is a small
Market Town in
Hambleton district of
North Yorkshire ,
England . The town lies in the Vale of Mowbray, close to the
North York Moors , 20 miles north of
York .
Cod Beck runs through the centre of Thirsk.
The town is mentioned in the
Domesday Book of
1089 as ''Tresche'', derived from the
Viking (
Norse ) word ''Thraesk'', or ''town by the
Brook ''. It is surrounded by a number of small
Village s also having names of
Danish origin, such as
Thirlby ,
Boltby and
Borrowby (the ''-by'' suffix meaning village or farmstead).
Thirsk is built around a large medieval market square, which still hosts an open-air market each Monday and Saturday. Thirsk possesses a museum and the
15th Century church of St Marys.
Thirsk's chief modern claim to fame is as the home of the
Veterinary Surgeon and author
James Herriot (
Pen Name of Alf Wight). The veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, in which he was a partner along with
Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon in the books) now houses a
Museum dedicated to his life and works,
The World Of James Herriott .
Thomas Lord , another Thirsk notable, was born in a house which now houses the Thirsk Museum, also on Kirkgate. Another local attraction is the
Kilburn White Horse , a chalk horse carved into the hillside about four miles east of the town.
The Ritz Cinema on Westgate is a small 200 seat (100 stalls, 100 balcony)
Cinema run by
Volunteers . It shows in a period setting most of the current films and is run for residents and vistors to Thirsk and the local villages by a dedicated team of volunteers.
The on the flat in the
Spring and
Summer months.
, now a museum, is a popular attraction]]
