Appletreewick is a small village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Craven

Craven

Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...

 district of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

; situated 12 miles (19.3 km) north-east of Skipton

Skipton

Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...

. The local travel links are located 7 miles (11.3 km) from the village to Skipton railway station

Skipton railway station

Skipton railway station serves the town of Skipton in North Yorkshire, England on the Airedale Line. It is operated by Northern Rail and is situated north-west of Leeds....

 and 16 miles (25.7 km) from Leeds Bradford International Airport

Leeds Bradford International Airport

Leeds Bradford International Airport is located at Yeadon, in the City of Leeds Metropolitan District in West Yorkshire, England, northwest of Leeds city centre itself...

. The village has a population of 234 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001

United Kingdom Census 2001

A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

.

It is in the Yorkshire Dales

Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...

, located in northern England

Northern England

Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...

. A popular place for visitors especially in the summer months, people from nearby cities often visit Appletreewick to relax on the banks of the River Wharfe

River Wharfe

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...

.

The parish includes a large area of moorland north of the village. It includes the hamlet of Skyreholme and a few houses at the western end of the village of Greenhow

Greenhow

Greenhow is a village in North Yorkshire, England, often referred to as Greenhow Hill.The place name how is derived from the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill and a mound....

. The parish also includes Parcevall Hall

Parcevall Hall

Parcevall Hall and its gardens are located near Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. It comprises a manor house and landscaped gardens. It is currently owned by the Diocese of Bradford and is used as a retreat, but the gardens are open to the public...

, Stump Cross Caverns

Stump Cross Caverns

Stump Cross Caverns is a limestone cave system between Wharfedale and Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, England.-Geography:The caverns at Stump Cross are located beneath Greenhow hill, 1275 metres above sea level. Their name was taken from Stump Cross, which in ancient times marked the limit of...

 and the eastern part of Grimwith Reservoir

Grimwith Reservoir

Grimwith Reservoir is located in the Yorkshire Dales in North Yorkshire, England. It is accessed from the B6265 road east of Hebden and west of Pateley Bridge...

.

History

The village prospered from the year 1300 when Bolton Priory acquired its manor with its extensive sheep ranges and valuable lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

 mines. Charters for markets and a fair were granted and the latter remained important until the impact of the railways in the mid 19th century.
Stone houses line the steep, main street between High Hall at the top and Low Hall at the bottom. The Tudor-style High Hall was restored by Sir William Craven

William Craven (Lord Mayor of London)

Sir William Craven was an English merchant, Lord Mayor of London in 1610 . It has been suggested that the story of Dick Whittington is based on Craven's career, and he is sometime referred to as "Aptrick's Dick Whittington".-Life:He was the second son of William Craven and Beatrix, daughter of...

 (known as Appletreewick's own "Dick Whittington") who became Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

at the beginning of the 17th century.
Craven was born in a cottage almost opposite High Hall, one of a pair converted into St. Johns church. Lower down is Monks Hall, largely rebuilt in 1697 on the site of Bolton Priory's grange. The pub, the Craven Arms, was also owned by William and has much of the village history on display including a fully heather-thatched cruck barn to look round.

A 2009 study of rural driving within England led to Appletreewick attaining the title of 'Britain's Friendliest Town to Drive Through'. The study was based upon data collected around Britain, monitoring levels of road rage, driver communication, average speeds and hand wave acknowledgments of friendly driving.