CASTLE BOLTON An introduction to the built heritage of the village Castle Bolton is one of several Wensleydale villages which still dominates the whole area. The humble with echoes of ‘Estate Tudor’, evidence of a that take advantage of the type of site that geology parish church, still a relatively unaltered medieval campaign of improvement in the 1840s or 1850s. and landscape combined have produced on the building - crouches literally in the shadow of As usual on this side of Wensleydale, all the houses north side of the valley. It lies on a broad and the castle. on the south of the green turn their backs to it to quite level terrace sitting above a scarp and so appreciate both sun and the views southwards. commands extensive views to the south. The To the east of castle and church the village is Although ‘view’ as a component of modern house village is completely subordinate to the magnificent spread out around a long and quite wide green, names is very common throughout the area, here 14th-century palace fortress of the Scrope family, and is made up of houses of relatively humble it is virtually ubiquitous. The simple theme is status. It is thought to have been laid out at the continued by the absolutely plain and utilitarian same time as the castle was built, replacing two late 18th- or early 19th-century Methodist Chapel, earlier settlements, East and West Bolton, but if barely distinguishable from a cottage, and now, like this was the case, there is a three-century gap so many more, disused and scheduled for domestic between this date and the earliest visible structures. conversion. Buildings and architecture are all very much in a minor key, although the usual elements are all For more information about Bolton Castle’s place in present - 17th-century beginnings in Crayke House history see the essay titled ‘Defensive Places’ in (away from castle and church), a 20th-century the Themes/Defence section of the website telephone kiosk, some simple contributions from the www.outofoblivion.org.uk. Castle Bolton parish also 18th century, and a group of similar T-plan cottages contains important archaeological remains such as medieval field systems and 19th-century Bolton Park Mine. Type ‘Castle Bolton' in the Keyword Search box of the Out of Oblivion website and follow the links. Soldiers at the castle gate 4. CRAYKE HOUSE 5. EAST END FARMHOUSE AND Crayke House is a Grade II listed property, 6. METHODIST CHAPEL CASTLE BOLTON the lower eastern part having chamfered The farmhouse is two rooms deep and of three Plan showing featured buildings mullioned windows and a projecting end irregular bays, probably of the later 18th century, chimney stack. On the green in front of the with a 19th-century farm building block to the house is a simple old stone well or pant. west. Set back to the east is another block with a central door flanked by 12-pane sashes, with 1. ST OSWALD’S CHURCH Yorkshire sashes above of plain late 18th/early The Church dates to the early 14th century 19th-century appearance, and with an attached although carved stones built into the tower may farm building to the east. Until around 1999 this indicate an earlier 12th-century structure. The was a Methodist Chapel. Photographs on display in sundial on the porch is now permanently shadowed the parish church show the plain plastered interior. by Bolton Castle showing that the latter was built Presumably the upper windows lit a gallery, later later. Unusually there is no division between the removed. chancel and the nave, but a beam which formed part of the old rood screen can still be seen on the west wall of the tower. The sedilia (triple stone seats) is particularly fine and is of the Decorated 6 Period when the church was originally built. 5 4 1 7 3 2 7. READING ROOM At the south-east corner of the green is a small Reading Room. The children of the 19th-century rural working class left school early, but for the men at least there were opportunities provided for them to continue their education afterwards. Nearly every village in the Yorkshire Dales was 2. BOLTON CASTLE provided at some time with a Reading Room or Castle Bolton is of course dominated by its castle, the Literary Institute. Nonconformist communities late 14th-century quadrangular palace-fortress of the particularly valued the opportunity for sober Scropes, prominent in the landscape from much of education provided by such places and this mid-Wensleydale. Three-storey ranges enclose a coincided with the interest of the middle classes in rectangular courtyard, with a five-storey tower at each 3. TELEPHONE KIOSK keeping their workers out of public houses. Some corner, the whole a piece of sophisticated planning The K6 type telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles reading rooms started life as humble affairs, a loft reflecting the need to accommodate not only the Gilbert Scott in 1935 was made by various or a back room in a mill, but local subscriptions family themselves but their garrison, staff, pages and contractors. This Grade II listed example is square and generous donations usually led to a purpose priests. After some judicious late Victorian restoration with a domed roof and is made of cast iron. There built structure. the west range and south-west tower remain roofed are unperforated George VI crowns on the top and intact, whilst the walls of much of the remainder panels. stand to full height, except for the north-east tower which collapsed in 1762. Private Spaces Public Places Village Heritage Project This leaflet and others in the series were produced by the Yorkshire 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 Hardraw BY THE EUROPEAN UNION GLOSSARY Private Spaces Public Places Village Heritage Project Chamfered mullioned windows Rood screen Windows with stone mullions in which the A screen, originally carrying a large crucifix or surround and edges of the mullion are rood, set between nave and chancel in a church. chamfered. Often removed at the Reformation although evidence such as corbels may survive. Bays Elevations can usually be divided into a series Yorkshire sash bays on the basis of their architectural features A sash window in which the sliding leaf moves - a bay might contain one window on each floor horizontally rather than vertically. level. If referring to a timber-framed building, or a roof structure, the bay would be the section between each pair of posts, or between each tie-beam and set of principal rafters..