Grade II-listed Yorkshire chapel built by Lord of the Manor to open to the public for only the second time in its history

St Mary’s RC Chapel in Crathorne village, just off the A19 near Stokesley, is a Georgian Gothic revival building described as being of ‘exceptional importance’ but which has suffered from disuse and unsuitable restoration work in recent years.

The chapel last opened to the public in 2019, and as part of Heritage Open Days visitors can tour it on September 9, 10 and 11 from 10am-4pm.

St Mary’s was funded by the Lords of the Manor, the Crathorne family, who remained staunchly Catholic after the Reformation. Its original features include three Tudor arched and roll-moulded windows, box pews, gallery, and rich Gothic decoration by Italian master craftsmen hired by George Crathorne.

The chapel eventually became neglected, though a restoration in the 1960s meant it was brought back into use for services. In 2018, the 50-strong congregation formed a group to raise the £150,000 needed to undertake further repair work to tackle rising damp and other structural issues.

The Crathornes owned their estate and Crathorne Hall until 1844, when the house was sold to the Dugdales, a cotton manufacturing family. They had held the title since the 14th century, when the lands were awarded to Sir William de Crathorne by King Edward II. The barony of Crathorne was reinstated for Conservative politician Sir Thomas Dugdale, and the current baronet is his son James, a former Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire. The hall was sold after Sir Thomas’s death in 1977 and is now a hotel.