Clapham, North Yorkshire

Clapham
Clapham
	A view in Clapham village
	Clapham Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid reference	SD745694
• London	213 mi (343 km) south-east
Civil parish	Clapham cum Newby ;
Unitary authority	North Yorkshire ;
Ceremonial county	North Yorkshire ;
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LANCASTER
Postcode district	LA2
Dialling code	015242
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
UK Parliament	Skipton and Ripon ;
	List of places UK England Yorkshire 54°07′02″N2°23′31″W / 54.11722°N 2.39194°W

Last updated June 10, 2024 • 4 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Clapham is a village in the civil parish of Clapham cum Newby in the former Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. It was previously in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 6 miles (10 km) north-west of Settle, and just off the A65 road.

History

The church of St James in Clapham was founded in Norman times, and originally dedicated to St Michael. It is mentioned in records dating back to 1160. The village and church were burned during a Scottish raid following the Battle of Bannockburn in the early 14th century. The church tower was probably erected following this incident, but the rest of the church dates from the 19th century.

In the 14th century John de Clapham, who took his surname from the village, was a supporter of the Earl of Warwick and lived at Clapdale Castle.^[1] His descendants took part in the Wars of the Roses ^[2] on the side of the House of Lancaster.^[3]

Since the 18th century Clapham has been home to the Farrer family who established their Ingleborough estate. The family owns, and is responsible for, much of the land, walls, woods, fields and moors of the village, surrounding countryside and farms. Perhaps the most famous member of the family was Reginald Farrer (1880–1920) who was a traveler and plant collector – the "father of rock gardening" – and was responsible for laying out much of the estate's gardens and landscape features.

Electricity has been generated on the Ingleborough estate since 1893. There is an operating water turbine-powered generator at the top of the village next to the waterfall. It was installed in 1948. Originally it supplied the church, Ingleborough Hall, Home Farm and 13 street lights. The old sawmill building, which has recently been converted into a cafe, contains a further turbine which has been preserved, in-situ, as an exhibit.

In August 1947 the Trow Ghyll skeleton was discovered in a cave above the village.

Geography

Clapham is situated at the base of Ingleborough mountain, one of Yorkshire's "Three Peaks" – Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent – and is a starting point for its ascent.

Running through the village is Clapham Beck, fed from Fell Beck which starts on the slopes of Ingleborough and sinks into Gaping Gill, England's highest waterfall, where Fell Beck drops 110 metres vertically into a pothole, and exits via Ingleborough Cave into Clapham Beck. The beck feeds into the River Lune via the River Wenning. The beck is crossed by four bridges in the village (two footbridges: Brokken Bridge and Mafeking Bridge, and two road bridges).

Above the village is a man-made lake built and expanded in the 19th century. This provided pressure for the water turbines and the drinking water supply, while the outflow fed an artificial waterfall at the top of the village.

Clapham lies on the Craven Fault zone, a complex geological fault which marks the division of the sandstone rocks of the Bowland area and the limestone of the Ingleborough area. However, the valley of Clapham Beck has cut through the limestone and into the underlying Ordovician basement rocks which produce soils that are acid, not alkaline like those on the limestone. This is beneficial to the many species of rhododendron planted along Clapdale and which would suffer in alkaline soils.

Local businesses and amenities

The village contains a village hall, the New Inn public house, a community-run shop, a small number of businesses, guest houses, and Ingleborough Hall outdoor education centre. Clapham used to have a CofE Primary School which closed in July 2020.

From 1939 until 2000 The Dalesman magazine was based in the village.

The car park is run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with fees going directly to it.

Ingleborough Cave is a show cave open to the public, accessed through the grounds of the Ingleborough Estate. Beyond the show cave a path continues through the gorge of Trow Gill to the well-known vertical pothole Gaping Gill. Local caving clubs set up a winch down Gaping Gill during the Spring and August bank holidays, when it is open to the public.

The Cave Rescue Organisation, which serves people and animals above and below ground across a wide area of the Dales, is based in the village.

The village is served by Clapham railway station which is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of the village.

