Garrigill
Encyclopedia
Garrigill, Cumbria
is a small village in the North Pennine
region of the UK
situated on the banks and close to the source of the River South Tyne
. It is within the Garrigill ward of the civil parish
of Alston Moor
within the district of Eden
.
The village's name should not be confused with the hamlet of Galligill in the Nent valley also within Alston Moor.
The village's former name is Garrigill-Gate and was earlier known as Gerard's Gill. (Gill is a Norse word for a steep sided valley).
At its peak Garrigill was home to 1,000 people mainly employed in the lead
mining
industry; now its population numbers less than 200. Those who live and work in the village are mainly employed in agriculture
. Garrigill Post Office is a traditional village store which has not changed substantially since the 1950s and is an attraction to many visitors although at one time the village had four shops including a Co-op
store. Both the Pennine Way
, the oldest of the UK's National Trails, and the Sea to Sea Cycle Route
(C2C) England
's most popular long distance cycle route, pass through the village.
For many years there has been one pub
in the village, the George & Dragon but this was closed from September 2009 to December 2010, the George & Dragon has re-opened under new management. Before the mid-20th century there was a second pub, The Old Fox next to the church.
The centre of the village is the green
which the post office
and George & Dragon overlook with the church and village hall
nearby but at either end of the village proper are the areas of Gatefoot and Gatehead whilst on the village's outskirts are the settlements of Beldy, Crossgill, Loaning Head and Ashgillside. There are two water pumps in the village, one on the green and one (which still works) by the bridge.
At Ashgillside and Beldy there are waterfalls namely Ashgill Force and Thortergill Force. Thortergill Force (formerly known to locals as Lady's Walk) was able to be accessed by the public, but access has now been closed by the current landowners.
The closest town is Alston
, four miles away.
The parish church
of St. John was for centuries a chapel of ease
to St. Augustines at Alston but was promoted to full parish status in the 1980s but is served by a team vicar
based at Alston who also serves the churches at Nenthead
, Knarsdale, Kirkhaugh and Lambley. There used to be at least 3 non-comformist or Methodist
chapels at Garrigill as well. Unlike the rest of Cumbria the parishes of Alston, Nenthead and Garrigill are within the Diocese of Newcastle
not the Diocese of Carlisle
.
At nearby Tynehead, now only a single house but once a thriving mining community, there was until the 1930s a primary school which was the highest school there has ever been in England. Garrigill's own school located at Gatefoot on the Leadgate road closed in the 1960s.
Garrigill was the home of Westgarth Forster
(1772–1835), geologist
and mining engineer. He published A Treatise on a Section of the Strata from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the Mountain of Cross Fell in Cumberland. Descendants of the Forster family still reside in Garrigill to this day and there is a memorial to him in the churchyard.
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
is a small village in the North Pennine
North Pennines
The North Pennines is the northernmost section of the Pennine range of hills which runs north-south through northern England. It lies between Carlisle to the west and Darlington to the east...
region of the UK
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...
situated on the banks and close to the source of the River South Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. It is within the Garrigill ward of the 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...
of Alston Moor
Alston Moor
Alston Moor is an area of moorland and civil parish in Cumbria, England, based around the small town of Alston. The parish had a population of 2,156 at the 2001 census. As well as the town of Alston, the parish includes the villages of Garrigill and Nenthead, along with the hamlets of Nenthall,...
within the district of Eden
Eden, Cumbria
Eden is a local government district in Cumbria, England. Its council is based in Penrith. It is named after the River Eden which flows north through the district toward Carlisle....
.
The village's name should not be confused with the hamlet of Galligill in the Nent valley also within Alston Moor.
The village's former name is Garrigill-Gate and was earlier known as Gerard's Gill. (Gill is a Norse word for a steep sided valley).
At its peak Garrigill was home to 1,000 people mainly employed in the 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...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
industry; now its population numbers less than 200. Those who live and work in the village are mainly employed in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Garrigill Post Office is a traditional village store which has not changed substantially since the 1950s and is an attraction to many visitors although at one time the village had four shops including a Co-op
Co-op UK
The United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844....
store. Both 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...
, the oldest of the UK's National Trails, and the Sea to Sea Cycle Route
Sea to Sea Cycle Route
The Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea Cycle Route is Great Britain's most popular long-distance cycle route and is based on minor roads, disused railway lines, off-road tracks and specially constructed cycle paths...
(C2C) 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...
's most popular long distance cycle route, pass through the village.
For many years there has been one pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
in the village, the George & Dragon but this was closed from September 2009 to December 2010, the George & Dragon has re-opened under new management. Before the mid-20th century there was a second pub, The Old Fox next to the church.
The centre of the village is the green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
which the post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and George & Dragon overlook with the church and village hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...
nearby but at either end of the village proper are the areas of Gatefoot and Gatehead whilst on the village's outskirts are the settlements of Beldy, Crossgill, Loaning Head and Ashgillside. There are two water pumps in the village, one on the green and one (which still works) by the bridge.
At Ashgillside and Beldy there are waterfalls namely Ashgill Force and Thortergill Force. Thortergill Force (formerly known to locals as Lady's Walk) was able to be accessed by the public, but access has now been closed by the current landowners.
The closest town is Alston
Alston, Cumbria
Alston is a small town in Cumbria, England on the River South Tyne. It is one of the highest elevation towns in the country, at about 1,000 feet above sea level.-Geography:...
, four miles away.
The parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. John was for centuries a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to St. Augustines at Alston but was promoted to full parish status in the 1980s but is served by a team vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
based at Alston who also serves the churches at Nenthead
Nenthead
The small village of Nenthead in the county of Cumbria is one of England's highest villages, at 1,500 feet. It was not built until the middle of the 18th century and was one of the earliest purpose-built industrial villages in Britain...
, Knarsdale, Kirkhaugh and Lambley. There used to be at least 3 non-comformist or Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
chapels at Garrigill as well. Unlike the rest of Cumbria the parishes of Alston, Nenthead and Garrigill are within the Diocese of Newcastle
Diocese of Newcastle
The Diocese of Newcastle is a Church of England diocese based in Newcastle upon Tyne, covering the historic county of Northumberland . The area of Alston Moor in Cumbria also forms part of the diocese.The diocese came into being on May 23, 1882, and was one of four created by the Bishoprics Act...
not the Diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
.
At nearby Tynehead, now only a single house but once a thriving mining community, there was until the 1930s a primary school which was the highest school there has ever been in England. Garrigill's own school located at Gatefoot on the Leadgate road closed in the 1960s.
Garrigill was the home of Westgarth Forster
Westgarth Forster
Westgarth Forster was a geologist, mineralogist, and mining engineer. He was the son of a mining engineer, and was born in Garrigill, Cumbria...
(1772–1835), geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and mining engineer. He published A Treatise on a Section of the Strata from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to the Mountain of Cross Fell in Cumberland. Descendants of the Forster family still reside in Garrigill to this day and there is a memorial to him in the churchyard.
External links
- http://www.thecumbriadirectory.com/Town_or_Village/location.php?url=garrigill on The Cumbria Directory.
- George & Dragon Online petition to try and save the George & Dragon
- Garrigill Village Hall