Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale,

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.

Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

part of the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, it lies north of

Grassington Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale ...

, at the point where Wharfedale is joined by a minor road (Cam Gill Road) which leads north-east from the village over Park Rash Pass to Coverdale.

Great Whernside Great Whernside is a fell in the Yorkshire Dales, England, not to be confused with Whernside, some to the west. Its summit is the highest point of the eastern flank of Wharfedale above Kettlewell. Great Whernside forms the watershed between Wh ...

rises to the east. The population of the civil parish (

Kettlewell with Starbotton Kettlewell with Starbotton is a civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Kettlewell is a village in Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire, England. It lies between the villages of Grassington, Kilnsey and Conistone to the ...

) was 322 at the 2011 census, with an estimated population of 340 in 2015.

History

It is believed that the name Kettlewell is

Anglo Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

and comes from Chetelewelle which means a bubbling spring or stream. Signs of the farming methods of Romano-British and early medieval agriculture can still be seen in terraced fields to the north and the south of the village. In the 13th century a market was established in Kettlewell, which became a thriving community. The Thursday market mostly sold corn outside the King's Arms. A

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

was built on the River Wharfe in the 13th century to grind corn. Textiles (and, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries,

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

mining) revitalised the village and Kettlewell's appearance today derives much from its past 200 years. The remains of the smelting-mill, used from 1700 to 1880, can be seen near the meeting of Cam Gill and Dowber Gill Becks half a mile above the village. In 1686 Kettlewell and Starbotton were almost destroyed in a flood. Heavy rainfall descended on the adjacent hills and cascaded down into the village demolishing several houses and causing the residents to flee.Genuki website
/ref> On 5 July 2014, the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

Stage 1 from

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

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 ...

passed through the village.

Governance

The village is part of

parish in the Craven district of

. The village is in the parliamentary constituency of

Skipton and Ripon Skipton and Ripon is a constituency in North Yorkshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2010 by Julian Smith, a Conservative. Constituency profile The constituency covers a mainly rural area of the Yorkshire Da ...

, the seat has been held by the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

ever since its creation in 1983.

Geography

Kettlewell is situated in Upper Wharfedale around two miles upstream of where it converges with

Littondale Littondale is a dale in the Craven district of the non-metropolitan county of North Yorkshire, England. It comprises the main settlements of Hawkswick, Arncliffe, Litton, Foxup and Halton Gill, and farmhouses that date from the 17th century. Th ...

. The B6160 crosses the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

by a stone bridge. The village is situated just west of the confluence of Dowber Gill Beck and Cam Gill Beck, which join to form Kettlewell Beck flowing through the village to join the River Wharfe. There are many small bridges across Kettlewell Beck which dissect the village.

Economy

Disinfectant bath in road, Kettlewell - geograph

Historically Kettlewell's economy revolved around lead mining and farming. Farming was adversely affected by the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak. There are several farms which mostly rely on

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

. There is a small service economy serving village residents, tourists and walkers. Kettlewell is on the

Dales Way The Dales Way is an long-distance footpath in Northern England, from (south-east to north-west) Ilkley, West Yorkshire, to Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria. This walk was initially devised by the West Riding Ramblers' Association with the 'lead ...

and is a popular starting point for ascents of

and

Buckden Pike Buckden Pike is a fell at the head of Wharfedale, a valley in the Yorkshire Dales, that stands above the village of Buckden, England. At , it narrowly misses out on being the highest peak in the area, the title instead going to nearby Great Wh ...

Rights of way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by Easement#Easement by prescription, prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' ...

connect the village to

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 ...

and Arncliffe in

. The three village pubs are on the Inn Way and the Racehorses Hotel, the Bluebell Inn and the King's Head all provide accommodation. In addition to the three inns, there are numerous guesthouses, holiday cottages and a village shop, a tasting deli, two cafés and a

filling station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoli ...

with a mechanic's garage. There is a large YDNPA car park and the National Park Authority operates public conveniences adjacent to the main car park. St Mary's church in Kettlewell - geograph

St Mary's church in Kettlewell - geograph

The village has 17th and 18th century houses, including the vicarage. The church, St Mary's, as we see it today was rebuilt during the 19th century and stands on a site that dates back to 1120 when the (Norman) de Arches family established a church here. An example of 20th century architecture is the 1960s-built chapel at Scargill House, which is now a Christian conference centre.

Transport

Kettlewell is connected by bus to

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

and Buckden. The village is the northern starting point of the

Yorkshire Water Way The Yorkshire Water Way is a path that runs from Kettlewell in North Yorkshire to Langsett in South Yorkshire. It was devised by Mark Reid in conjunction with Yorkshire Water (YW) and it passes by over more than 20 reservoirs which are operated ...

Langsett Reservoir Langsett Reservoir is in Yorkshire, England, near the villages of Langsett and Upper Midhope, on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The reservoir was constructed between 1898 and 1904, and is now managed by Yorkshire Water. Fed by t ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

. Kettlewell lies on the

footpath.

Fauna and flora

The area is known for

Swaledale Sheep Swaledale is a breed of domestic sheep named after the Yorkshire valley of Swaledale in England. They are found throughout the more mountainous areas of Great Britain, but particularly in the Yorkshire Dales, County Durham, and around the penni ...

which are extensively farmed in the area. There are deer in the area, though these are rarely sighted. There are areas of forestland to the south-east of the village, while the open valley to the north has little tree cover.

Events

In August the village hosts a

scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...

festival where scarecrows, dressed up as different characters are placed around the village.

Popular culture

*A children's television character from '' The Rottentrolls'' takes its name from the village. *The 1991 series ''

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of Ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

'' was mostly filmed in the village. *Kettlewell represented the village of Knapely in the 2003 film, ''

Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produ ...

''. *The 2010 film '' The Trip'' includes a musical song and dance routine in the village.

Gallery

File:Kettlewell_Beck_bridge_to_Kettlewell_Church.jpg, Kettlewell Beck Bridge to Kettlewell Church File:Blue Bell Inn, Kettlewell - geograph.org.uk - 484095.jpg, Blue Bell Inn (June 2007) File:Racehorses Hotel, Kettlewell (12th February 2013).JPG, Racehorses Hotel (February 2013) File:The Kings Head, Kettlewell - geograph.org.uk - 484096.jpg, King's Head (June 2007) File:Kettlewell scarecrow.jpg, Scarecrow at the 2004 festival

References

External links

The ancient parish of Kettlewell
historical and genealogical information at

GENUKI GENUKI is a genealogy web portal, run as a charitable trust. It "provides a virtual reference library of genealogical information of particular relevance to the UK and Ireland". It gives access to a large collection of information, with the emphas ...

{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Wharfedale Craven District