From an untidy moorland village to one of beauty

HUTTON-LE-HOLE IS one of the most picturesque villages in the North York Moors National Park.

And at its centre is a clear, meandering moorland stream, adding to its beauty.

The village sits in a natural-forming hollow, with the limestone headlands of the Tabular Hills either side and the heather-clad Spaunton Moor to the north.

Those visiting the village will likely come into contact with its sheep, which roam its green mounds.

It’s hard to imagine today that the attractive village, captured here by The Yorkshire Post photographer Tony Johnson, was described by Victorians as

“ill planned and untidy”.

But the North York Moors National Park Authority, which features on its website a charming four-mile circular walk connecting Hutton-le-Hole and the nearby village of Lastingham, says the complaints were “probably justified”.

“The attractive stone cottages in the village were once the overcrowded homes of weavers, smallholders and labourers, who grazed their geese, ducks, hens, horses and donkeys on the green,” it states online.

“Manure was piled everywhere and the beck was the common sewer for all the village waste.

“Nowadays, wandering sheep on the pristine green are the only reminder of more pungent, unkempt days – and the clear waters of the beck, the little bridges and the white fences all form the backdrop to picturesque photographs.”

As well as taking in the village’s surroundings, those in the area can spend time at Ryedale Folk Museum at its heart.

The site tells the region’s history through 40,000 objects and more than 20 heritage buildings, including an Iron Age roundhouse and medieval manor house.

The village is also home to craft workshops, offering an opportunity to see craftspeople at work and to purchase directly from makers.

Artisans there craft everything from chocolate to candles and ceramics.

Technical details: Nikon D850 camera, 24-70mm lens with an exposure of 1/400th of a second at f10, ISO 80.