Who is Stape?
Stape is a hamlet and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. At the 2011 Census the population was less than 100; details are included in the civil parish of Cropton. The population was estimated to be 120 in 2015 by the local authority. Stape is in the North York Moors National Park, 8 miles (13 km) north of Pickering. Between 1974 and 2023 the parish was part of the Ryedale district. To the south-west of the village, a Roman Road runs across Flamborough Rigg, through the village and across the moors to the north. It is thought that the road is Wade's Causeway, which connected the Roman camps at Malton and Cawthorne with the east coast. Also to the south west is the Keldy Castle estate, which was requisitioned from the Reckitt Family during the Second World War as an army camp. The castle (actually a stately home with crenellated walls) was destroyed in 1950 after being declared surplus to the requirements of the owners. In 1976, the Forestry Commission ins...