The Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert in Bolton Abbey

Bolton Priory, whose full title is The Priory Church of St Mary and St Cuthbert, Bolton Abbey, is a Grade I listed parish church in the village of Bolton Abbey. The church has its historical origins in an Augustinian priory founded at Embsay in 1120. The community moved to Bolton in 1154 and started construction of the present building, which is now situated within a scheduled monument. It stands as a spiritual center that receives more than 100,000 visitors each year and welcomes the public through the Bolton Priory Concert Series and the annual St Cuthbert lecture.

The building's history is marked by both preservation and significant reconstruction. Despite the loss of most buildings during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the western half of the original nave was preserved for local worship. In the 16th century, Prior Moone began building the West Tower, though only a third was completed before work halted. In the mid-nineteenth century, the 6th Duke of Devonshire commissioned stained-glass designs by Augustus Pugin to replace plain glass in the south wall windows. This was followed in 1866 by a major restoration under the 7th Duke of Devonshire.

During the Victorian restoration, the crude wall from the time of the Dissolution was replaced with a wall decorated with paintings of plants and religious emblems. The interior was updated with a new floor, a three-manual organ, and east-facing oak pews. Today, the church features a holy water stoup by the south-east door. While the transepts were largely rebuilt with the addition of decorated glass, only two small fragments of the originals remain. The Priory remains an active site of worship with a full liturgical calendar and a membership in the Greater Churches Network.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons