Free Entry
Visit Kirkham Priory and explore the beautiful ruins of an Augustinian priory dating from the 1120s set in gorgeous countryside by the river Derwent. Today its greatest glory is its gatehouse, decorated with the heraldry of the lords of Helmsley Castle along with worn figures of St George and the Dragon and David and Goliath.
During the Second World War Kirkham Priory ruins became a focus of training for the D-Day invasion. Tanks bound for the Normandy beaches tested their waterproofing in a pool created between ruins and river, while soldiers tried out scrambling nets hung on the priory walls. Winston Churchill and King George VI paid a top-secret visit to Kirkham to view the exercises.
Plan a Great Day Out
- The newly uncovered medieval floor tiles
- The monastic washbasins
- The story behind Winston Churchill's secret visit
- The Gatehouse, bedecked with the heraldry of the De Roos family
Your Places Appeal
Did you know over 300 of our historic sites are free to explore and enjoy, but keeping them open and cared for costs more than £4.2 million every year?
With your help, we can protect these historic places and make sure they can be enjoyed for generations to come.
Whether your donation today helps pay for the work of an expert stonemason, a key keeper’s time to unlock the gates or the restoration of a rare artefact, you’ll help care for precious heritage.
Donate today