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NORTH YORKSHIRE
Aldborough Roman Town Off B6265, 1 mile south-east of Boroughbridge The village of Aldborough lies within the area of what was Isurium Brigantum, capital of the Brigantes, the largest tribe in Roman Britain. Isurium followed the usual pattern of a Roman town, having a grid of streets with the forum in the centre. Remains include parts of the town wall and two mosaic pavements which formed part of a large town house. Aldborough’s museum houses relics from Isurium.
Beningbrough Hall Off A19, 2.5 miles west of Shipton Lifestyles from the 18th century to the Victorian era are shown in this early Georgian house. The main fronts are in red brick with the door and window frames in mellow stone. Inside, highlights are a vast two-story hall and a cantilevered oak staircase leading to a saloon adorned with gilded Corinthian pilasters. Outside, the working life of the laundry and stable block is described in pictures and audio-visual displays. Around the house are gardens and wooded parkland.
Bolton Abbey On B6160, 4 miles east of Skipton A gateway in the wall that runs beside the road at Bolton Abbey leads to a ruined priory church built by Augustinian canons more than 800 years ago. Not all the priory is a ruin as the knave still stands and is still the parish church. The west tower begun in 1520 was not completed and stood derelict until 1984 when it was restored. The sough windows contain 36 stained-glass panels and there is a series of 11 paintings on the east wall. Above the alter are floral designs symbolising events in the life of Christ. The panels are interspersed with madonna lily, symbol of St Mary to whom the church is dedicated.
Bolton Castle Off A684, 4 miles west of Leyburn Bolton Castle with its massive square towers standing 100ft high stands on the northern slopes of Wensleydale. Many of the castle’s rooms are roofed, and leaded-glass windows glint from its buff-coloured walls. It was built in the 14th century as a fortress during the reign of Richard II. Bolton Castle was the prison of Mary, Queen of Scots in May 1568. Though a prisoner, Mary would have enjoyed greater comfort than inmates of the dungeon in the basement of the north turret - a grim chamber with only one entry - a square trap through which the victims were dropped.
Castle Howard Off A64, 15 miles north-east of York The approach to Castle Howard is via straight tree-lined avenues, where they meet is a 100ft high obelisk. This bears an inscription commemorating Charles, 3rd Earl of Carlisle. On its hilltop site the house, built in 1699, is a classical piece of architecture on the grand scale with pilastered facades, tall arch windows, a balustraded parapet and a 70ft high dome topped with an octagonal lantern. Cathedral-like in its loftiness the Hall has a dome supported on tall arches with carved and fluted pillars. On the domes ceiling horses gallop among clouds. On one side of the Hall a great chimneypiece dwarfs a cast -iron fireplace that could never heat such a vast space. In one bedroom stands a four-poster bed, with hangings of painted Chinese silk, and in the Long Gallery and Tapestry Room there are paintings by Van Dyke, Gainsborough, Romney and Reynolds. The Music Room has a broadwood piano dating from 1796, and this room has fine carved pinewood cornice, frieze and door surrounds. In the grounds are lawns, trim hedges, lakes, a fountain and a walled garden. In the park stand the Temple of the Four Winds and the Hawksmoor’s Mausoleum. The Great Lake covers 70 acres, and bathing and fishing are allowed. The stable block houses a display of costumes from the 17th century to modern times in period settings.
Eden Camp Off A64, 2 miles north-east of Malton This former prisoner-of-war camp offers visitors the sights, sounds and smells of Britain during the Second World War. In one display, a family is gathered around their radio to hear the declaration of war. Another display shows a blitzed street where a bomb has just fallen. The acrid smell of burning and the noise of explosions and wailing sirens fill the air. In the puppet theatre wartime stars give variety shows, and fashions of the 1940s are also on show. Other aspects of life include evacuation, rationing, the black-out and the Home Guard.
Fountains Abbey Off B6265, 1.5 miles west of Ripon Most of this 12th century Cistercian abbey ruin stands on the north bank of the River Skell, but the lay brothers’ refectory stretches across the water to the south bank like a small bridge. Inside a long narrow nave with arched isles leads to the roofless Chapel of the Nine Alters, which has slender pillars and graceful arches. The longest line of cloisters in existence, line against the west wall of the knave, extending 312ft in 22 double bays. Studley Royal is the abbey’s landscape garden, which was laid out in the 18th century. The rise and fall of the abbey is the theme of an exhibition and video film in Fountains Hall.
