Visual of 1757 map of Skipton Castle Woods (marked on map as Old Park Wood
‘With kind permission from ©Skipton Castle.’
Skipton Castle Woods
revolution in the woods
Curriculum links
Current and 2014 onwards History Programme of Study
A study investigating how an aspect in the local area has changed over a long period
of time, or how the locality was affected by a significant national or local event or
development or by the work of a significant individual.
Introducing Revolution in the
Woods board game and trail
What will we need?
The Revolution in the Woods activity unit consists of a pre-visit
activity and trail around Skipton Castle Woods and its environs.
Copies of the Revolution in the Woods game (printed
A3) – enough for one per group of four pupils or whatever
group sizes you would like
At first glance, Skipton Castle Woods perhaps looks like many
other tranquil woodlands however, look a little harder and a
wealth of history is waiting to be discovered.
The focus of this activity is on the period of the industrial
revolution in Skipton Castle Woods and the surrounding area.
You need the following:
One sheet of counters per group or coloured plastic
counters
A Revolution in the Woods annotated map.
All the resources are free to download from
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/skiptoncastlewoods
More about the topics
included within the board game:
Round and Long dams are built in Skipton Castle Woods
to control the water and provide water to the saw mill
and corn mill (now private residences). Later the water
was used for the textile mills. Water was so important for
power and transport that only one of Skipton’s nine mills
was not built right next to a river or canal. Processes such as
bleaching, dyeing and printing would also have required lots
of water.
The Leeds-Liverpool Canal was extended (1773) so it
was easier for Lord Thanet to get limestone away from his
quarries in Skipton Castle Woods and later on the local
mills to transport their products to buyers. The extension
was called Thanet Canal or Spring Branch.
The limestone was initially loaded onto tram cars,
transported through the Woods and then dropped down
long shoots into barges on the Canal. This was both
dangerous and noisy prompting complaints about the noise.
If you look carefully you can still spot the ends of the shoots
on your visit to Skipton Castle Woods.
Braddy, Adrian A traveller’s tale of Belle Vue Mills. Craven
Herald & Pioneer. Available from: www.cravenherald.co.uk/
nostalgia/nostalgia_history/9152881.A_traveller_s_tale_
of_Belle_Vue_Mills
 ‘Child Labour and the Division of Labour in the Early English
Cotton Mills’. Douglas A. Galbi. Centre for History and
Economics, King’s College, Cambridge. Available from:
www.skiptonweb.co.uk/history/mills.asp
Before your visit to
Skipton Castle Woods
Before leaving the classroom:
introduce Skipton Castle Woods (there are resources
at www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/skiptoncastlewoods
to help you)
look at it’s location on a map and note the location of the
woods in relation to Skipton town and the Leeds-Liverpool
Canal
play the Revolution in the Woods game.
High Mill, built 1785, is the first industrial mill in Skipton.
It was built by Peter Garforth, John Blackburn and James
Benson Sidgwick. It is located on the edge of Skipton Castle
Woods and is a water powered cotton spinning mill. High
Mill is the closest mill to Skipton Castle Woods and has
the strongest links because the dams and sluices etc. in the
Woods controlled the water feeding the mill’s waterwheel.
‘For generations, Skipton was a mill town, dominated by
giant factories that employed hundreds of workers in the
spinning, weaving and dying of fabrics for sale around the
world.’
After playing the game as a class
you might want to consider some
of the following:
The Thanet Canal was made even longer (1794) and the
tramway re-routed (1836) so loading limestone is less noisy
and dangerous.
4. Were there consequences for the works?
In England and Scotland in 1788, two-thirds of the workers
in 143 water-powered cotton mills were described
as children. Life was hard and at High Mill corporal
punishment was taking place, as James Benson Sidgwick,
one of the owners, was in favour of it. A new law (1833)
stops mill owners from employing children under 9. They
were previously employed for their nimble fingers to mend
threads and clamber under machines. This was one of a raft
of laws surrounding child labour and working conditions in
the new industrial Britain.
Another new law (1847) stops industrialists from making
children and adults work more than 10 hours per day.
High Mill gets a steam powered annex (1825) and this
allows it to produce even more cotton with the water from
Skipton Castle Woods.
Find out more:
The BBC website has more information and a quiz about
children working in factories and the laws surrounding this
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian_britain/
children_in_factories/
The Rowley Collection has lots of historic photos of Skipton
at www.rowleycollection.co.uk
1.What would it have been like in Skipton Castle Woods
when the mills and quarries were running?
2.Why was the Skipton Castle Woods important to the mills?
3.Were there consequences to running a successful mill for
the environment?
5. What would it have been like working in a mill?
6. Why did mill owners like employing children?
7. How was life different for children then from today?
Planning your visit to Skipton
Castle Woods
When you visit Skipton Castle Woods you can see lots of
evidence of its more industrial past and the places where the
industrial revolution started in Skipton. There is an annotated
map to help you spot some of these things during your visit.
More information about planning your visit can be found in
the teacher quick guide available to download from www.
woodlandtrust.org.uk/skiptoncastlewoods.
Your visit to the Woods could be combined with a visit to
Skipton Castle, Craven Museum or Skipton Library to explore
the history of the town through time further. All of these are
only a short and easy 10-15 minute walk from the Woods.
If you are visiting Skipton Castle Woods with a group please
contact Paul Bunton, Woodland Trust People Engagement
Officer on [email protected] or
0845 2935753. The People Engagement Officer can provide
further advice for planning your visit and also make sure that
it doesn’t coincide with any disruptive physical work being
carried out in the Woods or any major events.
After your visit to
Skipton Castle Woods
Consider as a class how the industrial revolution changed
Skipton Castle Woods. What evidence did you discover?
What questions does the class have?
Imagine tomorrow a local business person proposed to buy
Skipton Castle Woods. They want to build a factory there.
What would your class say to them?
Ask pupils to write a letter to the Woodland Trust expressing
your opinions and feelings about the plans. What would be the
benefits of a new factory and what problems would it cause
for Skipton Castle Woods, the wildlife and the local people?
Finding out more
For more information about the work of
the Woodland Trust, Skipton Castle Woods and
more activities to download visit
www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/skiptoncastlewoods
Skipton Castle www.skiptoncastle.co.uk – one of the best
preserved medieval castles in the country and key to the
history of the woods
Craven Museum and Gallery www.cravenmuseum.org –
to discover objects and stories of the woods through the
ages and surrounding Craven area
Skipton Library www.northyorks.gov.uk/skiptonlibrary –
pop in to read a story or do your own research about the
history of the woods.
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enjoyed and valued by everyone. Established for 40 years, we save threatened ancient woodland and plant new
native woods to create vital homes for wildlife and places to reflect and play.
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woodlandtrust.org.uk
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