Garrigill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Garrigill Village Green

Garrigill, Cumbria is a small village in the North Pennine region of the UK sitiuated on the banks and close to the source of the River South Tyne. It is within the Garriglll ward of the civil parish of Alston Moor within the district of Eden.

The village's name should not be confused with the hamlet of Galligill in the Nent valley also within Alston Moor.

At its peak Garrigill was home to 1,000 people mainly employed in the lead mining industry; now its population numbers less than 200. Those who live and work in the village are mainly employed in agriculture. Garrigill Post Office is a traditional village store which has not changed substantially since the 1950s and is an attraction to many visitors although at one time the village had 4 shops including a Co-op store. England's most popular long distance cycle route, the C2C, passes through the village.

There is one pub in the village, The George & Dragon though at one time there was a second, The Fox next to the church.

The village's full name is Garrigill-Gate and was formerly known as Gerard's Gill. (Gill is a Norse word for a steep sided valley).

The centre of the village is the green which the postoffice and pub overlook with the church and village hall nearby but at either end of the village proper are the areas of Gatefoot and Gatehead whilst on the village's outskirts are the settlements of Beldy, Crossgill, Loaning (pronounced Lonning) Head and Ashgillside.

At Ashgillside and Beldy there are waterfalls namely Ashgill Force and Thortergill Force. Thortergill Force was formerly known to locals as Lady's Walk and was able to be accessed by the public with permission from the previous landowners but there is now an admission charge.

The closest town is Alston, four miles away.

The parish church of St. John was for centuries a chapel of ease to St. Augustines at Alston but was promoted to full parish status in the 1980s but is served by a team vicar based at Alston who also serves the churches at Nenthead, Knarsdale, Kirkhaugh and Lambley. There used to be at least 3 non-comformist or methodist chapels at Garrigill as well. Unlike the rest of Cumbria the parishes of Alston, Nenthead and Garrigill are within the Diocese of Newcastle not the Diocese of Carlisle.

At nearby Tynehead, now only a single farm but once a thriving mining community, there was until the 1930s a primary school which was the highest there has ever been in England. Garrigill's own school located at Gatefoot on the Leadgate road closed in the 1950s or 1960s.