18th January, 2003

On Saturday 18th January, the YAS and the YAS Medieval Section were welcomed to the History Department, University of Sheffield by Dr. Sarah Foot, Director of the Cistercians in Yorkshire Project. We were treated to a detailed explanation of the project, how it was set up and what has been done so far. The idea behind the project is to allow materials and resources from galleries, museums and archives, to be accessed in schools and homes via the internet at http://cistercians.shef.ac.uk.

Members of the team explained their own roles in the project, from the researcher who is pulling together as much of the available information as possible, to the designers of the web page and the virtual reality tour of the various abbeys and monasteries included in the project.


Initial work started with Roche Abbey and this web site was already available on the day of the meeting. The section on Kirkstall Abbey was due to go 'live' within weeks of the day school, followed by Fountains, Bylands and Rievaulx Abbeys. At the day-school, most of the presentation was based on the work done for Roche Abbey, as it could clearly demonstrate what the project was about and the type of material being e-published.

Information on the Cistercians, researched by Dr. Julie Kerr, includes how they were founded, where and how they lived and worked, and famous individuals of the period. Having gained access to the many original documents on which the site is based, the pages allow viewers to look at these documents and to gain an insight into the life in a typical monastery. The virtual tour allows the viewer to travel through the monastery complex to see and experience the wonders of their magnificent buildings. The reconstructions have been based on careful study of the standing remains and comparisons of those structures, and the rubble in the grounds and towns around them, with extant remains on the continent and surviving plans and documents - to give a best guess of what the structures would have looked like. Drawing on the latest scholarship from architecture, history and archaeology, the team have put together an amazing insight into life in a typical monastery. The computer technology used was presented by Nigel Williamson and Carl Smith.

The afternoon saw the group exploring the grounds of Roche Abbey in the company of Stuart Harrison, archaeological consultant on the project. He was able to flesh out the remains of this once beautiful abbey and give us a clear insight into how it might have looked before the Dissolution, and how the monks used the buildings. He was able to demonstrate how he had reconstructed some elements of the building using the worked stones dumped in the grounds.

The whole day was a very interesting presentation of an exciting project, and one in which we can all share. As material becomes available, it will be posted on the web site, and comments are welcomed. We look forward to seeing more and more information on the web and would heartily recommend the site to anyone with even a passing interest in history. It will be well worthwhile a visit.

Jo Heron