Bell Busk
| Bell Busk | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 Mill Bridge, Bell Busk | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD904564 |
| Location: | 54°0’14"N, 2°8’52"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Skipton |
| Postcode: | BD23 |
| Dialling code: | 01729 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | North Yorkshire |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Skipton and Ripon |
Bell Busk is a hamlet in the West Riding of Yorkshire, sitting at the southern end of Malhamdale where the nascent River Aire meets Otterburn Beck, so that Malhamdale is the very northern end of Airedale.
The village is seven miles north-west of Skipton and used to have a railway station on the line linking Skipton and Hellifield.
Historical industries in the hamlet consisted of a cotton mill that became a silk mill, with quarrying prevalent also. Tourism became the leading industry in the 20th century.
The name of Bell Busk is believed to have been derived from Old Norse and Old English meaning the bell shaped bush.[1]
History
Official records of the area make no mention of the hamlet until 1585, even then, it was not shown on mapping until the early 17th century.[2] One of the oldest houses is a Yorkshire laithe known as Granny House Farm, nowadays known as Granny House on the old Roman Road; Mark House Lane. Granny House is mentioned in the walking book 'Through Airedale from Goole to Malham' by Johnnie Gray. In 1891 it is described as a 300 year old 'Public' and a stout edifice.
There are two grade II listed bridges in Bell Busk: Red Bridge over Otterburn Beck and Bell Busk Bridge over The River Aire.
In 1781, a weir and large mill pond with a long mill race were constructed on the Aire to provide water power for a silk mill.[3] The weir was located seven south of Malham.[4] The mill has long since been demolished after it was destroyed by fire,[5][6] but the weir was only removed in 2018 to make fish passage easier into the spawning grounds: this is to encourage salmon into the River Aire and its tributaries after a 200-year absence.[7]
In the 19th century, quarrying became an important industry when at least three rock quarries were in operation; Field Rock Quarry to the west, Esh Bottom Quarry to the south-west and Haw Crag Quarry to the east. Haw Crag was noted for its medium-purity limestone which was used in the local buildings.[8] Quarrying here was on quite a large scale compared to other quarries in the area; 30,000 tons were processed in the month of January 1877 alone.[9] Haw Crag Quarry is now a 'site of special scientific interest' as it "key site in the understanding of carbonate environments in the Craven Basin."[10]
Metcalfe Models and Toys, a model kit firm that specialises in cardboard buildings used for dioramas and by model railway hobbyists, is based in Bell Busk.[11]
Harrison Clock
A clock in St Peters church was made by James Harrison in 1845.
==About the hamlet The long distance paths, The Airedale Way, the Trans-Dale Trail 2 and the Rail to Trail Walk (the Bentham Line) pass through the hamlet on their way north (to the source of the River Aire for the Airedale Way and Greta Bridge for the Trans-Dale Trail), and westwards respectively.[12]
Both the Pennine Way and the Wild Yorkshire Way pass to the east of Bell Busk, and many cottages and other overnight accommodation are offered in Bell Busk.[13][14]
Outside links
References
- ↑ Chrystal 2017, p. 13.
- ↑ "Walking: Take this Yorkshire escape route to a more laid-back world". Yorkshire Evening Post. 11 May 2018. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/whats-on/things-to-do/walking-take-this-yorkshire-escape-route-to-a-more-laid-back-world-1-9160368.
- ↑ "Bell Busk Mill - Cotton and Silk". http://www.kirkbymalham.info/KMI/bellbusk/bellbuskmill.html.
- ↑ "The Condition of the Aire". The Bradford Observer (Column D) (1,708): p. 6. 8 November 1866. OCLC 17641939.
- ↑ Wilkinson, Frank (31 October 2006). "Easy all round". Yorkshire Evening Post. https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/latest/easy-all-round-1-2078120.
- ↑ Tate, Lesley (4 February 2019). "Rare artefacts from Bell Busk silk mill to go under hammer". Craven Herald. https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/17408119.rare-artefacts-from-bell-busk-silk-mill-to-go-under-hammer/.
- ↑ Mason, Viv (25 June 2019). "Scheme will see salmon returned to the River Aire after 200-year hiatus". Craven Herald. https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/17716253.scheme-will-return-salmon-to-the-aire/.
- ↑ Harrison, D J (1982). The limestone resources of the Craven Lowlands : description of parts of 1:50 000 geological sheets 59, 60, 61, 67, 68, and 69. London: H.M.S.O. p. 25. ISBN 0-11-884316-8.
- ↑ Speight 1891, p. 267.
- ↑ SSSI listing and designation for Haw Crag Quarry
- ↑ "Expansion on the cards for model maker". Craven Herald. 21 March 2010. https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/5067251.bell-busk-model-business-moves-to-state-of-the-art-building/.
- ↑ "Rail To Trail Walk - The Bentham Line - LDWA Long Distance Paths". https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Rail+To+Trail+Walk+-+The+Bentham+Line.
- ↑ "Pennine Way National Trail - LDWA Long Distance Paths". https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Pennine+Way+National+Trail.
- ↑ "Wild Yorkshire Way - LDWA Long Distance Paths". https://www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Wild+Yorkshire+Way.
- Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire; Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers and Dales, some Pubs too, in Praise of Yorkshire Ales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. ISBN 9781840337532.
- Speight, Harry (1891). Through Airedale from Goole to Malham. Leeds: Walker & Laycock. OCLC 5824116.
- Speight, Harry (1892). The Craven and North-west Yorkshire Highlands. London: Elliot Stock. OCLC 7219082.