Monk Fryston, North Yorkshire: Roadmap of a heritage written in stone
Two miles east of the A1(M) on the Leeds to Selby road, the 21st century trappings of a designated trunk road brush hard up against Monk Fryston’s remarkable heritage and dominate the village.
Once the early Georgian Halifax to Selby Turnpike, the A63 bisects the linear settlement, carrying a high volume of HGVs and agricultural vehicles serving its surrounding farmland.
A litany of car crashes and near-misses in recent years have led to residents campaigning for safety improvements, saying they are subjected to unacceptable risks while going about their daily lives.
Earlier this year, following a residents’ petition, North Yorkshire Council announced it was considering a puffin crossing, which employs smart sensors to detect pedestrians and adjust light timings, in the heart of the village.
Nowhere in Monk Fryston is the juxtaposition of the modern and the historic more starkly displayed than on the south side of the the busy carriageway, where medieval tofts and crofts survive. Arable fields surrounding the village are linked to its core by properties such as the historic Home Farm and its outbuildings beside the grade II listed three-storey four-bay Malvern House.
The latter grade II listed Victorian property has a decorative trefoil front entrance which, astonishingly, is separated from the road by just the width of two bricks. The neighbouring 17th century Stone House Farmhouse, which like many properties in the village was built using magnesium limestone, and is another protected heritage asset, also abuts the A63.
The stone has been quarried in the village for centuries, reflected by a cul-de-sac on the opposite side of the road being named The Quarry.
The stone not only gives the village its character, but was used to build the grade I listed Selby Abbey.
Originally the property of the abbey, Monk Fryston Hall, overlooking the north side of the A63, served as the home of the quarry’s master of works and the agent of the abbot supervising quarring of stone for the abbey.
Stone quarried by lay brothers at sites across what is now the centre of the village was also used to build roads and waterways to transport stone the eight miles to the abbey.
The estate was owned by the abbey for more thn 450 years, from at least the early 14th century, leading to the village’s name.
Parkland, an Italianate garden and meandering lakes were created beside the hall in the 19th century by the Hemsworth family, which bought the property and manor in 1680 and held it until the 1940s.
Due to the family’s strong Christian beliefs, the picturesque pleasuregrounds and private zoo it created became a destination for thousands of visitors, and in particular the Mothers Union and Sunday schools, who arrived via Monk Fryston’s railway station at the western end of the village. It closed in the 1960s, but the village continues to be framed by the Normanton and Colton Junction Line, which runs from York to Altofts Junction and has a top line speed of 125mph.
The First World War brought an abrupt end to the invitation-only activities at the hall as well as the depature of all its indoor servants, while the collection of birds and animals was transferred to Temple Newsam. The striking property was converted into a hotel after the Second World War.
Earlier this month, after the latest hoteliers running Monk Fryston Hall and its 80-cover restaurant unveiled plans for late-night drinking and entertainment after it reopens following a revamp, Monk Fryston Parish Council voiced objections.
Despite the high levels of traffic passing through the village the parish council has warned, if approved, vehicles arriving and leaving from the venue, including noise from engines, voices and car doors, would harm the character of the village and disturb nearby households.
Meanwhile, August’s meeting of the parish council heard “continuous beat music” from The Crown, a 17th-century coaching inn with an extensive menu, on Main Street, opposite the hall, was affecting residents.
On the south side of the A63 the village continues to benefit from a general store and post office set in one of the former farmsteads as well as a GP surgery that opens on two mornings and two afternoons a week. Also opposite the hall, St Wilfrid's Church, was consecrated in 1846, but there is evidence a pre-Conquest church on the site where weekly services continue to be held.
The lower portions of the tower are Saxon and there is a fragment of medieval glass inscribed S Wilfridvs de Repvn beneath a figure of St Wilfrid in the north aisle’s east window. The area features numerous other unusually old buildings, including the 1425 Prebendal House behind the church, while Manor House on the south side of the main thoroughfare has 1655 inscribed above the door.
Recent years have seen the church join residents, the well-used community centre off Old Vicarage Lane, Monk Fryston’s highly-rated primary school, cricket and football clubs in working together to create a carbon neutral village.
The latter club fundraised for a battery powered LED floodlight system to allow teams to train at its Stocking Lane pitch during the dark nights. Monk Fryston and Hillam Community Association said the initiative had put the community years ahead of targets set by many public bodies, highlighting what could be achieved by those determined to make a difference.
There are hopes one of the UK’s largest battery storage system projects, to the west of the village, off Rawfield Lane, will supply electricity to over 500,000 homes for up to two hours during peak demand. However, some residents have expressed concerns over plans to create one of the UK's largest solar energy schemes to the north of Monk Fryston.