Dales Countryside Museum

As the weather worsened, the only feasible place to be was inside, so it was a pleasure to visit the Dales Countryside Museum, housed in Hawes' redundant railway station. It has interesting displays covering the history and development of the Dales, home and social life, industry and farming. 

I was deeply impressed with the bronze spearhead (above), about 9 inches long, possibly a votive offering made in the Bronze Age (between 4000 and 2000 BC) and found in Semerwater, a nearby lake. Wow, wow, wow! It is absolutely beautiful, with such lovely detailing.  

I learned of the importance of knitting in the local communities, done by men and children as well as women and quite a sociable, community activity. I also learned that there is such a thing as a 'knitting stick'.  A knitting stick (seen in use above) is a tool used by knitters to secure one needle and take the weight of their knitting.  These handy little gadgets help serious knitters to knit quickly (some can knit as fast as three stitches per second - that is 180 stitches per minute!) and also makes it easier for them to knit on the move, while they are walking around. There were many examples on display, mostly wooden, turned and carved with personalised symbols.

There was a display about lead mining (above), which I found interesting in the light of my recent exploration of the lead mines above Grassington and another exhibit about peat cutting, peat being used extensively as fuel for homes and industry. 

 All very fascinating - I could have spent longer exploring and there was a lot to take in. 

Gayle

As the day wore on the weather got even worse! I headed for the market town of Hawes, where at least there are places to go inside. Just up the road behind Hawes is the village of Gayle, sitting on either side of Gayle Beck which flows steeply down to Hawes in a series of falls. (I told you there were a lot of waterfalls in this area of the Dales.) Originally a farming settlement, it grew in the late 18th century as quarries and coal mines opened in the area. The beck also provided the water power to drive Gayle Mill, built around 1780 as a cotton-spinning mill and converted to a sawmill in 1878. After featuring on the TV programme Restoration in 2004, it was indeed restored and functioned as a working sawmill, where they ran workshops and sought to preserve the old, heritage skills. It was closed in 2018, though I have been on a tour of it in the past. (See HERE). The Gayle Mill Trust still operates out of other premises, so I'm not sure if the Mill will reopen or not. 

The village centre is a Conservation area, and has several old buildings like Old Hall below, with a date stone of 1695. 

Looking down the beck beyond Gayle bridge you can see Hawes church tower, the view not improved by the intrusive electricity wires and poles! Hawes, a larger market town and one of the main centres in Wensleydale, is only half a mile away.