CONISTONE KELD PROJECT 2018

Conistone Keld/Well/Troughs Project

Location Conistone Keld is the local name for an area where a spring feeds into three troughs.(The name derives from the Viking word Kelda meaning a spring). It is situated South of Conistone Old Hall, on the eastern side of the road to Grassington. (Grid Ref SD 98178 67357). Three troughs are located beneath a drystone wall to the east and with a partially exposed cobbled/flagged area in front.(July 2017)

Fig.1 Location map. (Troughs marked Tr)

Description of the Keld Site in July 2017

Water runs into the troughs from a spring/resurgence at the northern end, and the overflow then runs over the cobbled/flagged base to a system which takes the flow westwards under the road and through to Hemplands Farm. The flow of water into the central trough was running, but the flow into the other two troughs was impeded and inconsistent.

The site had become covered in vegetation and could not be seen in the summer months. (See Photo 1)

Photo1. The Keld Site viewed looking East from the road. (Old Hall on the left)

There are few early maps, but the the troughs are shown on the 1848 Tithe Map.

An early photograph c.1905, showing the Keld area, shows Conistone Old Hall with a cobbled/paved area in front of the troughs on the extreme right. (Photo 2.)

Photo 2. Old Hall with troughs just out of the photo to the far right of the picture

Discussion The encroachment of vegetation and accumulation of detritus, along with the lack of maintenance for many years means that this important village feature was at risk of being lost for future generations. (See Photo 3.)

Photo 3. The Troughs in May 2017 The Keld is an important part of Conistone’s history and heritage. The site is of some antiquity, it has been a source of water for both farm animals and for domestic use for many generations. This water supply is probably a major factor in the early development of the village of Conistone. Hemplands Farm House was built in the 16th Century and it seems certain that the Keld would have provided some water for the farm. (The water still feeds to troughs by the farmhouse).

The aim of the project is to try and preserve/restore/repair this feature.

Over the past 100 years some changes can be seen to have taken place on the site. a) The troughs have been blocked by debris, sedimentation and vegetation b) The area immediately to the west has been filled in and levelled to the roadside c) The troughs and cobbled area has been bounded by a low wall to hold the fill mentioned in (b). d) The area to the south has been raised by a dry-stone retaining wall and backfilled. Much of the encroaching vegetation originates here.

In the autumn of 2017, it was proposed that Conistone-with-Kilnsey residents should set up a group to look into the possibilities of renovating the Keld area. This group met in January 2018 and ideas were put forward and discussed in order to decide how the best results could be achieved.

An action plan was then drawn up. Specialist advice was sought from various departments at the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and the possibility of grant aid from the Yorkshire Dales Sustainable Development fund was pursued.

The Action Plan.

It was decided that the Keld area should be divided into three areas (shown on Fig.2)

1. The most important area with the three troughs and the water course flowing from them (marked in RED)

2. The area immediately to the south of the troughs, bounded by the field boundary wall to the east and a low drystone wall to the west running to the track called Pasture Gate. (Marked in GREEN)

3. The area in front and to the west of the troughs and watercourse, which is a level area adjacent to the road and can be accessed and used by the public. (Marked in BLUE)

Fig.2. The Keld Action Plan Areas

Area 1 (RED)

Clear all vegetation/detritus

Clear troughs

Clear watercourse in front of troughs

Repair any stonework, walling etc. as necessary.

Area 2 (GREEN)

Clear vegetation.

Trial dig to see if troughs extend to the south

Repair low wall if needed

Replant this area with native species

Area 3 (BLUE)

Trial dig to see if cobbles are below. If there are cobbles present attempt to reveal them if possible.

In February 2018, a grant was awarded to the project from the Yorkshire Dales Sustainable Development Fund. The group liaised with Andrea Burden, the YDNP Sustainable Dev. Officer and Linda Smith the YDNP Community Archaeological Officer who both gave excellent advice and guidance with our project.

Work on the Conistone Keld Project began in early February 2018. The Keld Area in January 2018 The Keld is hidden from view by overgrown vegetation, before the Conistone Keld Project starts in February 2018

Photo 4 January 2018

Photo 5 Area 2 January 2018

Photo 6. Troughs filled with sediment with little water flow

Stage 1. February 2018

Photo7. Clearance of trees, shrubs and vegetation using chainsaw and muscle..trailer full and ready for removal

Photo 8.Troughs visible now

Photo 9. A discovery...The spring source in front of blocked trough. (Photo looking East

Photo 10. The site cleared and ready for stage 2 of project

(Photo Looking to East)

Trough 1 Full of sediment

Source of spring, water entering from back left. Trough 2 Much Trough 3 Partially Full of sediment sediment. Good hidden by wall. No flow flow, full of sediment

Area of water flow in front of

troughs. Needs clearing and sediment removal

The Keld Project after vegetation removal.

The lighter coloured areas on the wall are where the trees/shrubs/vegetation have prevented moss growth. The revealing of the spring source was a surprise to us as it had been hidden from view for a long time. The water could be seen bubbling from the left hand side at the back of the recess.

The wall above the troughs is sound and in safe condition.

The willow tree stump has caused the l.h.s of the trough to be pushed over at an angle, but the trough side is sound at the moment, and not in danger of collapse.

