English Heritage sites near Spennithorne Parish
MIDDLEHAM CASTLE
1 miles from Spennithorne Parish
Middleham Castle is a fascinating place to visit in the Yorkshire Dales. Once the childhood home of Richard III, relive the Castle's illustrious history and unlock the deeds of its great owners.
EASBY ABBEY
8 miles from Spennithorne Parish
In a beautiful setting by the River Swale, Easby can be reached via a pleasant walk from Richmond Castle.
RICHMOND CASTLE
8 miles from Spennithorne Parish
With its breathtaking views of the Yorkshire dales, Richmond Castle is one of the finest tourist attractions in North Yorkshire.
MARMION TOWER
10 miles from Spennithorne Parish
The fine 15th-century gatehouse of a vanished riverside manor house, with a beautiful oriel window. The monuments of the manor's Marmion family owners grace the adjacent church.
ST MARY'S CHURCH, STUDLEY ROYAL
15 miles from Spennithorne Parish
This magnificent High Victorian Anglican church was designed in the1870s by the flamboyant architect William Burges, and has been called his 'ecclesiastical masterpiece'.
STANWICK IRON AGE FORTIFICATIONS
15 miles from Spennithorne Parish
An excavated section, part cut into rock, of the ramparts of the huge Iron Age trading and power-centre of the Brigantes, the most important tribe in pre- Roman northern Britain.
Churches in Spennithorne Parish
Spennithorne: St Michael
Spennithorne
Leyburn
01677 450 920
http://www.lowerwensleydale.church
St Michael and All Angel's Church, Spennithorne
A brief history
The village of Spennithorne is situated in Richmondshire, on a gentle elevation above the Ure, sheltered by high grounds from the north and east, and commanding two beautiful reaches of Wensleydale up and down, with Middleham and its majestic castle full in front. Overlooking the village there is the fine tower of Spennithorne church, part of which is older than Middleham Castle.
Early days
There was evidently a church here in Anglo-Saxon times, and there was certainly a church in existence by the time of the Norman Conquest.
By 1086 the Anglo-Saxon thegns* had been ousted in favour of a Norman Lord. By the 13th century the Spennithorne Estate had passed to descendants of the Fitz Randolphs who held the land until the 16th century
*(Thegn [thane] in Anglo-Saxon England a lesser nobleman granted land by the King or a higher ranking nobleman)
Rebuilt and enlarged
By the middle of the 12th century the church had been built and enlarged, with the existing tower probably dating from the 14th century, when the aisles were also widened to their present width. The chancel would also have been rebuilt and extended eastwards to its present length with the vestry being added on the north side.
The church now
The structure of the church now is still basically a medieval building of which so much remains in the 21st century.
In the 1970's and 1980's Spennithorne church was featured in the BBC television series "All Creatures Great and Small"�.
A more detailed history and description of St. Michael & All Angel's Church can be found in a booklet by V. H. H. Green which is held in the church, price 50p.
Pubs in Spennithorne Parish
Old Horn Inn
Interesting friendly country pub in a small village. Three separate areas, with the bar in between the games area and the restaurant. The nearby church features a large Russian cross 'rescued' from Sebastopol during the Crimean War.
The ow...