Markenfield's gardens

Markenfield Hall
The charming gardens, still being restored and restocked, complement both the ancient hall and the surrounding countryside. You can see right across to the North Yorkshire hills and moors from the terrace.
The moat is home to a number of ducks; their ducklings were dashing around as though they were battery-powered! There are also two resident black swans, which are unusual in this country. Beyond the moat and accessed across a footbridge is a lovely orchard, filled with exuberant lady lace at this time of year. The whole is encircled by farmland, with both crops and cattle evident. All utterly idyllic....

Rose-covered entrance

Markenfield Hall
Lord Grantley died in 1995. His widow, Lady Deirdre, has since married the writer Ian Curteis. Theirs was the first wedding in the Hall's chapel since 1487. Together they continue the restoration of this lovely estate. (See here for an interesting article.) Lady Deirdre apparently takes a close interest in the beautiful gardens, which are also being restocked and improved. She is a charming lady; we were fortunate enough to meet her as we looked around. The main entrance is covered with a tumble of wisteria and climbing roses, unashamedly romantic.

Markenfield's interior

Markenfield Hall
The entrance hall is one of the oldest parts of the building. I understand that it dates back, probably, to 1230. It was originally the Undercroft for the Great Hall above and consisted of three vaulted rooms, similar in design to the Cellarium at nearby Fountains Abbey. The fireplace (photo above) was originally in the Great Hall and now houses a range, used for cooking when this was the farmhouse kitchen. Some of the vaulting survives in rooms either side of the entrance hall, creating what must be one of the most unusual utility rooms in existence.

On the floor above the entrance hall is the Great Hall, the heart of the house, recently restored and now a library and drawing room. It would originally have been accessed via an external staircase. Its fireplace is a faithful replica of the medieval one that had been moved downstairs some 400 years before. The Great Hall has a vaulted ceiling with huge wooden crossbeams, one of which, unusually, has an enclosed wooden gutter running alongside that drains water from the roof to the moat. A bedroom (the original medieval solar) and the chapel, which is regularly used for services, are also made available for visitors to see. It is all fascinating and there is a wealth of information displayed about the house, its restoration and the family. It has a most warm and welcoming feel, a real family home. It was a great privilege to see it.

Markenfield Hall

I had a wonderful birthday treat recently, when a friend took me out for the day to visit Markenfield Hall. It is a secret gem: the most unspoiled early 14th century fortified house in England and still a private home. It is only open to the public for a few weeks each year, though it is sometimes available as a venue for small weddings. Such a romantic setting... It is set in open countryside just south of Ripon in North Yorkshire (not far from the much more famous Fountains Abbey) about an hour's drive from Saltaire.

The estate was mentioned in the Domesday book but little is known about it prior to 1310. It retains a moat, gatehouse and crenellations (battlements). From 1310 to 1569 it was the home of the Markenfield family. In 1569, members of the family led an unsuccessful Catholic uprising against the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I, who then confiscated the house and land for High Treason. For the next 200 years the house was occupied by tenant farmers and, ironically, it was this that preserved it, as the tenants had neither the money nor the inclination to alter the buildings. In 1761 it was bought by the lawyer and MP Fletcher Norton, a descendant of the original Markenfield family. He maintained it but continued to let it to tenant farmers. He later took the title Lord Grantley and the house was passed down through generations until the 1980s when the 7th Lord Grantley began a programme of restoration that would see the house become their family home once more. The surrounding farm is still tenanted and the current farmers, the Fosters (whose family have been tenants there since 1882) now live in the modernised East Wing.

Do look at its website for detailed information about its history, as I can only hint at it here.