Planned to Perfection

Friday saw a wedding at the Hall - and we are happy to report that a good time was had be all, despite Mother Nature's best attempts to put a dampener on proceedings!


We have never had a Wedding Planner in charge of a wedding at the Hall, so it was with some trepidation that we launched in to the setting up of things on Thursday morning...


Needless to say that our fears were unfounded. Carol from Beau Belles was fantastic - a lovely person who had only her Bride's best interests heart. 


The day ran smoothly and without a hitch. Carol and yours truly sat at the back of the Ceremony and both shed a tear as the vows were said. The Civil Ceremony was followed by an Anglican Service of Dedication in the Chapel taken by Canon Keith Punshon.

Now for a spot of "product placement"! We are very proud to have links with some of the area's finest services and suppliers when it comes to weddings. 


The flowers (pictured left) were supplied by Lance at Caine Florists in Harrogate and the official photographs were taken by Nicola Martindale in Ripon. Both did our happy couple proud.

Putting the Great back in to Great Hall

The Great Hall of a mediaeval manor house would have been a splendid sight - built and adorned to impress visiting noble men and dignitaries alike. Pigmentation can still be seen on the walls at Markenfield indicating that the walls would have been a wonderful rich red colour, and at one point they were even panelled in oak (those oak panels now grace the walls of the Bishop's Palace in Ripon).


But not so the Great Hall at Markenfield. 


After the Rising of the North in 1569, the house and its land was confiscated from the de Markenfield family for high treason and given to Thomas Edgerton - the first in a long line of absentee landlords - and so began a period in the Hall's history that saw it fall in to a state of disrepair. Inhabited by a series of tenant farmers, it was recorded in 1855 as being used as a grain store along with the neighbouring Chapel. 


Fletcher Norton - later to become the first Lord Grantley - effectively saved the house in 1761 as it was he who re-roofed the Great Hall making it water tight and safe from the elements - every surveyor and builder knows just how quickly a house deteriorates once the weather gets in. 


The 1980s restoration under the direction of 7th Lord Grantley left the Great Hall largely untouched, and the image at the top of the page shows the Great Hall some time in the 1990s.

The restoration of the Great Hall began in the winter of 2003-4 with the re-instatement of the massive keystone fireplace, followed by the installation of the giant oak book-stacks the following winter.


Further details of the restoration can be found here CLICK in an article for the Heritage Conservation magazine.

That's the way to do it!

Barrowford Over 50s

Parking at Markenfield is always a thorny issue - but it is perfectly possible with a bit of common sense and some expert manoeuvring, as this coach from Lancashire shows.


One of the first questions we are always asked when it comes to groups (and sometimes even weddings) is "will a coach fit up the drive?". The answer is yes, it will. The Farm has a lot of big machinery that makes its way up and down the drive each day, added to that the number of articulated lorries that visit either dropping off or picking up making the drive quite a busy place at times. They never cause a problem -  it just goes to show that large vehicles will - and do - fit.

This green and pleasant land...

Never let it be said that Yorkshire folk are not a hardly lot - the clouds are dark in the sky and heavy rain showers are forecast, yet we still have a paddock full of cars and numerous people taking in the spectacular views around the Moat Walk. The walk starts in the main car park and follows the Moat around all four sides of the house. The north side is particularly fascinating as it shows numerous mysterious features such as blocked windows and doors - the origins of which are lost in the mists of time.

The walk offers views of the Hall that are not normally seen by visitors:

The north side of the farm buildings

The west range of the house and orchard beyond

 The Moat Walk is open whilst the House is open to the public - from now until Saturday 14 May and again from 19 June to 2 July 2pm to 5pm daily (last entry to the house is 4:30pm). So why not come along and see if you can spot the two black swans as they paddle majestically around...

A Golden Welcome Awaits...

Well, summer finally seems to have arrived in our tiny slice of Yorkshire. The cows are in the fields and the golden (some may say garish...) yellow that covers a lot of the countryside at this time of year has seemingly surround the Hall leaving it looking as though it has an outer moat of green fields! There are duckings on the moat, hares racing around the fields and - most importantly - the sun is shining!

 Markenfield throws open its doors to the public on Sunday, so we have been busily preparing for the (hopefully) hundreds of people that are simply waiting to flock through our door.


The Hall will be open from Sunday 1st to Saturday 14th May from 2pm to 5pm each day. We hope we'll see you soon!

Master of all he surveys

One of the first Projects undertaken by The Friends came to fruition last year with the completion of the restoration of Beechey’s portrait of Fletcher Norton, First Baron Grantley of Markenfield, and its frame. The portrait has hung in the Dining Room at the Hall for many years, underneath centuries of dust, dirt and wood-smoke.  The restoration work was funded by The Leche Trust, a Trust that works to help conserve historic houses and their contents.  The funding process was assisted by the Heritage Conservation Trust, a charity associated with the Historic Houses Association, that supports the restoration of works of art that are of historic or artistic importance in historic houses.  The portrait was cleaned and restored by Harrogate-based David Everingham, whilst the frame was repaired and restored by Lincolnshire-based Paula Reeve.  


As a condition of the funding, the portrait has to be on display to the public. Last year, he sat on a purpose-made easel in the fireplace of the Great Hall - but it was always thought that he was a bit precarious, and he really got in the way during weddings! So, the decision was taken to raise him up and pop him in to the blocked-up window in the west wall of the Great Hall. From there he can look out over the Great Hall, which must have changed beyond all recognition to him; a solid roof, clean damp-free walls and now a much-loved and used family room. He also gets to look out across the Hall in general - a building that has not changed at all in the subsequent seven generations, and which he would recognise in an instance.

 

A Host of Golden Wedding Celebrations!

The north-east corner of the moat

Well, the weekend dawned bright and sunny - the host of golden daffodils that line both the drive and the moat were in full bloom and all was set for a beautiful - and busy - weekend.


We have a number of highly dedicated Volunteer Stewards that help to run the Hall when it is open to the general public, and two of those Volunteers were celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary with a lunch at the Hall on Saturday. 


We had set everything up on the Friday and now we just had to await the arrival of the happy couple and their family. 

The swans decided to put on a display just as they arrived - performing a lovely little courtship dance of neck-weaving and bobbing - which added to the occasion.


There is evidence of nest building along the north-side of the moat, so there may well be the patter of tiny webbed feet during the Hall's open days this year. Watch this space for further information.


The Great Hall looked beautiful set out for the anniversary lunch, and we're happy to report that a good time was had by all!