Village Life in Church Street, Nunnington - Known in 1890 as Far Street

Nunnington Reawakened 1890 -1925

Click on the Link to be transported back to 1890

Nunnington - A Village Shaped by Time

Nunnington Hall - Long before cameras, long before postcards, there was Nonni.

Sometime between 400 and 1066, during the Anglo-Saxon period, he and his people settled here beside the River Rye, on the land where Nunnington Hall now stands. The village grew slowly, its name meaning “the farm belonging to Nonni’s people.”

By 1086, Nunnington was important enough to be recorded in the Domesday Book as Nonninetune — a small but enduring thread in England’s story.

Centuries later, as photography became more accessible following the introduction of Kodak’s roll-film camera in 1884, someone turned their lens towards this North Yorkshire village.

Between 1890 and 1908, quiet moments of life in Nunnington were captured in black and white — children in the lanes, working families, cottages unchanged by time.

Tracey Phillips has carefully restored these historic photographs, respectfully adding colour and subtle movement to reawaken scenes that have been still for more than a century.

The original and restored images are brought together in a five-minute film, inviting you to step into Nunnington as it was in 1900.

Nunnington Reawakened 1890-1925

Today, guests staying at Nunnington Cottages walk those same village lanes, pass the same stone cottages, and look across the same stretch of the River Rye. The landscape remains reassuringly timeless.

We invite you to watch the film — and become part of the continuing story.

A Note on the Images

These historic photographs of Nunnington, taken between 1890 and 1908, were kindly preserved through private collections and original postcards.

The photographer remains unknown, and we are grateful that these glimpses of village life have survived.

If you recognise a face, location or have further information about the origins of the images, we would warmly welcome your insight.

All restoration, colour work and film production © Tracey Phillips, Ryedale Photography.

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