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• Saturation Hall - The house and its history
• The Gates of the Estate

Little used nowadays but still passable, the East Gate leads eventually towards mighty Wharfedale, with it's myriad branching valleys and winding country roads. This gate saw heavier traffic when the railway still ran to Grassington, a closure Lady Jasmine's parents fought hard, but to no avail, to prevent back in the 1960s.

The East Gate at Sunset, seen from beyond the estate grounds. The gatehouse is still inhabited, being home to Nurse Wendy, the solidly built old east road giving her easy access to her charges both within and without the estate.

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The House Gate

The House Gate is so called as it leads to a paved road that runs directly from the south-western boundary almost to the house itself, and was traditionally the route by which large items such as furniture were brought to the house. It's the only gate in regular use large enough for a modern lorry to get through, though it is usually kept locked shut unless pre-booked passage has been arranged, to preserve the almost Victorian-era feel of the main estate grounds from modern motor traffic.

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The Lancaster Gate

One of two gates on the western side of the estate, the Lancaster Gate leads to the North West, across the border and into Lancashire. During the Wars of the Roses this gate saw some fighting, as Lancastrian rading parties tried to break into the staunchly Yorkist estate, and was for a while chained shut on the orders of the household, however once peace returned it was opened once more. Little used nowadays but still passable, a horse or a 4x4 is definitely required for anyone wanting to explore the old Lancaster Road.

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The Moss Gate

Leading almost due west, the Moss Gate, so named for the constant growth of fine moss on the trees and fencing round about, was once, in the 18th century, the estate's main entrance and exit. Never paved, the usage of the west road has dwindled since, and it's now passable only by tractors or 4x4s, and is mostly used by the tenant farmers on the western side of the estate some of whom now hold land out beyond the border, as well as within.

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The Abandoned North Gate

Locked and chained shut for over two hundred years, few now living have ever visited the old North Gate of the Langstonedale Estate. The road leading to it is overgrown and abandoned, and beyond the locked gates it's said to now descend into an inescapable morass of quicksand and barren ground, where another great house once stood. The estate children believe the old road to be haunted, and even the adults shy away from the final few miles, beyond Purity's tumbledown cottage, after dark. Once a year, at Beltaine, Lady Jasmine, acompanied by a few of the household, walks the long forgotten route and bows her head in memory of what happened here one cold night in the bitter winter of 1794-95.

Click here to read the story of what happened at the North Gate, that fateful night two centuries ago.

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The South Gate

The South Gate is now the main entrance and exit for the estate, connecting neatly into the modern Yorkshire road network and conveniently placed whether a traveller is heading East, to the great cities of Leeds and Bradford, West to Manchester, or North West into Lancashire, Cumbria, and the beautiful lake District. It's also now the preferred gate for getting into Wharfedale, even though the old East Gate would in theory be a shorter route. Lady Jasmine has recently had the entire South gatehouse rebuilt in the original style, and it looks set to remain the estate's main gateway for many years to come.