St Mary's Abbey
During our three day break in York with my sister and her husband, we visited many places, many of which I’d visited before but they were no less enjoyable.   It was a beautiful morning to walk through the Museum Gardens before getting the train back north. 

Few visitors realise that once St Mary’s Abbey, which was begun by William the Conqueror, was almost as large and important as the nearby York Minster.   It extended over the entire gardens but after Henry VIII was responsible for the Dissolution of the Monasteries the monks were pensioned off in 1540 and the abbey buildings were converted into a palace for the king.  Gradually it fell into ruins so now few remains are visible