Future generations of visitors to the Yorkshire Dales may well miss out on seeing typical buildings like Garth House near Horton (above). Its roof is caving in and the walls are feeling the strain of facing up to centuries of rough moorland weather. I don’t know how long it’s been left to crumble (or if there are any plans for it), but I read that within living memory haymakers would swim in the nearby Ribble after a hard day working in the fields around Garth House.
There are hundreds of similar irreplaceable abandoned vernacular buildings scattered around the Dales, left to go to ruin because farmers have no use for them or can’t afford their upkeep; and planning restrictions often mean they can’t be developed for residential use.
Mind you, anyone wanting to renovate Garth House will need to be railway enthusiasts as the Settle-Carlisle line runs just a few yards away. I walked by the building recently on my way to see Flying Scotsman (below) tootle past. Garth House was there long before the railway was built in the 1870s but I don’t suppose the Victorians cared a jot about spoiling anyone’s peaceful Dales existence.
Ribble days
There have been some cracking days by the Ribble since my last blog and I haven’t needed to travel very far from home to capture some stunning Dales scenery…
DEAR PAUL,
I HAVE JUST FOUND YOUR ARTICLE ON GARTH HOUSE, HORTON IN RIBBLESDALE AND WOULD PLEASE ASK IF YOU CAN HELP ME AS BELOW:
I AM RESEARCHING FAMILY HISTORY ON MY MOTHERS SIDE OF THE FAMILY – BROWN’S.
I HAVE TRACED AN ANTHONY BROWN WHO RESIDED AT GARTH HOUSE, HORTON IN RIBBLESDALE (NEXT TO THE RAILWAY LINE) AS SHOWN IN YOUR ARTICLE. THE PICTURE THAT YOU SHOW LOOKS LIKE A BARN, BUT DOES IT HAVE A HOUSE ATTACHED?. ANTHONY LIVED THERE FROM APPROX 1817 TO 1823, WELL BEFORE THE RAILWAY WAS LAID. HAVE YOU ANY FURTHER PHOTOS OF GARTH HOUSE?
IN MY RESEARCH I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF MY FAMILY, AND WHERE THEY LIVED AND MOVED TO ETC. I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP ME.
REGARDS,
CHRIS PROCTER (MY MOTHER WAS JOYCE BROWN.
Hi Chris – the building is just a barn nowadays, built by the old Midland Railway after the original Garth House was demolished to make way for the railway, presumably around the early 1870s. You might be able to gather further information via Settle-Carlisle archives. There are number of Horton family trees here… https://www.dalescommunityarchives.org.uk/content/catalogue_item/horton/family-trees-horton-families Good luck with your research.