CLAPHAM
"village with a noisy stream"
Ref: Key to English Place-names - University of Nottingham
Clapham is a picturesque village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
It is located 6 miles north-west of Settle and has a population of approximately 640.
The area round Clapham has been inhabited for thousands of years.
Some local caves were used for temporary shelter about 14,400 yrs. ago and for burials about 6,000 yrs. ago.
Stone hut circles on the summit of Ingleborough date from the Iron Age and there is possible evidence of Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon settlements in the local countryside.
Clapham was granted a Market Charter by King John in 1201.
During the 1800's, Clapham became an "estate village" where almost all residents were tenants and worked on the estate. Since the 1950's, residents have been allowed to buy or build their own homes and Clapham has ceased to be an "estate village".
The village has an Inn, Community Shop, Café, Outdoor Education Centre and several Guest Houses, B&B's and Holiday Cottages.
There are 49 listed buildings within the parish.
Two charities, the Cave Rescue Organisation and the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, are based in the village.
Clapham is a good starting point for walks to explore Ingleborough (one of the Three Peaks), Gaping Gill, Trow Gill, Ingleborough Estate Nature Trail, Ingleborough Cave and the Norber Erratics.
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