Grassington Cupola Smelt Mill

July/September 2005

Grassington; although well known for it's great natural beauty and quaint village life, has a past. I searched the northern moors and found a mine of information.

The gritstone uplands above Grassington and Hebden were far less productive agriculturally, but what was lacking in farming, they made up for this with the discovery of lead ore.

There was lead working at nearby Greenhow from Roman times and Grassington Moor has a long history of lead mining with records dating back to the 15th Century at a time when the monks of Fountains Abbey worked a smelt mill.

The medieval monastic estates secured their share, but the industry really took off in the 18th and 19th centuries when large numbers of people were employed in the mines, smelt mills and dressing floors at Yarnbury and on Grassington Moor.

The mineral rights here were held by the Duke of Devonshire, and he provided the capital investment that allowed the mines to flourish. He built a large smelt mill and provided vital drainage systems for the deep mines.

Other 18th and 19th century businessmen invested in cotton mills in the villages of Lower Wharfedale employing at times even more people than worked in the lead mines. Villages close to industrial towns like Skipton became even more industrialised themselves.

Embsay for instance had several cotton mills one of which became a large tannery in the early 20th century. The high rainfall on the hills has been harnessed by industrial towns even further south such as Bradford who had reservoirs built on Barden Moor in the late 19th century.

By the time the railway arrived at Threshfield in 1909 the lead industry had finished and nearly all the cotton mills were in terminal decline. Instead, the railway brought the economic benefit of both commuters and tourists. Grassington and the whole of Lower Wharfedale became a much loved holiday destination with special facilities being provided in every village.

The 20th century also saw new homes built for the wealthy eager to live in such a picturesque setting, Parcevall Hall and its gardens are an outstanding example. With more and more people wanting to live in the area, house prices are now far beyond the means of the local population and there is constant development pressure on land and farm buildings in villages.

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When visiting an orefield there are plenty of viewing points all carefully mapped out to make an interesting day out.

Here at Grassington, besides the sites already mentioned you will be able to view such things as Beever Reservoir, Cupola Smelt Mill and High Winding Dam and the chimney.

For a number of years the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have been carrying out recording and consolidation works to the structure supported by grants from English Heritage,

The Royal Commission on the historical monuments of England, together with English Heritage and the county and national park authorities, have since 1989 undertaken a major survey of archaeological sites throughout the dales. English Heritage is also currently carrying out a national survey of the remains of the lead mining industry which will lead to proposals for scheduling and listing an appropriate sample of nationally important remains. This is one of a number of surveys of the physical remains of the late 18th, 19th and 20th century industrial processes undertaken as part of the monuments protection programme which aims to evaluate all known archaeological remains in England.

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Further information can be seen at:-
Out of Oblivion

Location :-
Take the Main Street in Grassington up the left hand side of the market place. At the cross roads by the Town Hall go straight ahead and follow Moor Lane. After about 2km the tarmaced road ends at Yarnbury. There is limited parking.
There is a large board showing the Grassington Lead Mining Trail. Go through the gate by the board on the right of the road. The Cupola smelt mill is Number 12 on the trail. Follow the main track (Duke's New Road), after 500m the track forks, take the main left fork left, and go over the ladder stile by the gate. After a further 700m just before a gate take a grassy right fork and cross the wall using the ladder stile. The smelt mill is in front of you.

Public Transport Details
Nearest town/village: Grassington. Call Traveline on 0870 608 2 608 to plan your journey. After the welcome message key in 885 for North Yorkshire information.

Accessibility
Track is uneven and rough in places with some slopes. Ladder stiles and gates.

Recommended Reading:
Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales by John Morrison ISBN 185568 138 2 published by the Dalesman Publishing Company (1998).

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Page and pictures by CragFace.

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Links

Lead Mining in the Yorkshire Dales

Diagram & Information

Smelting