OWNERS of a fortified manor house have discovered their home is older than anyone imagined.

For generations, it was believed that the imposing Markenfield Hall, near Ripon, dated from 1310.

But following recent archaeological surveys it has now been revealed that Markenfield's Great Hall was built earlier - about 1280 - and was a stand-alone building.

With the exception of its gatehouse, historians believed Markenfield, a quiet medieval manor hidden from the main Ripon-Harrogate road, was a single build.

But following separate surveys by archaeologists Dr Jonathan Clark and Professor Andor Gomme, new evidence has come to light.

The pair were asked to examine the north wall of the Great Hall. Each stone was checked for evidence of what had been there originally.