Siege of Helmsley Castle

Helmsley Castle was a Royalist stronghold in North Yorkshire during the First English Civil War. It was besieged by Parliamentarian forces in September 1644 and surrendered on 22 November after a siege of two to three months.

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Helmsley

Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is located at the point where Ryedale leaves the moorland and joins the flat Vale of Pickering. Helmsley is situated on the River Rye on the A170 road, 14 miles (23 km) east of Thirsk, 13 miles (21 km) west of Pickering and some 24 miles (39 km) due north of York. The southern boundary of the North York Moors National Park passes through Helmsley along the A170 road so that the western part of the town is within the National Park. The settlement grew around its position at a road junction and river crossing point. Helmsley is a compact town, retaining its medieval layout around its market place with more recent development to the north and south of its main thoroughfare, Bondgate. It is a historic town of considerable architectural character whose centre has been designated as a conservation area. The town is associated with the Earls of Feversham, whose ancestral home Duncombe Park was built overlooking Helmsley Castle. The Feversham Monument stands in the market place, along with the Helmsley Market Cross. The town is a popular tourist centre and has won gold medals in the Large Village category of Yorkshire in Bloom for three years. The town square is a meeting place for motorcyclists as it is at the end of the B1257 road from Stokesley, which is a favourite with bikers. The Cleveland Way National Trail starts at Helmsley, and follows a horseshoe loop around the North York Moors National Park and Yorkshire coast for 110 miles (180 km) to Filey. The remains of Helmsley Castle, which was destroyed in the Civil War, loom over the town.

Old Vicarage, Helmsley

The Old Vicarage is a historic building in Helmsley, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. The vicarage was commissioned by Charles Gray, the Vicar of All Saints' Church, Helmsley. Gray was known for training new clergy, and wanted to large vicarage in order to accommodate both himself and his trainees. He commissioned Temple Moore to design a building, which was completed in about 1900. It is in the Queen Anne style, in contrast to Moore's usual Gothic. In 1974, the building became the headquarters of the North York Moors National Park Authority, and the vicar moved to Canons Garth. The building was grade II listed in 1985. In 2024, the authority announced plans to move to a smaller, purpose-built headquarters, and to convert the Old Vicarage into housing. The building is constructed of sandstone, and has a tile roof with gable coping and shaped kneelers. It has two storeys and an attic, and seven bays. On the front is a French window, and the windows are sashes, in the ground floor with cambered heads. In the attic are dormers containing sashes.

Helmsley railway station

Helmsley railway station served the market town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire from 1871 until 1964, although the regular passenger service (and the line from Kirkbymoorside east to Pickering) ceased in 1953. Helmsley station was nearly 15 miles (24 km) from Pilmoor station on the East Coast Main Line, and 12 miles (19 km) from Pickering.

Feversham Monument

The Feversham Monument is a memorial in the marketplace of Helmsley, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. The monument is to William Duncombe, 2nd Baron Feversham, who died in 1867. It was commissioned by his son, William Duncombe, 1st Earl of Feversham, who laid the foundation stone in May 1869. The canopy, designed by George Gilbert Scott, was completed in 1870, but the statue, carved by Matthew Noble, was only lifted into place in December 1871. The work cost about £1,000, and on completion it was described by the British Farmers' Magazine as "well-conceived and wrought out", and bearing "a general resemblance on a small scale to the Scott Monument at Edinburgh". It was grade II* listed in 1985. In 2021, it was assessed as needing specialist repair work, following damage from rain, plant growth and birds' nests. The monument is in the Gothic Revival style and is about 50 feet (15 m) tall. The statue is in limestone and consists of the baron standing in full regalia on a pedestal with a foliate frieze, atop four steps. The canopy is in sandstone and is carried on four buttressed columns with shafts and heraldic beasts with shields. It has four gables with corner crocketed finials, and the pinnacle has a two-light opening, crockets, finials and a cross. It is inscribed: "To William Second Baron of Feversham. This monument is erected by his tenantry, friends and relatives who cherish his memory with affection and gratitude. Born 1798, died 1867".