|
|
|
|
Affairs of state have largely passed Nidderdale by. Knaresborough, lower down the Nidd and Middleham to the north, were royal castles, respectively associated with King John and Richard III. Oliver Cromwell stayed at Ripley Castle after the Battle of Marston Moor. The Yorke family have been prominent in the valley for centuries, but typically the history of the valley is concerned with that of the farmer, miner and factory worker.
However, we must not forget the monk; the abbeys of Byland and Fountains were major landowners and the early farming landscape was dominated by their granges. Indeed, Fountains Abbey, although outside the catchment of the Nidd is inside the Nidderdale AONB.
Lead mining has taken place on the hills above Pately Bridge for thousands of years, in Roman times worked by slave labour following the defeat of the Brigantes in battle. In a valley dominated by agriculture and production for the home, the beginning of the nineteenth century saw the factory system come to Nidderdale, following inventions in Leeds which allowed the mechanisation of flax spinning, powered by water. The earlier pattern of settlement was characterised by isolated farms and small hamlets, but the villages of Glasshouses and Summerbridge owe their existance to the mills.
The signs of quarrying may be found up and down the valley, Scotgate Ash quarry provided fine sandstone for The National Gallery in London and the surviving quarry at Coldstones provides limestone for road building. Commercial interests in Pately Bridge pressed for the construction of a rail link, which was built in 1862 and closed in 1964.
A further lease of life was given to quarrying and rail transport in the valley with the construction, during the last two centuries, of the major series of dams in the Washburn valley and above Pateley Bridge, built to provide water for the industrial conurbations of Leeds and Bradford to the south. The railway was extended to Scar, to serve a substantial village built to house the construction workers.
| Nidderdale - The Monastic Connection |
An exploration of the links with the Cistercian Abbeys of Fountains and Byland. |
| The Religious Buildings of Nidderdale | An ongoing study of the chapels and churches of Nidderdale, with photographs and brief histories of each. |
| The Textile Industry in Nidderdale | A collection of articles on the local textile industry. |
A collection of articles on the local lead mining industry. |
|
| Limestone Industry | Although only a few areas of Nidderdale features limestone geology, they are significant for the landscape and for the industries which they support - tourism, quarrying and mining. |
| Scot Gate Ash Quarry | Situated above Pateley Bridge and connected to the railway station by an inclined plane railway, the quarry was an important business in the last quarter of the 19th. century and the beginning of the 20th. |
| The Reservoir System in the Upper Valley of the Nidd |
The story of the development of Nidderdale's water resources by the City of Bradford and Yorkshire Water |
Nidderdale has celebrated many royal occasions over the years. In 1915, George V paid a visit. Photographs and stories about these royal occasions for publication on the site would be appreciated. |
|
| Advertisements | The advertisements found in books, brochures, travel guides and so on, tell us much about their period. So antiquated do they seem, even when not very old, that they easily amuse us. Perhaps we should reflect that the marketing that appeals to us now, advertising the very latest in fashion and technology, will seem just as 'quaint' to our grand children. |
| Hartwith Heritage Group | A group formed to explore the landscape and history of Hartwith Parish. |
| Pre-Twentieth Century Timeline | Twentieth Century Timeline |