Farnhill Pinnacle near Skipton still standing years after Queen Victoria's jubilee

Picture: Bruce Rollinson. Words: Grace Hammond.

Standing on the moors near to Skipton in North Yorkshire, the Farnhill Pinnacle cuts a distinctive figure.

The landmark was built for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887, not her diamond jubilee in 1897 as has been stated in some history books.

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It is reported that the project to create the monument was kickstarted by the new vicar of Kildwick, the Rev Archibald Douglas Cavendish Thompson, whose arrival led to the formation of a committee charged with planning jubilee celebrations.

Picture: Bruce Rollinson.Picture: Bruce Rollinson.
Picture: Bruce Rollinson.

Kildwick and Farnhill villagers wished to mark the milestone with a lasting monument and, according to reports in the Craven Herald, decided to rebuild the cairn on Farnhill Crag, one which had been placed there by JR Tenant Esq of Kildwick Hall in around 1857 but had fallen into disrepair.

Two Kildwick men, John Barrett and schoolmaster Thomas Henry Haswell, are thought to have first came up with the idea of restoring the cairn.

On June 14, the first foundation stone was laid by FE Slingsby, of Farnhill Hall, and WA Brigg, of Kildwick Hall with “three cheers for Her Majesty” led by schoolmaster Haswell, says the Herald report.

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Between mid-June to the days of the jubilee – on June 20 and 21 – Farnhill Moor was filled with people delivering materials, building and attending numerous ceremonies at the Pinnnacle site, culminating in the lighting of a beacon.

Once it was completed, the Pinnacle was 9ft in diameter and more than 12ft high, with a stone cross placed on top.

The following evening, a memorial stone with the inscription VR was laid by J Brigg of Kildwick Hall who is said to have declared “it should remain a monument of the loyalty and unity of the inhabitants of Kildwick and Farnhill for many years”.

Today, silver birch trees can be found surrounding the Pinnacle in the year that one of Victoria’s royal successors, Queen Elizabeth, celebrates the Platinum Jubilee of her own long reign.

Technical Details: Nikon D6, 17-35mm Nikkor lens, 400th sec @f6.3, 250 iso.

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