Visit to Thirsk Hall

Day One - We met at Thirsk Hall, near the racecourse, home of the Bell family since 1720 and were given a tour of the house by the current custodian, Bill Gerrish, husband of Daisy Bell. The 18th century house has a fascinating mixture of old and new works of art; we then explored the sculpture garden, walled garden and gallery housing some beautiful works by stone carver, Emily Young, after which we visited the Parish church for lunch followed by a visit to the Zillah Bell Gallery and a chance to explore the market town of Thirsk. Dinner in a private dining room at the Golden Fleece was a chance to review a fascinating day.

On Day Two we travelled to Tennants, Antique & Fine Art Auctioneers at Leyburn where we were given a talk about the business, followed by a tour and lunch. In 2014 the Auction Centre was created, an amazing development housing galleries, auction and event spaces as well as a restaurant and cafe. We went behind the scenes to see how lots are prepared and recorded for inclusion in a sale. A recent Lowry seascape was sold there for over £1 million. After lunch we drove on to nearby Constable Burton, a private Georgian mansion, home of the Wyvill family where we had a tour of the house and garden led by Imogen Wyvill who described how she and her husband decided to relocate from London during the lockdown, and the trials and tribulations they went through to restore the house to its former glory.

Everyone agreed that we had a fascinating visit to this part of Yorkshire and thanks to Peter for liaising the trip.

www.thirskhall.com      www.constableburton.com    tennants.co.uk