February 2024 - A Northern Getaway Part Two

 We were up early and headed up to Spofforth Castle, which is located just outside of Harrogate. Harrogate always strikes me as somewhere incredibly posh, even just saying Harrogate makes me feel posh!

But enough about that, we were here to see Spofforth Castle, which I had read about in a book several years ago, and thought we should pay it a visit as it's on the way to Byland Abbey.

What makes Spofforth Castle so interesting, is the fact it looks a lot smaller than it is, and I don't just mean because it's a ruin. It's built onto the top of a small hill, and it was excavated out, so ground level at the front is actually basement level at the back, if that makes any sense at all!

There's some really beautiful details in the stone, like the arches around where doors were, so some lovely remains of tracery from the windows. The castle was originally built in the early 1300's by the Percy family, who ended up losing the castle not once but twice! The first time it was taken from them by Henry the fourth in 1408, before being restored to them, only to have it confiscated again during the Wars of the Roses for supporting the wrong side. Again the castle was eventually returned to the Percy family, only for it to be destroyed in the English Civil War, before being abandoned.

Some of what you see, like the top of the turret was a 15th century addition, but otherwise most of the castle is original. Here you can see into the undercroft which would have had apartments and living quarters above it.

And here's the back of the castle, which leads you down to a small stream on the hill. Apparently, Spofforth Castle was one of the places where the Barons met, in the build up to the creation of the Magna Carta in 1215, giving the castle a real significance. Nowadays, the castle sits near a playing ground in the sleepy village of Spofforth, and we were the only ones visiting, so we had the place to ourselves. Only the Western side of the Castle remains, the keep and walls have long disappeared.

The site is looked after by English Heritage and is free to visit. There's no dedicated parking, so we just popped the car in one of the little side streets nearby and wandered over.

But make sure to check out the remains of the railway viaduct that runs just along from the castle, which dramatically stops in someone's back garden. It formed part of the Harrogate to Church Fenton line, which opened in 1848, but became one of the first casualties of the Beeching Cuts in 1964. But we are lucky enough to still be able to see the legacy of our railways and the design that went into them, so it's worth stopping, even just for a minute, to appreciate the viaduct.

Our next stop was Jervaulx Abbey, and it's a real treat to visit. Unlike most ruined abbeys in the UK that are either owned by English Heritage, National Trust or other charities, Jervaulx Abbey is still privately owned & ran, but is open to the public. Here, the Abbey has been left in a state of ruin, and left uncleared of vegetation, creating this beautiful feeling of discovery. You walk in, and it feels like you're discovering the abbey for the first time in a hundred years, stones remain where they fell, plants flower & bloom between doorways and through windows. It's a magical place, and a real treat to visit. 

What I loved though, was walking through the field of sheep to reach the ruins. Some of them eyed you up, wandering what you were doing there! The Abbey was deserted, we saw a couple just leaving as we arrived who held the gate for us, and aside from a man sketching some of the ruins we saw nobody else. It really was our own for the day!

There's this lovingly crafted wooden carving of a monk as you enter into the Abbey ruins, a reminded of those who lived & worked here before it was closed in 1537 during the dissolution of the monasteries.

While looking at the ruins, not just of Jervaulx but of any religious order affected by the dissolution, it's easy to forget what a turbulent time it would have been for those living here, and it always makes me wonder what happened to them. Many were paid off with a pension and released back into society. Some created uprising and revolts, which were ruthlessly put down, much like the last abbot of Jervaulx, Adam Sedbergh who joined the Pilgrimage of Grace. He shared a fate with many others who dared to protest against Henry the Eighth. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London, and was hung, drawn and quartered, a brutal punishment for a man simply wanting to keep his abbey open.

Many others drifted back into society. I imagine some landed on their feet, becoming local vicars or clergymen, but many others must have felt hopelessly lost and spiritually abandoned. We have to remember that people in the 1530's were incredibly religious, it dictated their lives, and was used to control them. To suddenly have that stripped away, they would have felt alone & forgotten, wondering how and why this could have happened. Perhaps in some it increased their beliefs, but for many, I wonder if they turned their backs on god. He had after all failed to protect them despite serving him faithfully. I wish there was more documentation and historical records about what happened to the normal people thrown out of the monasteries, priories & abbies, I wish we could find out how they integrated back into society, and how they then started to live their lives. It's funny isn't it, we know all about the rich, powerful & notable, but so little about the ordinary people. I wish we could hear their voices too. 

