CARPERBY An introduction to the built heritage of the village

Carperby lies on a broad and level terrace on the The south-west end of the village has two The central section of the village has less of interest, north side of , about 1.5km north of generations of both Wesleyan Chapels and Friends’ with much 20th-century rebuilding and alteration. . The settlement is very much a ribbon Meeting Houses, as well as Old School - all now However, this tide seems to have passed by Walmur development along half a kilometre of the main road domestic conversions - clustering around the House Farm on the south, and this of course links to north of the river. post-medieval village or market cross. This is dated the interesting agricultural landscape of narrow ‘1674’, and there are buildings nearby - the farm at stone-walled fields south of the village. Carperby is an unusual village, with two distinct the end of the green and possibly Westgrove on the centres of historic interest, both located around south side of the road - that may be of similar The north-east end of the village has again seen water sources, St James’ Well at the north-east end antiquity. In both cases the earlier Quaker and much recent alteration and domestic conversion of of the village and the now-drained area of water Methodist buildings, built in the 1820s, are of simple farm buildings, but historic evidence suggests that called Deadman’s Hole at the south-west end. vernacular character, replaced in the second half of this was once an area of importance, possibly a the 19th century by structures of considerably more medieval market place, with a chapel and manorial architectural pretension. The attractive little centre close by. East End cottage and the structures structure of St Matthew’s and other houses also around it have some intriguing architectural features, echo Victorian prosperity. and merit closer investigation.

For a more detailed discussion of the history of Carperby see the essay titled ‘Village Layouts’ in the Themes/Domestic section of the website www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Carperby parish also contains important archaeological remains such as the Bronze Age cremation cemetery at Haw Bank and the 18th-century artificial rabbit warren at Woodhall. Type ‘Carperby’ in the Keyword Search box of the Out of Oblivion website and follow the links.

Market day in medieval Carperby 6. CARPERBY MARKET CROSS A stone cross inscribed ‘1674’ on one face and CARPERBY ‘1843’ on the opposite face. The 19th-century Plan showing featured buildings date records when the probable market cross was restored. The base is formed of seven square steps and set into it is an octagonal cross shaft tapering towards the base. A face is carved 1 & 2. WESLEYAN CHAPELS on the ends of each of the two horizontal cross Tucked away behind West End Farmhouse is arms. Carperby received its market charter in 8 Grade II listed West Lea Cottage. It has renewed 1305, one of the earliest in the northern dales. windows, but a neat ashlar surround to its central This allowed the holding of a weekly market and doorway under a panel inscribed ‘WESLEYAN two fairs, one on the Saints Day of St James in METHODIST CHAPEL ERECTED AD 1826’. A little July and one on St Andrew’s day in November. further east is the later Methodist Chapel (also There is some suggestion that this market may now a house), gable-end to the street, built of 2 have fallen into disuse after 1587 when Askrigg coursed rough-faced stone with ashlar quoins and began to acquire the greater focus of dressings. It is a rudimentary Gothic building. The commercial activity in the upper dale, but porch with its simple doorway and shaped finial is was revived once again in the 17th century. 8. CHAPEL HOUSE unaltered, but the tall windows on either side have This market cross, with its date of 1674, This is a large 19th-century farmhouse that has been given square heads. Between them is a may possibly commemorate this re-activity. been extensively altered, although its rear tablet inscribed ‘WESLEYAN CHAPEL 1890’. elevation retains its old sashes. It takes its name from the medieval chapel of St James. Speight’s 3. WEST END FARMHOUSE 7 Romantic (published in the A substantial building, two rooms deep, that 19th century) states that remains of the chapel appears to combine a three-bay farmhouse and were incorporated in the porch of the house. a separate cottage to the east in one build. To the east of Chapel House is East End Cottage The farmhouse has an ashlar surround to its 5 which looks at first sight like a typical late basket-arched doorway inscribed ‘B M E 1772’ 18th/early 19th-century house, rubble-built and on the lintel but its windows, except perhaps 2 fairly vernacular in character, with modern glazing that over the door, seem to have been 1 6 in old openings. However, the east wall of the enlarged, and now hold four-pane sashes. 4 pent-roofed porch has a small chamfered and The building is Grade II listed. round-arched window, the north-east angle of the 3 rear outshut has three immense side-alternate 4. OLD SCHOOL 7. WALMUR HOUSE FARM angle quoins, and the adjacent roadside wall on the The attractive old school is another domestic Walmur House Farm is one of the few east seems to be part of the west end wall of an conversion. It looks to be of early 19th-century buildings in the central section of the village earlier building, being around a metre thick and date and has a central porch flanked by that seems to have escaped 20th-century having a splayed loop window very much of round-arched windows. A shaped tablet between alteration. It faces south and its front (seen from medieval character. All this might just be is inscribed ‘CARPERBY SCHOOL...’ but its lower the footpath that runs through the fields parallel to coincidence. Round-headed loops, despite the part is obscured by the porch roof, suggesting the village street) is rendered, with stone Romanesque form, are not uncommon in the that this is an addition. surrounds to its openings. A parallel range to the Dales vernacular of the 17th century and the 5. FRIENDS’ MEETING HOUSE rear is probably of early 19th-century date, and massive quoins (which would seem much more in Set back behind its burial ground, this building has has a Gothic-arched stair window. An old farm place on an Anglo-Saxon church) may simply be ashlar dressings and a Lakeland slate roof. Its gabled building range attached to the east end of the pragmatic use of the local flaggy sandstone. facade has a large doorway in a shallow central porch, front block looks 18th century, and has an external Nevertheless the juxtaposition of three such and a pedimented gable enclosing a big stone shield stone stair leading to what was once the village seemingly-antique features on the site of a with ‘ 1864’. Inevitably this reading room. medieval chapel cannot be ignored. Perhaps too has lost its original function, and been converted Speight confused the porch of Chapel House (which into a house. Just beyond are Quaker Cottages, set Also worth mentioning is the nearby area of does not seem to appear on the older Ordnance back from the road, their odd proportions (large pasture land to the south of the village which is Survey maps) with that of East End Cottage. tripartite windows to the first floor, but set well below readily accessed by several footpaths. A series of the eaves) suggesting that they too are another narrow north-south fields are divided by old domestic conversion, this time of an earlier Meeting drystone walls, with traces of earlier earthworks, a House licensed in 1828. valuable piece of rural landscape which contemporary agriculture has thankfully passed by. Private Spaces Public Places Village Heritage Project

