This striking image is from the Beck Isle Museum’s ‘Rosedale Railway & Ironstone Mines’ Exhibition
ROSEDALE HISTORY SOCIETY
The society was formed in April 2008, to gather archive information on the enormously varied and important history of Rosedale, North Yorkshire. Local residents and visitors help in bringing together a growing collection of memorabilia, and our monthly meetings are a social event open to everyone.
Our stunning landscape offers the opportunity to walk, explore and discover a fascinating history.
Maypole Dancing at Rosedale
The valley of Rosedale runs deep into the North York Moors National Park, north of the Vale of Pickering. The area is surrounded by heather moorland which gives way to green fields, stone walls, wooded streams and isolated farms and hamlets. Rosedale has a history combining early Christian heritage, centuries of farming, and dramatic change.
The discovery of unique high-grade magnetic iron ore in the 1850s turned this quiet backwater into a powerhouse of Victorian industry. For 70 years the valley echoed to the sound of rumbling waggons, steam trains, and the noise, smoke and dust of mining activity.
The population grew with over 3000 miners, railway workers and their families, working and living around the dale.
Today, with the miners long gone, we can wander for miles around the dale in peace and quiet, awed by the extraordinary remains of giant stone kilns, the routes of the railways and the sheer beauty of the valley itself.
The pretty village of Rosedale Abbey was the site of a medieval priory, of which little now remains. The 19th Century church was built over the original priory church and, together with its beautiful graveyard, is a reminder of both the religious and social history of Rosedale, with old dale’s names carved on headstones and war memorials. An international glass studio echoes the 16th Century glassmakers who once sought refugee in Rosedale.
Contact the Secretary for details of events and research facilities:
email: rosedalehistory@hotmail.co.uk
Tel. 01751-417071
We look forward to meeting you at one of our forthcoming events:
Update of Events for 2011
Saturday, 27 March
150th Anniversary Celebration of the opening of the Rosedale Railway in 1861, linking Bank Top, Rosedale with the Ingleby Incline to Battersby. Further details are on the website.
Saturday and Sunday, 7 and 8 May
Family History Weekend at Ryedale Folk Museum.
Display and exhibition of Rosedale archive material by Rosedale History Society and other local groups
Saturday, 20 August
The History Society will have a display of photographs and memorabilia at Rosedale Show, we will be sharing a marquee with The North East Yorkshire Geology Trust.
“Tea, Chat & History”
