Abbey or priory · near Leeds · West Yorkshire

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) is a Cistercian monastery. You will find it 100 m west of Leeds. It is a scheduled monument.

Photo: Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins), JohnArmagh (Public domain)

Where

100 m

west of Leeds

How well known

Top 7%

#525 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jun–Sep

highs of 18–21°C

In brief

Abbey or priory near Leeds

One of the best-known places to visit in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

#525 of the 8,556 museums, castles, gardens and other attractions we list, by how widely it is covered (12 Wikipedias). About ↓

Just outside Leeds

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) is 100 m west of Leeds. Towns near it ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Leeds has 1,223 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

Seasons and weather

Afternoons in Leeds peak at 18–21°C, June to September.

Jan7° / 2°59 mm

Feb8° / 2°52 mm

Mar10° / 3°48 mm

Apr13° / 5°49 mm

May16° / 7°50 mm

Jun19° / 10°63 mm

Jul21° / 12°58 mm

Aug20° / 12°64 mm

Sep18° / 10°59 mm

Oct14° / 7°71 mm

Nov10° / 4°69 mm

Dec7° / 2°70 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Leeds, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Leeds. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Leeds’ full climate →

About

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)

Readers can find it on Wikipedia in 12 languages. Top of the 64 other places within 15 km is Leeds Cathedral, 4.5 km off.

Leeds’ listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Abbey or priory
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 12 languages
Town: 100 m west of Leeds
Official site: museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/pQwXsQ/kirkstall-abbey/home

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Plan your visit

Practical information

Entrance fees

EntryA fee is charged

Hours and entry: OpenStreetMap contributors. They change through the year: check its site before you go.

The map

Getting to Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)

Spot Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) in orange, then follow the numbers to the places below.

Towns near it

Towns around Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins), by distance

Leeds, with 536,262 people, is the largest of the 8. Each of these towns lists it on its own page of things to do.

1 · 100 m east of it

Leeds

536,262 people · 45 places to visit

2 · 3.4 km southwest of it

Pudsey

34,853 people · 21 places to visit

3 · 3.6 km northwest of it

Rawdon

6,738 people · 10 places to visit

4 · 4.6 km west of it

Calverley

3,988 people · 13 places to visit

Compare the 8 towns

Town	Where Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) is	People	Places to visit
Leeds	100 m east of it	536,262	45
Pudsey	3.4 km southwest of it	34,853	21
Rawdon	3.6 km northwest of it	6,738	10
Calverley	4.6 km west of it	3,988	13
Yeadon	4.9 km northwest of it	14,273	9
Bramhope	6.8 km north of it	3,593	7
Gildersome	6.9 km south of it	6,278	6
Morley	8.1 km south of it	32,562	21

Make a day of it

Also within reach

Among the 64 within 15 km are 4 museums, 2 cathedrals and a historic house.

CathedralLeeds Cathedral4.5 km away 2

Historic houseHarewood House10 km away 3

MuseumNational Science and Media Museum10 km away · 442K visitors a year (2015)4

Art galleryLeeds Art Gallery4.5 km away 5

CathedralBradford Cathedral9.7 km away 6

MuseumAbbey House Museum200 m away 7

MuseumRoyal Armouries5.8 km away 8

MuseumLeeds City Museum4.5 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Visiting Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)

Where is Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)?

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) is 100 m west of Leeds, West Yorkshire.

What is Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)?

Cistercian monastery in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom.

When is the best time to visit Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)?

June to September are the warmest months in Leeds, with afternoon highs of 18–21°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins) a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins)?

Within 15 km: Leeds Cathedral (4.5 km), Harewood House (10 km), National Science and Media Museum (10 km) and Leeds Art Gallery (4.5 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (9)

Kirkstall Abbey (Ruins): JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Leeds Cathedral: Jungpionier, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Harewood House: Sirenuk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
National Science and Media Museum: Chemical Engineer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leeds Art Gallery: Frank Watkins, British (fl.1859–94) (ILN staff illustrator), by T.D. Nettleton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Bradford Cathedral: Mick Melvin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Abbey House Museum: Jungpionier, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Royal Armouries: Tim Marchant, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Leeds City Museum: Andrew roberts uk, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.