Guildhall Centre of York York’s great stone Guildhall, a meeting place built in 1448 by the city and the Guild of St Christopher and St George was burnt out in an air raid in 1942. In 1960 it was restored to the original design, even to the colourful, sometimes bizarre carvings on the beautifully carved timber roof. Supporting columns are fashioned from solid oak tree trunks. Some genuine 15th century craftsmanship in the inner council chamber escaped the flames. There are two secret doors in the panelled walls, and the ceiling carvings include grotesque figures.
Jervaulx Abbey Off A6108, 4 miles north-east of Masham This abbey, built and occupied by Cistercian monks, stands in beautiful parkland. The heart of the abbey was the church, which can be entered through the south-west door, a fine piece of 12th century architecture. Among other parts to be seen are the cloister, the abbot’s lodge, the dining hall and two infirmaries.
Jorvik Viking Centre Centre of York Viking invaders settled in York, or ‘Jorvik’ in AD 867, and their life is re-created today in a display on the site of the original settlement. ‘Time cars’ carry visitors past tableaux - complete with sounds and smells - of market, houses and wharf.
Knaresborough Castle In centre of Knaresborough The cliff-top castle of Knaresborough fell victim to Cromwell’s forces in 1648. Only the keep was spared and was used as a prison for many years. Its 15ft thicks walls enclose a dimly lit dungeon which was built as a safe storage area for food and water in times of siege. On the keep’s first floor is the King’s chamber, where richard III is said to have been held before he was taken to Pontefract Castle and murdered. Near the keep is the 14th century courthouse. Its upper story, added in the 16th century, now houses the Courthouse Museum which contains furniture from the original Tudor Court.
Merchant Adventurers’ Hall Centre of York The Merchant Adventurers emerged as the most powerful of the many medieval guilds controlling commerce in York. ‘God grant us rewarding ventures’, says the motto on their coat of arms displayed over the entrance to their hall in Fossgate.
Mount Grace Priory Off A19, 7 miles north-east of Northallerton Founded in 1398 Mount Grace Priory is the best preserved of all the Carthusian monasteries, or Charterhouses, of the order in England. The Carthusians rejected the fully communal religious life in favour of a hermit-like existence. Remains of individual cells can be seen where the monks spent most of their time. These cells and their gardens made the cloister of a Charterhouse much larger than that of any other sort of monastery - in the case of Mount Grace, more than 200ft from side to side.
Multangular Tower Centre of York The massive Roman Tower formed one corner of the wall surrounding the fortress-city of Eboracum, established by the Romans in the 1st century AD. Later the tower became part of the medieval city wall. The chisel marks made by the Roman masons can still be distinguished.
Newby Hall and Gardens Off B6265, 3 miles south-east of Ripon The house was built in the late 17th century and was enlarged in the 18th century. Its treasures include Gobelins tapestries, classical statues and Chippendale furniture. There is also a miniature railway. The gardens offer a dazzling displays of colour all year round.
Nunnington Hall Off B1257, 4.5 miles south-east of Helmsley This building with its classical doorway and carved stone windows dates partly from the 16th century, but it is largely the creation of Lord Preston. In his retirement Preston remodelled the south side of the house and laid out a formal walled garden. A number of rooms are decorated in the late 17th century style, with moulded panelling and doorcases. An unusual feature of Nunnington is the Carlisle Collection of 22 miniature rooms, one-eighth normal size and furnished and decorated in different period styles.
Richmond Castle In Richmond Town Centre Set on a crag above the River Swale, this Norman castle towers over the Richmond’s cobbled marketplace. Its rectangular keep, built in the 12th century, is 100ft high and there are walls dating from the 11th century. Alan the Red a follower of William the Conqueror built the castle on land given to him by the king. Richmond also has the most authentic public 18th century Georgian theatre to be seen today and the Green Howards regimental museum which is housed in part of an old church.
Rievaulx Abbey Off B1257, 2.25 miles west of Helmsley This Cistercian abbey’s earliest buildings has all the austerity for which the Cistercians were famous, and this is particularly noticeable in the 12 century nave and transepts of the abbey church. Rievaulx was founded in 1132, and the first monks were from France. The community grew until the latter part of the 12th century. Later, the community dwindled and by the time the monasteries were dissolved Rievaulx has only 22 monks. A small museum tells the abbey’s history.
Ripley Castle On A61, 3.5 miles north of Harrogate Only the arched 15th century gatehouse and the 16th century tower, which contains the fine Knights Chamber and authentic ‘priests hole’, now remain from the early days. The new building, with the gardens sloping down to a lake, and the model village of Ripley date from the 18th century and are in perfect keeping. The castle’s splendid rooms contain Chippendale and Hepplewhite chairs, Lalique glass, maioloca, tapestries and fine paintings.
