Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

Visit to Markenfield Hall and Thornborough Henges

Cost: £28 per person for Markenfield Hall private tour, to include tea/coffee and cake.  There is no charge for the Henges.

A mediaeval, moated and much-loved 13th and 14th century family home, Markenfield Hall is an historic house unlike any other. Set within stunning Yorkshire countryside south of Ripon, medieval Markenfield has remained largely untouched, and is one of a handful of moated, medieval manor houses that could still be recognised by their original owners.

Access via the Courtyard to the front of the Hall is flat and therefore suitable for wheelchair users. There is one main staircase within the house with wide, shallow treads. There are two small landings on the stairs and it is possible to have chairs placed on these landings to break up the climb.

The tour is booked to start at 11 a.m. to allow time for the (roughly) one hour/ 30 mile drive from York. Tours take one-and-a-half to two hours, to be followed by tea/coffee and cake.  The visit to Markenfield will be followed by the short drive to Thornborough Henges, part of a Neolithic complex in North Yorkshire, now in the care of English Heritage; the subject of the YPS lecture on 9 April 2024.  The henges consist of three giant, circular earthworks, each more than 100m in diameter, dating from the Neolithic and Bronze Age.  They are thought to have been part of a “ritual landscape” beside the River Ure and are probably the most important single prehistoric site between Wessex and Orkney.

Access via the Courtyard to the front of the Hall is flat and therefore suitable for wheelchair users. There is one main staircase within the house with wide, shallow treads. There are two small landings on the stairs and it is possible to have chairs placed on these landings to break up the climb.

This trip will be by private car, as we anticipate that people will want to spend varying times at the Henges and may wish to visit other features of the ritual landscape.

To join this visit please complete the booking form and return as indicated:

Markenfield booking form final

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