A visit to Whitby is not complete without seeing the dramatic and iconic medieval ruins of Whitby Abbey. They stand on a headland overlooking the harbour. The original Saxon buildings have long vanished. The more recent church building was constructed between the 12th and 15th centuries, and was dedicated to St Peter and St Hild,
RHS Harlow Carr near Harrogate is one of four public gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society. It was acquired when the RHS merged with the Northern Horticultural Society. The latter opened Harlow Carr Botanical Gardens in 1950 having leased 26 acres of woodland, arable land and pasture at Harlow Hill from Harrogate Corporation –
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on the evening of 2 July 1644 and was one of the major battles of the English Civil War. It engaged an estimated 18,000 Royalists and 28,000 combined Parliamentarians and Scots, lasted approximately 2 hours and resulted in a decisive defeat for King Charles. Some 4,000 Royalists were
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Richmond Castle has a commanding and dramatic position on a rocky promontory high over the River Swale. Its entrance, though, is in the bustling town centre. The castle was built by Alan the Red in 1070 and the keep was added about a century later. There are stunning views over the town and countryside from
Sheriff Hutton Castle was a medieval stronghold of the powerful Neville family. It was built by John Neville in the late 14th century and, along with Middleham Castle, was a principal northern base for the 16th Earl of Warwick, (1428-71), known as ‘Warwick the Kingmaker. After Warwick’s death at the Battle of Barnet, Sheriff Hutton
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The Folly is the grandest town building for miles, certainly in Settle – worth seeing for its wonderful windows alone. It was built by local lawyer Richard Preston sometime in the 1670s and has variously served as a family home, farmhouse, bakery, warehouse, furniture shop, refreshment rooms, fish and chip shop, bank, salvage business, holiday
Constable Burton Hall is an 18th century house and estate, which has been in the Wyvill family for 450 years. The house, which is on the site of an earlier building, is not generally open to the public, although special tours are available. But the gardens are open at specified times in spring and summer
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The National Coal Mining Museum of England is located at a former colliery, Caphouse, which was in production for more than two hundred years. There are several museum galleries that showcase the technology of mining and working underground, illustrate what mining was like in the 19th century and tell the stories of the miners, their
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St Leonard’s, Chapel le Dale, is a tiny, simple, church, once a chapel of ease for St John’s in Low Bentham, much visited by worshippers and walkers alike. St Leonard’s is an unofficial title, only in use since the last century. The chapel likely dates from the 16th century, though it is probably an ancient
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Burton in Lonsdale is a small village at the western edge of North Yorkshire, close to the borders with Lancashire and Cumbria. At the time of the Norman Conquest, Burton (Borctune) was part of the manor of Whittington and owned by Tostig – who was slain at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Its castle, locally known
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Bolton Abbey is an estate about 6 miles east of Skipton that is owned by the Cavendish family, the Dukes of Devonshire. Much of it is open to the public (there is a charge for parking), offering the opportunity for a dip in the river in good weather, as well as miles of family-friendly picturesque
Brimham Rocks is an area of weird and wonderful rock formations formed from deposits laid down in a river delta some 320 million years ago and then subsequently eroded by ice and water. It is a site of special scientific interest (SSI) and a magnet for geologists, naturalists, climbers and walkers, as well as families
