A valiant attempt to recreated a historic photo by M. Heavisides. These natural rock formations were a major tourist attraction in Victorian times but are now largely forgotten.

The horseshoe shaped archway carries the words Upsall Town and is dated 1859.

It is very similar in design to Turton Cottages in Roxby which are dated a year earlier in 1858, another estate owned by the Turton family.

John Turton was a physician to ‘mad’ George III, who died without children, the estate passed to the youngest son of Rev William Peters (chaplain to the Prince Regent) who assumed the Turton name and coat of arms.

This tiny village school in Over Silton carries an inscription that dates it 1844

The school house was built in 1844 by Sir George Wombwell, 3rd Baronet. After his death in 1855, his son Sir George Orby Wombwell, 4th Baronet (a survivor of the Charge of the Light Brigade) sold the Over Silton Estate.

Thompson’s in Osmotherley, began trading in 1786 and passed through six generation of the family.

Grace Thompson ran the shop alone and was still delivering newspapers aged 75 , she retired in 2004 and passed away in 2014.

A strict condition of the sale means any new owner has to run the building with all its original fittings as a shop, but unfortunately it still appears to be stood empty in 2022.

Pinfolds were designed to hold stray animals until their owners paid a fine for their release.

They would have been a feature of all medieval villages, although this one dates from the 18th century.

Restoration work was done in 2011

The wonderful doorway arch shaped like horseshoe can only be a Blacksmiths, built in 1858 as the inscription tells us and still used for that purpose into the 1960’s

John Turton was a physician to ‘mad’ George III, he bought the manor of Roxby but died in without children, the estate passed to the youngest son of Rev William Peters (chaplain to the Prince Regent) who assumed the Turton name and coat of arms.

This wall-box in Wilton village has been in use for at least 120 years as it carries a “VR” Royal Cypher

VR – Queen Victoria (1853-1901)

ER VII – Edward VII (1901-1910)

GR – George V (1910-1936)

ER VIII – Edward VIII (20 January 1936 – 11 December 1936)

GR VI – George VI (1936-1952)

ER II – Elizabeth II 1952-present)

It was made by W.T. Allen & Co, who stated production in 1886, so it can only date from 1886-1901

By the roadside at Thornhill Farm, between Commondale and Castleton are a number of roadside gravestones.

The farmer has been erecting memorials to his old dogs with the older stones now being eroded away.

Some of the more modern names are still visible such as Cindy, Raz Pup and Ely

The Kent Gate dates from between 1730 and 1760, it is named for being in the style of William Kent, a landscape architect and furniture designer of the early 18th century.

It was moved to its current location in 1893 and restored by the Stokesley Society in 2001

The Packhorse bridge in Stokesley is a Grade II listed building, dating from the 17th century.

It crosses the River Leven and would have been a route connecting Durham to Helmsley and York.

Interestingly this old postcard calls it “Taylersons Bridge”

Trev Teasdel solved the problem :-  If you look in the intro Daphne Franks pamphlet called Printing and Publishing in Stokesley, published 1986 by Stokesley Local History Group, she says in the parish register of 1759, Nicholas Taylerson’s occupation was given as ‘Printer’ at the time of his marriage to Miss Amelia Clarke in 1793. he was a member of a well known family of merchants in the town who gave their name previously to the Pack Horse Bridge. Also if you walk along the river towards the watermill, there’s a a cobbled path -or old road on the left which I think may have been the old road to Helmsley.