View from a distance of Bolton Abbey; showing the priory; domestic buildings and church. The abbey was founded in 1151 as a priory by Alicia de Romilly for a cell of Augustinian Canons. The buildings vary in date from the 12th to 16th centuries. The extensive remains of the priory are perched on a commanding position above the River Wharf and the spot became popular with romantic artists in the 19th century. It is now part of the estate of the Duke of Devonshire