A look at the history of Shandy Hall, Coxwold, with Dr Emma Wells

In the 1760s, a writer penned the following recollection of his days spent living at Coxwold in North Yorkshire: ‘I am as happy as a prince… and I wish you could see in how princely a manner I live – ’tis a land of plenty.’ That man was Laurence Sterne, renowned Georgian author of the novel Tristam Shandy—and it was at Shandy Hall, in Coxwold, where this popular work was written, ‘Shandy’ being a dialect word for ‘wild, crazy, odd, merry.’

A native of Clonmel, Ireland, Sterne came to the small village bordering the North Yorks Moors after his ordination as a deacon of the Church of England in 1737 and becoming a priest the following year. After being appointed the perpetual curate in 1760, Sterne moved into Shandy Hall (by then the parsonage). The hall had medieval origins, first constructed as a long hall in c.1450, contemporaneous with St Michael’s Church diagonally opposite. It has two 15th-century gabled cross wings and was refaced in brick in the 17th century. Many of these earlier features are still preserved including rare wall paintings from the Tudor era in the ground-floor parlour and in the solar. However, Sterne’s tenure saw him make many changes including the erection of a new coach house, a cellar and a box-like two-storey brick extension.

The first two volumes of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (#ad) were self-published by Sterne (nine volumes were published from 1759 to 1767) and became an overnight success. With the income earned from the book, Sterne paid for the extensions to Shandy Hall. It was also during his time at the Hall that he wrote his other major work, A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy (#ad).

Nonetheless, Sterne’s time there only amounted to eight years in total, before he died in 1768. He is buried partly in St George’s, Hanover Square in London, though his skull and femur remain in Coxwold.

The Laurence Sterne Trust was created in 1964 to purchase Shandy Hall and to see it transformed it into a museum, in celebration of the writer. It was opened to the public on 26 April 1973.

Address: Shandy Hall, Coxwold, York YO61 4AD

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Books by Dr Emma Wells