In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Gordale Scar like this:
GOREDALE SCAR, a remarkable rocky gorge in W. R. Yorkshire; 6½ miles E of Settle. It lies in the vicinity of Malham village and Malham cove; and is approached through a wild-rocky ravine. It forms almost a terrific scene; and is immersed, even on the brightest days, in perpetual gloom. A breeze passing through it acquires nearly the force of a hurricane; a streamlet which runs along its bottom, is everywhere lashed into foam; cliffs, bare and torn, rise sheer up from its sides, sometimes to the height of more than 240 feet; and some masses of rock, on these cliffs, project so far as to appear in constant risk of falling. ...
Wordsworth says, -
At early dawn, or rather when the air
Glimmers with fading light, and shadowy eve
Is busiest to confer and to bereave,
Then, pensive votary! let thy feet repair
To Goredale chasm, terrific as the lair
Where the young lions crouch; for so, by leave
Of the propitious hour, thou may'st perceive
The local deity, with oozy hair
And mineral crown, beside his jagged urn
Recumbent.
Additional information about this locality is available for Malham
Gordale Scar through time
Gordale Scar is now part of Craven district. Click here for graphs and data of how Craven has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Gordale Scar itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Gordale Scar, in Craven and West Riding | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/25461
Date accessed: 06th May 2024
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