Goyden - 1943 Trip Report

[JasonC]

A friend lent me a copy of "The Yorkshire Dalesman" from June 1943, as it has an account of a trip to Goyden.
No doubt someone will tell me this is online somewhere, but a quick search failed to find it.

Apparently the 1888 explorers stopped at sump 1, but Mr Parris and friends presumably went up Labyrinth passage, although I'm not sure where the "Lower Chamber" is. Mud Hall?
Anyway, I enjoyed reading it, it seems people found ways to keep their spirits up, despite there being a war on!

 

[mikem]

British newspaper archive (auto read produces some interesting spelling):

“Down Goyden Pot” ia a narrative of a subterranean exploration chiefly conspicuous for she large amouns of risk incurred by the adventurous ...
Published: Friday 01 June 1888
Newspaper: Western Daily Press
County: Bristol, England
Type: Article | Words: 1565 | Page: 7

DISCOVERY OF A CAVE IN UPPER NIDDEEDALE
... unites with the river proper, the latter having flowed some three Giles underground since its disappearance through Manchester Hole. On the right bank of Blayshaw Beck, a short distance from ate mouth, is a comparatively level stretch of green award ...
Published: Saturday 29 September 1888
Newspaper: Knaresborough Post
County: Yorkshire, England
Type: Article | Words: 640 | Page: 6

AND DISTRIOT NATURALIST AND SCIENTIFIC . liabus for the session 1888-0, of the amongst 3 char- and for variety of
... Beck, which diceotly below unites with tbe river , the latter having flowed eome three miles and since ited through « Manchester Hole.” On the night bank of Blay- shaw Beck, a short distance from its mouth, is a oomparatiy vel stretch of green sward, about ...
Published: Saturday 29 September 1888
Newspaper: Pateley Bridge & Nidderdale Herald
County: Yorkshire, England
Type: Article | Words: 1412 | Page: 6

... the civer proper, the latter having flowed some three miles underground since its di On the righ t bank of Blayshew “Manchester Hole.” Beck, a short distance from its month, is @ compare- about as unlikely tively level stretch of green for the entrance ...
Published: Tuesday 16 October 1888
Newspaper: Bradford Daily Telegraph
County: Yorkshire, England
Type: Article | Words: 900 | Page: 3

A LOST RIVER​

... disappearance naturally excited more than local notice. In the summer of 1888 an exploration was organized by the writer to track the Nidd upon its mysterious course. Beginning at Manchester Hole, the river could only be followed on its dark journey for a short ...
Published: Saturday 09 November 1895
Newspaper: Pall Mall Gazette
County: London, England
Type: Article | Words: 1606 | Page: 3

A LOST RIVER. AN UNDERGROUND EXPEDITION IN YORKSHIRE,
... between Manchester Hole and Lofthouse its mysterious diseippearance naturally excited more than local notice. In the summer of 1888 an exploration was organised by the writer to triiel the Nidd upon its mysterious course. Beginning at 'Manchester Hole, the river could only be followed on its dark journey for a short distance. So the old dry bed was trailed to Goyden Pot, some ...
Published: Saturday 29 August 1896
Newspaper: Northern Weekly Gazette
County: Durham, England
Type: Article | Words: 783 | Page: 7

 

[langcliffe]

Apparently the 1888 explorers stopped at sump 1, but Mr Parris and friends presumably went up Labyrinth passage, although I'm not sure where the "Lower Chamber" is. Mud Hall?

An interesting article. The account is very confused, and doesn't seem to conform to what we know. I can't think of where they are referring to when they say: "In this lower cavern the floor is of rock and the roof high and smooth with signs of 'pot' excavations. The river has a well defined bed between smooth rock banks. At the end it finally disappeared between two edges into a narrow crevice." However, we can be sure that it wasn't Mud Hall as that wasn't discovered until two years later, and is well away from the river.

 

[mikem]

Parris (1943) doesn't seem to have known about any of the exploration that went on between those dates (at least 1912 to 1932), but below (1934 with survey) does mention where YRC thought the 1888 cavers stopped:

Goyden Pot, Nidderdale – The Yorkshire Ramblers' Club

www.yrc.org.uk

 

[mikem]

The Dalesman doesn't have many articles online, but there is this about Beneath the Pennines:

The World of Sid Perou - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The World of Sid Perou - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

& In an upper wharfedale mine:

The mystery of Buckden Bill: Archive article - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The mystery of Buckden Bill: Archive article - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

Also when an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley ran out of fuel:

The day a bomber landed in Clapham - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The day a bomber landed in Clapham - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

 

[mikem]

BCL appear to be unaware of any of above 3 Dalesman articles (ignoring the bomber!):

British Caving Library

caving-library.org.uk

 

[langcliffe]

BCL appear to be unaware of any of above 3 Dalesman articles (ignoring the bomber!):

British Caving Library

caving-library.org.uk

As far as I am aware, the British Caving Library doesn't attempt to catalogue every article about caving found in every magazine / newspaper.

What did surprise me is that the articles do not appear to be in the BSA records.

 

[Lankyman]

The Dalesman doesn't have many articles online, but there is this about Beneath the Pennines:

The World of Sid Perou - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The World of Sid Perou - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

& In an upper wharfedale mine:

The mystery of Buckden Bill: Archive article - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The mystery of Buckden Bill: Archive article - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

Also when an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley ran out of fuel:

The day a bomber landed in Clapham - The Yorkshire Dalesman

The day a bomber landed in Clapham - The Yorkshire Dalesman - Yorkshire's Favourite magazine

www.dalesman.co.uk

Thanks for posting those links. I'd never even heard of 'Buckden Bill' or that a Whitley bomber had landed at Clapham. Does anyone know where exactly it landed? The article doesn't really give a position. It mentions a narrow valley but I can't think it was in Clapdale - that would have been certain disaster. There's so much local history that is unknown. I only found out last year that a New Zealand pilot was killed in WW2 crashing in the road in Warton village where I lived for some years. There's no memorial there, we accidentally stumbled across his grave at Flookburgh when walking.

 

[mikem]

Doesn't really help with venue, but it did feature in recent newsletter:

https://claphamyorkshire.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/clapham-newsletter-155-june-2025.pdf

 

[Lankyman]

Looking at the map there don't seem to be any large fields close to Clapham where you'd be able to land a bomber. Hats off to the pilot wherever he did this! It's always sad to see the many memorials to the young men who died trying the same thing. I wonder if there's anyone left alive now who'd remember this?

 

[mikem]

Maybe not directly, but some of their children would have been told. Seems it was actually austwick (farm named in link on Kevinbattle reply). Christopher Cheshire was the brother of Leonard, who set up the homes:

Amazing

Hello all Having been so quiet at work I got drawn in as usual to looking up interesting things on the internet and started searching for info on my...

ww2talk.com

Interestingly two pages later there is a wartime photo of the entrance to greenclose (NPC)