High Bentham
Encyclopedia
Bentham is a small town
and civil parish in the Craven
district of North Yorkshire
, England
, with a population of 2,994. The town includes High Bentham, sometimes known as Higher Bentham, and Low Bentham. Bentham has a few youth groups for teenagers at the BYC (Bentham Youth Café) which is by the train station, Mondays Youth Club which is also now by the train station, Thursdays at the community centre, and GFI at the methodist church. There is also Springboard and Adventurers at the Methodist Church for younger children.
The town lies on the River Wenning
, west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and on the northern edge of the Forest of Bowland
. The original centre lay in Low Bentham, but a market was granted to High Bentham in the 14th century, and it became a centre for weaving
from the 18th century, particularly after weavers in the town discovered how to weave hosepipes from flax
.
Airedale NHS Trust covers Bentham for health matters.
and is now operated by Northern Rail
.
The Pink Trail is 5 miles (8 km) long and is good for family walks. In addition to the purple trail it also visits the Old Quarry. The difference is that a small part of the journey, about 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) is on the road.
The Blue Trail comes in longest of all at over 9 miles (14.5 km) but will have the most to see. It also has ladder stiles and it passes the Great Stone of Fourstones
.
in 1086. During restoration work in the 19th century, a Saxon
cross was discovered in the wall of the tower, and blackened stones in the tower wall are evidence that it was almost totally destroyed by fire after the Battle of Bannockburn
in 1314. The church contains a display of Tudor
glass, which is similar to some of the glass in York Minster
. The present building was built in the 1870s by Richard Norman Shaw
, and includes an ancient coffin slab dating from about 1340; the Kirkbeck Stone dating from the 17th century; a 15th century bell hanging in the porch; and a reredos
in Caen
stone with marble panels. The church reputedly has the heaviest peal of six bells in Yorkshire, and together weigh 7500 pounds (3,401.9 kg). The old organ, which is no longer playable, was built by William Hill of London
as a "house organ" for Walker Joy, a prosperous oil merchant in Leeds
; his brother designed a hydraulic engine to pump the bellows, making it the first ever to be blown by mechanical power. The churchyard contains a memorial to Robert Poole, a gravedigger, consisting of a sculptured shovel leaning against a tree trunk.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish 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...
, with a population of 2,994. The town includes High Bentham, sometimes known as Higher Bentham, and Low Bentham. Bentham has a few youth groups for teenagers at the BYC (Bentham Youth Café) which is by the train station, Mondays Youth Club which is also now by the train station, Thursdays at the community centre, and GFI at the methodist church. There is also Springboard and Adventurers at the Methodist Church for younger children.
The town lies on the River Wenning
River Wenning
The River Wenning is a tributary of the River Lune, flowing through North Yorkshire and Lancashire. The Wenning rises at Clapham in Yorkshire and flows westwards through High Bentham, Low Bentham and Wennington....
, west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and on the northern edge of the Forest of Bowland
Forest of Bowland
The Forest of Bowland, also known as the Bowland Fells, is an area of barren gritstone fells, deep valleys and peat moorland, mostly in north-east Lancashire, England. A small part lies in North Yorkshire, and much of the area was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire...
. The original centre lay in Low Bentham, but a market was granted to High Bentham in the 14th century, and it became a centre for weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
from the 18th century, particularly after weavers in the town discovered how to weave hosepipes from flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
.
Airedale NHS Trust covers Bentham for health matters.
Public houses
High Bentham has some pubs; the Black Bull, the Byres, the Coach House and the Horse and Farrier. The Coach House was previously called The Brown Cow. The town's pubs play host to a number of events for the annual Bentham Bash, organised by the Harley Davidson Club's Wrecking Crew.Railway
The Leeds to Morecambe railway passes through the unmanned Bentham Station. The station was opened in 1850 and has about 18000 users per year. When it first opened it was owned by the "Little" North Western Railway, it was later bought by the Midland RailwayMidland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
and is now operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
.
Heritage
Bentham has its own heritage trail. There are three trails, named purple, pink and blue. The Purple Trail is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and is a good environment for walking the dog. This route goes through Ridding Lane Farm and over Shaky Bridge, and has stone styles and lots of plants and flowers.The Pink Trail is 5 miles (8 km) long and is good for family walks. In addition to the purple trail it also visits the Old Quarry. The difference is that a small part of the journey, about 0.3 mile (0.482802 km) is on the road.
The Blue Trail comes in longest of all at over 9 miles (14.5 km) but will have the most to see. It also has ladder stiles and it passes the Great Stone of Fourstones
Great Stone of Fourstones
The Great Stone of Fourstones, or the "Big Stone" as it is known locally, is a glacial deposit on the moorlands of Tatham Fells, situated 10 m into North Yorkshire, across the county border from Lancashire, at Bentham in the District of Craven....
.
Churches
There are three churches in High Bentham: St Margaret of Antioch Church, St Boniface Roman Catholic Church and Bentham Methodist Chapel. St John the Baptist Church and Bentham Quakers Meeting House are in Low Bentham.St John the Baptist Church
St John the Baptist Church is one of the oldest churches in the area, and was noted in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
in 1086. During restoration work in the 19th century, a Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
cross was discovered in the wall of the tower, and blackened stones in the tower wall are evidence that it was almost totally destroyed by fire after the Battle of Bannockburn
Battle of Bannockburn
The Battle of Bannockburn was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence...
in 1314. The church contains a display of Tudor
Tudor style architecture
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
glass, which is similar to some of the glass in York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
. The present building was built in the 1870s by Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw
Richard Norman Shaw RA , was an influential Scottish architect from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings.-Life:...
, and includes an ancient coffin slab dating from about 1340; the Kirkbeck Stone dating from the 17th century; a 15th century bell hanging in the porch; and a reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
in Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
stone with marble panels. The church reputedly has the heaviest peal of six bells in Yorkshire, and together weigh 7500 pounds (3,401.9 kg). The old organ, which is no longer playable, was built by William Hill of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a "house organ" for Walker Joy, a prosperous oil merchant in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
; his brother designed a hydraulic engine to pump the bellows, making it the first ever to be blown by mechanical power. The churchyard contains a memorial to Robert Poole, a gravedigger, consisting of a sculptured shovel leaning against a tree trunk.