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St John's House

Buildings and structures completed in 1490Buildings and structures in KnaresboroughGrade II listed houses in North YorkshireTimber framed buildings in YorkshireUse British English from September 2025
Knaresborough St John's House, Church Lane geograph.org.uk 520594
Knaresborough St John's House, Church Lane geograph.org.uk 520594

St John's House is a historic building in Knaresborough, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. The open hall house was constructed using timbers dated between 1488 and 1490. It built for the Prebendary of Beechill. A written confession of sins, dated to the early 16th century, was later found hidden in a beam in the building. The house was sold by the church in 1776, and has since been a private residence. It was grade II listed in 1952. The house is timber framed, with the ground floor and rear encased in gritstone, partly rendered, and it has a pantile roof. It has two storeys, three bays, and a rear aisle. The doorway has a gabled hood, and most of the windows date from the 20th century. In the upper floor is exposed close studded timber framing and curved braces. Inside, the original beams and joists survive and are visible. There is a large stone fireplace, and the stairs have 17th-century balusters.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article St John's House (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 54.01111 ° E -1.47176 °
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Address

St John's House plaque

A59
HG5 9AT
England, United Kingdom
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Knaresborough St John's House, Church Lane geograph.org.uk 520594
Knaresborough St John's House, Church Lane geograph.org.uk 520594
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Nearby Places

St Mary's Church, Knaresborough
St Mary's Church, Knaresborough

St Mary's Church is a Catholic church in Knaresborough, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. Catholics in Knaresborough worshipped in Follifoot from 1750. In 1797, a linen factory in the town was converted into a chapel and priest's house. The current church was purpose-built between 1831 and 1832, in the style of a private house. It is said to have reused the foundations of St Hilda's Chapel, Rudfarlington. It was remodelled inside in 1973, and was reordered in 2001, when the sanctuary was moved to the south wall, the organ gallery was removed, and the entrance moved to the rear. The church was grade II listed in 1968. The church is built of gritstone, with a sill band, a lintel band, an eaves cornice, and a Westmorland slate roof. It has two storeys and a front of five bays, the middle three bays projecting under a pediment containing a cross in relief. In the centre is a projecting porch, now converted into a chapel, above which is a round-arched niche containing a statue. Most of the windows are sashes. Inside, the original ceiling survives, but the other fittings date from the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The neighbouring presbytery is also grade II listed. It is built of gritstone, and has a hipped Westmorland slate roof. It has three storeys and three bays. In the centre is a doorway with a fanlight, and to its right is a bay window. To the left, and in the middle floor, are sash windows, and the top floor contains three blind windows.

Knaresborough Old Manor House
Knaresborough Old Manor House

Knaresborough Old Manor House is a historic building in Knaresborough, a town in North Yorkshire, in England. The house is believed to have originally been built in about 1208. A local legend claims that it was constructed as a hunting lodge for John, King of England, but there is no evidence of this. The building incorporated an oak tree, which still remains, concealed in a cupboard. Although it is known as the old manor house, named for the former manor of Beechill, it is not thought to have served this purpose, with the actual manor house having been near St John the Baptist Church, Knaresborough. A story claims that Oliver Cromwell stayed in the house, but he instead stayed in a house on the High Street, with his bed later being moved to the Old Manor House. The house was rebuilt in about 1661, and was restored in the late 19th century. An east extension was added in the 20th century. It was owned by the Roundell family from the 17th century for about 400 years. In the early 1800s, it was painted in a chequerboard pattern, supposedly by an owner who was a fan of chess. In the 1950s it was converted into a tearoom and later became a restaurant, but in the 1990s it was reconverted into a house. The building was grade II listed in 1952. The house has a timber framed core, the walls are in rendered stone, with chequered paintwork, and the roof is in stone slate with some Westmorland slate. There are two storeys, and an L-shaped plan, and a two-storey porch projecting on the south side of the east wing. The windows date from the 19th century. Inside, the entrance hall has a stone flag floor, panelled partitions, and an open fireplace. The living room has elaborate carved panelling and a fireplace with the date 1661, and the room above has similar panelling.