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The crossing
(5/8)
In accordance with Cistercian regulations, the
crossing tower at Kirkstall was originally low, standing just above
roof height. In the early sixteenth century there were considerable
changes when Abbot William Marshal (1509-27) removed the spire and
added two stages, raising the tower to twice its former height.
Whilst the tower survived the dissolution of the house, a storm
in 1779 led to its partial collapse. Fortunately, as Kirkstall was
one of the most painted abbeys in the eighteenth century the artists
have left for us an impression of how the ruins looked before the
tower fell.
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