Thornton-le-Dale

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Thornton-le-Dale
Yorkshire
North Riding

Beck Isle Cottage, Thornton-le-Dale
Location
Grid reference: SE834830
Location: 54°14’12"N, -0°43’19"W
Data
Population: 1,759  (2011)
Post town: Pickering
Postcode: YO18
Dialling code: 01751
Local Government
Council: North Yorkshire
Parliamentary
constituency: 		Thirsk and Malton

Thornton-le-Dale (also called Thornton Dale) is a village in the North Riding of Yorkshire, three miles east of Pickering on the edge of the North York Moors National Park.

A thatched building, called Beck Isle or Thatched Cottage and Grade II listed, was built in the 17th century and modified/extended in the 20th.[1] The building has appeared on countless calendars and chocolate boxes over the years. A new thatched roof was installed in 2014 so it remains picturesque.[2]

A stream, the Thornton Beck, meanders along the streets and is crossed by several bridges.

The village is on the A170 road from Thirsk to Scarborough within the National Park. The route of the White Rose Way, a long-distance walk from Leeds to Scarborough, also passes through.

History

AN Iron Age burial cart discovered nearby, at Pexton Moor, is estimated to have been made in 300 BC.

The Domesday Book of 1086 records the village with a population of 30, and it appears in three entries, as Torentune. Other nearby small settlements included Roxby, Farmanby, Thornton, Ellerburn and Leidtorp; four of these eventually joined to become the village.[3] In 1066, the Lord was Earl Morcar and by 1086 it was held by the King. It was later transferred to Odo, Count of Penthièvre. By 1281, a Manor was built here, owned by John De Easton. In 1661, the owner was the Hill family; they built a new manor on the site of the old one.[4]

Richard Rolle, the hermit mystic, was probably born in Thornton-le-Dale in the 1300s. He authored many books on religious topics.[5]

Thornton Mill and Mill House

There was a mill on Thornton Beck from at least 1200; the current mill was built in the 18th century and enlarged in 1919, when it was renamed Victory Mill. For nearly a century, the Burgess animal feed company has owned the mill, initially using it for manufacturing its products, and later as offices. By 2003, the building had been restored.[6] As early as 1277, there was also a mill at Ellerburn. Weaving was a common industry from the 14th to the 18th century. The beck was diverted in the 19th century when a large mill complex with sluice gates was built.[7]

All Saints' church

All Saints' Church, Grade II listed, is centuries old and was altered several times: entirely rebuilt in the 14th century, though some earlier aspects still remain, and modified in 1681 and 1865.[8] The existing copy of the church register includes listings as far back as 1538. Comber House, the former rectory on Church Hill, designed around 1840 by James Pigott Pritchett, is also Grade II listed.[9]

St Hilda's Church, Grade II listed, is in the tiny village of Ellerburn which is part of Thornton-le-Dale. The original building dates to the early Norman period, and according to some sources, to the Saxon era, as early as 850 or 1050. It was restored and modified in 1904–1905 and in 1911.[10] Today, there are a few other churches in or near Thornton-le-Dale.[11]

Historic buildings

In 1657,[12] builders were given orders to erect 12 almshouses and a school, thanks to an endowment left by Elizabeth, Viscountess Lumley who had died earlier that year;[13] her family had owned much of the land in the area.[14] The buildings, between the village green and the bridge, completed in 1670,[15] are supported by the Lady Lumley's Almshouse Trust. The 12 bungalows were restored in the 19th century, and in 2014, a major renovation was completed by the Trust on the Grade II listed buildings.[16] They have been inhabited for some time as age-specific housing.[17] Beck Isle (Thatched) Cottage was also built in the 1600s but was "raised, renovated and extended" in the 20th century.[18] A book published in 2012 included photos of the Thatched Cottage circa 1920's, and stated that in that era, the building was covered in plaster and had significantly fewer windows.[15] As of 2021, the cottage was identified as a freehold private residence.[19]

The Old Grammar School had space for 200 students but had only 16 as of 1980;[20] the building remained in use as a school until the 20th century; it is now used for other purposes.[21] Another school, the Lady Lumley's School in nearby Pickering, is still in use, as a coeducational secondary school and sixth form. The only current school in Thornton Dale is the CE School school, with 133 students in 2018, operated by the Church of England.[22]

The village used to have a railway station on the Forge Valley Line between Seamer and Pickering. The station opened in 1882 and closed to passengers in 1950, with a freight train from a quarry in the village continuing to use the tracks until 1964.[23] After being used for several purposes, including offices and a caravan park, the station was converted into three holiday rental cottages.[24]

It was in 1907 that the village was first deemed as the "prettiest" in Yorkshire.

