Tan Hill, Yorkshire
| Tan Hill | |
| Yorkshire | |
|---|---|
 Tan Hill Inn and surrounding countryside | |
| Summit: | 1,732 feet NY896067 54°27’20"N, 2°9’36"W |
Tan Hill is a high point on the Pennine Way in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It stands to the north of Keld, near the border of Westmorland.
This is an isolated location, the nearest town, Kirkby Stephen in Westmorland, being an eleven-mile drive away.[1]
The Tan Hill Inn is the highest inn in the British Isles, at 1,732 feet above sea level.
Coal mining
The Upper Howgate Edge Grit is a coarse-grained sandstone within the Pendleian, the lower subsystem of the Carboniferous structure. Found in the peaks of the highest fells of North Yorkshire, the shale layer containing coal lies above it. The shale under the northwest region is called the Tan Hill seam, and was worked from the 13th century until the early 1930s.[2]
The first records of coal being produced are from 1384, when locally worked shallow shafts produced coal for Richmond Castle.[3] The poor-quality coal produced a dirty, dusty fuel but when mixed with peat it gave a good glow, and could smoulder overnight until revived in the morning. Before the start of the Industrial Revolution, the easily accessible upper seams were mainly worked out, requiring investment in deeper shafts. By the 17th century the poor-quality coal was locally converted in simple beehive kilns into coke – known locally as "cinders" – which was used in lead and iron smelting.[3][4]
With modern means of transport having encroached on the valley, the local miners defied the 1926 General Strike. When better coal became more easily available, the local coal became less desirable and the last mine closed in 1929.[5] Locals worked the residual upper seams by hand until the mid-1930s.[3]
Tan Hill Inn
- Main article: Tan Hill Inn
The Tan Hill Inn is the highest inn in the British Isles at 1,732 feet above sea level. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is slightly higher than the Cat and Fiddle Inn in the Peak District, which is at 1,690 feet.[6]
The building dates to the 17th century, and during the 18th century was used as a hostelry by workers digging coal pits, which is reflected in its earlier name, The Kings Pit.[7] It is unusual for its isolation, but it was previously surrounded by miners' cottages. In addition to miners, farmers and pedlars, frequent visitors at the inn included drovers leading cattle to the coal pits.[8]
Revellers celebrating New Year's Eve at the pub on 31 December 2009 were unable to leave the pub for three days as they were snowed in.[9] In November 2021, Arwen brought heavy snowfall, trapping patrons inside for a weekend.[10][11]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Tan Hill, Yorkshire) |
References
- ↑ McVeigh, Tracy (5 February 2012). "At the lonely Tan Hill Inn, the snow is falling… and business is booming". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/feb/05/tan-hill-inn-snow. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
- ↑ "Tan Hill Colliery and Kings Pit". Northern Mine Research Society. https://www.nmrs.org.uk/mines-map/coal-mining-in-the-british-isles/yorkshire-coalfield/yorkshiredales/tanhill/. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Tan Hill coal field". Out of Oblivion: A landscape through time. Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. http://www.outofoblivion.org.uk/record.asp?id=467. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ White, Robert (2002). The Yorkshire Dales: A Landscape Through Time. Ilkley: Great Northern Books. ISBN 1905080050.
- ↑ "Tan Hill". Adopt a Pub. http://www.sunriseag.net/adoptapub/more/0019TanHill.htm. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Perraudin, Frances (30 July 2019). "'Snowed in 50 times': highest pub in UK goes up for sale". Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/30/snowed-in-50-times-highest-pub-in-uk-goes-up-for-sale. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ↑ Chrystal, Paul (2017). The Place Names of Yorkshire: Cities, Towns, Villages and Dales (1 ed.). Catrine: Stenlake. p. 143. ISBN 9781840337532.
- ↑ Scoles, Ron (2006). Landmark Visitor Guide: Yorkshire Dales. Landmark Visitors Guides. ISBN 1843062097. https://books.google.com/books?id=tKK1tnLhInQC&pg=PA140&dq=tan+hill+inn#q=tan%20hill%20inn.
- ↑ McKenna, Gemma (4 January 2010). "New Year drinkers snowed in at highest pub". Big Hospitality. https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2010/01/04/New-Year-drinkers-snowed-in-at-highest-pub. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ↑ "Storm Arwen: Trapped Tan Hill Inn guests leave". BBC News. 29 November 2021. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-59459150.
- ↑ DeMarche, Edmund; News, Fox (29 November 2021). "Snowstorm strands 61 in pub in Yorkshire, England, for third night". https://nypost.com/2021/11/29/snowstorm-strands-61-in-pub-in-yorkshire-england-for-third-night/.
