If you go down into Hackfall Woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise – more so, as you ascend one of the numerous hikes which meander through the natural wilderness, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and north-east of the village of Grewelthorpe near Masham in North Yorkshire.
Awaiting your arrival at the top of the route which leads out of the woodland, stands The Ruin, a typical Georgian folly – only it is far from typical. The structure is Janus-faced, meaning it has two faces or, in this case, façades: one Gothic public elevation and another rugged, Romanesque, triple-domed ‘ruin’ on the opposite valley-facing frontage, with access to its only three rooms allowed by crossing the outside terrace.
Constructed in c.1767, the building was originally a small banqueting house possibly designed by famed Palladian architect Robert Adam or at least it is thought he inspired Hackfall’s landowner, William Aislabie, who may have copied Adam’s ideas. What we do know is that Aislabie was a subscriber to Adam’s book Ruins of the palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia, printed in 1764, so he almost certainly had access to Adam’s architectural plans. Indeed, a watercolour by Adam entitled Design for a Roman Ruin which echoes the Romanesque façade of The Ruin, may further prove this connection.
It was also William Aislabie who designed and commissioned the nearby water gardens and designed landscape of Studley Royal, so a complete contrast to the ‘naturalism’ of Hackfall, but it was his father, John, who bought the Hackfall woodland for £906 in 1731. William then took over in c.1749, transforming the site into an ornamental landscape, punctuated by naturalistic and breath-taking vistas, through making use of the existing cliffs and the River Ure at the base of the valley.
By 1989, The Ruin was certainly just that and in need of restoration. The Landmark Trust subsequently acquired the property in 1999, with the completed restoration winning several prestigious awards, including the RICS Yorkshire Regional award.
Books by Dr Emma Wells
