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England Travels: Helmsley and Rievaulx

Sunday, April 15, 2018.

After Sutton Bank, we (Stephanie's aunt, uncle, 2 daughters, Stephanie, and me) went to to village of Helmsley and had lunch at Mannion & Co, a small-ish typical English Tea Room, with a bistro/artisan/quirky twist. I had the charcuterie plate, which was huge, yet I generally consumed it all. Of course I had tea as well. The baked goods looked very nice as well, but sadly most of them are off my list. They had meringue that were huge, like the size of two fists.

Chris and Bethan gave me and Stephanie their English Herritage(?) passes that would get us into Helmsley Castle for free. And thus the two of us went off to explore the ruins. Then we returned, and Bethan and Isabel joined us for a little walk around town to explore Helmsley.

After that, we joined up with Chris and Beatrix, and stopped in Rievaulx to take a look at the ruins of the Abbey there. It was after 5pm and the site was already closed for the day. So we just took a quick look around the outside (it was fenced off and the gate was locked). And after that, we returned to the home base.

2018 England trip pictures
Part 1: The Arrival
Part 2: Cambridge (Part 1)
Part 3: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Part 4: Alnwick
Part 5: York
Part 6: Sutton Bank
Part 7: Thirsk
Part 8: Helmsley and Rievaulx
Part 9:  Backyard Blacksmith Workshop
Part 10: Bagby Airfield
Part 11: Byland Abbey
Part 12: National Railway Museum
Part 13: Cambridge (Part 2)
Part 14: Cambridge Botanical Gardens
Part 15: The Departure

Displaying all 65 pictures


Helmsley Castle

We parked near the Helmsley Church of All Saints and then headed to lunch an Mannion and Co. After that, we headed to Helmsley Castle and spent an hour or two there.


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Composite picture of the Church of All Saints. It's been part of the Church of...(more)


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Heading towards Helmsley Castle, the ruins are visible from several blocks away.

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Just beyond the entrance was a 3-D model of what the castle looked like "back...(more)

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Frank studies the castle layout, formulating his plan for conquest.

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Perhaps it would be better if I had been reaching down into the courtyard...?

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A view of the other side of the 3D model of the castle.

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The remains of the East Tower of Helmsley Castle.


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The South Barbican (outer defense of a castle) of Helmsley Castle.


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Information on the South Barbican.


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South Gate of Helmsley Castle (inside the South Barbican).


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A walkway where an inner drawbridge would have been.

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Information on the South Gate.

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Remains of the South Gate.

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Where the inner moat used to be.

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Information on the Hall and Kitchen.

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The Hall and Kitchen. In the 1560s, Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland built...(more)


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The remains of the Helmsley Castle East Tower looking north.


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Ooooooo!! East Tower ruins face.

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Looking up at the East Tower ruins.

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Ruins of the Castle in the ground in the middle of the courtyard.

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Sign on the the East Tower, partially destroyed in Civil War siege of 1644.

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Large chunk remaining from chapel built in 1246 with Stephanie next to it.

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Stephanie, chapel chunk, and East Tower for size comparison.

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Same as previous picture but chapel wall ruins on the bottom center.

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Information on chapel (hardly any of chapel remains).

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Different view of corner chunk of chapel.

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The dining hall.

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Above the door in the dining hall.

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Information on castle terms.

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The remains of the West Tower were Edward Manners built a house. Looking east.

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Looking north.

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Looking west.

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Looking south (maybe?).

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East wall information.

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North wall information.

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West wall information.

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South wall information.

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Ruins of kithen area?

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Back to the south gate (I think).

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Frank seeks shelter from Them! They destroyed it all!

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Picture of underground storage(?) area in southwest corner of castle/wall.


Walking around the Village of Helmsley

We walked around the town. The Borough Beck is a small stream flowing behind the town. There were many daffodils in bloom by the edges of the Beck.

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Mannion & Co, a neat restaurant in Helmsley.

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I liked the name of the store: The Snooty Fox.

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Daffodils along the sides of Borough Beck.

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The back side of houses in the town of Helmsley.

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Daffodils, Helmsley,and Borough Beck.

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Daffodils, Helmsley,and Borough Beck.

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Pretty flowers in a planter on the side of a building.

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Another shot of the pretty flowers.

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The graveyard by the Church of All Saints.

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Another church graveyard picture.

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Feversham Arms Hotel and Verbena Spa (initials: FA!). No idea what verbena is.


Rievaulx Abbey

Rievaulx Abbey was foundedin 1132 by twelve Cistercian moneys from Calrivaux Abbey. Eventually it grew to 140 monks and 500 "lay brothers" (non-ordained priests and the like). It had racked up debts by the end of the 13th century, and in the early 14th century raiders from Scotland and the Black Death made it more difficult recruit new brothers. By 1381 there were only 14 choir monks and 3 lay brothers left. In the 15th century, they had abandoned the strict observances according to Saint Benedict's rule in favor of a "more comfortable lifestyle."

From 1536 to 1541, Henry VIII disbanded Roman catholic monasteries. In 1538, Rievaulx Abbey was dissolved and sold to Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland. It had 72 buildings occupied by the abbot and 21 monks with 102 lay employees. The confiscated buildings were rendered uninhabitable and all the valuables were taken.

In 1917, the Office of Works takes over guardianship of the ruins and repairs some of the structures that are in danger of imminent collapse. The site is now maintained by English Heritage.

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Heading out to Rievaulx! (I wanted to make sure I'd know how to spell it.)

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Rievaulx Abbey this way!

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The remains of Rievaulx Abbey.

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The remains of Rievaulx Abbey.

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The remains of Rievaulx Abbey with lacross goal in the foreground.

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Old stone houses in Rievaulx.

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A rural/verdant phone booth and mail box. Nice reds and greens.

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Just another day in the garden...while the ruins of a 1000 year old temple...(more)

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A (peasant?) pheasant in front of the ruin of Rievaulx Abbey.

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The ruins of Rievaulx Abbey behind an old stone wall on a foggy day.

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Rustic scene: house down the road, smoke lazily curling up from the chimney.



2018 England trip pictures
Part 1: The Arrival
Part 2: Cambridge (Part 1)
Part 3: Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Part 4: Alnwick
Part 5: York
Part 6: Sutton Bank
Part 7: Thirsk
Part 8: Helmsley and Rievaulx
Part 9:  Backyard Blacksmith Workshop
Part 10: Bagby Airfield
Part 11: Byland Abbey
Part 12: National Railway Museum
Part 13: Cambridge (Part 2)
Part 14: Cambridge Botanical Gardens
Part 15: The Departure

This page last modified May 13, 2018.
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