Pannal: The picturesque Yorkshire village locked in a battle for its own identity

Underlining Pannal’s rural surrounds, across the tracks is the site of the station’s former cattle dock siding, which served an auction mart at the junction of Princess Royal Way and Follifoot Road.

Beyond that there’s another prominent building, which has been dubbed locally a “skyscraper”, on the site of another former key plank in the local economy, the Dunlopillo matress factory, which closed in 2008.

After proposals for the block of flats was given the go-ahead without a vote from elected community representatives in 2022, fast track rules designed to speed up the planning system were condemned by locals, saying they failed to take into account of the area’s rurality.

The year before saw a less contentious change in the village, with the launch of one of the UK’s largest food halls, spanning some 20,000sq ft, featuring more than 50 specialist producers, as well as a 160-seat restaurant, off the busy Leeds Road, near a luxury car dealership.

In a juxtaposition that highlights Pannal’s development, directly opposite the dealership stands an 18th century farmhouse, alongside well preserved former agricultural buildings, including a former milking parlour, an enclosed cattle fold yard, a two-storey cow house with feed store above and a tall slaughter house.

The Pannal community has spent the last three decades years in a concerted battle against the village becoming an urbanised suburb of Harrogate, starting with the launch of Pannal Village Society in 1994, leading to the creation of a parish council nine years ago.

At its junction with Rosedale, Main Street becomes Spring Lane, which climbs to a dry stone wall bordered lane crossing the village’s northern boundary, where there are far-reaching views of farmland which separates Pannal from south Harrogate.

Overlooking the village’s eastern boundary Pannal Golf Club has hosted numerous leading events since it was established in 1906, including Open Championship Regional Qualifiers and the English Amateur Championship.

To its north there’s the playing fields of Pannal Sports Junior Football Club, which boasts 23 squads ranging from U5s to U18s, more than 490 players and some 100 coaches and helpers. The club’s Pannal Community Park, which opened in 2019, extends to 3.25 hectares of playing surfaces on three purpose-built terraces.

Meanwhile, to Pannal’s west lies its cricket club, which is the reigning holder of the Cricket Yorkshire Tea of the Year title.

Judges said: “What came across was the attention to detail, everything being homemade and options such as tomato and mozzarella salad, coleslaw alongside hot dishes like curries, macaroni cheese and favourites for meat-eaters including the pulled pork and apple sauce.”

To protect against the erosion of Pannal’s rural hinterland, heritage and facilities jealously guarded by the community, a Neighbourhood Plan has been developed, adding to the village’s Green Belt and Crimple Valley Special Landscape Area protections.

Pannal developed from the 12th century in pastures surrounding the Clark and Crimble becks, in the middle of Knaresborough Forest, which had been established as a royal hunting-ground.

Alongside historic properties on the narrow Mill Lane and a junction with the Harrogate Ringway long distance path which encircles the neighbouring spa town, there is a two foot tall square column dating from 1767. It’s one of the remaining boundary stones for the 40sq mile forest stretching between the rivers Nidd and Wharfe.

Post-Norman Conquest landowners the Pagnell family are believed to have given the village its name. Pannal became further established in the early 14th century after being granted the right by King Edward I to stage markets on Tuesdays and an annual four-day Michaelmas fair.

While there’s little surviving evidence of the medieval markets, St Robert’s Church on Main Street features a 14th century chancel. During a Scottish invasion in 1318, the church was used as the Scots’ headquarters ahead of an attack on Knaresborough Castle.

After the defeat of the Scots, the remains of the wooden building was replaced by a stone church, part of which remains.

At the north end of Station Road the principal thoroughfare passes over Clark Beck and becomes Main Street, but as if to emphasise the village’s historic heart, the road narrows again and reveals the 15th century tower of the coursed sandstone church peaking over the tops of stone cottages.

Off Main Street, at Pannal Green, is the village primary school. Giving the school a good rating in all areas in 2022, Ofsted inspectors said the school leadership’s high expectations of pupils were “mirrored in the school vision that the Pannal-shaped child is self-aware and mindful, works collaboratively, respects others, is interested in the wider world and is not afraid to fail”.

On the opposite side of Main Street, off Crimple Meadows, there’s a well mainained park that’s popular with families.

In a recent interview, stand-up comedian Maisie Adam, who grew up in the village, recalled: “We'd come off the school bus and be back in the park for five o'clock pretty much every night. There's so many memories there.

"It was such a nice place to grow up because there was just always somebody playing out. There was always someone from your school, two or three streets away.”