Tourism

Shops in The Forge

The tourist era in this area was underway by the early 1900s and in 1907, Thornton-le-Dale was named Yorkshire's Prettiest Village in a newspaper poll; it remains popular with tourists.[25] Such visitors fuel the economy, with many visiting the very quaint village with its ancient market cross, stocks on the small village green and small beck (stream). There are several cafes and pubs, as well as a seasonal tea room and many shops. Nearby, Dalby Forest offers paths for walking, cycling and nature-watching. The Information Point can provide visitors with a pamphlet providing specifics as to other walks from the village,[26] including one to the tiny hamlet of Ellerburn.[27]

North Yorkshire Motor Museum

Events

Stage Three of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire passed through Thornton-le-Dale.[28][29]

  • Spring Gala, in May
  • The Thornton Show
  • Flower, Scarecrow Festival and Produce Show in August

Outside links

 ("Wikimedia Commons" has material
about Thornton-le-Dale)

References

  1. ↑ National Heritage List 1074185: Beck Isle Cottage the Thatched Cottage (Grade II listing)
  2. ↑ "Iconic chocolate-box cottage undergoes crucial refresh". The Yorkshire Post. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/iconic-chocolate-box-cottage-undergoes-crucial-refresh-1-7231792. Retrieved 26 June 2018. 
  3. ↑ TLDCACA 2017, p. 12.
  4. ↑ "History". http://www.thorntonledale.com/history2.htm. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  5. ↑ "St Laurence's Church". http://www.adwick-st-laurence.co.uk/history_rolle.html. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  6. ↑ "Victory Mill project shortlisted for award". https://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/6663749.victory-mill-project-shortlisted-for-award/. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  7. ↑ TLDCACA 2017, pp. 13, 15.
  8. ↑ TLDCACA 2017, p. 13.
  9. ↑ National Heritage List 1241245: Comber House (Grade II listing)
  10. ↑ "St Hilda's Church Ellerburn – Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire". https://www.visitthorntonledale.co.uk/local/st-hildas-church-ellerburn. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  11. ↑ "Churches – Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire". https://www.visitthorntonledale.co.uk/local/churches. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  12. ↑ A History of the County of York: North Riding - Volume 2 pp 492-497: Parishes: Thornton Dale (Victoria County History)
  13. ↑ "Lady Lumley's Ryedale bequest". BBC News. 27 November 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/york/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8376000/8376708.stm. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  14. ↑ "Lady Lumley's Almshouses,... (C) Christine Matthews". https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4120159. Retrieved 4 July 2018. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Thornton-le-Dale Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. 15 April 2012. ISBN 9781445631707. https://books.google.com/books?id=rI6IAwAAQBAJ&dq=thornton+le+dale+Lady+Lumley&pg=PT65. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  16. ↑ National Heritage List 1074192: Lady Lumley's Almshouses (Grade II listing)
  17. ↑ "Lady Lumley Almshouses Trust – Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire". https://www.visitthorntonledale.co.uk/local/lady-lumleys-almshouse-trust. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  18. ↑ "Beck Isle Cottage the Thatched Cottage". https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101074185-beck-isle-cottagethe-thatched-cottage-thornton-le-dale. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  19. ↑ "The Chocolate Box Cottage That Looks Straight Out Of A Fairytale". https://the-yorkshireman.com/beck-isle-cottage-thornton-le-dale/. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  20. ↑ "Thornton-le-Dale, Yorkshire". https://readtheplaque.com/plaque/lady-lumley-s-almshouses-thornton-le-dale-yorkshire3. Retrieved 14 March 2021. 
  21. ↑ "HousingCare.org – Lady Lumley's Almshouses – 1–12 Chestnut Avenue, Thornton le Dale, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7RP – Amenity housing, unsupported housing for older people". http://www.housingcare.org/housing-care/facility-info-84656-lady-lumleys-almshouses-thornton-le-dale-england.aspx. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  22. ↑ "Thornton Dale CE School – Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire". https://www.visitthorntonledale.co.uk/local/thornton-dale-ce-school. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  23. ↑ Suggitt, Gordon (2005). Lost railways of North and East Yorkshire. Newbury: Countryside Books. p. 96. ISBN 978-1-85306-918-5. 
  24. ↑ "Station House Holiday Cottages – Thornton-le-Dale, North Yorkshire". https://www.visitthorntonledale.co.uk/local/station-house-holiday-cottages. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  25. ↑ "Thornton-le-Dale Through Time". Amberley Publishing. https://www.amberley-books.com/thorntonledale-through-time.html. Retrieved 26 June 2018. 
  26. ↑ "Thornton-le-Dale and Ellerburn". https://providerfiles.thedms.co.uk/eandamedia/YS/3631450_1000.pdf. 
  27. ↑ "Thornton le Dale: North York Moors National Park". http://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/visiting/see-and-do/attractions/thornton-le-dale. Retrieved 26 June 2018. 
  28. ↑ "TOUR DE YORKSHIRE: When and where you can see the race in Ryedale". Gazette & Herald. http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/16206380.TOUR_DE_YORKSHIRE__When_and_where_you_can_see_the_race_in_Ryedale/. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
  29. ↑ "Tour de Yorkshire times 2018 – Thirsk Tourist Information". https://www.visitthirsk.org.uk/pages/tdy2018times.php. Retrieved 3 July 2018. 
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