📍Loci: Helmsley: The Past and the Present in Perfect Harmony

In Helmsley, history whispers through castle ruins, and nature cradles the soul on the edge of the moors—a place where the past and the present dance together in perfect harmony

Helmsley, North Yorkshire

I arrived in Helmsley last week in total darkness. Because I have a kind of home on wheels - I often arrive at my destinations early and then make a coffee on the hob and soak the place up.

This time I was drawn into the town centre by a clinking and chattering. It was 7am.

"What on earth could be going on at this time? I thought.

You know that feeling in the first light in an unfamiliar town? Cold and damp, buildings silhouetted, streets pooled in tungsten light. But in Helmsley I was drawn to the noise and the flickering lights beyond the church tower.

"It can't be. Could it be? Could it really be a market?"

The joy of coming across a busy market (with shops open in the square) during twilight is beyond compare. I made for the local bakery and bought a Danish and Coffee and walked around the square, taking it all in.

I take my trove back to the van in the car park. I switch on the heater and I look out of the window at some lumps and bumps taking shape in the diffused light. They look like they're a part of the castle defences (I find out later that they are). I sit and watch as the sun begins to rise in the east and, as its golden rays filter through the trees, I see a dark shadow, a massing behind them.

It's the castle, and it looks as though it's hovering above the ring-ditch, framed by a fringe of light on the grass. The only camera I have with me is my iPhone, so I set it on RAW and fire away. I zoom into the scene as if in disbelief. It looks like a mirage, ghostly.

Twilight is the best time of day.

Helmsley Village Buildings

Doors

Helmsley Castle

I was at the castle for a Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Yorkshire tour of the conservation works at the castle.

The original medieval castle evolved into a Tudor Mansion which is now undergoing essential repairs. Here are some photos from the visit.

All Saints, Helmsley

I walk in to the churchyard at All Saints and spot a festive sprig of holly. I get my iPhone out and try and take a macro shot of the berries and leaves. In doing so, I get my hood caught on the spiky leaves.

It's a new coat, so I take my time and elaborately snake my head and shoulders around until I'm nearly there. I then stand on my tiptoes and summon up a little wiggle and hey presto! I'm undone.

From behind I hear a voice: "Are you trying to take a selfie with the holly bush?"

There's a queue of people waiting behind me on the path..

I take a moment and then walk up to the church and enter through the Romanesque door - they're all there, of course, the holly people - helping set up the Christmas tree competition.

The church is medieval in origin, but has been much altered. The chancel arch has some surviving Norman work with beakheads.

But the real treasure in the church is the early C10th Hogback Tombstone. The design is of Viking origin, and it is likely that this was used for the grave of a local descended from Danish aristocracy.

Helmsley is a beautiful little town and a visit to the castle will also give extensive views beyond. Rievaulx Abbey is nearby and also the joy of the North York Moors National Park.

'This Digest helps keep the past alive as a memory bank. Many of the answers can be found in the wisdom that sits in places, because buildings that survive from the past are the mouthpiece of history. In this Digest I tell stories about them and my encounters with them.'

Spirit of Place * History * Material Culture * Heritage * Continuity * Photography * Travel * Architecture * Vanlife * Ways of Seeing * Wellbeing * The Historic Environment * Churches * Art * Building Conservation * Community * Place Making * Alternative Destinations * Hidden Gems * Road Trips * Place Writing *