Aldfield

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Aldfield is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England, about three miles west of Ripon. It is the closest village to Fountains Abbey and became part of the abbey estate in 1356. The parish population was about 80 in 2013. The parish council is grouped with Studley Roger and Lindrick with Studley Royal and Fountains, known as Fountains Abbey Parish Council.

St Lawrence's Church in Aldfield is a Grade II* listed building dating from the 1780s.

The name Aldfield comes from Old English aldfeld, meaning “old field.” The village is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Sulphurous mineral springs were discovered near Aldfield around 1698, leading to the creation of Aldfield Spa. Lord de Grey owned the land and adapted a nearby cottage for the water’s use in treatments. The spa closed in the 1930s, but the ruined buildings remain visible.

Aldfield was the birthplace of artist William Powell Frith in 1819.

Historically, the village was in the Claro Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harrogate; it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.