Grewelthorpe is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...

district of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

, England situated south of

Masham Masham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It had a population of 1,205 at the 2011 census. Etymology In Wensleydale, on the western bank of the River Ure, the name derives from the An ...

and north of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the cit ...

. It is located in the

Nidderdale area of outstanding natural beauty The Nidderdale AONB is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, England, bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the east and south. It comprises most of Nidderdale itself, part of lower Wharfedale, the Washburn valley an ...

. The name Grewelthorpe derives from the words Gruel and Thorpe, Gruel being a family name and

thorp ''Thorp'' is a Middle English word for a hamlet or small village. Etymology The name can either come from Old Norse ''þorp'' (also ''thorp''), or from Old English (Anglo-Saxon) ''þrop''. There are many place names in England with the suff ...

e meaning "outlying farmstead". Grewelthorpe was mentioned in the ''

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' when it was known as Torp and was in the ownership of Gospatric. In 2009 Grewelthorpe has one active church, St James's and a pub, the Crown. It also has a duck pond, which is a distinctive feature of the village, it is populated by ducks which people come from surrounding villages to feed. The local primary school is known as Grewelthorpe Church of England Primary school and takes children from two years old to eleven years old. The current school building was opened in June 2003 and is located at cross hills in Grewelthorpe. However, Grewelthorpe has had a school since 1876. Unlike many Yorkshire villages Grewelthorpe does not currently have a cricket club. It last had one in the 1950s, but it folded as a result of the failure to find a suitable playing field.

Hackfall

On the edge of the village of Grewelthorpe is Hack Fall Wood, otherwise known as Hackfall, which is a Grade I Garden in English Heritage's Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Although it appears to be a natural wood, the landscape that can be seen today was in large part a result of design and work undertaken by the Aislabies of

Studley Royal Studley Royal Park including the ruins of Fountains Abbey is a designated World Heritage Site in North Yorkshire, England. The site, which has an area of features an 18th-century landscaped garden, some of the largest Cistercian ruins in Europe ...

. In Victorian times it was a popular attraction: there are grottos, surprise views, waterfalls, a fountain and several follies, including Mowbray Castle, a ruin in a prominent hill-top position. After a long period of neglect, restoration has been undertaken in the 1980s by the Hackfall Trust and the

Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust is the largest woodland conservation charity in the United Kingdom and is concerned with the creation, protection, and restoration of native woodland heritage. It has planted over 50 million trees since 1972. The Woodland Tr ...

, with the help of a grant from the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

and a 999-year lease. Hackfall is open to the public. A seventeen and a half mile walking circuit has been created that links Hackfall with Studley Royal called the Aislabie Walk.

References

External links

Grewelthorpe North Yorkshire Village Web Site

Hackfall Wood

The Aislabie Walk

St James Church
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Folly castles in England