A watery grave, literary greats, triple-stocks, great food & calm: all these are to be found in a small area between Airton and Kirkby Malham. Kirkby Malham is small yet has a cornucopia of interesting connections and curiosities. This area has been the home of numerous literary greats including Bill Bryson, the American author of the best-selling Notes from A Small Island lived and Charles Kingsley who immortalized the church bells in The Water Babies (1863).
The church of St Michael the Archangel is sometimes called 'the Cathedral of the Dales'. Its foundation goes back to the 9th century, with the church being rebuilt in the 15th century. It's a fascinating church to look around, said to have been visited twice by Cromwell to attend weddings. Like much of the Yorkshire Dales there is evidence that links the church with the monks at Fountains Abbey.
Just inside the church gates are the old village stocks. I've often seen double stocks but don't think I've ever seen a triple set like these - they're incredibly close together so miscreants were either all very skinny or children?
Also in the graveyard is an another curiosity, known as the 'Watery Grave'. Colonel John Harrison had a career in his army so he was often separated by water from his wife Helen. She had asked ‘as water parted us in life, so it shall in death'. Helen's grave was built over a small stream running through the graveyard, with the intention that her husband would be buried on the other side of the stream. But when the Colonel died, try as he might, the gravedigger couldn't manage to dig beyond the impenetrable rock to create a separate grave, so he had to be buried with his wife.
The Airton Meeting House near Malham is a wonderful oasis, historic and atmospheric. It's open to all, free of charge. It is the perfect place to sit quietly and relax in its peaceful surroundings. It's still in use as a Quaker meeting house but you don't have to be a Quaker to go there. It's a lovely welcoming space. There are even fleeces on the seats and blankets for a real sense of comfort! The outside bench has a reassuring message: "all will be well". You can enjoy a quiet moment in the former seventeenth century barn, or if you wish to you can stay longer in the adjoining simple accommodation.
Close by is the excellent Town End Farm Shop & Tearoom run by fifth generation butcher, Chris Wildman who's a real advocate for good quality local produce.
The large and handsome mill building on the Aire gives an indication of Kirkby Malham's former importance. Known as both Scalegill Mill and Hanlith Mill, it was originally used to grind corn, and then either re-built or adapted to take advantage of the cotton boom in the 1790s. By 1821 the building has been taken on by Dewhirsts. I remember learning to sew using Dewhirst Sylko cotton (although that wasn't until the 20th century...). In later years as the demand for cotton reduced the mill was used as a sawmill and eventually to provide electricity for nearby Hanlith Hall. After this the mill was taken over for poultry farming and then housing in 1975.