This leaflet and others in the series were produced by the Dales National Park Authority as part of the Private Spaces Public Places project. This European Union funded project was undertaken during 2003-5 in selected villages in the Richmondshire area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The project’s aim was to enable communities to take a more active role in the management and enhancement of the historic character of their villages, and to promote a common outlook on their future development. An Historic Environment PARTICIPATING VILLAGES Consultancy firm was appointed by the Yorkshire Dales WARD: Grinton and Upper Swaledale: National Park Authority to complete character appraisal WARD: Aysgarth: VILLAGES: VILLAGES: documents in consultation with each community. Carperby Muker The documents include an appraisal of the historic character West Burton Gunnerside of the village, and form the basis for the development of an Thornton Rust Low Row agreed action plan targeting specific enhancement projects. Aysgarth Keld Electronic versions of the village character appraisal Thoralby Grinton documents, along with a copy of this leaflet are available on Newbiggin WARD: Hawes and High Abbotside: www.yorkshiredales.org.uk from the Understanding/Historic WARD: Bolton Manor: VILLAGES: Environment page. VILLAGES: Gayle Castle Bolton Burtersett West Witton Sedbusk PROJECT PART-FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION GLOSSARY Private Spaces Public Places Village Heritage Project

Ashlar Pent-roofed Good quality cut stone with a smoothly-tooled A small sloping roof, the upper end of which surface. butts against the wall of a house, usually locat- ed above first floor windows. Basket arched doorway A square-headed doorway, but with the angles Quoin of the head curved. Large corner stone located at the right angle of two external walls, the finish of which may differ Outshut from the main wall. The rear part of a building, often an addition, usually lower than the main body of the struc- Side alternate angle quoins ture, where the roof slope is continued down to Angle quoins formed by large blocks, laid on a lower level than at the front. their side rather than their faces, in which the face of one will be aligned with one wall and Pedimented gable that of the one above with the other. Typical of A gable of the ordinary triangular kind, to which Anglo-Saxon church architecture. mouldings have been added to give it a classical appearance.