Notable people

The notable botanist Reginald Farrer (1880–1920)^[4] was brought up in Clapham. He collected many species of rhododendrons, shrubs and alpines in China, Tibet and Upper Burma between 1914 and 1920. Many of these were planted on the estate by Farrer. In some places he fired seeds at cliff faces from a shotgun, to give a 'natural' spread to his rock plants.^[5] In 2015 Historic England commissioned a measured survey and analytical assessment of the fabric, layout and history of Farrer's Clapham garden to inform the future repair and management of the site.^[6]

Notes

↑ "DOWBIGGIN". Dowbiggin Family History Society. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
↑ "Elmet Tour II "A Thousand Miles In Wharfedale" by Edmund Bogg 1892". Dowbiggin Family History Society. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
↑ "Notes on The Poem of the White Doe of Rylstone". James M. Garrett. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
↑ "Farrer, Reginald 1880–1920". Ohio State University. 2002. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.
↑ "Inside Out – THE SHOTGUN GARDENER". BBC. 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
↑ Pullen, R. (2016). "Reginald Farrer's Rock Garden, Clapham, North Yorkshire: Analytical Survey and Assessment. Historic England Research Report 7/2016". research.historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

Related Research Articles

The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or dales, in the Pennines, an upland range in England. They are mostly located in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into Cumbria and Lancashire; they were historically entirely within Yorkshire. The majority of the dales are within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, created in 1954. The exception is the area around Nidderdale, which forms the separate Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The mountains of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent are collectively known as the Three Peaks. The peaks, which form part of the Pennine range, encircle the head of the valley of the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the North of England.

Ingleborough is the second-highest mountain in the Yorkshire Dales, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and is frequently climbed as part of the Three Peaks walk. A large part of Ingleborough is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve and is the home of a new joint project, Wild Ingleborough, with aims to improve the landscape for wildlife and people.

Gaping Gill is a natural cave in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the unmistakable landmarks on the southern slopes of Ingleborough – a 98-metre (322 ft) deep pothole with the stream Fell Beck flowing into it. After falling through one of the largest known underground chambers in Britain, the water disappears into the bouldery floor and eventually resurges adjacent to Ingleborough Cave.

Cautley Spout is England's highest (cascade) waterfall above ground.. The broken cascade of falls tumbles a total of 650 feet down a cliff face at the head of a wild and bleak glacial valley that comes down from a high plateau called The Calf. It is located in the Howgill Fells, traditionally in the West Riding of Yorkshire but now in the administrative county of Cumbria on the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The waterfall is just north of Sedbergh. This fall is one of the few cascade falls in England; most are either tiered or plunge falls.

Ingleton is a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The village is 17 miles (27 km) from Kendal and 17 miles (27 km) from Lancaster on the western side of the Pennines. It is 9 miles (14 km) from Settle. The River Doe and the River Twiss meet to form the source of the River Greta, a tributary of the River Lune. The village is on the A65 road and at the head of the A687. The B6255 takes the south bank of the River Doe to Ribblehead and Hawes. All that remains of the railway in the village is the landmark Ingleton Viaduct. Arthur Conan Doyle was a regular visitor to the area and was married locally, as his mother lived at Masongill from 1882 to 1917. It has been claimed that there is evidence that the inspiration for the name Sherlock Holmes came from here.

Reginald John Farrer, was a traveller and plant collector. He published a number of books, although is best known for My Rock Garden. He travelled to Asia in search of a variety of plants, many of which he brought back to England and planted near his home village of Clapham, North Yorkshire.

Ingleborough Cave is a show cave close to the village of Clapham in North Yorkshire, England, adjacent to where the water from Gaping Gill resurges.

Fell Beck is a stream near the foot of Ingleborough, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is notable for running into Gaping Gill, the second-largest natural cave shaft in the UK. As it falls down the shaft for 110 metres it is the tallest unbroken waterfall in the UK. At times it is blocked off by a temporary dam to allow members of the public to descend the Gaping Gill shaft on a winch.

