Glasshouses is a small village in

Nidderdale Nidderdale, historically also known as Netherdale, is one of the Yorkshire Dales (although outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park) in North Yorkshire, England. It is the upper valley of the River Nidd, which flows south underground and then ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. It lies south-east of

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the River Nidd. It is in the Yorkshire Dales and ...

on the east side of Nidderdale and has a recently rebuilt river bridge across the

River Nidd The River Nidd is a tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. In its first few miles it is dammed three times to create Angram Reservoir, Scar House Reservoir and Gouthwaite Reservoir, which attract a total of aroun ...

. In 2019 it had an estimated population of 536.

History

Records about Glasshouses stretch as far back as 1386 and the name of the village is believed to have derived from the

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

''Glas Hus'', which translates as the place where glass was made. Whilst there is no firm evidence of this, it was believed that glass for

Fountains Abbey Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...

was made here. In the 16th century, lead was mined to the west and transported to the hamlet of Wilsill (east of Glasshouses) for smelting and onward transportation. The old twine mill, on the banks of the Nidd, was constructed between 1812 and 1814. The mill was used to produce

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

, then

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...

and latterly, rope. Local rumour has it that the mill supplied rope to the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping company. Founded out of the remains of a defunct packet company, it gradually rose up to become one of the most prominent shipping lines in the world, providing passenger and cargo services between t ...

and most notably, Glasshouse rope was used on the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

''. When the railway was opened in the valley, it was used to transport coal into the millworks to provide additional power other than that made by the waterwheel. In 1830, a milldam was built on the northern bank of the River Nidd and a millrace was added at the same time. The dam still exists and is capable of storing of water. The dam is not used to power a waterwheel anymore, but is used for recreational purposes; fishing, skating in winter and water sports in summer. The mill was built by the Metcalfe family, who sold the business in 1907 after financial trouble. The mill continued until 1972 when production ceased and it was occupied by numerous small businesses. In 2017, it was announced that the

grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building would be converted into housing. The Metcalfe family were also responsible for building the school in 1861. The building still stands and now operates as the village primary school. Glasshouses Community Primary School was rated as being 'Good' by

Ofsted The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...

in January 2017. There is a public house, The Birch Tree Inn, on the main

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

to Pateley Bridge road just outside the village in the neighbouring hamlet of Wilsill. May day is celebrated every year with traditional

May Pole A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at ...

dancing and the crowning of the '

May Queen In the British Isles and parts of the Commonwealth, the May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday, and of springtime and also summer. The May Queen is a girl who rides or walks at the front of a parade for May Da ...

' on the village green.

Transport

Glasshouses lies just east of

. Both Glasshouses and Pateley Bridge are linked by the

B6265 road New B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme The Great Britain road numbering scheme is a numbering scheme used to classify and identify all roads in ...

which travels down the valley to meet the

A61 road A61 or A-61 may refer to: * A61 road (England), a road connecting Derby and Thirsk * A61 motorway (France), a road connecting Narbonne and Bordeaux * A61 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Venlo and Hockenheim * Benoni Defense The Benoni Defense ...

at Ripley. There is a regular bus service on the road between

and Pateley Bridge. Whilst the

Nidd Valley Railway The Nidd Valley Railway was a long single-track branch railway line that ran along the valley of the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. Built by the North Eastern Railway, it ran from Ripley Junction, on the Harrogate to Ripon Line, to ...

went right through the village, no station was built in Glasshouses. The mill and gas works complex shared a siding, primarily for the inward transportation of coal. The long-distance walk, the

Six Dales Trail The Six Dales Trail is a long distance footpath in North Yorkshire, England, with a short section in West Yorkshire. It is long and connects Otley and Middleham. The trail is waymarked. It was opened by Janet Street-Porter at the end of June ...

, runs through the village.

Amenities

* Bed & Breakfast establishments * Children's playground (Private) * Glasshouses Primary School * The Birch Tree Inn public house * Village hall (Broadbelt Hall)

History

Transport

Amenities

References

Sources

External links