It is a hamlet in an area of Bilsdale, in the middle of the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire that dates back to the medieval ages and was originally under the control of Rievaulx Abbey, which is now a Heritage monument. It is located 45 minutes from York, and just 6 miles north of the village of Helmsley, famous for Helmsley Castle.

A Tourist's Guide to Laskill

The area that is generally recognised as the centre of Laskill is composed of a grand total of three (3) buildings. There is Laskill House, the main residence in the area. There is Laskill Grange, formerly Laskill Farm, a combination B 'n B and farm with a river running alongside. There are also 3 large fields alongside the river, two of which are technically the property of Laskill House, but are used by Laskill Grange to keep livestock in. Rumour has it that there is an annual rent paid, in quadruped, white, fluffy, edible, form.² Finally, there is the oldest standing building: the Quaker meeting house. This Quaker Meeting House is still visited today by people attempting to re-discover their Quaker roots, from areas as far away as Canada and New Zealand. It was in a state of heavy disrepair, and had fallen away almost entirely, but was later reconstructed in 2002 by the owners of Laskill House. Now, it retains the original structure, but has been converted into an office building. Upwards of fifty Quakers are buried in the small green lawn in front of the Meeting House. Each spring, this lawn becomes a spectacular, golden carpet of daffodils. Surprisingly, in the reconstruction the original wooden 'meeting house' sign was discovered intact and is now hanging inside the building. However, Laskill would have played a much more important role in history had it not been for that infamous serial husband, Henry VIII ...

The History of Laskill - There's More of it Than You'd Think

But not a lot more, so don't get your hopes up. Laskill was an important trading place in the medieval period, and so later a group of Cistercian monks from Rievaulx moved there. Recent archaeological excavations in Laskill³ revealed the only medieval blast furnace to have been found in Britain, built by the same Cistercian Monks⁴. This early precursor to the Industrial Revolution never developed further due to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and Laskill's importance dwindled.

And so here, apart from their long standing wool trade which flourished there, the history of Laskill just about ends. The wool trade still flourishes, with the sheep population of central Laskill being more than ten times that of the permanent human population, and life is blissfully dull.⁵

What to Do in Laskill

The Laskill area draws most of its tourists for hiking and walking holidays. It is in an area abundant with scenic rural paths⁶. For the hardier hikers, one only has to look up to see Rosemary Topping ('bigger than t' hills, smaller than t' mountains, grassier than t' elephants'). Walks in this area are best in August and September, when the heather comes out in full bloom, covering the land in a stunning array of purples. Other, more secluded woodland walks can be found simply by heading along the B1257, and going down any of the numerous paths there. If you wish to go further afield, you can always try the circular walk that ends and begins by the famous Chequers Inn, just outside of Osmotherly. The pub is famous for having the oldest inn sign in England, and although they don't have a licence for alcohol, the scones are unforgettable.

One Last Tip for the Road