Malton is a very compact town and easy to explore on foot. The town is now bypassed by the A64 to the north. Yorkergate and Old Malton Gate were the main throughfare with Castlegate and Wheelgate leading to the other two gates in the town wall.
Old Malton Gate is lined with attractive stone and brick buildings. Just off it, down Church Hill is “St Leonard and St Mary Roman Catholic Church.”:http://www.malton-catholic.org/
which is on the edge of the centre and the edge of the town and near the site of the castle.
St Leonard’s Church was founded in 1190 as a chapel of ease for “St Mary’s Priory “:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/travel-product/attraction/209390 in Old Malton. The church was closed in 1969 and gifted to the Roman Catholic Church by the Anglican Diocese of York in 1971 as an expression of ecumenical goodwill. The Roman Catholics were looking for a larger building to replace their original chapel built in 1829. The Act of Unity in 1559 had made it illegal to practise the Catholic faith in England. This was one of the first chapels to be built once the law had changed to allow them to worship. St Leonard’s was the first English parish church to be returned to Roman Catholic use since the Reformation and is probably the oldest Roman Catholic church still in use in England. Its dedication was extended to include that of St Mary. It still retains its Norman interior and font. Unfortunately it was locked.
Although there is a large Asda by the station, Malton has avoided the blight of the chain stores and still has many small family run shops. Most of the “shops”:https://www.visitmalton.com/map-of-malton shops are found along Yorkergate, Walkergate and the Market Place.
The old Palace Theatre on Yorkergate, built in 1845, is now a shopping mall with a small cinema above.
Market street lined with C18th buildings.
The Shambles off the Market Place was originally where the butchers were found. It is now lined with small specialist shops from a traditional cobbler to antiques and DVDs.
“St Michael’s Church”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/travel-product/attraction/209402 dominates the centre of the Market Place. At the other end is the Old Town Hall, an attractive C18th stone built structure with open arcades. It ceased to be the town hall in 1974 and was leased to Malton Museum for a few years. It is now a restaurant.
The present “museum”:https://www.maltonmuseum.co.uk/ is in the old Assembly Rooms on Yorkergate which date from 1814.
The River Derwent marks the Boundary between Malton and near neighbour, Norton.
There are footpaths along the Derwent in both directions and there are details of a walk to Old Malton “here.”:https://www.slingsbyvillage.co.uk/downloads/walks/walk_jan_2020.pdf
Malton is now establishing itself on the tourist trail and is a pleasant place to spend a few hours. The tourist coaches are even beginning to stop here. “Eden Camp”:https://www.edencamp.co.uk/ and “Flamingo Land”:https://www.flamingoland.co.uk/ with its zoo and amusement park are close by.
