Hopes raised of securing future of treasured chapel in castle

The former Roman Catholic Chapel of St Mary, which dates back to around 1807, is attached to the grade 1 listed castle, which has been described as one of England’s “national treasures.”

Much of the chapel interior has been stripped out for dry rot repair and members of Harrogate Borough Council will be told that critical works are needed to the roof and structure.

American millionaire, Gerald Rolph, bought Allerton Castle, near Knaresborough, in 1983, when it was semi-derelict and set about restoring it. The Gerald Arthur Rolph Foundation – a trust set up to ensure the castle’s future has secured a large chunk of cash for its £217,000 plans for the chapel but wants the council to give a grant of £10,000 so the work can go ahead.

A letter from the Foundation to the council says: “For the last year this Foundation has been attempting to secure a joint funded package to save the roof and outer structure of The Chapel of St Mary here at Allerton Castle, which is in critical condition and will now need the help of Harrogate Borough Council to finally make it happen.”

The council’s cabinet member for planning, transport and economic development committee, which meets on Wednesday, is being urged to give £10,000 to the scheme.

A report to members says: “If the council were able to offer a £10,000 Building at Risk Grant, the urgent works would be carried out and the building could be removed from the Buildings at Risk register. If the council does not match fund this project, English Heritage may offer their funds to other buildings at risk outside the district.

“In light of the importance of this building to the heritage of the district it is proposed that the council makes available a grant of £10,000.”

The castle was built between 1848 and 1851 and was the ancestral home of the premier English barons Lord Mowbray, Segrave and Stourton

It was built on the site of an earlier house owned by Prince Frederick, the Duke of York and brother to King George IV.

Local legend suggests that the ant-like activity of the Duke’s men constructing the majestic Temple of Victory at the top of the estate’s 200-feet high hill was the inspiration for the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York.

The castle boasts late Gothic interiors with an 80ft high baronial hall, said to be the tallest in England.

More recently, the building became a bomber command centre for the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II.

Dr Rolph, a former vice-president of the Tandy electronics corporation, saved the mansion from dereliction and has made it his life’s work to restore it to its former glory, setting up a charitable trust to secure its future.

The restoration was almost complete when a chimney fire in January 2005 sent flames through the roof, attic, oak-panelled dining room, state bedroom, Venetian bedroom and private apartments.

It took 100 firefighters almost two days to put out and scuppered party plans for people who had hired the venue.

Liverpool and England star Jamie Carragher was among those who had to reschedule their wedding.

It has taken four years and £4.5m to repair the castle after the fire and luxury apartment lets and the venue hire for weddings, private parties and corporate events are helping to fund the cost.

North Yorkshire County Council recently gave planning permission for a controversial waste management plant at Allerton Park, near the castle. The ultimate decision as to whether the facility is built rests with Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, who could call in the scheme for a public inquiry.

The Foundation has already secured cash from organisations including English Heritage towards the cost of the chapel restoration project.

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