Rievaulx Abbey: A Picturesque View from an 18c Vanity Project

Charles Dickens, ever the enthusiast, was beside himself with admiration for Rievaulx Abbey, and who could blame him? This Cistercian marvel, nestled in a lush green valley and surrounded by dense woodland, is a particularly fine ruin—courtesy of Henry VIII’s systematic penchant for tearing down monasteries¹Hull Daily Mail – Saturday 01 June 1929 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19290601/044/0004?noTouch=true.

Perched above it, Rievaulx Terrace lords over the scene, a prime example of 18th-century pomposity masquerading as taste. This contrivance was the brainchild of Thomas Duncombe II, who, in the 1750s, decided to carve a terrace into the hillside. Why? To flaunt his impeccable “refinement” or, more plausibly, to remind everyone that he could afford the manpower to pull it off. It took eight years to complete—time well spent for anyone hoping to be remembered as a dabbler in contrived grandeur.

At the terrace’s heart are two temples: one Ionic, one Doric, both dripping with faux-classical pretension. These, naturally, frame the picturesque view of the abbey below, because no self-respecting Georgian aesthete would settle for anything less than a staged masterpiece. Incidentally, these so-called “historic” vistas were not even a thing until about a century ago. The valley was once entirely visible from the terrace, an uninterrupted sweep of showy landscaping. An infinity lawn. Over time, nature had the audacity to reclaim the slopes, until someone in 2018 thought better of it and reopened the views²National Trust Heritage Records Online. Vista viewpoint, Rievaulx Terrace & Temples. Record ID: 34440 / MNA191985. https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA191985.

Now comes the philosophical debate. Should we bulldoze the woods to recreate the terrace’s original open view, glorifying an 18th-century ego trip? Or should we let the trees stay, giving a nod to modern sensibilities about rewilding? I have to admit, this is an hypothetical question! I’m not aware of any such proposal out there, but it definitely sparks some interesting thoughts. The National Trust, current caretakers of this property, politely sidesteps such dilemmas by encouraging visitors to amble along and admire the lengths to which the rich once went to bend nature to their will.

Of course, when compared to modern expressions of wealth—like purchasing social media platforms or launching vanity rockets into space—Duncombe’s theatrics almost seem quaint. Almost.

• 1
  Hull Daily Mail – Saturday 01 June 1929 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000324/19290601/044/0004?noTouch=true
• 2
  National Trust Heritage Records Online. Vista viewpoint, Rievaulx Terrace & Temples. Record ID: 34440 / MNA191985. https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA191985