Rievaulx Abbey  

(by Ian Scott Massie) 

“Trees of drifting wood smoke blues and, Deep green shadows misting the ragged grass. Flash of pheasant and, Thud of autumn gun in the loose leafed woods, Pock mark the declining day, And the rain-washed year, Fades like a sun stained cloth, In the rich fathomed purple silk of darkness, Rising, buttressed, from the November land, A shaft of sun burns green between the walls, And fades like a snuffed out whisper. And we are rocked, On the intoned plainchant of the rumbling tide, Pilgrims under a pale sky, Dreaming of home and crumpets.”

Aye. The colors of Yorkshire are blues and greens and purples, rich with sun and shadow and mystery. As we prepare for our adventure to “God’s Own Country,” take some time to acquaint yourself with the stories—old and new—that breathe life into this corner of the world. From nonfiction accounts of living and working in Yorkshire to captivating mysteries, horror stories, unrequited love, and children’s tales: Let your imagination take flight! And if you are a bit too weary for reading, make yourself comfortable with an engaging movie or addictive TV series.  

Either way, discovering Yorkshire on page and screen will prepare us to be “pilgrims under a pale sky, dreaming of [Yorkshire] and crumpets.” 

Nonfiction about Yorkshire 

  • All Creatures Great and Small (and others; James Herriott) 

  • Seasons of My Life (Hannah Hauxwell) 

  • Tomorrow Will Be a Good Day (Captain Tom Moore) 

  • Yorkshire: A Lyrical History of England’s Greatest County (Richard Morris) 

  • The Yorkshire Shepherdess (and others; Amanda Owen) 

Fiction set in Yorkshire

  • Behind the Scenes at the Museum (Kate Atkinson) 

  • Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) 

  • The Tennant of Wildfell Hall (Anne Bronte) 

  • Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) 

  • The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) 

  • The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins) 

  • Nicholas Nickleby (Charles Dickens) 

  • The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte (Syrie James)

  • The Railway Children (E Nesbit) 

  • Dracula (Bram Stoker) 

TV/Movies set in Yorkshire

  • The Secret Garden (1993) 

  • Last Tango in Halifax (2012-2016) 

  • Lad: A Yorkshire Story (2013) 

  • To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters (2016, highly recommended!) 

  • Victoria (2016) 

  • Gun Powder (2017) 

  • All Creatures Great and Small (2020)