The national hub for free, trusted teaching resources from cultural organisations

Colour photograph of the remains of a medieval abbey with bluebells in the foreground

This resource is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds

This medieval monastry was saved from demolition by Colonel John T. North in 1888. He then gifted it to the people of Leeds. Although Colonel North generously saved Kirkstall Abbey for the city of Leeds, he was able to do so only because he profited from the exploitation of people and resources in other parts of the world.