Malham
Encyclopedia
Malham is a village
and civil parish in the Craven
district of North Yorkshire
, England
. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales
with a population of approximately 150. The surrounding countryside is well known for its limestone pavement
s and other examples of limestone
scenery. The most obvious tourist attractions are Malham Tarn
, Malham Cove
, and the Dry valley.
The village hosts an annual agricultural and horticultural show on the Saturday before the August Bank Holiday. This is known as the Malham Show and now has competitions for everything from Lego
models to fell running
. Another major annual event is the Malham Safari, where the villagers and particularly the local school build sculptures around the village. This event attracts many tourists and stalls are put up on the green.
In the village itself there is a National Park
Information Centre and a large car park, which are attractive to tourists. The long-distance path the Pennine Way
passes through the village, which is close to the natural landmarks of Malham Cove
, Malham Tarn
, Gordale Scar
and Janet's Foss
. The Malham Show Fell Race
runs over the nearby 301 metres (987.5 ft) Cawden as part of the course.
In May 2006, it was reported that a covert listening device
was discovered hidden in the local parish
hall, leaving the villagers baffled by its discovery. The electronic transmitter was found in a wall socket during a safety inspection at Malham village hall.
One of the most notable recent attractions to the area has been the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 which took place around the Malham limestone pavement.
In the 1950s the village gave its name to a Ham class minesweeper
, HMS Malham
.
, but is generally colder and wetter than most settlements in Britain
due to its more upland setting. This exposed position means the temperature range is limited, due to little pooling of cold air. Extremes of temperature (since 1960) range from 28.2 °C (82.8 °F) during August 1990, down to -13.5 C during March 2001.
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 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 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...
with a population of approximately 150. The surrounding countryside is well known for its limestone pavement
Limestone pavement
A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK where many of these landforms have developed distinctive surface patterning resembling block of paving...
s and other examples of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
scenery. The most obvious tourist attractions are Malham Tarn
Malham Tarn
-External links:****...
, Malham Cove
Malham Cove
Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top....
, and the Dry valley.
The village hosts an annual agricultural and horticultural show on the Saturday before the August Bank Holiday. This is known as the Malham Show and now has competitions for everything from Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
models to fell running
Fell running
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty...
. Another major annual event is the Malham Safari, where the villagers and particularly the local school build sculptures around the village. This event attracts many tourists and stalls are put up on the green.
Tourism
Malham is a popular walkers' destination. The rise in tourism over Malham's history has led to some deterioration of the area's surrounding paths as tourists wander off the paths and cause pockets of erosion, a process often called "footpath erosion". The footpaths in the area are maintained by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.In the village itself there is a National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
Information Centre and a large car park, which are attractive to tourists. The long-distance path the Pennine Way
Pennine Way
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...
passes through the village, which is close to the natural landmarks of Malham Cove
Malham Cove
Malham Cove is a natural limestone formation 1 km north of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. A well-known beauty spot, it is a large, curved limestone cliff at the head of a valley, with a fine area of limestone pavement at the top....
, Malham Tarn
Malham Tarn
-External links:****...
, Gordale Scar
Gordale Scar
Gordale Scar is a dramatic limestone ravine 1 mile or 1.5 km NE of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. It contains two waterfalls and has overhanging limestone cliffs over 100 metres high. The gorge was formed by water from melting glaciers...
and Janet's Foss
Janet's Foss
Janet's Foss is a small waterfall in the vicinity of the village of Malham, North Yorkshire, England. It carries Gordale Beck over a limestone outcrop topped by tufa into a deep pool below...
. The Malham Show Fell Race
Fell running
Fell running, also known as mountain running and hill running, is the sport of running and racing, off road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty...
runs over the nearby 301 metres (987.5 ft) Cawden as part of the course.
In May 2006, it was reported that a covert listening device
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
was discovered hidden in the local parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
hall, leaving the villagers baffled by its discovery. The electronic transmitter was found in a wall socket during a safety inspection at Malham village hall.
One of the most notable recent attractions to the area has been the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 which took place around the Malham limestone pavement.
In the 1950s the village gave its name to a Ham class minesweeper
Ham class minesweeper
The Ham class was a class of inshore minesweepers , known as the Type 1, of the British Royal Navy. The class was designed to operate in the shallow water of rivers and estuaries. It took its name from the fact that all the ship names were British place names ending in -"ham"...
, HMS Malham
HMS Malham
HMS Malham was one of 93 ships of the of inshore minesweepers.Their names were all chosen from villages ending in -ham. The minesweeper was named after Malham in North Yorkshire.-References:*Blackman, R.V.B. ed. Jane's Fighting Ships...
.
Climate
Malham has an Oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
, but is generally colder and wetter than most settlements in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
due to its more upland setting. This exposed position means the temperature range is limited, due to little pooling of cold air. Extremes of temperature (since 1960) range from 28.2 °C (82.8 °F) during August 1990, down to -13.5 C during March 2001.