Malham is a village and civil parish in the county of

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

, England. 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

'', the name is given as Malgun, meaning "settlement by the gravelly places". Until 1974 it was part of the Settle Rural District, in the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the district of Craven, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council. In 2001 the parish had a population of approximately 150. Malham parish increased in size geographically (to include Malham Moor) and so at the 2011 Census had a population of 238. Malham lies at the upper end of the valley of the River Aire, known above Airton as Malhamdale, in the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales are a series of valleys, or Dale (landform), dales, in the Pennines, an Highland, upland range in England. They are mostly located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, but extend into C ...

. The surrounding countryside is well known for its limestone pavements and other examples of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

scenery. Tourist attractions include Malham Tarn, Malham Cove, Gordale Scar, Janet's Foss and the Dry Valley. In the 1950s the village gave its name to a Ham class minesweeper, HMS Malham.

Governance

Malham has a joint parish council, Kirkby Malhamdale Parish Council, with the parishes of Malham Moor, Kirkby Malham and Hanlith.

Tourism

Malham is a popular walkers' destination. The rise in tourism over Malham's history has led to some deterioration of the area's surrounding paths as tourists wander off the paths and cause pockets of erosion, a process often called "footpath erosion". The footpaths in the area are maintained by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. In the village there is a National Park Information Centre and a large car park. The Pennine Way long-distance path passes through the village. Nearby natural landmarks include Malham Cove, Malham Tarn, Gordale Scar and Janet's Foss. The Malham Show Fell Race course runs over the nearby Cawden. In May 2006, it was reported that a covert listening device was discovered hidden in the local

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

hall, leaving the villagers baffled. The electronic transmitter was found in a wall socket during a safety inspection at Malham village hall. Part of '' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' was filmed around the Malham Cove limestone pavement. '' All Creatures Great and Small'' TV series was largely filmed within the Dales, including some scenes shot in and around Malham Lings and at Janet's Foss waterfall on the ''Malham Landscape Trail''. Beck Hall in the village is England's first vegan hotel, after making over its menu and room amenities to be free of animal products in 2023. The Lister Arms inn also lies in the village.

Climate

Malham has an Oceanic climate, but is generally colder and wetter than most settlements in Britain. It has a relatively low altitude of around 200 metres, but is partly surrounded by fells. This exposed position means the temperature range is limited, due to little pooling of cold air. Extremes of temperature (since 1960) range from during August 1990, down to during March 2001.

Village events

The village hosts an annual agricultural and horticultural show on the Saturday before the August Bank Holiday. Known as the Malham Show, it has competitions for everything from Lego models to fell running. Another major annual event is the Malham Safari, when the villagers and particularly the local school build sculptures around the village. This event attracts many tourists and stalls are put up on the green.

Places of worship

Malham Methodist Church is located in Chapel Gate and is part of the Skipton and Grassington Circuit of the Methodist Church. St Helen's Chapel was an ancient religious foundation mentioned in monastic charters from the twelfth century. It was demolished during the reformation. Archaeological digs at the site have been supported by the Ingleborough Archaeology Group.

Picture gallery

Image:Malham countryside.jpg, Malham is surrounded by stone-walled pastures Image:Ford in Malham.JPG, Ford Image:Malham Beck small bridge.JPG, Small bridge Image:Malham store.JPG, Sweet shop and Post Office Image:Malham Beck bridge.JPG, Malham Beck

References

External links

Village and area web siteMalham National Park Visitor Centre
{{authority control Villages in North Yorkshire Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Craven District