| Pateley Bridge | |
Pateley Bridge High Street |
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Pateley Bridge
Pateley Bridge shown within North Yorkshire |
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| Population | 2,000 |
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| OS grid reference | SE155655 |
| Parish | High and Low Bishopside |
| District | Harrogate |
| Shire county | North Yorkshire |
| Region | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Harrogate |
| Postcode district | HG3 |
| Dialling code | 01423 |
| Police | North Yorkshire |
| Fire | North Yorkshire |
| Ambulance | Yorkshire |
| EU Parliament | Yorkshire and the Humber |
| List of places: UK • England • Yorkshire | |
Pateley Bridge (known locally as Pateley) is a small market town in Nidderdale in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England, on the River Nidd.
It has the oldest sweet shop in England[1] and is the home of the Nidderdale Museum.
The last Dales agricultural show of the year, the Nidderdale Show, is held annually on the showground by the River Nidd. The show attracts over 14000 visitors each year.
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Pateley was first recorded in the 12th century. It takes its name from the Old English paða-leah, meaning "clearing near the paths" and referring to paths up Nidderdale and from Ripon to Craven, which intersected here.[2]. The local story that the name comes from 'Pate', an old Yorkshire dialect word for 'Badger',[3] is incorrect.[4]
In 1320 the Archbishop of York granted a charter for a market and fair at Pateley.[5]
Until 1964, Pateley was the terminus of the railway line running up Nidderdale from Nidd Valley Junction, near Harrogate. Between 1907 and 1937, the Nidd Valley Light Railway ran farther up the dale. Access is now by road, with an hourly bus service from Harrogate.[6]
Pateley Bridge is the largest settlement in the civil parish of High and Low Bishopside, historically a township in the large parish of Ripon. High and Low Bishopside was created a civil parish in 1866.[7] Pateley Bridge was granted town status in 1986, and the High and Low Bishopside Parish Council was renamed Pateley Bridge Town Council.[8] However, the official name of the parish remains High and Low Bishopside.
The parish is bounded on the west by the River Nidd, and includes a large area of moorland to the east of the town. Other settlements in the parish include the southern part of Wath, Glasshouses, Wilsill, Blazefield and Fell Beck. The district of Bridgehouse Gate, on the west bank of the Nidd close to Pateley Bridge, is in the parish of Bewerley.
In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,153.[9]
Bed & breakfast houses, church and chapel, garage (Nidderdale Motors), hotels, Nidderdale Museum, primary school, public houses, public library, public park, restaurants, secondary school, shops and theatre (Pateley Playhouse). Bewerley Park Centre for Outdoor Education is in the nearby village of Bewerley. Brimham Rocks and Stump Cross Caverns are also close by.
The town also serves as a sporting hub, with several teams (known collectively as 'The Badgers') competing in football, cricket and crown green bowling.
The football team, known as Pateley Bridge FC currently competes in the 14 level of the footballing pyramid in the Harrogate and District Football League Premier.