Grinton

Grinton

Grinton Bridge across the River Swale
Grinton
Grinton shown within North Yorkshire
Population 200 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference SE046983
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town RICHMOND
Postcode district DL11
Police North Yorkshire
Fire North Yorkshire
Ambulance Yorkshire
EU Parliament Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament

Grinton is a small village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales, in the Richmondshire district of 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]

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.[5] 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.[6]

Fragments of the old Norman church remain, including the font and the tower arch, which dates from the late 12th century.[7] 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.[8] It was featured in the British television series All Creatures Great and Small, in the episode "Brotherly Love".[9]

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.[10]

Blackburn Hall, between the churchyard and the river, dates from 1635.[7]

The Bridge Inn is popular with walkers and is a venue for weekly folk music sessions, normally held on Thursday evenings.[8]

Above the village, on the Leyburn road is YHA Grinton Lodge, a former shooting lodge which is now a youth hostel.[11]

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". Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  5. ↑ Gunnerside archives website, accessed 2008-11-14
  6. ↑ The Corpse Way leaflet Archived 23 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. 1 2 Pevsner, Nikolaus, The Buildings of England – Yorkshire: The North Riding, Penguin (1978 edition) pp175–176 ISBN 0-14-071029-9
  8. 1 2 Swaledale Festival website, accessed 2008-11-14
  9. ↑ "St Andrew’s Church, Grinton, N Yorks, UK – All Creatures Great & Small, Brotherly Love (1990)" - Waymarking.com
  10. ↑ 2 Dales website, accessed 2008-11-14
  11. ↑ "YHA Grinton Lodge". YHA. 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
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