Thornton le Dale can trace its routes right back to neolithic times and can, of course, be found in the Domesday Book. A stream wends its way through the centre of the village, Thornton Beck, upon which a mill has been sat that can be traced back to the 12th century.
Thornton le Dale is a beautiful, picture postcard village that's popular with tourists, even more so since it's also the home of Mathewson's Classic Car Auctions which features in the popular UK TV series, Bangers and Cash. It isn't however, totally immune from the general tourist tat that gets sold in such locations as we'll see later!
The other problem is that the village lies on a junction with the old Malton to Whitby Road crosses the main A170. Despite there being a car park, most people manage to find street parking in the centre and it gets messy, as you will see from the photos.
The centre of the village boats a couple of pubs who both serve food, assorted tea rooms and shops selling home baked produce and a village post office and an old fashioned general store that sells everything. This is still a working village and the centre of the local farming community, so it's geared up for locals as well as the hoardes of visiting tourists.
Whilst on the subject of locally mined stone, there was a quarry just outside the village that was in use until the 1960's and was the only reason for keeping the railway line open that ran between Seamer and Pickering and originally opened in 1882 before closing to passengers in 1950 and then completely closing and the track lifted when the quarry closed in 1964 and the remaining frieght trains being no longer needed. It is said that upon the opening of the railway, many local farmworkers jumped on trains to go down South to find better conditions and salaries! The railways station is still there and converted into holiday cottages, but that's for another post!
Coats off and short sleeves. The trees were just beginning to turn but it was still so warm for the time of year. Google photos tell me that this was September the 18th. Only in England could they build a mini park in the middle of a busy road junction with no zebra or pedestrian crossing or traffic lights!
Why the hell they replaced the traditional phone box with that modern styled box is beyond my comprehension, although possibly a more perplexing question is why is that old fella wearing a hi-viz?
The famous Thornton Beck that runs through the centre of the village. There are signs all along that warn people not to catch the fish. It is alleged there are delicious brown trout up for grabs...in a beck that's barely 6 inches deep in places! In the 50 plus years of memories of visiting here, i have never seen even a stickleback in there!
I mentioned shops earlier, and here is one of them. Grays Emporium. An antique shop. Antique shops appear to mandatory for every pretty little village in the UK. Oddly, the rough mining village I was brought up in never had one. It's also interesting to note they use the word 'emporium' to give it an air of Victoriana, but the word itself would be better suited to the shop next door...
... at Wardill Bros. post office and general store. Shops like these are the lifeblood of a rural village and whatever you need for your second home away from the city, they have you covered!
(This is where I go into #marketfriday mode!)
This is their garden and pet supply part of the shop with a huge and eclectic range of goods on display in the window, but yet, there is some method and organisation to their madness...
If you thought nothing ever happened in these small villages, you'd be sadly mistaken.
And I think that just about wraps things up from Thornton le Dale. Just one more photo. Remember, the old folks sat on the benches earlier without coats and in short sleeves? Here is the wife...
Thanks very much for dropping by, and I wish everyone who's celebrating a very merry Christmas.
Martin
@worldmappin
@nathen007