Gunnerside

For the military operation against the Nazi nuclear weapon project, see Operation Gunnerside.

Gunnerside
A high level view of a small village set in a low green valley, with moorland beyond
Gunnerside from the south side of the valley
Gunnerside is located in North Yorkshire
Gunnerside
Gunnerside
Location within North Yorkshire
OS grid referenceSD951982
• London210 mi (340 km) SE
Civil parish
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDARLINGTON
Postcode districtDL11
Dialling code01748
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°22′44″N 2°04′34″W / 54.379°N 2.076°W / 54.379; -2.076

Gunnerside is a village in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated in Swaledale, on the B6270 road, 3 miles (5 km) east of Muker and 6 miles (10 km) west of Grinton.[1][2] The village lies between the River Swale and its tributary, Gunnerside Beck, and is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

History

The name of the village derives from an Old Norse personal name Gunnar and sætr meaning hill or pasture.[3][4]

Gunnerside Ghyll (or Gunnerside Gill), a smaller valley running northwards, at right angles to the Swale valley (Swaledale), was the site of a major lead mining industry in Swaledale from the 17th century[5] to the late 19th century.[6] The beck that runs through the narrow valley, also called Gunnerside Gill, or Gunnerside Beck, rises between Rogan's Seat and Water Crag,[7] and runs for 5 miles (8 km) emptying into the River Swale at the site of Gunnerside New Bridge.[8] The bridge carries the B6270 over the River Swale south of the village; it was rebuilt several times during the 19th century due to flooding.[9] The current structure dates from around 1892 and is now grade II listed.[10]

The area attracts many ramblers who use the foot tracks for exploring the area. Some decide to visit The Old Working Smithy & Museum, established in 1795, for a modest admission fee.[11][12] The site contains historic items.

Gunnerside is served by a Methodist Chapel, a part-time post office, a weekly market, a restaurant and some shops selling food items. [13] The chapel was founded in 1789, but rebuilt in 1866.[14] The structure is now grade II listed.[15] A private building to the north of the crossroads in the village was the site of a Medieval corn mill, and in the early 20th century, a bus garage.[16] At the foot of Gunnerside Ghyll is the Kings Head public house.

The village primary school is one of two sites of the Reeth and Gunnerside Schools.[17] At the last Ofsted inspection in 2023, the primary school was rated as Good.[18]

Local employment centres on tourism,[19] clockmaking, hill farming, gamekeeping and construction, the latter concerned chiefly with the maintenance of traditional stone-built field walls, houses and field barns. The latter, also known as laithes, are typically referred to as "cow'uses" or cow houses in Swaledale.[20]

Notable people

  • Stone barns in the meadows near Gunnerside New Bridge
    Stone barns in the meadows near Gunnerside New Bridge
  • Methodist Chapel
    Methodist Chapel
  • Approaching Gunnerside
    Approaching Gunnerside

See also

References

  1. ^ "Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Gunnerside". visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Genuki: In 1822, the following places were in the Parish of Grinton:, Yorkshire (North Riding)". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. ^ Fleming, Andrew (1999). "3;Small-scale communities and the landscape of Swaledale". In Ucko, Peter; Layton, Robert (eds.). The archaeology and anthropology of landscape : shaping your landscape (1 ed.). London: Routledge. p. 69. ISBN 9780415117678.
  4. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 399. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  5. ^ "Gunnerside". The Express. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Gunnerside Gill lead mines". www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  7. ^ Speight 1897, p. 265.
  8. ^ "Gunnerside Gill from Source to River Swale". environment.data.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  9. ^ Speight 1897, p. 253.
  10. ^ Historic England. "Gunnerside New Bridge (Grade II) (1179749)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  11. ^ "The Old Working Smithy & Museum - Gunnerside". The Old Working Smithy. 1 June 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Gunnerside". Dales Discoveries. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Local Food Shops and Producers near Gunnerside, North Yorkshire". Big Barn. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Parishes: Grinton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  15. ^ Historic England. "Methodist Chapel (Grade II) (1130790)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Gunnerside corn mill". www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  17. ^ Philby, Charlotte (19 September 2009). "The lost villages of Britain: Can our rural communities survive in the 21st century?". The Independent. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  18. ^ "Gunnerside Methodist Primary School URN: 121542". reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Why You Should Visit Swaledale". Living North. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Field barns and cow'uses". Dales Discoveries. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2023. Barns were used as a combination of cattle housing and fodder storage
  21. ^ Brown, Douglas. "Close, John [called Poet Close]". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/5704. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  22. ^ "Knut Haugland". The Telegraph. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 9 October 2017.

Sources

  • Speight, Harry (1897). Romantic Richmondshire: Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valleys of the Swale and Yore. London: E Stock. OCLC 252008733.
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