Allerton Castle

The Society’s visit to Allerton Castle fell on a perfect early autumn day. Seemingly set in a grand park of rolling Yorkshire pasture the house owns just 43 hectares of the adjoining land, the surrounding estate having been sold off in the 1980s.

Now owned by the Ralph Foundation, the house has undergone an extensive restoration with the aim to return it, as much as possible, to its 1870s condition. It has had a varied life, including occupation by the Canadian air force in WWII, leased to a Catholic religious order in the 1960s and finally, after falling into disrepair, was purchased by the American Dr Rolph.

After tea and cake (of course) members were guided through the magnificent public rooms, now often used for weddings, and shown the painstaking restoration work that has taken place. The initial restoration had to be re-done after an extensive fire in 2005.