Marrick Priory

Outdoor Education and Residential Centre

AALA - Adventure Activities Licensing Authority

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The Hearse House

The Hearse House in the grounds of Marrick Priory
The Hearse House in the grounds of Marrick Priory

Credit to Beamish, The Living Museum of the North for kindly providing the source material for this page.  Further details and links at the bottom of the page.

The Marrick Priory Hearse - built 1828
The Marrick Priory Hearse – built 1828

Marrick Priory was once home to a very rare object: probably Britain’s oldest hearse, built in 1828.  The simple two-wheeled hearse left the Priory’s grounds in the 1960s. It was collected by the Beamish Museum from our stone-built Georgian Hearse House.  This early and vernacular horse-drawn vehicle is exceptionally rare, and perhaps more so, as we are aware of its origin and history. We even have a record of its very first occupant, as the Marrick Priory registry records:

“1828 April 2nd, Mary widow of Thomas Hillary [a farmer], Lanehead House, aged 67, Hearse first time used.”

In October 2015 the Beamish Museum’s Buildings Team began work on constructing a replica Hearse House near St Helen’s Church.  It was completed by December 2016.  The Hearse now has a permanent home of its own and is on display to the public for the first time in decades.

The Main Structure

The main structure consists of stonework, joinery and a stone slab roof.  The stone slab roof has been weather-proofed using a traditional method known as ‘torching’. This involves adding a coat of lime pointing to the underside of the roof slates, tiles or slabs to create a barrier against the elements, while still allowing the building to ‘breathe’.

The Interior

Work begins on the Interior
Work begins on the Interior

The Beamish team collected research on a number of similar buildings across the north of England in order to gain a better understanding of what the interiors of these buildings may have looked like in the Georgian period and what objects should be included to ensure historical accuracy.  These buildings would all have had lime washed interiors. This was common for most vernacular buildings during that period, whether functional or domestic, due to the antibacterial properties of lime wash.

The Georgian Grave Digger

The Beamish Collections team identified relevant objects from their collections which help give life to the building and tell the story of a Georgian grave digger.  The project is now complete and the hearse is in situ.

New Home at St Mary’s Church

The finished project at St Mary’s Church.

The restored Marrick Priory Hearse at Beamish Museum
The restored Marrick Priory Hearse at Beamish Museum
The Finished Hearse House
The Finished Hearse House
St Mary's Church with the Hearse House just visible to the left
St Mary’s Church with the Hearse House just visible to the left

Further Information

Further photographs and more detailed information can be found by following the external links:

  • Beamish, The Living Museum of the North
  • Beamish Buildings Blog – Work Continues on our Georgian Hearse House
  • Beamish Buildings Blog – Work Begins on the Hearse House Interior
  • Beamish Buildings Blog – The Hearse House is Finished

History Menu

  • Foundation
  • Dissolution
  • 1958 – Photos
  • Youth Centre
  • Photos – Then and Now
  • Newspaper Articles
  • The Hearse House
  • JMW Turner (Artist)
  • History PDF Download

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Write:
Marrick Priory OEC
Richmond
North Yorkshire
DL11 7LD

Telephone:
01748 884434

Main contact:
office@marrickpriory.co.uk

Website related matters:
website@marrickpriory.co.uk

 

Welcome

Marrick Priory is a historic 12th century medieval building that was developed in the 1970s into an Outdoor Education and Residential Centre.  It is situated in Swaledale in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park and welcomes groups of visitors from all over the world. The Priory is licensed to provide a wide range of adventurous activities and can be booked on a day or residential … Continue Reading

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"The instructors were extremely pleasant, friendly and assertive"

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"I have come back with new talents I never new I had"

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"Excellent food and flexibility - healthy and child appealing"

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Governance

Marrick Priory is run by the Head of Centre and a board of dedicated and active trustees. There is a close affiliation with the Church of England through the Diocese of Leeds, who have been instrumental in supporting and developing the centre since the 1960’s. The Diocese appoints half of the trustees, with the other half being made up of locally recruited representatives.

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The Church of England - Diocese of Leeds

AHOEC - Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres

People's Postcode Trust

Marrick Priory Outdoor Education Centre - Richmond - North Yorkshire - DL11 7LD
email: office@marrickpriory.co.uk | tel: 01748 884434 | fax: 01748 880178
Marrick Priory Trust Limited is a Registered Charity – No. 1139240
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