The Gateway Walk

These pages were contributed my Malcolm Hanson, who runs the Skipton Experience guided walks

Part 7

We move on now, leaving the churchyard by the west gate, pausing for a second or two to view the 'loveheart' set into the headstone laid immediately to the right of the steep steps. From here we move into what is believed to be the oldest parts of Skipton - the Mill Bridge and Chapel Hill areas.

Mill Bridge

Across the road is a white building housing the Cottage Gallery, which is thought to be the oldest residence in Skipton. A dwelling appears here on ancient maps which would seem to date it back to the 14th century. If this should indeed be the original building, then it is almost as old as the church and the castle. Next door is Amy Egan's, which one can immediately see has a larger than normal entrance. This is because the building once housed Skipton's first Fire Brigade, back in those days when the engines were horse drawn - in fact, the wooden shutters on either side of the glass doorway are said to be the originals. There was also another brigade beyond Mill Bridge, at the bottom of Chapel Hill, and perhaps the two rivals held races to see who could reach the fire first. The Fire Service has come a long way since then; nevertheless there is a very comical story that relates to a situation that took place in 1973, when Skipton had opened new headquarters on Broughton Road. Reportedly, on one of the first call-outs the crew wrote off a brand new fire engine when crossing a hump-backed bridge at Threshfield. If this is so, then one wonders if at the time the fire chief might have thought of in future stabling a few horses 'out back' - just in case!

If at this point you are feeling 'peckish', make sure you call in
to Stanforth's 'celebrated pork-pie shop' opposite. There are claims they make the best pies in the country - but then, award-winning pies can be found on both the High Street and Otley Street. Please don't ask me to comment on who I think make the best pies because I haven't a clue; but as long as they all go on making 'em, I'll go on eating 'em!

Springs Branch Canal

We join the canal here, and can do this by ascending steps on either side of the bridge. Whichever, we turn north to follow the path that will take us around the back of Skipton Castle. This is the most scenic part of the Gateway Walk, as the pathway is elevated above and between the canal on the right-hand side, and Eller Beck on the left-hand side.

As we traverse the path we can now see to our right the famous 'Sceaptone Rock' of Robert DeRomille reference. It rises from the canal towering to a point 100 feet above us, upon which perches the awesome north-facing battlements of the mostly Clifford-constructed castle of the early 1300's. Next to this is the longer, and less daunting spectacle of the Tudor wing, built in 1535 for Lady Eleanor Brandon, niece to Henry VIII, by her husband, Henry, 2nd Earl of Cumberland. The contrast is at once prominent, yet many people will view the two edifices without ever realising the difference!

At the north-east end of the castle there appears to be large buttressed walls dropping steeply down to the canal 100 feet below. On first sight one might be forgiven for thinking these are battlements, but they are not, since they were built much later than the castle. These buttresses in fact housed metal chutes that connected the Haw Bank Quarry railway with the canal. This was the reason for the building of this stretch of canal - known as the Springs Branch. The story goes that in the early part of the 1700's, when the canal age was beginning to take a hold, the then Lord of Skipton Castle, the earl of Thanet, was so against the idea of a canal in the area (in effect breaking his monopoly on the surrounding lands), that he spent many years opposing the proposal. Still, in the end the canal supporters won the day, and in 1773, the Skipton branch of the Leeds-Liverpool canal was duly opened; and on that day there was much rejoicing by the locals, who could see the benefits of having a waterway that would open the town to new industries and new prosperity.

The next earl was quick to seize on these possibilities by applying to parliament to build his own stretch of waterway connecting the castle's moat with the canal basin in the centre of the town. An Act was duly passed and work began on driving the 'Springs Branch' the 1/4 mile north to the castle. This new canal would facilitate the earl's private railway that brought limestone from his quarries at Haw Bank, thereby increasing production targets and speeding up despatches. The chutes were built so that the limestone could be tipped down from the railway into the waiting barges below. However, it appears that after a short time the earl's business was doing such a 'roaring trade' that his barges were jamming up the flow of traffic at the canal basin, and so to ease the problem the owners of the Leeds-Liverpool were obliged to buy him out. One can imagine how a very canny earl - who was always said to make money out of whatever he turned his hand to - must have rubbed his hands in glee at the prospect of how much profit the sale of his private canal, railway, and quarry might bring him - and at what one can only assume would be sold at a vastly inflated rate! Look carefully into the undergrowth above the site of the canal's loading bay and you will see the remains of one of the metal chutes. This is, however, from a later railway constructed just 20 feet above the canal and built to cut out the din of failing limestone.

