’s Georgian water garden, part of today’s UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal and the Nidderdale AONB. Beyond lies the deer park with red, fallow and sika deer and ancient groves of lime, oak and chestnut. The water garden itself orchestrates long, borrowed views to the abbey and Surprise View. Over time, arrivals shifted to the rear Visitor Centre, leaving the Gates diminished in meaning. The project restores this threshold, reuniting the deer park and garden, and reinstating the Georgian sequence at its true entrance. 

Generations of incremental change had blurred the coherence of the Canal Gates. Views were blocked, structures intruded, and original alignments became unreadable. The design process began with careful study of historic maps, drawings and accounts to rediscover the geometry and intent of the garden. The oval forecourt is reinstated, tree-lined walks such as the Balustrade Walk are strengthened, and bosquet hedges once again frame sightlines that had been lost. Hardscape materials follow the historic hierarchy of the site, from York stone flags to sawn setts, repairing the Georgian framework while blending resilient planting suited to a changing climate.

Our design began with a deep study of the site’s history: maps, drawings, written accounts, and photographs. This research revealed the geometry and alignments that once animated the garden. Every architectural and landscape move was shaped by this understanding, so that each intervention supports the site’s cultural and visual significance.

At the heart of the scheme is the conservation of the Victorian Lodge and the addition of a single-storey extension that provides an enlarged tearoom, interpretation space and accessible facilities. Simple in form and built from timber and brick with a green roof, the new wing sits low, recessing into the landscape rather than competing with it. Its placement respects historic alignments, frames key views and allows the garden to remain the dominant presence. Planting weaves the architecture back into its setting: a green roof of thyme, juniper and sedum attracts pollinators, tiered shrub beds of ferns, hellebores, lilac, Philadelphus and elder bring texture and seasonal colour, while climbers such as jasmine, honeysuckle, roses and clematis add scent, nectar and nesting habitat. Integrated sustainable measures, including glulam timber, reduced concrete foundations, air-source heat pumps and natural ventilation, ensure that the architecture remains light in touch and low in carbon. 

Studley Revealed enhances legibility and accessibility at this historic entry point while retaining the main Visitor Centre access. Original garden paths are restored, entrances clarified, and facilities made fully accessible. Clear links to the wider estate remain for walkers, cyclists, buses, and cars. New planting and surfaces ensure calm, uncluttered movement. This renewal shows how contemporary design can make heritage landscapes more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.