Pannal

Pannal
Pannal  Pannal shown within North Yorkshire
Population	5,562 (2011.ward)[1]
OS grid reference	SE305517
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
UK Parliament	Harrogate and Knaresborough
List of places UK England Yorkshire

Coordinates: 53°57′39″N 1°32′10″W / 53.96094°N 1.53623°W / 53.96094; -1.53623

Pannal is a village in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated to the immediate south of Harrogate and in many ways is a suburb of the town. The village is served by Pannal railway station on the Harrogate (Railway) Line between Leeds and York.

Pannal is well known for its golf course, which attracts people from across the town. It is also known for its young persons football team and training on the Crimple Meadows Field.

Every February residents of Pannal put on a pantomime. It is written and performed by residents of the village and is always well attended. It is believed to be so well loved by locals because of the light hearted amusement and entertainment that it offers.

History and etymology

Pannal has been an important settlement for centuries. It developed in the middle of the former Knaresborough Forest and is believed to date back to the Bronze Age.

The etymology of the name Pannal is uncertain, and multiple accounts exist.^[2] However, an authoritative account is given by Watts:

Possibly 'nook of land in the board, shallow pan-shaped valley'. Panhal(e) 1170–1457, Panehal(e) 13th cent., Panall 1301, 1377, Pannall 1409–1590. OE panne + halh. The exact sense of panne is uncertain; it might alternatively here be an early instance of the sense 'depression in the ground in which water stands', recorded from 1594: hence possibly 'nook of land with a hollow where water stands'.^[3]

By the early fourteenth century, Pannal had become a thriving market village with weekly markets and an annual four day fair. The parish of Pannal covered a large area, including Beckwith, Beckwithshaw, Brackenthwaite and Low Harrogate.^[4] In 1894 Low Harrogate became part of the new Municipal Borough of Harrogate, and in 1937 the village of Pannal was also added to Harrogate. This left the village of Pannal outside the civil parish of Pannal.^[5] This confusing situation continued until 2010, when the civil parish was renamed Beckwithshaw.^[6]

One of today's most significant structures in Pannal is Pannal Hall, rebuilt in 1860 after a 200 year history.

Churches

St Robert's Church, Pannal

St Robert's church

This is the main parish church in Pannal and is renowned for its friendly village atmosphere. It is very popular for weddings as it offers a traditional environment without being too formal. For baptisms this church uses a traditional font but with an added twist. In order to more accurately recreate the spirit of traditional biblical baptisms they have added a fountain to the font bowl. This ensures that the water is constantly running as it would have been in the rivers originally used.^[7]

Pannal Methodist church

The church was built in 1905 to replace the 1778 Wesleyan structure. It has a growing congregation with two cell groups and many house groups.

Community facilities

Pannal Memorial Hall

The building originally called the Oddfellows Hall, was built in 1888. On 24 May 1919, a parish meeting considered a suggestion to erect a village institute in memory of the boys who belonged to the neighbourhood and who had fallen in the 1914-18 war. Instead, the villagers resolved to approach the Society of Oddfellows about purchasing the existing Oddfellows Hall. A figure of £600 was agreed upon, and on 11 November 1919, the "Pannal Memorial Hall" was opened by Major Cross.

The Memorial Hall has served Pannal well ever since. Mr. Midgeley's Mason Band played for all the dances held there in the 1930s. Children's Christmas parties started to be held there from 1928. There was the Pannal Women's Dramatic Society and during the Second World War films were shown for the troops stationed in the area. There was the initial Baby Health Clinic, "Keep Fit" classes, children's "Play Groups" and many other community activities.

Scout Hall

1st Pannal Scout Group is based in the old school on Spring Lane. Built in 1817^[8] it remained the home of the village school until new school buildings were opened on Pannal Green in 1967. The Scout Group, founded in 1948, had previously met in the Parochial Hall on Church Lane (now a private residence), moving into their new headquarters in 1969. The Scout Group meets on Fridays and more information can be found at their website in the links section below

Areas of Pannal

• Central Pannal (Featuring Pannal Post Office and a hairdresser)
• Crimple Meadows
• Leeds Road: This includes two petrol stations, two car showrooms and two garden centres. The site of the former Dunlopillo factory behind one of the car showrooms and beside the railway line has been the subject of plans for a business park.^[9][10][11] There has also been an application for change of use of one of the industrial units into a gym.^[12]
• Spacey Houses This area is historically separated from Pannal by the Leeds-Harrogate road or A61.^[13][14] The recently demolished Spacey Houses pub was on the Pannal side, or west side, of the A61. It was not named for its location, but for the coaching inn on the Spacey Houses side, or east side, of the road, which had become a farm house and as of 2013 was being converted into private housing.^[15]

Transport

Rail

Pannal railway station serves the village of Pannal, including Burn Bridge, in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 15 miles (24 km) north of Leeds City Station and operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services.

It is a busy station considering the size of the village it serves. This is due to the large amount of commuters using the station for journeying into Leeds every weekday.

Services

During Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is generally a half-hourly service from Pannal southbound to Leeds and a half-hourly service northbound to Knaresborough with one train per hour onwards to York.

Evenings and Sundays there is generally an hourly service in each direction.

Road

The village is served by the A61 road to Leeds and Harrogate. It is also at the heart of the local road network.

Bus

The 36 bus serves Pannal every 15 minutes (hourly evenings & 30 minutes Sundays) to Leeds and Harrogate & Ripon. The 767 bus serves Pannal every 90 minutes to Leeds Bradford Airport (all times) and Harrogate (evenings only). The X52 bus serves Pannal every 2 hours (except evenings & Sundays) to Ilkley, Pool & Otley and Harrogate. The X53 bus serves Pannal every 2 hours (except evenings & Sundays) to Guiseley, Pool & Otley and Harrogate.

Local government development plans

Dunlopillow art deco facade of office building

In March 2009 there was a strategic housing land availability assessment.^[16] In March 2013, a suggested plan was revealed for building houses and a business park on the Dunlopillow factory site. The Dunlopillow art deco facade of the office building would be demolished according to this plan, which as of March 2013 was not yet finalised.^[17]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pannal.

• 1st Pannal Scouts Group
• Ancestry.com: historical photos of the Old Bay Horse, Spacey Houses Inn and Pannal railway station.
• Pannal Primary School