Above is another of our Joseph Kinsey bequest engravings, taken from one of the many folios of British beauty spots that the Victorians so loved. Britain is of course dotted with ruined abbeys, but this one is a curiosity as half of it is still the local parish church. It was begun in 1267 and the finishing touch, the tower, was completed in the fifteenth century. The choir was abandoned during the reformation, and collapsed in 1697. The chapter house went the same way in 1750. However that still left the nave in place, leaving the small town of Howden with a magnificent parish church.

New buildings have encroached on the scene since engraver Coney visited and it is now not possible to stand where he stood to capture exactly his view.