Architectural description and remains Waverley Abbey followed the typical arrangement of English Monasteries. The Abbey church, which was around 91 meters long, sat to the north of the monastic complex. To the south of the church was the cloister, the eastern range of which contained the chapter house and monk's dormitory. The southern range of the cloister contained the refectory and latrines. The eastern range contained the lay brothers' refectory and dormitory. The cemetery was located to the east and north of the abbey church. The abbey's immediate precinct occupied around 50 acres, with the River Wey forming the southern and eastern boundaries. In addition to the core abbey complex, the precinct contained buildings such as the brewhouse and features such as fishponds to supply food. The ruins Only part of the abbey remains standing, with the ruins dating from the abbey's 13th-century reconstruction. The most substantial remains are that of the vaulted undercroft, or cellar, of the lay brother's refectory, and the walls of the monk's dormitory, which largely survive to roof height. There also survives the remains of the chapter house and traces of the north and south transepts of the abbey church. Earthworks in the eastern portion of the abbey's precinct reveal the remains of several fishponds and a "water supply system". The site was excavated by the Surrey Archaeological Society between 1890 and 1903, and the ruins restored in 1966 when the site was under the care of the Ministry of Works. The ruins, Waverley Abbey House, and the surrounding land were all designated a conservation area in 1989. Waverley Abbey House is protected as a Grade II* Listed Building, while the abbey ruins are a scheduled monument. Ancient yew tree A yew tree (Taxus baccata), which is nearly 500 years old, grows on the ruins of the walls on the southeast corner of the church. In 2022, it won the UK Tree of the Year competition organised by the Woodland Trust. In popular culture Walter Scott chose the name "Waverley" for the hero of his novel Waverley. He did not himself say that this name was connected with Waverley Abbey, but Leslie Stephen, writing in the 1897 Dictionary of National Biography, stated "The name was probably suggested by Waverley Abbey, near Farnham, which was within a ride of Ellis's house where he had been recently staying." Waverley Abbey was featured in Arthur Conan Doyle's classical