The Roman fort, Village Green and historic buildings give you several specific starting points for planning a trip to Bainbridge. The fort stands on Brough Hill, and the present-day settlement is arranged around an irregular green. There is also an audio trail and a circular walk, both of which start and finish in Bainbridge. Together, these offer different historical and landscape perspectives on the village and what it has to offer.
The Roman fort and its setting
The Roman fort at Bainbridge, known to the Romans as “Virosidum”, stands on Brough Hill above the confluence of the River Bain and the River Ure. The hill is a knoll-shaped glacial mound, bounded to the west by the River Bain. Measured between the rampart crests, the fort is 91 metres from north to south and 111 metres from east to west, and covers 1.01 hectares. Its east–west extent is therefore 20 metres greater than its north–south extent; the area figure adds the fort’s total size to this comparison of dimensions.
The Village Green and building history
The present-day settlement is arranged around an irregular, essentially rectangular Village Green. It most likely dates back to the 12th century. The Village Green has been managed in trust since the mid-17th century. The village’s history therefore has two distinct chronological markers: a cautiously dated origin and the later start of the green’s management.
The orientation of the gables of some houses now situated east of Back Syke, facing the Village Green, suggests that they were built encroaching onto the green in the 18th or 19th century. This interpretation adds a possible later change to the village layout to the likely early settlement history. The Meeting House uses local materials and is designed in the Georgian vernacular style. These two features offer different clues: the choice of materials establishes a connection to the local area, while the style describes its architectural classification.
Yore Bridge was built in 1793 by John Carr of York and is a Grade II listed structure. Unlike the information about the Meeting House, the details highlighted for the bridge are its precise construction date and the named architect.
Routes and practical information
The “Bainbridge audio trail” starts and finishes in Bainbridge and includes the village of Askrigg. The “Bainbridge, Semerwater, Raydale and the Roman Road Walk” also starts and finishes there. When choosing between them, the route type and the named places are therefore more informative than the starting point: one is an audio trail that includes Askrigg, while the other is a circular walk whose title names Semerwater, Raydale and the Roman Road.
Public toilets are located on the Village Green. When planning your accommodation, you can choose Bainbridge based on the focus of your stay: the fort and village history offer a cultural emphasis, while the two routes provide another way to shape your trip.
Discover more destinations: East Harlsey, Sand Hutton, Draughton, Crosby, Middleham, Whenby, Clapham, Muker.
View the main travel guide: North Yorkshire.
