Fountains Abbey – Cellarium sits amid the sweeping ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey near Ripon, its stone arches rising over quiet meadows and the serene Studley Royal water garden. The abbey survived dissolution in the 16th century and later romantic-era preservation, and the Cellarium's vaulted corridors convey a hushed, cathedral-like atmosphere that invites quiet exploration. The site’s grandeur and tranquil grounds evoke centuries of monastic life, devotion, and later romantic reverie, with birdsong echoing through stone and water glinting in the grasses. As a film location, it has become a visual bridge to The Witcher world, with the ruins standing in for Aretuza’s courtyard and cloisters and blending fantasy light with medieval quiet.

Fountains Abbey – Tower rises from a windswept valley in North Yorkshire, where the ruins tell a story stretching back to the 12th century. Founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks and later run by the Cistercians, the abbey became one of medieval England’s wealthiest monastic communities before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. Today, the skeletal arches, cloisters, and the towering remains sit among rolling pastures and the water-meadow of Studley Royal, creating a hauntingly serene atmosphere that invites quiet reflection. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, celebrated for its architectural grandeur and expansive landscape. In The Witcher, the ruins were used to depict Aretuza’s courtyard and cloisters, lending a mythic, otherworldly mood to scenes of magic, power, and rivalries among mages.

Ruined yet imposing, Fountains Abbey's Great Cloister stands as one of Britain's most evocative monastic spaces. Founded by Cistercian monks in the 12th century, the abbey grew into a vast complex whose stone arches, columns, and quiet precincts spoke to centuries of devotion, ambition, and daily life. Today the ruins, paired with the nearby Studley Royal Water Garden, create a hushed, cathedral-like atmosphere where history seems to echo through every carved capital and flagstone. The site remains a poignant reminder of medieval monastic power and its enduring allure for visitors and filmmakers alike.