Mount Grace Priory

Before you go: the practical facts

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Address

Mount Grace Priory, Staddlebridge, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 3JG, just off the A19, 6 miles north east of Northallerton and 12 miles north of Thirsk.

Who runs it

owned by the National Trust and operated by English Heritage.

Admission

English Heritage members go free. National Trust members also go free by booking online with the code shown on the English Heritage page and bringing proof of membership. Adult prices in 2026 depend on the date, from £10.79 on winter weekdays to £13.85 on summer weekends; children from £5.35. Booking online before midnight the day before saves 15%.

Opening

2026 to 2027 opening, as published by English Heritage: daily 10am to 4pm until 1 November; weekends only from November to 23 December; closed 24 and 25 December; daily from 26 December to 1 January; weekends in January; daily from 6 to 14 February; then Wednesday to Sunday to 16 March. Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Check the official opening times before you travel.

Parking

the car park is about 150m from the priory. It is free for English Heritage members displaying a valid car sticker; others pay. It gets very busy between 11am and 2pm in summer.

Toilets

yes, including accessible toilets. Baby changing is in the manor house.

Café

the Orchard Café serves drinks, pasties, cakes and ice cream, with soup from November to March. There is indoor seating and a covered outdoor area, and a children's playground in the old orchard beside it.

Dogs

welcome on short leads in the grounds, but not in the house, inside the café or in the reconstructed monk's cell. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere.

Accessibility

ramps lead into the manor house and the priory grounds, and the café is wheelchair accessible. There are steps into the cloister, no lift in the house, and the museum is up three flights of stairs. Three accessible parking spaces can be reserved by calling the site on 01609 883494.

Public transport

there are no buses to the site. English Heritage suggests a bus to Osmotherley and walking from there. Northallerton railway station is 6 miles away.

What you will see

The monks' cells. Carthusian monks lived almost as hermits, spending most of their time alone in individual cells. One cell has been reconstructed so you can see how a monk lived.

The priory tower. The church tower still rises above the ruins.

The manor house. A 17th century mansion within the priory buildings, enlarged and restored in Arts and Crafts style in 1900 to 1901. It holds an exhibition, rooms restored in the Arts and Crafts style and, upstairs, a museum of finds from the site.

The gardens. Terraced gardens with richly planted borders, plus a walk through a wildflower meadow to the Monks' Pond.

A short history

Mount Grace was founded in 1398 by Thomas de Holland, Duke of Surrey and nephew of Richard II. It was the eighth of nine English charterhouses and the last of the great Yorkshire monasteries. In the 1520s Henry, Lord Clifford, paid for extra monks' cells. The priory was one of the last in Yorkshire to be suppressed, in December 1539.

In 1653 the house was sold to Thomas Lascelles, and the Revd Robert Lascelles sold Mount Grace on in 1744. Sir Lowthian Bell, the industrialist, bought the estate in 1898 and began repairing the house and stabilising the ruins in 1900. The Bell family passed the estate to the National Trust in 1953, and the ruins were placed in state guardianship in 1955.

Tips and timing

• Arrive at opening or after 2pm to avoid the busiest spell in the car park.
• Allow two to three hours if you want to see the cell, the house, the gardens and the café without rushing.
• Pair it with a walk or lunch in Osmotherley, the nearest village.

Nearby

• Osmotherley
• Rievaulx Abbey, about 11.5 miles away
• Abbeys and castles
• Parking

Mount Grace Priory FAQs

Can you take dogs to Mount Grace Priory?

Yes, on short leads in the grounds. Dogs are not allowed in the house, inside the café or in the reconstructed cell.

Is Mount Grace Priory free for National Trust members?

Yes. The National Trust owns it and English Heritage runs it, so members of either go free. National Trust members should book online with the code on the English Heritage page and bring their card.

Is Mount Grace Priory open in winter?

Yes, but not every day. It opens at weekends from November to 23 December, daily from 26 December to 1 January, at weekends in January, daily from 6 to 14 February, then Wednesday to Sunday to 16 March. It is closed on 24 and 25 December.

Is there a café at Mount Grace Priory?

Yes, the Orchard Café, with indoor and covered outdoor seating.

How do you get to Mount Grace Priory without a car?

There is no bus to the site. Take a bus to Osmotherley and walk, or start from Northallerton station, 6 miles away.

Sources checked 29 October 2026: English Heritage, Mount Grace Priory visitor, prices and opening, facilities, directions, access and history pages; English Heritage Christmas opening list; National Trust, Mount Grace Priory; Historic England list entry 1013019.