Grinton

Grinton
Grinton Bridge across the River Swale
Grinton is located in North Yorkshire
Grinton
Grinton
Location within North Yorkshire
Population200 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid referenceSE046983
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townRICHMOND
Postcode districtDL11
PoliceNorth Yorkshire
FireNorth Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
54°22′51″N 1°55′47″W / 54.38094°N 1.92974°W / 54.38094; -1.92974

Grinton is a small village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. Close to Reeth and Fremington, it lies 9 miles (15 km) west of Richmond on the B6270 road.[2][3]

On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village.[4] The route would have been repeated, if not for the changing of the route due to high rainfall, in the Men's road race in the 2019 UCI World Championships[5] going through the climb Grinton moor, which lasted for 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) at an average gradient of 7%.[6]

St Andrew's church

Often called "The Cathedral of the Dales", Grinton church is dedicated to St Andrew and was for centuries the main church for the whole of upper Swaledale, with many burials coming from miles away.[7] The bodies were carried as much as 16 miles down the valley along the footpath from Keld, now known as the Corpse Way or corpse road, in wicker coffins. Several long stones, located at intervals along the path, traditionally called "coffin stones", are said to be where the coffin would have been set down while the pallbearers rested.[8]

Fragments of the old Norman church remain, including the font and the tower arch, which dates from the late 12th century.[9] Other parts of the building date from the late 13th or early 14th century, and the pulpit is Jacobean, but St Andrew's is now mainly a 15th-century rebuild.

The church is often used as a venue for concerts during the Swaledale Festival and at other times.[10] It was featured in the British television series All Creatures Great and Small, in the episode "Brotherly Love".[11]

Other notable features

The stone bridge across the River Swale was widened in the 18th century. The river is reputedly the fastest-flowing in England, and Grinton is the first point above Richmond where it could normally be forded.[12]

Blackburn Hall, between the churchyard and the river, dates from 1635.[9]

The Bridge Inn is popular with walkers and is a venue for weekly folk music sessions, normally held on Thursday evenings.[10]

Above the village, on the Leyburn road is YHA Grinton Lodge, a former shooting lodge which is now a youth hostel.[13] Further on from the youth hostel, just off the road, is the site of Grinton Smelt Mill, a lead processing site built in the 19th century.[14]

References

  1. ^ UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Grinton Parish (1170217151)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  2. ^ "OL30" (Map). Yorkshire Dales - Northern & Central Area. 1;25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 9780319263358.
  3. ^ "304" (Map). Darlington & Richmond. 1;25,000. Explorer. Ordnance Survey. 2015. ISBN 9780319245569.
  4. ^ "Tour de France Stage 1". Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. ^ "2019 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race". Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Grinton moor climb, North Yorkshire". Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Gunnerside archives website". Retrieved 14 November 2008.
  8. ^ "The Corpse Way leaflet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2006.
  9. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England – Yorkshire: The North Riding, Penguin (1978 edition) pp175–176 ISBN 0-14-071029-9
  10. ^ a b "Swaledale Festival website". Retrieved 14 November 2008.
  11. ^ "St Andrew's Church, Grinton, N Yorks, UK – All Creatures Great & Small, Brotherly Love (1990)". Waymarking.com.
  12. ^ "2 Dales website". Retrieved 14 November 2008.
  13. ^ "YHA Grinton Lodge". YHA. 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Out of Oblivion: A landscape through time". www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2019.