Sunday 5th June 2022
Masham
The small, quiet town of Masham is a weekend destination for motorcyclists, who congregate on the town market square, comparing bikes and drinking coffee.
There is also a very old church, The Parish Church of St. Mary, the Virgin:
Unusually for a town this size, there are two breweries: The Black Sheep Brewery and Theakston’s Brewery. We briefly visited the Black Sheep Brewery:
West Tanfield
Moving on from Masham, we headed towards Ripon, but on the way, we came across the village of West Tanfield, which we had previously noted has a tower which was under the care of English Heritage. We decided to visit the tower and the church alongside it.
The road near to the tower was closed, so we parked over the bridge on the other side of the river, returning on foot. We then discovered the reason for the closure: a large street party in full swing. We felt like gate-crashers as we passed through the full length of the street, most of which with tables laden with food.
The 14th century Marmion Tower was originally the gatehouse of Tanfield Castle, built by John Marmion, a knight who died in 1387. Built both for show and for defence, you are able to explore the tower at will.
It is thought that his widow Elizabeth, lived in the tower after John’s death, making it a dower house.
The church alongside, contains the tomb of John Marmion and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Marmion.
The church is beautiful, as well as old; a hidden gem:
Ripon
Our final stop on the way home, was Ripon. Unfortunately we were running short of time, so we had just a brief wander around the city centre.
We then visited the cathedral, which is stunningly beautiful. We had just 20 minutes to view before a service was due to start.
The outside of the church has numerous examples of the art of the stonemason, with faces and gremlins peering down at you below. Many are clearly modern restorations.
We must return when we have more time to spend there.
"See-u-Later" 