Selby Abbey, Selby, North Yorkshire
The Church of St Mary and St Germain is all that remains of Selby Abbey. The abbey was founded in c1070. It was dissolved in 1539 and all buildings other than the church were demolished. It is on the site of an earlier hermitage or chapel built by Benedict of Auxerre. He came to England with a relic of St Germanus to build an abbey here. He was living in a hut here in 1069. This church was begun by Abbot Hugh de Lacy (1097-1123). Further building work took place in the late 12th, mid 13th and late 14th centuries. The tower collapsed in 1690, and was repaired circa 1701-2, probably by "Mr Hall, a local builder of some note". The church was restored in 1871-3 by Sir George Gilbert Scott and again in 1889-90 by J Oldrid Scott. In 1906 a serious fire prompted the most drastic restoration of all, also by J Oldrid Scott.
