How Hill Tower, located south of Studley Royal Park near Ripon, sits rather inconspicuously in the Yorkshire landscape. Built on the site of the former Chapel of Saint Michael de Monte, the hill, once situated within the now-deserted village of Erlesholt, was gifted by Robert de Sartis to Fountains Abbey, leading to the construction of the original chapel around 1200.
The chapel underwent repairs or reconstruction between 1494 and 1526 under Abbot Marmaduke Huby. This same Abbot was also responsible for building the tower at Fountains Abbey. However, following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the chapel fell into neglect.
In the early 18th century, John Aislabie, known as the owner and brainchild behind Studley Royal, incorporated the ruins of the chapel into his grand garden design. Between 1718 and 1723, he rebuilt the tower, incorporating fragments of the medieval chapel into the structure. It became the first garden building erected by Aislabie and is believed to have been designed by Sir John Vanbrugh.
The two-storey, square tower was notable for its cantilevered pyramidical-shaped roof, a rare design element reminiscent of that at nearby Castle Howard. In the 1730s, the tower was repurposed as a gaming house, with repairs to its windows and the addition of gaming tables in 1737-38. Later in the 18th century, the further ruins of the chapel were converted into farm outbuildings, possibly stables, which were attached to the downhill side of the tower. These outbuildings, though now disused, resembled a nave connected to the tower, lending the structure a church-like appearance from a distance.
The area around the tower remains rich with earthworks, including a large bank on the western side that likely marked the boundary between the chapel and surrounding agricultural land. Terraces, platforms, and remnants of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing are still visible on the landscape, too. Today, How Hill Tower is a scheduled monument, preserving its layered history from medieval chapel to 18th-century folly.
Address: 3CXC+F6, Ripon HG4 3AN, United Kingdom
Books by Dr Emma Wells
