Coordinates: 54°04′20″N 2°16′55″W / 54.07213°N 2.28189°W / 54.07213; -2.28189

Settle
Settle town centre
Settle  Settle shown within North Yorkshire
Population	2,421 [1]
OS grid reference	SD816640
- London	239 miles (385 km)
Civil parish	Settle
District	Craven
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SETTLE
Postcode district	BD24
Dialling code	01729
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
EU Parliament	Yorkshire and the Humber
UK Parliament	Skipton & Ripon
Website	http://www.settle.co.uk/
List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire

Settle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is 29 miles (47 km) from Leeds Bradford Airport. The main road running through Settle is the B6480, which links to the A65, connecting Settle to Skipton and Kendal. The town has a population of 2,421 according to the 2001 Census.

History[link]

Settle is thought to be of Anglian 7th century origins, its name being the Angle word for settlement. After the Harrying of the North between 1069 and 1071, the area was described in the Domesday Book as "waste". A market charter was granted to Henry de Percy (1228–1272) by Henry III in 1249. A market square developed and the main route through the medieval town was aligned on an east-west direction, from what is now Albert Hill down Victoria Street, High Street and Cheapside and on through Kirkgate. This led to Giggleswick, important because it was here that citizens had to go to attend the parish church. The first bridge over the River Ribble was mentioned in 1498.

During the civil war, the Cliffords, the Lords of the Manor were royalists, but counter to tradition, their subjects were not. John Lambert of Calton in Malhamdale, was general in Cromwell's army and his troops camped at Settle in August 1651 while on the road to an encounter in Lancaster.

The turnpike, Keighley to Kendal road was put through in 1753. The "little" North Western Railway reached Giggleswick in 1847 and in 1849 the railway company constructed the new Station Road from Giggleswick to Settle. In 1875 the Settle to Carlisle Railway was built, opening to goods traffic in 1875 and to passengers the following year when the station building was opened along with goods warehouse, cattle pens, signal box and water cranes.^[2]

In the late 18th century cotton spinning became the main employment in the town. Bridge End Mill was converted from corn milling to cotton spinning. John Procter operated mills at Runley and King's Mill; they were later taken over by his son Thomas. He built the row of workers' cottages now called Procter's Row in Lower Kirkgate. In 1835, Dog Kennel Mill and Brennand's Weaving Shed, Settle had 5 mills employing 333 people.^[3]

Governance[link]

Settle is served by a town council made up of 11 councillors. The current mayor is Joe Lord, who was duly on elected on the 21st of May 2012 for a 1 year term by 7 votes to 3 against Steve Amphlett. There was no election in 2010 as exactly 11 people put their names forward.

Settle is in the Settle and Ribblebank ward of Craven District council. There are two councillors both Conservative representatives.^[4] It is in the Ribblesdale division of the county of North Yorkshire, where it is represented by a Conservative. It is twinned with the French Mediterranean seaside town of Banyuls-sur-Mer.

Geography[link]

View from Castlebergh

Settle was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is located in Ribblesdale, at the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales, within a few miles of the Three Peaks. Immediately overlooking the town is Castlebergh, an impressive 300 feet (91 m) limestone crag, and to the east is Malham with its tarn and limestone pavement scenery. The river provided the power for its former cotton mills, and is now being harnessed by the Settle Hydro, a micro hydroelectric scheme, to provided 50 kW of power to the National Grid.

Tourism[link]

Settle's market (both inside Victoria Hall and outdoors in the market place) is held weekly on Tuesdays,^[5] in the market place in the centre of the town which is dominated by the beautiful Settle Town Hall, which has recently been sold by Craven District Council to a local developer (http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/). The Square is surrounded by local businesses, most of which are family-owned, with some offering items for sale unique to the Settle area. This includes the Naked Man believed to be the oldest cafe in the country.^[5] There is also an indoor market on a Tuesday in the Viotoria Hall.

Settle also boasts many tourist attractions including the following three reasons to visit Settle, The Museum of North Craven Life housed in The Folly, the Gallery on the Green is the smallest art gallery in the world and The Linton Court Gallery.

The Folly (http://www.ncbpt.org.uk/folly/) is a beautiful 17th century Grade I listed building, which is located on the main street out of the market Square. In 1996 The North Craven Building Preservation Trust purchased part of The Folly and completely restored the building and opened it to the public in 2001. The Folly houses the Museum of North Craven Life and hosts regular exhibitions during the open season. There are also permanent displays, including Settle to Carlisle Railway, Thompson (Mouseman) of Kilburn furniture and local History. The rest of The Folly has now been purchased by the North Craven Building Preservation Trust thus reuniting the two parts of the house. The Museum is completely independent and run by volunteers.

The Gallery on the Green (http://www.galleryonthegreen.org.uk/) is based in Settle, North Yorkshire and is thought to be the smallest art gallery in the world. Drawings, paintings, photographs and other unique works of art are housed in a former BT telephone kiosk in a beautiful rural setting.

Gavagan Arts at Linton Court Gallery (http://gavaganart.com/linton-court-gallery/visiting-linton-court-gallery/) is situated in an attractive courtyard, just off Duke Street, Settle’s main road. The location is central, just off the main square, close to the tourist information office, The town’s Ashfield car park is close to the gallery.

The gallery provides a spacious setting for exhibitions. The gallery presents a series of temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. The programme will feature both established and young artists and offers the opportunity to purchase a range of art work including paintings, drawings, sculpture, original prints and ceramics. Exhibitions will include both themed shows and work by individual artists.

The district includes several caves where prehistoric remains have been found, the most notable being Victoria Cave, so called because the inner chamber was discovered in 1837 on the day of Queen Victoria's accession. Victoria Cave contained remains of mammoth, bear, reindeer and hippopotamus as well as stones, flint, a harpoon head carved from antler, and other implements and ornaments. The discovery of flint is noteworthy since it is not a substance that is found naturally in the area. Craven Museum & Gallery (http://www.cravenmuseum.org) in Skipton has a permanent exhibition of items which includes a bear's skull found in one of the local caves.

Cultural[link]

The English composer Edward Elgar visited Settle on many occasions to visit his friend Dr. Charles William Buck. There is a blue plaque at Cravendale to commemorate this.^[6]

Education[link]

Settle itself has three schools and works on a middle school system, with Settle Primary School^[7], Settle Middle School^[8] and Settle College^[9]. Settle Middle School is to close in September 2012 as part of money-saving measures taken by North Yorkshire County Council. This has been a very unpopular decision in the town. To the west of the town is Giggleswick School, one of the principal public schools in the North of England, founded in 1512.

Notable people[link]

• George Birkbeck (1776–1841), founder of the Mechanics' Institutes; Birkbeck, University of London is named after him
• George Howson (1860–1919), reforming headmaster
• Reverend Benjamin Waugh (20 February 1839 – 11 March 1908) the founder of the NSPCC is also commemorated by a plaque on a what is now the Lloyds TSB in Settle town square.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Settle Festival
• Settle Stories
• Settle Guide
• Settle & the 3 Peaks History
• Caves in the Settle area
• North Craven Historical Research Group
• Four town walks on history of Settle - Richard Preston and the Folly
• Museum of North Craven Life at The Folly
• Website for Settle Tuesday Market