Kettlewell: History of Yorkshire Dales village famous for films Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters and The Trip starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon
The Yorkshire Dales village Kettlewell is famous for being featured in the films Calendar Girls in 2003 and The Trip in 2010 - here is its fascinating history.
Kettlewell is a village located in Upper Wharfedale and had a population of 321 in 2021.
Every August, it hosts a scarecrow festival where people design scarecrows dressed up as different characters and display them around the village.
It has been the location for filming the 1991 series Chimera, it was transformed into the village of Knapley in the 2003 film Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters and Dame Penelope Wilton. The 2010 film The Trip starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon also includes a musical song and dance routine in the village.
History of Yorkshire Dales village of Kettlwell
The village was referenced in the Domesday Book and the name is thought to be derived from the Anglo Saxon of Chetelewelle which means a bubbling spring or stream.
There are still traces of the farming methods used by Romano-British and early medieval agriculture in terraced fields to the north and the south of the village.
During the 13th century, a market was founded in Kettlewell which grew into a thriving community and was set up every Thursday selling mostly corn outside the King’s Arms.
A watermill was built on the River Wharfe in the 1200s to grind corn. Textiles strengthened the village along with lead mining in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Kettlewell’s current appearance derives from its past 200 years.
The remains of the smelting-mill, which was used from 1700 to 1880, is visible near the meeting of Cam Gill and Dowber Gill Becks half a mile above the village.
Both Kettlewell and Starbotton were nearly destroyed in a flood in 1686, with heavy rainfall descended on the parallel hills and plummeted down into the village demolishing several houses and causing residents to flee.
Historically, Kettlewell’s economy was earned from lead mining and farming, the latter of which was adversely affected by the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak.
There are several farms which mostly rely on sheep farming. There are three pubs on the Inn Way and the Racehorses Hotel, the Bluebell Inn and the King’s Head which all offer accommodation.
There are also various guesthouses, holiday cottages and a village shop, a deli, two cafes and a filling station with a mechanic’s garage.
St Mary’s Church was rebuilt in the 19th century and stands on a site that dates back to 1120 when the Norman de Arches family built a church there.
On July 5, 2014, the Tour de France Stage 1 from Leeds to Harrogate passed through the village.