Thornton Watlass

Thornton Watlass is a small village and civil parish within the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located north of Masham and south of Bedale on the eastern slopes of the Ure Valley at the entrance to Wensleydale and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is 11 miles North of Ripon, 4 miles from the A1, 11 miles from the main railway line at Northallerton and 18 miles from Teeside Airport. Its population was 180 in 2001, and 190 in 2005.

The village lies at the junction of Watlass Lane and Watlass Moor Lane. At the centre of the village is the triangular village green with its trees, cricket pitch and children's playground, surrounded by houses, some of which are built from local stone. Thornton Watlass Church dates from the 11th century and the village also has a primary school and a public house called the Buck Inn. The village forms part of the Thornton Watlass Estate, and Thornton Watlass Hall, an ancient two-storey gabled stone house, lies just to the north of the village.