Ripon Cathedral In centre of Ripon Parts of Ripon Cathedral prove it is one of Britain’s oldest Christian buildings with a small mission being built in Rhypum around AD655. Later the same century it was enlarged into a monastery dedicated to St. Peter. The church was wrecked and the monastery vanished during the 9th century, but the crypt of the old church survives as one of the few Saxon structures left in England. The present building was begun towards the end of the 12th century, and over the years it has been changed and added to.
Royal Pump Room Museum Royal Parade, Harrogate Sulphur wells, which lie in the basement of the Royal Pump Room Museum, are the reason for Harrogate’s existence. The water was believed to cure a number of skin diseases, digestive disorders and rheumatic complaints, and the Royal Pump Room was built in 1842 and extended in 1913. Regular patronage by royalty made Harrogate fashionable and in 1911 three queens were resident in Harrogate. It is still possible to taste the waters in the museum, which celebrates the many aspects of Harrogate’s history as a spa.
Scarborough Castle On Marine Drive, in Scarborough The first fortress at Scarborough was built by the Norman’s in 1158, and its massive square keep, barbican and curtain wall still stand. Kings held court at Scarborough Castle and in 1312 it became the refuge of the Earl of Cornwall. In 1557 during the reign of Mary, the castle was seized by sir Thomas Stafford; but it was retaken and Thomas was executed.
Selby Abbey In centre of Selby Selby Abbey, one of England’s finest churches, dates back to Norman times when the monk Benedict left French bearing the dried finger of St Germain. His sacred relic so impressed the Sheriff of Yorkshire, that in 1069 he persuaded the king to grant Benedict a royal charter to build a monastery and abbey church. The greatest phase of the building began around 1100 when the nave and Hugh’s Pillar were built. During a later phase a fine Gothic building the Norman choir was removed and a lofty and graceful choir was added.
Skipton Castle In centre of Skipton Skipton Castle is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in England. Dating from the late 11th century but largely built in the 14th, it was the home of the Clifford family. The castle’s conduit court exemplifies the early Tudor architectural style. Here stands a yew tree planted by Lady Anne Clifford in the mid-17th century. Lady Anne’s restoration of the castle, after it was besieged and occupied in the Civil War, contributed substantially to its survival.
Whitby Abbey East Cliff, Whitby The ruins of Whitby Abbey stand on a cliff top on the site of an abbey founded by St Hilda in AD 657, the church was built by Benedictines, and was abandoned in 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. It fell into decay and in 1830 the central tower collapsed leaving the abbey much as it is today.
Whitby Museum Pannett Park, Whitby A display in this museum is dedicated to the Yorkshire-born navigator Captain James Cook and it tells of his training of seamanship in the town and displays models of the Whitby-built ships - Endeavour, Discovery and Resolution - which took him on his voyages in the Pacific. There are also displays of carved jewellery made from jet gathered on the nearby shore.
Wood End Museum The Crescent, Scarborough This museum is on the site of a house once occupied by the famous literary family, the Sitwells. They lived there for 60 years from 1870, and the west wing has been restored to its original state. It contains an almost complete collection of the published works of Dame Edith, Sir Osbert, Sir Sacheverell and their father, Sir George.
York Castle Museum Centre of York Three cobbled streets lined with shops and buildings of the gaslight and horse-drawn carriage era are re-created in this museum occupying two 18th-century jails. The shops are stocked with goods of the period. Visitors can also see the condemned cell where Dick Turpin spent his last night.
York City Art Gallery Centre of York A collection of works by the York-born artist William Etty (1787 - 1849) is a feature of the gallery. Etty was famed for his nudes, as mythological characters on huge canvases. His portraits include Mlle Rachel, a French tragic actress of the 19th century.
York Minster Centre of York The word ‘Minster’ is Anglo-Saxon for ‘a large central church’ - in York’s case, a modest definition of the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. The forth cathedral to stand on the site, it was begun in 1220 and took more than 250 years to build. The Minster has twin towers on the west front with an immense, carved window separating them. They were completed in 1472, just before the final masterpiece - 197ft lantern tower. The Minster is 519ft long and 249ft across the transepts. Its treasures include more than 100 stained-glass windows, some of them 800 years old.
Yorkshire Museum Centre of York A fine collection of local pottery in the Yorkshire Museum includes wonderful Castleford tableware. These are also finds from roman, Saxon and Viking York; one unusual exhibit is a auburn hair of a girl who lived in Roman Britain.
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