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
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 South Barbican (outer defense of a
castle) of Helmsley Castle.
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South Gate of Helmsley Castle (inside the
South Barbican).
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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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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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The remains of the West Tower were Edward Manners built
a house. Looking east.
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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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Pretty flowers in a planter on the side of a building.
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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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The remains of Rievaulx Abbey with lacross goal in the
foreground.
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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
This page last modified May 13, 2018.
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