Ravenstonedale

Ravenstonedale is a village and large civil parish in Cumbria, on the watershed between the River Lune and River Eden. Historically also known as "Russendale", the parish is divided into four parts (known as 'angles'): Town, Newbiggin-on-Lune, Bowderdale and Fell End. The origin and etymology of the name are obscure.[2] An alternative spelling may be Rausyngdale [3]

Ravenstonedale

St Oswalds Church in Ravenstonedale
Ravenstonedale
Location within Cumbria
Population594 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceNY723040
Civil parish
  • Ravenstonedale
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townKIRKBY STEPHEN
Postcode districtCA17
Dialling code01539
PoliceCumbria
FireCumbria
AmbulanceNorth West
UK Parliament

Village

The village is centred on a single main street, though there are many scattered dwellings on the periphery. Slightly to the south east of the village centre are the buildings of the former Ravenstonedale Endowed School. It closed in 2015.[4] There are two inns in the village, and one about two miles outside at Fell End.

St Oswald's church
Main article: St Oswald's Church, Ravenstonedale

The parish church, dedicated to St Oswald, dates mainly from the rebuild in the 18th century. The tower dates from 1738, and the rest is of 1744. It has an interesting interior where rows of box pews face a central aisle in the collegiate style. There is a very good example of a three-decker pulpit. To the north of the church are the excavated remains of a Gilbertine priory built in the 12th century, which can still be viewed. There is an interpretation board

Governance

An electoral ward in the same name exists. This ward stretches north to Great Strickland and has a population taken at the 2011 Census of 976.[5]

The village is just off the A685 which runs from Junction 38 of the M6 at Tebay through Kirkby Stephen and connects with the A66 at Brough. The village was served by Ravenstonedale railway station (located to the west of Newbiggin-on-Lune), but it closed to passengers in 1952, and to goods traffic in 1962. The nearest station is Kirkby Stephen railway station which is about 4 miles away by road, and is on the main Settle-Carlisle Line. Ravenstonedale is currently the northern terminus of the Pennine Bridleway.

Notable people
  • St Oswald's church
  • St Oswald's church interior east
  • St Oswald's church interior west
  • Low Chapel Methodist church
  • Village Endowed School
  • The Black Swan
  • The King's Head
  • High Chapel, formerly the United Reformed Church, now the Community and Heritage Centre.

See also

References
  1. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  2. Smith, A H (1967). English Place-Name Society: Volume 43, The Place-Names of Westmorland, Part 2. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521049369.
  3. Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP 40/647; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no647/bCP40no647dorses/IMG_0786.htm; second entry, with Richard de Musgrave as the plaintiff, and where 2 of the defendants are from 'Raunsyngdale' or 'Ravnsyngdale'
  4. "Permission to close Ravenstonedale Primary School". Cumberland and Westmorland Herald. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  5. "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 22 June 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.