Bar Pot is one of the entrances to the Gaping Gill cave system being located about 340 metres (370 yd) south of Gaping Gill Main Shaft, on Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales. It is a popular entrance into the system, being one of the easiest, driest, and having just two vertical pitches to contend with. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Disappointment Pot is one of the entrances to the Gaping Gill cave system, located in a steep grassy shakehole some 120 metres (130 yd) south-east of Gaping Gill Main Shaft. Its mainly narrow stream passage descends a number of small shafts to enter the main system as a major inlet of Hensler's Master Cave. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Stream Passage Pot is one of the entrances to the Gaping Gill system being located about 320 metres (350 yd) ESE of Gaping Gill Main Shaft. It is a popular and sporting entrance into the system, featuring three well-watered big shafts. It is the highest entrance of the Gaping Gill system, so the full depth of the system, 198 metres (650 ft), is measured from its entrance. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Flood Entrance Pot is one of the entrances to the Gaping Gill cave system located about 300 metres (330 yd) south of Gaping Gill Main Shaft. It was the first alternative entrance into the main system to be explored, and it is now a popular entrance into the system, with a fine 38-metre (125 ft) pitch landing in Gaping Gill's South-East Passage. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Rat Hole is one of the entrances to the Gaping Gill cave system, located in the north bank of Fell Beck 30 metres (33 yd) upstream of Gaping Gill Main Shaft. A small, awkward, tube-like passage descends into a stream passage, and hence to a 100-metre (330 ft) shaft into Gaping Gill Main Chamber. The sharp and loose nature of the rock, and the quantity of water prevented full exploration for over 80 years, but the current route is described in one guide book as "a technical and exhilarating adventure". It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Jib Tunnel, also known as Lateral Passage is one of the entrances into the Gaping Gill cave system, located behind a large boulder in the north bank of Fell Beck adjacent to Gaping Gill Main Shaft. Although short, it leads to Lateral Shaft, a direct descent into Gaping Gill Main Chamber which is a popular caving route, and has had considerable significance in the history of the exploration of Gaping Gill. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Skirwith Cave is a major resurgence solutional cave on Ingleborough in Chapel-le-Dale, North Yorkshire, England; it was a show cave between 1964 and 1974. It is no longer open to the public but is still visited by cavers. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Weathercote Cave is a natural solutional cave in Chapel-le-Dale, North Yorkshire, England. It has been renowned as a natural curiosity since the eighteenth century, and was accessible to paying visitors until 1971. The entrance is a large shaft about 20 metres (66 ft) deep, dominated by a waterfall entering at one end. It lies within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Crummackdale,, is a small valley north of the village of Austwick in the Craven District of North Yorkshire, England. The Valley is drained by Austwick Beck, which flows into the River Wenning, which in turn heads westwards to empty into the Irish Sea. Crummackdale is a narrow south west facing dale, at the south west corner of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Kin East Cave - Rift Pot System</span> Cave system in North Yorkshire, England

The Long Kin East Cave - Rift Pot system is a limestone cave system on the southern flanks of Ingleborough, North Yorkshire in England lying within the designated Ingleborough Site of Special Scientific Interest. Long Kin East Cave starts as a long meandering stream passage but then plummets down a 58-metre (190 ft) deep shaft when it meets a shattered fault into which Rift Pot also descends. At the bottom, the stream flows through some low canals and sumps, to eventually emerge at Austwick Beck Head in Crummackdale.

Chapel-le-Dale is west-facing valley in the Yorkshire Dales, England. The U-shaped valley of Chapel-le-Dale is one of the few which drain westwards towards the Irish Sea, however, the river that flows through the valley has several names with the Environment Agency and the Ordnance Survey listing it as the River Doe. However, some older texts insist the name of the watercourse through the dale is the River Greta, which runs from a point below the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, and onwards past Ingleton. The dale is sparsely populated with only one settlement, the hamlet of Chapel-le-Dale, which has a small chapel.

References

Clapham. Doorway to the Dales promotional leaflet, Clapham development Association

External links

Media related to Clapham, North Yorkshire at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] "DOWBIGGIN". Dowbiggin Family History Society. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. Retrieved 31 May 2007.

[2] "Elmet Tour II "A Thousand Miles In Wharfedale" by Edmund Bogg 1892". Dowbiggin Family History Society. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.

[3] "Notes on The Poem of the White Doe of Rylstone". James M. Garrett. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.

[4] "Farrer, Reginald 1880–1920". Ohio State University. 2002. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2007.

[5] "Inside Out – THE SHOTGUN GARDENER". BBC. 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2007.

[6] Pullen, R. (2016). "Reginald Farrer's Rock Garden, Clapham, North Yorkshire: Analytical Survey and Assessment. Historic England Research Report 7/2016". research.historicengland.org.uk. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.

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