North Yorkshire deserted village is Europe’s best-known

Wharram Percy in the Yorkshire Wolds is one of the largest and best preserved of its kind in Britain (and there are around 3,000 of them).

The area located 45 minutes by car from York, is also said to be “undoubtedly the most famous” as for more than 60 years, “archaeologists have pioneered new techniques to understand what life was like in the village and why it was eventually deserted,” English Heritage explains.

Wharram Percy can be found on the side of a remote and beautiful valley within the popular landscape.

English Heritage adds: “The village was continuously occupied for six centuries before it was abandoned soon after 1500.

“Today you can trace the outlines of many lost houses on a grassy plateau above the substantial remains of the church and the millpond.”

It’s thought the now deserted medieval village was founded in the 9th or 10th century, but it “flourished” between the 12th and early 14th centuries.

This was when members of the “noble” Percy family lived there.

However, by the early 16th century, it was “almost deserted, as a result of gradual abandonment and forced evictions”.

The history experts said: “The ruined church is the last standing medieval building.

“Around it are the grassed-over foundations of two manor houses and about 40 peasant houses and their outbuildings.

“Since 1948 the settlement has been the focus of intensive research, which has made it Europe’s best-known deserted medieval village.”

Read more about what we know of Wharram Percy’s decline so far, and how it became the abandoned village it is today, via the English Heritage website.

North Yorkshire deserted medieval village is a ‘lesser-known gem’

A local travel content creator who is known for showcasing North Yorkshire recently recommended it as one of the four hidden corners of the county you need to explore.

The village was continuously occupied for six centuries (Image: Tripadvisor)

Wharram Percy was included alongside The Wainstones in the North Yorkshire Moors and Hardraw Force in the Yorkshire Dales.

In a TikTok video, @adventures.in.yorkshire shared: “From peaceful walks and hidden waterfalls to ancient abbeys and medieval ruins… these are 4 of my favourite lesser-known gems in North Yorkshire.

“The kind of places where it’s quiet, beautiful, and you feel like you’ve stumbled across something special.”

Over on Tripadvisor, visitors said the deserted medieval village is a “fascinating” place that is “worth the effort to get there”.

Someone wrote: “After parking in the small car park we followed the signs to the medieval village!

“Our young grandsons thankfully had their wellies with them, as it was rather muddy in places on the walk.

“Fascinating insight to the past! Well worth a visit if you are in the area, and the views are beautiful.”

Another posted: “Great walk with the dog. Parked in the free car park and walked downhill on the path to a cow field. Crossed over into the fields of Wharram Percy.

“Lovely walk around and interesting to imagine how it once was all those years ago.

“The walk back was uphill and quite a trek. We really enjoyed it. It’s a small historical site, sometimes people expect too much. We loved it.

“Nice walk out and then to the Stone Trough Inn for lunch.”

This person commented: “We absolutely loved this place. Yes it’s a walk to get to it, it’s up hill back, but we think it is worth a visit if you are in the area.

“It is well preserved and stunningly beautiful.”

Who owned Wharram Percy and how did the village get its name?

By 1086, and thanks to William the Conqueror, it’s thought some of the land at Wharram was given to William de Percy, “an important Norman baron”, from whom the Percy Earls and Dukes of Northumberland, with castles at Warkworth, Alnwick and elsewhere, were descended, reports English Heritage.

It further detailed: “The Percys who acquired the lordship of Wharram were a minor branch of this family, and their main landholding was in Bolton Percy, south-west of York.

Wharram Percy can be found on the side of a remote and beautiful valley in the Yorkshire Wolds (Image: Getty Images)

“By 1176 one William Percy had acquired half the large landholding of the Chamberlain family (which had belonged to Osbert the Sherrif), making him the major owner in the village.

“The building of the South Manor, the foundation of the adjacent planned row of peasant houses, and improvements to the church all probably represent signs of the Percys’ growing ascendancy.

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“In 1254 Henry Chamberlain sold his remaining rights in Wharram to Peter Percy I, making Percy all-powerful within the village.

“The name Wharram Percy probably came into use soon after.”

Have you discovered Wharram Percy, or is it the first time you have heard about it? Let us know in the comments below.