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 east from its source, the ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. It lies south-east of

Pateley Bridge Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a market town in the civil parish of High and Low Bishopside, in Nidderdale, in the county and district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies on the ...

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. It rises in Nidderdale at Nidd Head Spring on the slopes of Great Whernside. In its first few miles it has been dammed three times, creating Angram Rese ...

. 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 , or ), 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 developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''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 Cistercians, Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operat ...

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.

Glasshouses Mill Glasshouses Mill is a historic building in Glasshouses, North Yorkshire, a village in England. The watermill was built between 1812 and 1814 to spin flax, on the site of a corn mill. In 1835, it was purchased by the Metcalfe family, who added ...

, 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. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

, then

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

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 line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

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

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...

''. 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 is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

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 department of His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament. Ofsted's role is to make sure that organisations providing education, training ...

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

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

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 List of folk festivals, folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on May Day, 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some co ...

dancing and the crowning of the '

May Queen In the British Isles and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, the May Queen or Queen of May is a personification of the May Day holiday of 1 May, and of Spring (season), springtime and the coming growing season. The May Queen is a ...

' on the village green.

Transport

Glasshouses lies just east of

. Both Glasshouses and Pateley Bridge are linked by the B6265 road which travels down the valley to meet the

A61 road The A61 is a major trunk road in England connecting Derby and Thirsk in North Yorkshire by way of Alfreton, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Barnsley, Wakefield, Leeds, Harrogate and Ripon. The road is closely paralleled by the M1 motorway ...

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, 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

See also

References

Sources

External links