High Mill

The pathway takes us over the Eller Beck by a footbridge, and then through a gap in the wall and on to the lane that goes in one direction to Chapel Hill (on our left) or High Mill (on our right).

This is a particularly beautiful corner of Skipton; away from the hustle and bustle of the High Street, and a stone's throw from the beginning of Castle Woods. The building to our right once produced cotton yarns, and was known as High Mill; built for the 7th Earl of Thanet in 1785. The mill had a history of problems to do with patents, and was also the scene of trouble in 1842, when Skipton was visited by 3000 rioters in what become known as 'The Plug Drawing Riots'. Disgruntled mill-workers from Lancashire descended on the town, visiting all the mills and pulling out the plugs from beneath the boilers. This had the effect of closing down production, and it is said that the then owner, Mr John Sidgwick, was obliged to hand over a considerable sum of money before the rioters would depart.

Chapel Hill

As we turn left along the lane, we can now see to our left an excellent view of both sections of the castle. We also look down on mill ponds that once served High Corn Mill, situated close to Mill Bridge. A little further on, as we leave behind the woods, we descend Chapel Hill, passing the Wesleyan Chapel - built in 1791 and rebuilt in 1821. To our right are open fields that lead up to Battery Hill, where once our old friends the Parliamentarians revelled in playing the pastime of 'potshooting the tower'.

At the bottom of Chapel Hill, should we look to our right we will see a plaque on the corner of the building that houses 'Vogue'. It marks the spot where John Wesley preached in the town. Apparently he was due to speak in the High Street but since it was raining he popped around the corner to his friend's house, John Garforth, and, one assumes, gave a sermon from the sheltered aspect of his doorway. An interesting footnote to this is that in 1727, although it was not to be, Wesley had considered taking up a position at Ermysted's Grammer School, since he felt somewhat attracted to this 'frightful town' as he then described it!

Just before we move on, take a quick peek at the cobbled section of road that passes between this house and Napier's restaurant to the right. This is said to be the oldest section of track way in Skipton, predating the original cobbled Raikes Road section that is situated on the far side of the main road next to the Royal Oak. It is worth comparing the two.

Towards Coach Street Bridge

From here we cross to the left-hand side of Water Street, taking great care to observe the 'pedestrian code' since traffic converges here from all directions. To our left is Eller Beck and Springs Canal, and just ahead we see a gap in the wall with steps leading down to the footbridge that allows us to cross the beck and rejoin the canal towpath.

After crossing the footbridge, we turn right ready to proceed on the last section of the Gateway Walk; but before we do, take a quick look north to Mill Bridge and observe the curious red-brick overhang jutting out from the west-end elevation of Amy Egan's. The function of this building has been lost in the mists of time, though lan Lockwood, in his excellent book Skipton 2000 - The Millennium Walk believes it to have been a toilet - with all the waste literally dropping into the canal! Imagine some poor bare-headed barge-man, merrily chugging along the waterway on a bright sunny morning, when, while passing underneath this quaint overhang suddenly descends ... well, I leave it to your imagination!

Once more we walk between the two waterways that make their way through the centre of Skipton; one that slowly and stately connects with the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and the other that bubbles and babbles merrily along to join the River Aire a half-mile south of the town.

From here we have an enchanting view of the streets on the
opposite side of the canal, all of which have been renovated or restored over the years, and are a far cry from the time 150 years ago when they were classed by Sir William Ranger, England's Supreme Board of Health inspector, as 'among some of the worst hovels in the country.' The housing situation at that time was something of a disgrace since previous monopolist lords Thanet forbade the building of new housing to cater for the ever-increasing population; this meant that all were forced to somehow live within the confines of the streets and ginnels leading off the High Street: 4000-plus souls packed into an area that accommodated perhaps no more than a dozen streets.

Once upon a day, the 'Guytrash' was reputed to roam the ginnels around these parts, and those of a more superstitious nature often did not dare venture out after dark. Guytrash was a spectral hound - akin to 'Gabriel's Ratchets' - which took the form of a large shaggy dog with webbed feet. It walked with a 'splashing sound - or the 'trash' sound of old fashioned boots' - hence its name. The local term for a pack of these spectral hounds was 'Gabbleratchets', since they were said to make a gabbling sound as they chased across the sky. I have passed this way many times and did once see a rather fierce looking shaggy dog, but I think I'd probably be called an 'April noddy' if 1 claimed it to be anything other than someone's wayward pet. If you are not acquainted with local customs, you must no doubt be wondering what an 'April noddy' is. Well, I'm sure you'll have been one in your time - April fool!

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