How Hill Tower
| How Hill Tower | |
|---|---|
 The tower in 2017 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Address | Studley Royal Park, North Yorkshire, England |
| Completed | 1719 |
| Renovated | Late 18th century (outbuildings) |
| Designations | |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | How Hill Tower and outbuildings, also called the Chapel of Saint Michael de Monte |
| Designated | 13 March 1986 |
| Reference no. | 1316922 |
How Hill Tower is a historic building at Studley Royal Park, a World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire, in England.
The Chapel of Saint Michael de Monte was built for Fountains Abbey in the 13th century. This became a minor medieval pilgrimage site. Visitors to the site could see both York Minster and Ripon Cathedral from its summit.[1] The flooring was made of mosaic tiles, similar to those attributed to a painted pavement dating to between 1236 and 1247.[2] Marmaduke Huby either repaired or rebuilt it between 1494 and 1526.[3] After the Dissolution of the Monasteries it initially served local women, but was abandoned by 1600 and fell into ruin.[1]
In 1719, John Aislabie commissioned a folly tower, as part of his initial design of Studley Royal Park, incorporating the ruins of the old chapel. Likely designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, the view from the tower extended across the Studley estates, and York could even be seen 26 miles (42 km) away.[1] In 1737, gaming tables were installed, while later in the century, the tower and further chapel ruins adjacent to it were converted into farm outbuildings. In 1810, an estate survey recorded a farmhouse on the site, but by 1822 the description had changed to "How Hill House & Tower". Presumably, the site had lost its significance as a garden building in a designed landscape and was commissioned to a more functional use.[1] Wilfred Owen considered living in the building while it was being let out as two cottages.[4] During the Second World War the Home Guard used it as an observation post.[1] The tower was Grade II* listed in 1986.[5]
The tower and outbuildings are built of limestone and gritstone with Westmorland slate roofs. The tower has two storeys, a square plan, a projecting stair bay on the south, an inscribed floor band, a modillion eaves band and a pyramidal roof with a cross. On the south front is a round-headed doorway with imposts and a keystone, above which is a decorated plaque, and a round-arched window with a chamfered surround. Against the tower are the remains of outbuildings, consisting of a three-storey block with lean-to additions to the east, and a one and two-storey block to the north.[5][6]
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Side view of the tower
See also
[edit]- Grade II* listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district)
- Listed buildings in Markington with Wallerthwaite
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Newman, Mark (2015). The Wonder of the North: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Boydell Press. ISBN 978-1-84383-883-8.
- ^ "Past projects at Fountains Abbey & Studley". National Trust. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ "How Hill Tower, Wallerthwaite, North Yorkshire | Educational Images | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
- ^ Wade, Stephen (2016). Harrogate & Ripon in the Great War. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 9781473855564.
- ^ a b Historic England. "How Hill Tower and outbuildings, also called the Chapel of Saint Michael de Monte (1293874)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Leach, Peter; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009). Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North. The Buildings of England. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12665-5.