Kirkham Priory

Before you go: the practical facts

Open in Maps: Google Maps · Apple Maps

Address

Kirkham Priory, Whitwell on the Hill, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO60 7JS, on a minor road off the A64, about 12.5 miles north east of York.

Who runs it

English Heritage.

Opening

open any reasonable daylight hours. English Heritage shows no separate winter timetable, but daylight is short from November, so plan to arrive by early afternoon.

Admission

free for everyone.

Parking

free parking for about 50 vehicles outside the gate. It is not managed by English Heritage, and there are no allocated disabled spaces.

Toilets

none listed by English Heritage.

Café

none on site. There are picnic tables and plenty of grass among the ruins for a picnic.

Dogs

on English Heritage's list of dog-friendly places. Keep dogs on a lead near livestock.

Accessibility

English Heritage rates access as good but suggests manual wheelchair users bring a helper. There are steep steps from the cloister to the refectory, some steep and rough grass, low walls and a one metre drop at the edge of the site. Grass is slippery when wet.

Public transport

Ryecat buses 184 and 185 serve Kirkham on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On other days take a Yorkshire Coastliner X40, 840, 843 or 845 to Whitwell on the Hill and walk about three quarters of a mile. These services call at York and Malton railway stations.

What you will see

The gatehouse. Built around 1300, it is Kirkham's greatest glory, decorated with the heraldry of the de Roos family, lords of Helmsley Castle, alongside worn carvings of St George and the Dragon and David and Goliath.

The church and east end. The east end of the church was rebuilt on a magnificent scale in the early 13th century.

The cloister. Look for the canons' washbasins and newly uncovered medieval floor tiles.

The riverside setting. The priory sits beside the River Derwent, and three medieval fishponds lie beside the river to the north west.

A short history

Kirkham was founded around 1122 by Walter Espec, Lord of Helmsley, who later founded Rievaulx Abbey in 1132. Its canons were Augustinians, priests living together under the Rule of St Augustine. Between 1135 and 1140 there was an attempt to turn Kirkham into a Cistercian daughter house of Rievaulx, but it failed and the priory stayed Augustinian.

Stone buildings replaced the first timber ones from the 1130s. The east end of the church was rebuilt in the early 13th century and the great gatehouse followed around 1300. On 8 December 1539 the prior and 17 canons surrendered the priory to Henry VIII, and the Crown sold the site in 1540 to the courtier Henry Knevett. After the First World War it passed into the care of the Office of Works.

During the Second World War the ruins became a training ground for the D-Day landings of 1944. Tanks tested their waterproofing in a pool between the ruins and the river, and soldiers practised on scrambling nets hung from the walls. Winston Churchill and King George VI made a top secret visit to watch.

Tips and timing

• Long spring and summer days give you the most daylight, and the priory makes an easy stop between York and Malton.
• Bring a picnic and something warm in winter: there is no café or shelter.
• Combine it with a wander round Malton for a relaxed half day.

Nearby

• Malton, about 5 miles away with the nearest railway station
• Helmsley
• Rievaulx Abbey, founded by the same man
• Abbeys and castles

Kirkham Priory FAQs

Is Kirkham Priory free?

Yes. Entry is free for everyone during reasonable daylight hours.

Is there parking at Kirkham Priory?

Yes, free parking for about 50 vehicles outside the gate.

Can you take dogs to Kirkham Priory?

Yes. It is on English Heritage's dog-friendly list. Keep dogs on a lead near livestock.

Is Kirkham Priory open in winter?

Yes. It opens any reasonable daylight hours all year.

What happened at Kirkham Priory in the Second World War?

Troops used it to rehearse for the 1944 D-Day landings, testing waterproofed tanks in a pool by the river. Churchill and George VI visited in secret.

Can you get to Kirkham Priory by bus?

Yes. Ryecat 184 and 185 run on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. On other days, Coastliner buses stop at Whitwell on the Hill, about three quarters of a mile away.

Sources checked 29 October 2026: English Heritage, Kirkham Priory visitor, facilities, access, directions and history pages; Historic England list entry 1014024; English Heritage dog-friendly places.