T'owd Snuff

At this stage on our Ribble journey the river itself is the dividing line between the village of Giggleswick and the town of Settle. 

I have always thought of Giggleswick as rather posh, based on no evidence at all, as I have hardly ever been. Perhaps I was told this as a child, or maybe it is because of Giggleswick School, which takes up half of the village. Anyway I was interested to read John Houseman, an 18th century visitor to the area - Settle had become ‘an inconsiderable market town’. Giggleswick was the setting for the parish church, ‘near to which the gentry have erected very neat boxes’ and formed ‘a kind of separation from the tradesmen’. Giggleswick is certainly very pretty and very quiet, compared to the bustle of Settle. 


Giggleswick is an interesting place, but I was today focused on the Ribble, so we walked down to the river along paths popular with local people as they lead to the bridge (a Memorial Bridge dedicated to those killed in the two World Wars), which links with Settle. Interesting that down there we met quite a few people arriving back over the bridge with shopping from Settle Market - Market Day Tuesday.

My photo is the river from the bridge where there is a huge rock, Queen’s Rock. Normally the water would be pouring down over the bed of rocks and swirling around the Queen’s Rock - not today when water levels are so low, it was very peaceful.  On the other side of the bridge is Kings Mill (see extra). There was once an 18th century Snuff Mill here - known as T’owd Snuff. At the time Kendal was the snuff capital of the north and there was packhorse trade between the two towns. A little further downstream was a ford - Kendalsman ford - a very busy trading place, especially as one could avoid tolls on the old footbridge. The mill burnt down in 1830, a large textile mill was built in its place, with machinery powered by water. These buildings are now apartments.

A beautiful day for our regular trip - Hawes for coffee and Wensleydale cheese, a lovely drive over the moors past Ribblehead Viaduct, then onto Settle for research by the river and fish and chips. Back via the Courtyard Dairy and ice cream in Orton. 

Second extra - not often one has a clear blue sky above the Viaduct.