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Pannal, Yorkshire, England. Geographical and Historical information from 1868.

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PANNAL:
Geographical and Historical information from the year 1868.

"PANNAL, a parish in the lower division of the wapentake of Claro, West Riding county York. 3 miles S. of Harrogate, and 4 S.W. of Knaresborough. Tadcaster is its post town. It is a station on the Leeds and Thirsk section of the North-Eastern railway. The village, which is chiefly agricultural, is situated on a branch of the river Nidd. The parish includes a portion of the hamlets of Low Harrogate and Beckwith. About two-thirds of the land are meadow and pasture, and the remainder good arable and plantations. The soil is productive, with a subsoil of rock. The surface is undulating, and the scenery varied. On the summit of Harlow Hill is an observatory 100 feet high, erected in 1830 by John Thompson, but accessible to the public upon a small payment. The principal seats are Pannal Hall, Moor Park, and Beckwith House, the last situated in a wooded demesne. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Ripon, value £318. The church, dedicated to St. Robert of Knaresborough, is an ancient structure, with a square tower containing three bells. The nave was rebuilt in 1772. The parochial charities produce about £5 per annum. There is a district church at Low Harrogate, the living of which is a perpetual curacy,* value £120. There is a school for both sexes. The Wesleyans have two places of worship. The Duke of Devonshire is lord of the manor."


"BECKWITH, a hamlet in the parish of Pannal, wapentake of Lower Claro, in the West Riding of the county of York, 5 miles from Ripley."


"HARROGATE, (High and Low), a township, post town, and watering place and parishes of Knaresborough and Pannal, lower division of the wapentake of Claro, West Riding county York, 3 miles S.W. of Knaresborough, and 15½ N. of Leeds. It is a principal station on the Leeds, Harrogate, and Stockton section of the North-Eastern railway; and may be approached either by the Great Northern, London and North-Western, or Lancashire and Yorkshire railways. The town is situated in Knaresborough Forest, and near the river Nidd. It was formerly two distinct villages, High and Low Harrogate, which are now united by ranges of handsome houses of modern erection, generally designated Central Harrogate. High Harrogate stands on an elevation of 596 feet above sea-level, and commands the view of an extensive and varied landscape, bounded by the mountains of Craven, the hills of Hambleton, and the wolds of Yorkshire. Low Harrogate is situated in a valley, and is adorned with many handsome houses of stone, erected principally for the accommodation of visitors, and with numerous inns and hotels. The town, although irregularly laid out, is well built, and from the salubrity of its climate, and the efficacy of its mineral springs, has become one of the most fashionable watering-places in the North of England. It is asserted that upwards of 40,000 persons annually visit this place to drink the waters and enjoy its baths. The first spring was discovered in 1571 by a Mr. Slingsby, and was considered equal to the finest spas of Belgium. Since that period several others have been found, but the most remarkable are the sixteen springs known as the Bog Wells, situated near the Bath Hospital. Although in close proximity with one another, each spring has distinct mineral qualities. Harrogate is governed by town commissioners, and is well supplied with water and lighted with gas. It contains many fine buildings. The most noteworthy is the Royal Pump Room, a neat octagonal building with four projecting sides, crowned by a large dome surmounted by eight dolphins. The Cheltenham Pump Room, 100 feet long by 33 feet broad, built in the form of a Grecian temple, is approached by a flight of steps surmounted by a portico. Concerts are held in this building during the bathing season. Montpelier Bath, situated in the centre of pleasure grounds, is a large building, ornamented in front by a portico. It contains a lofty entrance hall, lighted by a dome. The Montpelier springs are situated in these grounds. The Victoria Bathhouse, built in 1832, near the townhall, has a cupola, supported by pillars over the Tewit Well. The Bath Hospital was built by subscription on land presented to the town by the Earl of Harewood, for the benefit of the poor, who may require the use of the waters, but are unable to pay for them. The observatory, a square tower, situated on a lofty hill, was built in 1829. On its top are two powerful telescopes, by which objects may be seen at a distance of 60 miles. There are a townhall, mechanics' institute, theatre, assembly rooms, several hotels, and horticultural society. During the season, which extends from the 1st of May to the end of October, two weekly newspapers are published in the town, the Harrogate Advertiser and the Harrogate Herald, the former on Saturday, and the latter on Wednesday. The living of High Harrogate is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Ripon, value £250, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to Christ, a modern stone building, with a square tower containing a clock and one bell, has lately been restored and enlarged. Anew church at Bilton was built and endowed by William Sheepshanks, Esq. The living is a perpetual curacy, value £200. There are chapels for Wesleyans, Wesleyan Reformers, Independents, and Quakers. At High Harrogate there is a free school for girls, supported by W. Sheepshanks, Esq. There is also an endowed school for twenty children at Bilton, and National schools for both sexes at High and Low Harrogate. There are many places of interest in the neighbourhood, among which may be mentioned the ruins of Knaresborough and Spofforth castles, Ripon Cathedral, Brimham Rocks, Plumpton Rocks, and Fountains Abbey."


"SWINDON, a hamlet in the parishes of Kirkby-Overblow and Pannal, wapentake of Claro, West Riding county York, 5½ miles S.W. of Wetherby. It is the property of the Earl of Harewood, who is lord of the manor."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2013