Anne Boleyn's Seat / Surprise View
The grand climax to the garden tour was created when William Aislabie purchased
the Abbey ruins in 1768 and cleverly landscaped them into his garden design, making
them one of the largest garden follies in existence.
The climax comes at the end of the High Ride and is known as "The Surprise View"
or Anne Boleyn's Seat.
The name Anne Boleyn’s Seat was coined because paintings show that there was
a decapitated statue on this spot before the acquisition of the Abbey by Aislabie
in 1768. It was during the late 18th century that the statue acquired the name Anne Boleyn when a link was seen between
the decapitated state of the statue, Henry VIII's second queen and the dissolution
of the monasteries, which affected Fountains Abbey. The statue was restored to
its original position in 2001.
The name "Surprise View" is more apt. Georgian visitors would have been led to
a wooden building and seated on a bench, sliding wooden doors were then opened
to reveal an astonishing view of the abbey ruins in the distance. The sight was
designed to cause a sharp intake of breath, hence ‘Surprise View’.
