The Druids' Temple at Ilton
The Druid's Temple at Ilton is probably one of the least known monuments in Yorkshire.
That might well be because it's on private land and is pretty hard to find
if you
don't know it's there. So let's start with some directions: from Ilton take the
road going due North, then, turn left down the long straight lane (Knowles Lane)
in the middle of the wood and park at the end. Don't look out for signposts, because there aren't any.
The temple is a couple of hundred
yards into the wood.
The temple is thought to have been built around 1820, which makes it contemporaneous
with
many other follies scattered around Yorkshire. The purpose being
to provide wages for labourers as well as to provide a talking point and a landscape
feature. There is one large circle of stones, with altar like tables within and even
a cave in which the squire is said to have tried to get a hermit to live
in. Might be true, might not.
Anyway, it's a real curiousity and a great place for a picnic, but please don't
be fooled by the tents in the picture, camping is most definitely not allowed. And don't visit on
a solstice, as you may well find the place is full of the great unwashed.
The builder was the admirable Squire Danby of Swinton Hall, the huge stately home which still dominates the area to this day. Nowadays Swinton Hall is a magnificent
luxury hotel, hosting Rosemary Schrager's cookery school, one of the best regarded
in the country. They also do a wide range of other stuff like horse racing
weekends, spa breaks, and garden lunches, shame the grounds aren't open to the general public though.
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