Setting off from one market town to another, I left the village of Helmsley and headed further north towards Barnard Castle. On the way though I couldn’t resist a stop at another gorgeous Priory.
Mount Grace Priory faced the same fate as Rievaulx at the hands of Henry VIII, and was destroyed during the Supression in 1539. However the owners decided to keep part of the priory as their home and over centuries of transformations, it’s now a beautiful example of Arts and Crafts style, with William Morris interiors and terraced gardens. They’ve even rebuilt one of the original monks cells (or houses) to show how they would’ve lived with the priory was at its peak. With two storey houses, private gardens and flushing latrines, the monks really did live in considerable comfort bearing in mind the time.
Although the majority of the original priory is in ruins, you still get a feel for it’s grandeur, in a spectacular location on the edge of a forest, it’s well worth the visit!
