There isn’t much of Wharfedale more picturesque than the 24 acres of formal and woodland gardens at Parcevall Hall—the only RHS registered garden in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Combined with the magnificent Tudor house meticulously restored in the early 20th century, a visit offers a peaceful refuge, unsurprising when you hear who owns the estate today.
In the medieval era, the Manor of Appletreewick belonged to nearby Bolton Priory, but following its dissolution in 1539, Persevells, a grange farm owned by the Augustinian monks, was subsequently acquired by Peter Yorke, who left the property to his second son, Thomas, in 1589. Much of the present hall dates from this period though it has seen a few alterations. However, the house gradually fell into a state of dereliction until 1927 when it was purchased from Skipton antique dealer, Frank Laycock, by Sir William Milner, the 8th baronet of Nun Appleton, an architect and godson of Queen Mary (who became a frequent visitor).
Sir William set about restoring the hall as a new family seat, using his architectural skill and ambition and faithfully recreating the existing areas to extend the hall with guest bedrooms and a staff wing, even reusing timbers and blasting stone from the surrounding hills. He also took his passion for plants and employed local craftsmen and labourers to lay out a series of garden terraces in the Arts & Crafts style popularised by Sir Edwin Lutyens below the house. Planting rare species collected in Western China and Tibet, he similarly used this mix when co-founding Harlow Carr near Harrogate. The gardens and pleasure grounds of Parcevall were divided into two main sections: a series of formal terraces to the south front of the Hall, and informal wooded pleasure grounds enclosing the Hall and terraces.
Sir William, ever the ascetic man, left the Hall upon his death in 1960 to the Guardians of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. The Guardians, in turn, now lease the estate to the Diocese of Leeds as a retreat centre but it is open the public for much of the year.
Address: Skyreholme, Skipton BD23 6DE
Books by Dr Emma Wells
