Attractions and Places To See around Gate Helmsley - Top 20

lovely place to visit all year round

Don't visit in winter. Very good chance it will be under water, or sludge after the River Ouse floodwaters have receded. Bearing that in mind, YCC and the keepers do a pretty good job of maintaining the park. The park was created in memory of employees of Rowntree's who died in the First World War, and was opened on 16 July 1921 by local entrepreneur and philanthropist Joseph Rowntree. Upon their purchase in 1919, the 17 acres of land cost £1,500. The park now covers an area of 25 acres, with it being extended in 1926/7 with the purchase of Clementhorpe allotments, and further in 2000 with the purchase of Butcher Terrace football fields. The gates at the riverbank entrance are eighteenth-century and were given by the company as a memorial to the people of York who died in the Second World War. There are further commemorative plaques on the dovecote. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowntree_Park

Welcome to the most popular city in the UK in 2025 (if you believe YouGov polls... https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/travel/popularity/cities/all). Staggering amount of fascinating history and Wikipedia does a decent job of making it accessible, or you can go really deep into something like the five-volume "An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in City of York": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_York https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eboracum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_York https://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/york/vol1

Along with The Norman House near Stonegate, this is probably one of the oldest surviving buildings in York, and is the only Bar with its Barbican intact. Walmgate Bar consists of a passageway with arches at each end and a rectangular gatehouse of two storeys above. There are bartizans at the angles towards Lawrence Street, and at the rear is a timber-framed projection supported on two stone columns. The barbican, portcullis and wooden inner doors still remain. The Bar is built of magnesian limestone and was heavily restored in 1645–8. Its upper floors have been used by Gatehouse Coffee for a few years now, and were once a bookshop. Walmgate Bar is first mentioned in the mid 12th century. The earliest surviving masonry, the inner arch of the main gate, is of this date.

The remains of this Augustinian priory include a gatehouse adorned with the De Roos family heraldry. You can also learn about the priory's role in World War II, including Winston Churchill's secret visit and its use in training and testing for D-Day.

The ancient walled city of York dates back an incredible 2,000 years. The city is characterised by its historic buildings, outstanding architecture and narrow medieval streets lined with independent shops, cafés, bars and restaurants, the most famous of these streets being the iconic Shambles.

The incredible ruins of Kirkham Priory are located in the village of Kirkham right next to River Derwent. This was an Augustinian priory, founded in 1120 by the Lord of Helmsley (who also founded Rievaulx Abbey). The site is maintained by English Heritage and you will need to pay to get in, it's definitely worth the entry fee though. An unmissable experience, particularly if you are into history like I am.

In 1890, the prison commissioners agreed to declare Clifford's Tower a national monument and preserve it as a historic site. [112] In 1902, Clifford's Tower was given to York Corporation, along with a grant of £3,000 (equivalent to £320,000 in 2019) for conservation and repairs arranged by Lord Wenlock. The removal of rubble and damage to the castle's masonry in the 16th century placed excessive pressure on the retaining wall, leading to renewed subsidence in the 14th century. [117] Sir Basil Mott, a leading Victorian engineer, installed concrete underpinnings to stabilize the structure beneath the gatehouse. [117]In the early 20th century, Clifford's Tower was regularly open to visitors and in 1915 it was handed over to the Office of Works as a national monument (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Castle).