Mount Grace Priory, House and Gardens — Attraction in East Harlsey

This is one of the most secluded and picturesque English Heritage places complete with plenty to see with the Carthusian Priory, House & Gardens to see. The property is set against the foothills of the Cleveland Hills and there are some lovely beautiful views of the surrounding woodland and if you're lucky you may even see some of the infamous stoats running around the grounds and the ruins. The priory ruins themselves are spectacular and you can marvel at the brilliant architecture especially from the church which is in remarkably good condition. The ruins are quite spacious and you lost wandering round them as they are that good and to the west of the ruins you can admire and enjoy the ponds situated below you and also may even see picturesque views towards the direction of The Yorkshire Dales. Amongst the Priory ruins you can wander into a Monk's Cell where you can see they lived with the furniture and items that are on display and also wander around the garden and see some of the plants they grew, which gives you a full picture how the monks lived in isolation from the other monks and the life they had and some of the food they grew and the diet they had. There are a couple of information boards that are very informative and interesting detailing the Priory and the life of the Monks. Inside the House there is an interesting and detailed exhibition about the history of the Priory, The Carthusian Order & What it was & how it came into being, The Monks that lived at the Priory and also the role of the house and the people that owned it. In the history of The Priory exhibition inside the house there is some beautiful and intricately decorated pottery to see, which is very magnificent. The House also houses a couple of interesting rooms which are very modern in appearance and the furniture and items on display giving you an idea of what life was like for the people that purchased just before the 20th Century. The gardens themselves are amongst some of the best of any English Heritage property and were designed and completed by the well renowned gardener Chris Beardshaw back in 2018 where a spectacular job has been done. The array of colour in the gardens is magnificent with the yellow and white colours from the Rhododendrons and the red colours from the trees and all of these colours blend in very well with the Bluebells and Ponds where beautiful views can also be enjoyed back towards the House and also surrounding area. The gardens are a nice place to enjoy a pleasant walk especially with the small ponds on display and there is an interesting amount of information on display in the Summer Hut at the bottom of the gardens. There is a small cafe which sells a lovely range of delicious food at reasonable prices and you can sit outside in The Orchard and enjoy a calm and relaxing along with enjoying the pleasant and picturesque environment of the woodland behind the property. There is also a gift shop at the site which sells a range of souvenirs at affordable prices. Overall this place makes for a wonderful and pleasant day out where you some lovely and spectacular priory ruins against the lovely picturesque backdrop of...

I've visited this historic site a few times over the past 10 years or so. My first visit came as part of a Teesside Uni History delegate, so it speaks volumes that I've chosen to come back of my own accord afterwards, on at least two separate occasions.

The most recent visit was just over a week ago. Fortunately the weather had picked up a little bit which is important as this is mostly an outdoors experience. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of internal areas to explore, such as the small museum section through reception, with interpretation boards conveying the history and restoration of the site, as well as one of the monks' cells to explore, but this really doesn't take long. On this visit, there was an English Heritage member of staff on site to provide history and anecdotes too, which was a nice touch.

You'll spend the majority of your time wandering around the grounds to admire the ruins. Clear skies really does help (see the attached photos); possibly delay visiting if it's raining and grey. Wear appropriate footwear if it is raining - it gets quite muddy! Otherwise very enjoyable to live and breathe the history of this historic site pre, and indeed post, the dissolution of the monasteries.

I don't think the café was on-site last time I came, so this may be a relatively new feature and a welcome place to sit and have a cuppa after all that walking around. Another new feature, though this time most unwelcome, was having to pay for parking! I'm not an English Heritage member (in which case it's "free"), so was slightly aggrieved by that.

All in all, a nice heritage site to visit when the sun is out and you enjoy walking and drinking in the scenery and history. Plenty of areas to take gorgeous photos, and of course an attached gift-shop with overpriced items (to be fair, a lot of it is quite nice, but just too overpriced for me). I was quite taken with a little wooden ornament depicting a monk mouse playing a lute, but for £15 I thought better of it!

The Priory is close to a quaint little village called Osmotherley, which itself is worth a visit afterwards too. Be sure to check it out if you're ever in the area and wish to learn, first hand, about...

A truly unique site, it's essentially two sites in one. Entry is via the Manor House - originally the monastic guest house it was converted into a small manor house in 1654 and further extended and refurbished in 1901. It's a rare example of a SPAB influenced restoration - the monastic and commonwealth periods of the house are carefully preserved and incorporated into the house with a dash of Arts & Crafts. The 1st floor houses a very informative exhibition which is worth visiting before heading into the Priory. The monastic site is essentially two large courts divided by a church, the solitary nature of the Carthusians is reflected in the lack of communal buildings - no large refectory, no infirmary or warming rooms - instead a huge cloister is surrounded by individual cells, one of which has been restored. Carthusians lead solitary lives within a community and each cell is designed to be an individual monastery meeting all the needs of the monk housed within - hence the size! Forget your preconceived ideas of a cell being small or confined, Cell 8 is a two storey house with walled garden and flushing loo, it would almost be appealing were it not for the rigid cycle of prayer & work, the solitary confinement. Many monastic elements are well preserved, the church tower largely complete and the rear view of the Manor House gives away it's monastic origins and later development. The gardens to the front of the Manor are diverse with a replanted formal scheme giving way to a wildlife area around the old monastic fishponds. The Priory has a shop, toilets, picnic areas, a small cafe open from spring, car parking, and there is a good walk up the hill to the Lady Chapel & Osmotherley. The entry fee is quite steep but it's a 12 acre site with a diverse offer - free to EH...