Kirkham Priory

Kirkham Priory occupies a riverside site in the Derwent valley, where an Augustinian community settled in the 1120s. The surviving gatehouse is its most distinctive feature, decorated with heraldry associated with the lords of Helmsley Castle and worn figures representing St George and the Dragon and David and Goliath. The ruins also tell an unexpected wartime story: troops preparing for D-Day tested tank waterproofing beside the river and practised on scrambling nets hung from the old walls. Winston Churchill and George VI visited to see the exercises. Reviewers enjoy that combination of medieval architecture, wartime history and the quiet valley setting. Bring a picnic to eat at the tables or on the permitted grass among the ruins. Parking outside the gate is free but independently managed. Wheelchair users may need assistance, and steep steps connect the cloister with the refectory.