18. Walk from Faceby Village to Whorlton Castle

Whorlton-in-Cleveland

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Walking Scenes and places to visit on the north-west edges of the North York Moors and the Cleveland Hills and Hambleton Hills  -   Sutton Bank and NW Moors Index

	Faceby Village sits beneath the Cleveland Hills to the east of the A172 road from Stokesly down to the busy A19 trunk road. It is a small very quiet village but there is a parking area by the village hall (car park used at your own risk, but it is free). The village hall hosted the annual general meeting of the North Yorkshire Moors Association. The village is surrounded by trees and meadow fields of wild flowers, all of which you walk through along the path to Whorlton Castle.  There is a pub in Faceby, the Sutton Arms Inn and Restaurant that can offer you refreshment before or after the walk!

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The archaeologist Blaise Vynor was the guest speaker at the AGM of the NYMA, here shown with Tom Chadwick, chairperson of the North Yorkshire Moors Association.

https://www.north-yorkshire-moors.org.uk/

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Looking down on the Cleveland plain on the path to Whorlton Castle.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: As Whorlton comes in sight, you also see the Old Church of Whorlton down amongst the trees on the left.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Lovely meadow fields of flowers just before reaching the old church. Do the wild flowers indicate strips of an old crop cultivation system?

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The old church at Whorlton is set amongst gentle meadow and pasture fields and the church itself surrounded by yew trees. The old church is on Church Lane which continues up Castle Bank on which the ruins of Whorlton Castle stand.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The east end of the partly ruined Holy Cross Church, 'Whorlton Old Church'. An early Saxon church may have been built on this site, but the oldest parts surviving are from the 12th century church.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Curved Romanesque style Norman arches from the south side of an earlier church building, and the 14th century west tower.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The older columns and arches from the north side of the original nave?

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The west entrance to current church building, above which are older Norman arches.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The gatehouse entrance to Whorlton Castle which was a typical motte-and-bailey castle. The 14th century gatehouse is the only significant part of the castle to survive.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Three crests (coats of arms) above the entrance to Whorlton Castle. The castle was originally built by Robert du Meynell and the village of Whorlton, called Wirueltune in the Domesday Book, may have been a fortified village but now trace of this remains.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Details of the three crests.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Some of the windows (Tudor?) of the gatehouse of Whorlton Castle.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The defensive ditch around the mound of Whorlton Castle.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The ditch was part of the normal defences of a motte and bailey Norman castle.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The inner gateway of the gatehouse which led into the courtyard of the castle itself (most of which has now gone!).

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: A doorway and steps to an upper floor and ground floor doorway with a round arch.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The inner gateway and the north wall?

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Stone steps and passage way to an upper floor and windows in one of the walls of the gatehouse.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The inner wall of the gatehouse.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The stone vaults of the tunnel-vaulted cellars.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Looking down from the castle to the earthwork line of a fish pond.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Where the fish pond was excavated, now a sunken meadow of wild flowers.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: Returning on the path back to Faceby.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The Church of St Mary Magdalene, Faceby was rebuilt by Falkenbridge in 1874-1875 but there are traces of Norman stonework from the original early medieval church. There is no tower but a simple bellcote.

Faceby Village - Whorlton Castle Walk: The nave, chancel, altar and east window of St Mary Magdalene, Faceby. The chancel was actually added in 1911 by Temple Moore.

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