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Photo: JohnArmagh, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
12th-century Augustinian Priory ruined after the Dissolution, though the gatehouse is still impressive. Its weirdest episode was as a training ground for the D-Day landings of 1944, the River Derwent being considered a passable imitation of the English Channel, and the priory's high western wall a make-believe "transport ship" for troops to scramble down on netting.
The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey. The priory was surrendered in 8 December 1539 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Legend has it that Kirkham was founded in remembrance of l'Espec's only son who had died nearby as a consequence of his horse being startled by a boar. The area was later used to test the D-Day landing vehicles, and was visited by Winston Churchill. The ruins are now Grade I listed and a scheduled monument in the care of English Heritage.
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Variety of organised sports and leisure or fitness classes. Gym, sports hall and climbing wall but no pool.
60 hillside acres of lavender farm and parkland set in the Howardian Hills.
The Hall is a grand affair from the late 17th century, but can only occasionally be visited by guided tour. The main attraction is the garden created by "Capability" Brown, and refurbished in 2004.