18th Century Gamling Den!

Not the best of photos taken on todays walk, but an interesting story!

Our walk was from a village called Markington, near Studley Royal, North Yorkshire.
We passed this building on the top of a hill, in the middle of nowhere it seemed.
Called How Hill Tower.
When I enquired what it was, was told it was used for gambling!!
So had to look it up when I got home.

It was The Chantry Chapel of St Michael de Monte built circa 1200. Rebuilt circa 1495-1526 by Abbot Huby. Then fell into ruins.
Then John Aislabie, owner of Studley Royal ( and Fountains Abbey) incorporated it into his garden scheme at Studley Royal Park This was the first garden building to be built by Aislabie and probably was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh in 1718.
It was originally a two-storeyed square building with a cantilivered roof of pyramidical form, the only parallel for which so far discovered is at Castle Howard.

The tower was used as a gaming house in 1737-8 and the chapel ruins were converted and reused as farm buildings during the later part of the 18th century.

I think they have now been converted to holiday cottages by the National Trust.

Although mainly through fields and country lanes it did prove interesting.
We encountered a very angry black swan guarding a nest on the side of a moat, which surrounded a wonderful old castle.
One of our friends had a dog on a lead which it tried to attack!!

Then on the way back we walked along a lovely stream with snowdrops all along the banks.

Very muddy again although it was only 2C. No sun but no rain either.

Finished off in the local pub for a drink!