Selby Abbey was founded by a Benedictine monk in 1069 and was the first monastic house to be established in the North of England after the Norman Conquest. It has a splendid Romanesque nave and west front with a 14th-century choir. The Abbey is built of a local magnesium limestone and is subject to severe decay through weathering and pollution. In 2001, it was included in the World Monument Fund's list of the 100 most endangered buildings.
Working with local craftsmen, Purcell Miller Tritton has carried out several phases of stone conservation and re-roofing, including works to rebuild and strengthen the pinnacles. The team has also worked alongside carvers to conserve some of the remarkable life-size figures which sit on the parapets. Where the originals have been lost, the practice has commissioned special replacements. Inside the Abbey, the team has worked with scientists and specialists to understand the problems of salting and efflorescence and has designed new fittings, including choir stall lights.