West Stonesdale

West Stonesdale is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England. The secluded village is near Keld to the south, Tan Hill to the north and is both 10 miles (16 km) from Grinton (west north west) and Askrigg (north west). The small valley that cuts south from Tan Hill to West Stonesdale is also known as West Stonesdale (or West Stones Dale) and carries Stonesdale Beck 4 miles (7 km) south to the River Swale. A road heads north from the B6270 through West Stonesdale to Tan Hill. Where the road diverges from the B6270 is the site of Currack Force, a waterfall on Stonesdale Beck which drops 23 feet (7 m) before entering the Swale. West Stonesdale used to be in the ecclesiastical parish of Grinton, but now forms part of the civil parish of Muker. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. The Pennine Way is to the east of the hamlet on the far side of Stonesdale Beck. To the north, just before Startindale Gill becomes Stonedale Beck is West Stonesdale Lead Mine, which between 1850 and 1861 was operated by Christopher Lonsdale Bradley. The site of the mine and its associated workings are now listed as a scheduled monument. Coal was also mined above West Stonesdale, with Stonesdale Moor being dotted with former pit workings. Coal was mined as far back as 1384 and was transported to Richmond in the east. The coal was poor quality by comparison to other sources, but the industry was important enough in the area to warrant a turnpike road being built from Tan Hill down through Arkengarthdale.

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Wain Wath Force

Wain Wath Force is a waterfall on the River Swale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, England. The falls are at grid reference NY883015, 0.6 miles (1 km) upstream from the hamlet of Keld which has three other waterfalls in its vicinity (Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, and Catrake Force). The names of waterfalls in the north of England often contain "force" after the Old Norse word foss, which means "waterfall". Its name derives from the ford above the fall, wath being the Anglo-Saxon word for a ford. Wain may denote that it was passable for a cart or wain. Wain Wath Force is not a substantial waterfall: it has a drop of only around 1.5 metres as the river flows beneath the limestone cliffs of Cotterby Scar. Despite its modest height it is popular with visitors; the Coast to Coast long-distance footpath passes the falls on the north bank of the River Swale while the main motor road up Upper Swaledale passes on the south bank.

Keld, North Yorkshire

Keld is a village in the English county of North Yorkshire. It is in Swaledale, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The name derives from the Viking word Kelda meaning a spring and the village was once called Appletre Kelde – the spring near the apple trees. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Richmondshire, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. Keld is the crossing point of the Coast to Coast Walk and the Pennine Way long-distance footpaths at the head of Swaledale, and marks the end of the Swale Trail, a 20 km mountain bike trail which starts in Reeth. At the height of the lead-mining industry in Swaledale in the late 19th century, several notable buildings – now Grade II listed – were erected: they include the Congregational and Methodist chapels, the school and Keld Literary Institute. A tea room and small shop operate at Park Lodge from Easter to autumn. Out of season, local volunteers provide a self service café for visitors in the village’s Public Hall. Keld’s Youth Hostel closed in 2008 and has since reopened as Keld Lodge, a hotel with bar and restaurant. There is a series of four waterfalls close to Keld in a limestone gorge on the River Swale: Kisdon Force, East Gill Force, Catrake Force and Wain Wath Force.

Keld United Reformed Church

Keld United Reformed Church is a historic building in Keld, North Yorkshire, a village in England. John Leland recorded a chapel in Keld in 1540. It was disused by 1695, when it was walled up, and was in ruins by 1706. In 1789, the congregationalist Edward Stillman resolved to build a new church on the site, which was enlarged in about 1820. In 1861, the chapel was rebuilt and enlarged, at a cost of £306 10s. The chapel joined the Congregational Union of England and Wales, which later became part of the United Reformed Church. The building was grade II listed in 1986. In 2009, the Keld Resource Centre converted the attached manse into holiday accommodation. The chapel and manse are built of stone, with rusticated quoins, and a stone slate roof with stone copings. The chapel to the right has a single storey, and contains two round-arched sash windows. In the centre is a two-storey gabled porch with a round-arched gabled bellcote. The porch contains a round-arched doorway with a quoined surround, voussoirs and a moulded arris, above which is a sundial. Over this is a round-arched opening with a keystone, containing a window and an inscribed and dated panel. The manse has two storeys and two bays, and contains a round-arched doorway with a keystone and sash windows. In front, there is a low wall with saddleback coping and wrought iron railings. The gate piers to the manse have pointed caps, and those to the chapel have pyramidal caps. Inside the chapel is a west gallery, a recess with a reading desk, a carved minister's seat, a decorative case iron dais and two memorial slabs, one to Stillman.

Keld Old School Museum

The Keld Old School Museum is a museum in a historic building in Keld, North Yorkshire, a village in England. The school was built in 1847, on the initiative of James Wilkinson, minister at the Keld Congregational Church. It closed in the 1970s, and was used as a bunkhouse, then as a storeroom. The building was grade II listed in 1986. In 2022, it was restored by the Keld Resource Centre, and opened as a museum of life in Upper Swaledale. The building is constructed of stone, with quoins, and a stone slate roof with stone copings. There is a single storey and three bays. On the front is a projecting gabled porch with the entry in the right side. In the porch is a sash window, and the other windows are casements. On the left gable is a bellcote with heart-shaped openings, an inscription and the date 1847.