A Visit to the Magnificent Selby Abbey

I arrived at Selby Abbey on a rainy Sunday morning shortly after a sung Eucharist ceremony had begun. The congregation was small and mostly elderly, but it was nice to see the building being used for its original purpose and not simply as a destination for architecture or history enthusiasts. It is, however, a worthy destination for visitors.

The abbey is one of the English monastic foundations that survived Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries of the 1530s. Medieval monastic remains litter the English landscape in various states of ruin (some have disappeared completely), but Selby's main abbey church is complete because in 1618 the derelict building, although stripped of most of its valuables and deteriorating, was saved when it became the town's parish church. Of the hundreds of monastic foundations existing before the English Reformation, 14 became cathedrals and about 100 became parish churches, like Selby.

Selby was a flourishing market town in the Middle Ages, and its affluence continued into the modern period from shipping, shipbuilding, and coal mining industries. Within the last fifty years this industrial economy has vanished, and as a result Selby is no longer the prosperous town it once was. However, the scale and beauty of the abbey is an enduring reminder of the wealth that existed here for centuries. But a dwindling congregation in a town that isn't thriving like it used to has led to less money for maintenance, creating conservation issues that have become more pressing with every passing year.

The sense of awe at being in such a beautiful space means it's easy to overlook all of the challenges facing the building. Decaying stonework due to centuries of exposure to airborne salts and acids, which form in areas around industrial activity, has been a significant problem for the church. A fire in 1906 that gutted the entire church is another source of conservation issues: stone elements affected by the fire as well as the use of cement-rich mortars allow for water infiltration.

Restoration work is ongoing, though several major campaigns have been completed, including the re-glazing of the famous fourteenth-century Jesse window at the eastern end of the church. Since 2002, WMF has committed more than $800,000 for exterior work, including roof repair. If the remaining restoration projects can be finished, Selby Abbey should have a long future.