The Earls of Thanet and the Industrialisation of the Valley of Eller Beck at Skipton, North Yorkshire.

The wooded valley of Eller Beck at Skipton in North Yorkshire became the focus for the early industrialisation of the town during the 18th century, as the Earls of Thanet pursued improvement of their estates. Initially, investment was directed towards the quarrying of limestone and its export via the Springs Canal. The quarrying interest had shifted further east to Haw Bank by 1785, and a network of dams and watercourses was then constructed to power a new cotton mill. The canal was extended concurrently, and a railway from Haw Bank to a new canal terminus was constructed, transforming the historic landscape in the valley beneath the north walls of Skipton Castle. Downstream from the cotton mill, enterprising new industry was established at the former manorial corn and fulling mills. Recreational use of the woodland has since become a significant component within the regional tourist economy, thereby initiating a discrete new industrial phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]