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Stories of the Past

Expressions Connected to Sheep, Wool and Textiles
Ever been 'on tenter hooks', 'had the wool pulled over your eyes' or 'got down to brass tacks'? We’re still using many expressions connected to s…Read more
Forgotten villages across the Dales
Heard of the lost or forgotten villages across the Dales? Seeing relics of buildings in the landscape or reading about legends of lost settlement…Read more
Arkengarthdale
It’s hard to imagine that this was once a hive of activity, that Arkengarthdale was ever full of the noise and bustle of lead mining. Imagine wal…Read more
Folly over Sorrelsykes Park Hall
Have you ever spotted a rocket ship, giant pepper pot and guillotine standing on a limestone outcrop in the Yorkshire Dales? They're all stone fo…Read more
What on earth are polished granite curling stones doing in Pateley Bridge?
Curling stones, electric hair curling machines and butter churns What on earth are polished granite curling stones doing in Pateley Bridge?…Read more
Gayle Mill
You might not associate the Yorkshire Dales with industry, yet the area was once full of mills of every description. Most of them are long gone, …Read more
Former railways
What do the Nidd Valley, Smardale Gill, Aysgarth and Richmond all have in common? They all bear the relics of former railways before Beeching swu…Read more
Carperby in Wensleydale
James Herriot's honeymoon, Greta Garbo, a stone circle, a sacred spring and Deadman's Hole: they can all be found in one small village... Carperb…Read more
Culloden Tower
Can you imagine being rich enough to build a grand or whimsical building just because you wanted to, with no real purpose? There are a lot of fol…Read more