West Stonesdale is a hamlet in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills ri ...

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. The secluded village is near Keld to the south, Tan Hill to the north and is both from

Grinton Grinton is a small village and civil parish in the Yorkshire Dales, in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. Close to Reeth and Fremington, it lies west of Richmond on the B6270 road. On 5 July 2014, the Tour de France Sta ...

(west north west) and

Askrigg Askrigg is a small village and civil parish in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is part of the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. The village and its parish are located in Upper Wensleydale, west of Leyburn ...

(north west). The small valley that cuts south from Tan Hill to West Stonesdale is also known as West Stonesdale (or West Stones Dale) and carries Stonesdale Beck south to the

River Swale The River Swale in Yorkshire, England, is a major tributary of the River Ure, which becomes the River Ouse, that empties into the North Sea via the Humber Estuary. The river gives its name to Swaledale, the valley through which it flows. Th ...

. A road heads north from the B6270 through West Stonesdale to Tan Hill. Where the road diverges from the B6270 is the site of Currack Force, a waterfall on Stonesdale Beck which drops before entering the Swale. West Stonesdale used to be in the ecclesiastical parish of Grinton, but now forms part of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Muker Muker is a village and civil parish at the western end of Swaledale in North Yorkshire, England, within the district of Richmondshire. The parish includes the hamlets and villages of Angram, Keld, Thwaite, West Stonesdale and Birkdale, as we ...

. The

Pennine Way The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kir ...

is to the east of the hamlet on the far side of Stonesdale Beck. To the north, just before Startindale Gill becomes Stonedale Beck is West Stonesdale Lead Mine, which between 1850 and 1861 was operated by Christopher Lonsdale Bradley. The site of the mine and its associated workings are now listed as a scheduled monument. Coal was also mined above West Stonesdale, with Stonesdale Moor being dotted with former pit workings. Coal was mined as far back as 1384 and was transported to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

in the east. The coal was poor quality by comparison to other sources, but the industry was important enough in the area to warrant a turnpike road being built from Tan Hill down through

Arkengarthdale Arkengarthdale is a dale, or valley, on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire, England. Running roughly north-west to south-east, it is the valley of the Arkle Beck, and is the northernmost of the Yorkshire Dales. It is a subsidiary ...

References

External links

West Stonesdale
in th
Upper Dales
website.
Sketch of building in West Stonesdale
Villages in North Yorkshire {{richmondshire-geo-stub