Canons Garth is a historic building in

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 ...

, a town in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, in England. The house was built in the late 14th century as a

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

with a cross passage and a rear aisle. It was possibly built for the canons of

Kirkham Abbey The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, Yorkshire, River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinians, Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Esp ...

. In the 17th century, a wing was added to the left, the cross passage removed and a central porch entrance created. Alterations by

Temple Moore Temple Lushington Moore (7 June 1856 – 30 June 1920) was an English architect who practised in London but whose work can be seen across England, particularly in the North. He is famous for a series of fine Gothic Revival churches built betwe ...

in 1889 included the creation of a chapel and study, and the replacement of all the windows. The house was restored in 1975, when the porch was rebuilt. In the early 20th century, the house served as a retreat for the

Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor The Society of All Saints Sisters of the Poor is a religious order of sisters in the Anglican Communion. It was founded in 1851 and is active in England and the United States. In 2009 all but two of the American sisters were received into the Rom ...

. In about 1970, it became the parsonage for

All Saints' Church, Helmsley The Church of All Saints is an Anglican parish church serving the town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England. It is located between the north-west corner of the market square, and Castlegate, on the B1257 road north of Helmsley Castle. Dedi ...

, but it was sold off in 2011. The house has been

grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

since 1955. The ground floor of the house is in

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

, the upper parts are

timber framed Timber framing () and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. If the struc ...

, and the roof is tiled. It has two storeys and attics, and the house consists of a main range and projecting cross-wings, all

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

d. The windows are casements, and in the attic are gabled

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

s. In front, there is a doorway and walls. Inside, the hall has a fireplace, and the passage has what may be a built-in

salt box Salt box may refer to: * Saltbox house, an architectural style popularized in New England. * Saltbox, a lidded wooden box formerly for storing salt; also a little used term for a ''salt cellar'' — a serving container for salt. * Baltimore salt b ...

. The chapel has Mediaeval floor tiles, brought from

Rievaulx Abbey Rievaulx Abbey ( ) was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolu ...

, while the study has a 16th-century fireplace, brought from

Helmsley Castle Helmsley Castle (also known anciently as ''Hamlake'') is a medieval castle situated in the market town of Helmsley, within the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. History Although the estate of Helmsley was granted to Ro ...

. The roof structure is original; it includes a base

cruck A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which support the roof of a building, historically used in England and Wales. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally naturally curved, timber members that lean inwards and ...

, something found elsewhere in northern England only at

Baxby Manor Baxby Manor is a historic building in Husthwaite, a village in North Yorkshire, in England. The core of the manor house was built in about 1300. A chimney was inserted and a wing on the right was added in about 1600. The outer walls were enca ...

; and it is topped by a tall, square,

crown post A crown post is a term in traditional timber framing for a post in roof framing which stands on a '' tie beam'' or '' collar beam'' and supports a ''collar plate''.Alcock, N. W.. Recording timber-framed buildings: an illustrated glossary. Londo ...

structure.

References

{{coord, 54.24733, -1.06188, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Houses in North Yorkshire Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire Helmsley

See also

References