Stage 2 of the Project

Photo 11.Troughs partially cleared and water running. Limestone Cobbles starting to be cleared and exposed to view. (Photo looking South)

Photo12. Trough 1 and Spring Source partially cleared and water running in. Photo looking East. (Note stubborn root in trough no.1)

Photo 13. More cobbles exposed, troughs running well but sediment still not completely removed. (Photo looking North)

Photo 14. Further digging reveals cobbles to the western side, and possibly extending to the north towards Conistone Old Hall. (Photo looking North)

Photo 15. The trial trench to the North shows that the cobbles do not extend towards the road. Note the modern drainage pipe which has been placed to take overflow from the garden of Old Hall. It was probably put in when the retaining wall was built, and a concrete topping covers the pipe.

Photo 16. Tree root gone! The cobbles are uncovered and do not extend further to the North (The left on the photo).

Photo 17. Digging at southern end, next to trough 3. (Camera facing east) Large limestone slabs are revealed, and under the flags is a wide culvert which would have drained water from the Keld to Hemplands Farm (westwards in the direction of the spade).

Following a meeting on February 26th 2018, it was agreed that the last part of Stage 2 should be to clear the slabs and then prepare the perimeter of the area for Stage 3, the building of a low retaining wall around the site. Bob R. had now to contact Linda Smith to make sure that we have done all the work correctly and to get advice for the next stage.

April 11th 2018 Meeting with Linda Smith at the Keld 9.30am – 10.30am.

11 Conistone residents met with Linda to discuss progress and to review our efforts so far. Linda said that she was delighted with our work on the Keld, and she was satisfied that we had done all that was necessary. We were given the go-ahead to move onto Stage 3 of the project. The consensus amongst the group present was that we should meet to discuss the options and timetable for the future work.

A meeting was held on April 25th 2018 and 12 residents attended to discuss Stage 3 of the project. All unanimously agreed on the way forward. Stage 3 of the Project 8th May 2018. Clearing troughs and preparing for wall building.

Photo 18 Searching for cobbling.(No luck!)

The troughs had stopped running due to the long dry spell experienced this month. Over the next few sessions the low wall to the North was built, and the wall to the west was started. The southern wall was left until last, after the area had been cleared by a digger.

The troughs were finally bottomed on May 21st, and a layer of clay was found at the bottom of the troughs. All the troughs yielded 19th Century pottery shards down to the lowest levels dug. It seems therefore that the infilling of the troughs commenced in the 19th Century.

On June 18th, in glorious weather, we began the major task of clearing the area to the south of the troughs. A digger was employed to remove the debris which had accumulated over the years. There was a surprising amount of limestone rocks on the site and this made grading the site particularly difficult. The clearance was completed on June 19th and walling could now be done.

Photo 19. Graham Whitaker and digger at work

Photo 20. Trailer ready to remove material

Photo 21. Pile of excavated stones, cleared site in background. Ash tree left in place

Perhaps the biggest surprise of this part of the work was that nearly all the excavated site consisted of large limestone rocks. (Photo 21) These had obviously been deliberately placed there in the past. Had a rockery been built at some time? Many of these stones were used for the walling done later. Some were too large to move manually and had to be loaded by the digger onto the trailer for removal.

The next session on June 23rd saw the beginning of building the planned retaining walls. The dry weather was a help making moving and placing stones easier. Mike Clarke took the lead and supervised the wall building, ably assisted by Kevin (I can lift anything) Craven. It was decided that the southern wall should be built along the culvert slabs’ southern edge, and that the wall would then curve around following the line of the old wall. (Photos 22 and 23)

The construction took much longer than expected due to stone selection and positioning stones in the right place.

Photo 22. Southern wall begins to take shape.

Photo 23. Digging foundations for the retaining wall The missing cobbling was replaced at this stage, using local river cobbles and cobbles found amongst the debris exposed by the excavator. The sloping western entrance to the Keld was also completed with local river cobbles. (See Photo 24).

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Photo 24. Almost there! The last section of walling (1) is being done. The infill cobbling (2) can be seen, and the sloping entrance to the west (3) has been completed. The work on the site is now nearing completion.

On July 10th we were moving towards the closing stages of the groundwork. The retaining walls were now almost complete, and we all agreed that the project site was beginning to look impressive. The remaining work to be done included placing a layer of topsoil onto the area to the south, and cementing in a stone block which would carry the Information plaque explaining the site. (See Photo 25)

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Photo 25 Retaining walls now completed, information stone (1) in place. Topsoil now needed before planting.

The topsoil arrived on July 14th and was deposited by a dumper in a pile adjacent to the southern end of the site (Photo 26).The soil was spread to a depth of between 15 and 20 cm over the site to aid planting and also to enhance the look of the site.

Photo 26 Soil dropped off on site

Photo 27 Soil being spread over site and debris collected up for removal.

On July 14th, had been finished and Stage 3 was at an end. We began the project on February 3rd 2018, and finished all the major works on July 14th.

A total of 18 Local Residents gave their time to voluntary work on the project, totalling 218.75 hours, equivalent of 31.25 working days!

It had taken much longer than expected even though the weather had been exceptionally good.

Remaining tasks for the final Stage 4 were planting and placing an information plaque on the site.