Church of St Chad, Middlesmoor

The Church of St Chad is a grade II listed structure in the village of Middlesmoor, in Upper Nidderdale, North Yorkshire, England. The church was built in 1866 to replace an earlier chapel on the site, and prior to a burial ground being consecrated, funerals and burials had to take place at Kirkby Malzeard, under which ecclesiastical parish the church fell under. The church is located on high ground (about 920 feet (280 m) above sea level) between the valleys of the River Nidd and How Stean Gorge; its elevated position means it looks over the valley southwards, and is sometimes declared as having one of the best views from any church in England. The church's dedication to St Chad is due to the presence of a stone cross (now on display in the church) which was said to have been carved by St Chad himself.

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Middlesmoor

Middlesmoor is a small hill village at the head of Nidderdale in the county of North Yorkshire, England. Middlesmoor is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Stonebeck Up, historically a township in the ancient parish of Kirkby Malzeard. Until 1974 it was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harrogate. It is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.

How Stean Gorge

How Stean Gorge is a limestone gorge in Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, England. It forms a unit of the Upper Nidderdale Site of Special Scientific Interest. The gorge lies between the villages of Stean and Lofthouse and extends for about a kilometre along the course of How Stean Beck, a tributary of the River Nidd. The limestone here is an inlier in the millstone grit, which prevails on the surface in Nidderdale. It is a subaerial gorge, some 15 to 20 metres deep, to which a series of vadose caves drain, a reversal of the usual pattern of underwater capture in a karst landscape. One of the side caves, Tom Taylor's Cave, is said to be named after a local highwayman who sought refuge there. It leads from the north side of the gorge and emerges in a nearby field. The gorge and Tom Taylor's Cave have been operated as a tourist attraction since the 19th century. The attraction now offers gorge walks and access to the cave, and also canyoning and a via ferrata.

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Stean

Stean is a small village in upper Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) north of Pateley Bridge. The village is located on Stean Beck, a tributary of the River Nidd. Below Stean the beck flows through How Stean Gorge which includes a cave named after Tom Taylor, a highwayman who is rumoured to have hidden there.

Lofthouse, North Yorkshire

Lofthouse is a small village in Nidderdale in the county of North Yorkshire, England about a mile south of Middlesmoor. It is the principal settlement in the civil parish of Fountains Earth. Until 1974 it was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Borough of Harrogate, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. Lofthouse has a primary school, memorial village hall and public house, the Crown Hotel. The post office in the village closed in August 2014, and was replaced by a post office in the cafe at nearby How Stean Gorge, also now closed. The toponym is from the Old Norse lopt hús, meaning "houses with lofts". The Nidderdale Caves lie just north of the village. The River Nidd runs underground through the caves and emerges at Nidd Heads, just south of the village. The normally dry surface bed of the river passes the village to the west. Between 1907 and 1929 Lofthouse had a railway station, the public passenger terminus of the Nidd Valley Light Railway. The station was named Lofthouse-in-Nidderdale railway station to avoid confusion with Lofthouse and Outwood railway station, also in the West Riding of Yorkshire.