"Come and see what Marrick has to offer...."

A Bit of History The Benedictine Sisters were the first residents of Marrick Priory. They lived here through several centuries of prayer and reflection, retreat and worship. Then it became the parish church for the village of Marrick. When it fell into disuse, the next residents were the sheep and goats which sought shelter in the ruins. In the 1960's the Priory buildings were imaginatively converted into a residential centre. Since then the same imagination and much dedication have been applied to the evolution of the building and the things it has to offer. Shaped continually by ecumenical Christian influences, the character of the centre has evolved into something we believe to be very special.

A Place for Today

Marrick Priory is an Independent Charitable Trust, under its own board of management, and with close associations with the Church of England Diocese of Ripon and Leeds. It is the intention of the Trust that the Priory should be a physical and spiritual resource for young people and adults. We see the outworking of this in our aim to encourage the awareness that:

"There is something more to life than meets the eye; something more than the material; something more than the obvious. There is something to wonder at; something to respond to."

Getting close to the natural environment; living in community; sharing in relationships; personal and social development; quietness and reflection - all these are key aspects of the educational work of the Priory.

Putting you up

We cater for groups up to 38 in number. The minimum size for a group booking is 25. Smaller groups than these incur a supplementary charge, although it is sometimes possible to consider smaller groups who may wish to share the facilities.

Sleeping accommodation is comfortably arranged in dormitories.

Another traditional priority amongst visiting groups is FOOD. This is prepared in the Priory kitchens and is plentiful and of high quality. Vegetarians and people requiring special diets are well catered for.

In addition to the dormitories, leaders' rooms, wash rooms and drying rooms, resident groups have at their disposal the refectory, common room and chapel - all of which may be considered as multi-purpose work space suitable for worship, drama, music, craftwork, teaching, simulation games and other uses.

The Priory manages a small tuck shop on a daily basis. Some souvenirs are also available there.

All visitors are expected to help with some residential duties during their stay. The visiting staff/leaders are also expected to take a full and active part in the programme and the supervision of their group. This is particularly the case for evenings and at night time.

The small team of staff at the Priory is well trained and prepared, and we place great importance on staff members obtaining recognised qualifications. These include up-to-date First Aid qualification.

The Refectory	The Chapel	The Common Room