This real photographic postcard shows a model of Fountains Abbey reconstructed to represent how the abbey may have looked at the time of its surrender in 1539.
The photograph was taken by Walter Scott of Bradford. The card is numbered 17115, and the original Walter Scott photograph is recorded by the Historic England Archive as having been taken in November 1954.
The model was displayed at Fountains Abbey and was created to show the appearance of the monastery before it became the ruins familiar to visitors today.
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Fountains Abbey and the Dissolution
Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire was founded in the 12th century and became one of England’s most important Cistercian monasteries.
Its religious community came to an end in 1539 during Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries, when the abbey was surrendered to the Crown.
The postcard therefore provides an interesting contrast with the surviving ruins, showing a reconstruction of the site at the very end of its life as a working monastery.
About the Postcard
The reverse identifies it as a real photograph postcard and carries the copyright of Walter Scott, Bradford. This example has 18 July 1960 handwritten on the reverse but is unposted.
Walter Scott produced a large number of photographic views of British towns, landmarks and historic sites, and his postcards are still commonly found by collectors today.
Fountains Abbey Postcard Value
Similar mid-20th-century real photographic postcards of Fountains Abbey are generally affordable. A card such as this would typically be worth around £3–£6, depending on condition and the particular view.
The model makes this example a little more unusual than the many conventional photographic views of the abbey ruins.
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