I did find this very interesting article on the English Heritage website, which at least gives a bit more background of what happened to people after the dissolution english-heritage.org.uk/dissolution

A view across at what I think was the abbey church, with it's rows of windows to help let light in.

The green grass contrasts beautifully with the whiteish stones and dusky blue sky, and here you can see the remains of a staircase, which would have led you upstairs, possibly to the dormitories 

Around every corner there is something else to see, whether it's sightlines through the ruins, or little niches in the walls for statues or offerings.

I love both these pictures for the same reason, despite being ruined, they give a glimpse at the detail & beauty of the building before it became ruined. The first gives you an idea of the size of the building and the amount of light that the large windows would have allowed in, whereas the second one give a haunting view of an overgrown passageway, complete with fantastic stonework. Imagine seeing this for the first time in the abbey's heyday, and being amazed at it's glory,

Here you can see some of the outlines of the vaulting, and it was a lovely place to sit and reflect for a moment. The abbey was established in 1156, and interestingly, could have been the birthplace of Wensleydale cheese, brought over by French monks settling at Jervaulx. Wensleydale itself is a delicious cheese, particularly the variety containing cranberries. Indeed, Wensleydale is a crumbly cheese, and a favourite of Wallace from Wallace & Gromit. If you've never tried some, make sure you do, it's mild but tasty and a lovely pairing with crackers.

 

More doorway's and passageways, this one with an interesting feature built into the wall. We couldn't quite work out what it was, perhaps a niche for a statue or offering, maybe for a candle? If you're an expert on medieval christian buildings and know what it was for, let me know! 

In the background, you can see the ornate tracery in the windows that would have supported the glass, and in the foreground you can see the outline of one of the rooms here, with only the corners still standing. As you can probably imagine seeing what's left of the abbey, it was very prosperous and flourished in two centuries between it's founding & dissolution. It was also notable for other reasons, in 1279 Abbot Thomas was accused of murdering the previous abbott Philip. He was declared innocent after a trial, but in that time, another monk had fled, and it was suspected he had been the killer.

And here was a good sign that spring was on it's way. Snowdrops, just starting to appear across the ground in growing numbers. I imagine if we had visited in a few days or a week even, the entire place would have been carpeted with them.

More delightful sights and details from inside the abbey, from this passageway with a dusting of ivy to this beautiful support for a vaulted ceiling.

This picture is glorious, and one of my favourites. You can see through into various parts of the abbey, but the Romanesque arches here are just sublime. Also worth noting through the main arch is the decorated niche in the wall.

Here is the chapter house, where important meetings would have been held. All present would have been sat around the edges of the room, while those pleading cases, either for business or arguing if they were guilty or innocent of crimes (you can imagine, while abbies & monasteries were quiet places, they still had their fair share of scandals, murders and other assorted crimes). The chapter house was the place to hear them and decide on guilt & punishment. They were often also used as burial grounds, with notable abbots & monks being laid to rest here, you may just be able to make out the stone grave markers under the grass.

Here are some of the remaining sarcophagus onsite, tucked away in a quiet corner in the gardens. The bodies may be long gone, but it reminds you that both life & death were ever present here at Jervaulx.

No doubt built from stone taken from the abbey, this fantastic curved bit of garden wall with gate is worth checking out.

A view of the overgrown corner of the abbey church, we can only wander about how the building would have looked, perhaps there was bountiful stained glass, or a sumptuous rose window. I guess we will never know for sure, but it's something to think about.

Another beautiful Romanesque archway, leading back towards the sheep filled fields.

And of course, one final glance back towards the abbey for good luck as we were leaving. What a fantastic place, and one of my favourite abbies I've ever visited. Unusually, it's privately owned, which I think helps preserved it's romantic ruins with the gardens growing into the abbey, rather than being kept seperate. It's run as a honesty attraction, so please donate what you can to keep this very special place open. There's also tearooms at the site, and you can even hire out the abbey for weddings and other events. What a special place to get married, and one with so much character and beauty, you would have some incredible wedding photos. To find out more about the abbey, check out their website @jervaulxabbey.com

Now, it was time to head to Byland Abbey, one of the many jewels in Yorkshire's crown. We'd been before, but it's somewhere that's so beautiful, it deserves a second view. And I also can't wait to visit Jervaulx again. Watch this space!