Dales Countryside Museum

01/06/2026

Here we have photos of John Arnold Metcalfe, born 1893. As a young man, Mr Metcalfe fought in the First World War, was a tailors cutter in Hawes, scout master, footballer, the postman, cinema operator, fireman and the last gas lamplighter in the town!


📷John Arnold Metcalfe and reverse of photo

30/05/2026

Earlier this month our YAC group visited Thornborough Henges as part of our year of looking at how people in the past might have celebrated. They learnt how Neolithic people built the 3 henges …they are perfectly aligned to Orion’s belt constellation and would have been covered in gypsum so they would have glowed in the moonlight.
The weather couldn’t have been more different to last weekend!

28/05/2026

Have you ever tried to step over the River Wharfe using the stepping stones at Bolton Abbey?

📷Its a fine sunny day at Bolton Abbey and nearly all the stepping stones have a person standing on them.

26/05/2026

CLOSURE NOTICE: extended until 9th June.

Urgent road repairs are being carried out at Bruntacres Road, Hawes, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park which is resulting in a closure of the Pennine Way near Haylands Bridge (on the section of trail between Hawes and Hardraw).

The closure is in place between the hours of 8am and 5pm on weekdays only until 9th June. It will not be possible to use the trail to get between Hawes and Hardraw during these times.

An alternative route is shown on the National Trails website at the following link. Please note that the route is on roads:
https://tinyurl.com/ykjx5n97

26/05/2026

Did you know that until the 1940s there was a 9 hole course at Hawes situated to the east of Hawes at Browna Paddocks. Hawes Golf Club later moved to a new course at Rains Hill, between
Hardraw and Hawes. Membership was 3/6d per week and day visitors paid 1/- a day.
The original course reverted to full time agricultural use in the 1960s and the club was disbanded.

📷local golfers seated outside a house in Bainbridge including Aaron Knaggs, James Horner, Tom Lodge and William Metcalfe.

24/05/2026

Traffic jam - Dales style whilst shepherd is having a chat with a National Park Warden - Landy registration suggests photo was taken in the 1970's

20/05/2026

Quilting traditions:
Traditional North Country patterns were usually done on plain fabric, or sometimes a ‘strippy’ one was made with alternating bands of two different fabrics. Patchwork quilts were made up of many different fabrics. The plain quilt, called a wholecloth, was always the best one. It showed the skills
of the maker and that they could afford to buy a whole piece of material.
📷Mrs C Alderson, Eleanor and Jennifer, Black Howe Farm, Swaledale, making a quilt and stitching
traditional patterns. 1965

Join us for our North Country Quilting workshop this September
https://ow.ly/2RL850YT5NG

20/05/2026

We are very proud to be a part of the Out of the Box Learning. (Link in the comments) Congratulations to the Out of the Box Learning team 💕

Out of the Box Learning, a digital platform that brings museum collections into classrooms and communities, has received the Partnership of the Year Award in the Museums and Heritage Awards.

The project uses creativity and digital innovation to connect schools, families, and communities with objects from museums and heritage sites opening up North Yorkshire's cultural heritage to wider audiences.

It was developed in partnership with 20 museums and heritage organisations across the county with funding from Arts Council England.

To read more, visit: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/news/2026/innovative-learning-platform-secures-national-recognition