Did you know the valley, at the bottom of which sits the village of Lealholm – is actually called Crunkly Ghyll?
The village name of Lealholm also means ‘the settlement by the willow trees’.
There are lots of lesser known snippets about Lealholm.
Its origins are noted in The Domesday Book and, back when Lealholm originated as a place people might live, it was centred around farming and agriculture. But there was another reason for the village’s development.
As the River Esk runs through the village, Lealhom became a crossing point over the river and a place where residents thought they could make money from travellers.
Well, Lealholm today still has strong connections to farming and agriculture and is still a place to welcome travellers who are visiting the hamlet, and the stunning surroundings of the North York Moors countryside.
However, there is more to Lealholm than this.
Isolated it may be, small in population for sure, but abundant in village life, community spirit and amenities.
Lealholm boasts a school, three churches, the Ley Hall for meetings and local activities, tearooms, a pub, bakery, shop, post office, vehicle repair garage, plant nursery, public toilets, village green and cricket and football pitches.
Not bad for a village and outlying farms not even making up a population of 400 people.
Sally Gibbon has lived in the village for 23 years and owns Lealholm Village Shop. And a village shop, as traditional village shops used to be, it still is
Fruit and veg is displayed in boxes outside and you can pick your own with not a pre-wrapped piece of plastic in sight. Remember ten pence sweet mix-ups? Well they are now 50p but it is not a bad mark up in 40 years.
Cereal, cooking oil, bottle of wine, can of cat food, pasta, plasters, birthday card, bleach. One of those shops where if you can’t buy it here, then do you really need it?
It needs to be well-stocked, because, in the event of winter weather and snow, it is unlikely you will be making the trip into Whitby to pick up a paper from here.
The potential for isolation though makes for a strong sense of community.
“Will you need a television magazine and some bread ordering for tomorrow”, I overhear Sally asking one elderley customer.
Sally told The Anchor: “It is a lovely village but it is important to have community spirit as well. Like most of these villages, there is always something to do. People don’t need to think about being bored or on their own. We are quite well-catered for.
“Because we are open most days of the week, people come in to collect things and then some just turn up to have a chat and go again.”
Unsurprisingly, houses rarely come up for sale here.
According to the property website Rightmove, there are just two houses on the market in the immediate village, with the cheaper of the two being a cottage for £285,000.
That said, those residents who bought their houses 40-odd years ago are in for a good return on investment.
Sue Trousdale grew up in Lealholm. She works in the Post Office and prior to that ran the shop. It was her father who had the village petrol pumps installed.
She recalled: “My dad put the petrol pumps in in 1960. He went to the bank manager who said he was mad and wouldn’t lend him the money to do it because there were only six cars in the whole area, let alone the village.
“He got the pumps on Hire Purchase and paid £1,200. The price of the cottage he bought in the village was £400. The petrol pumps cost three times as much.
“He told me the price of the cottage was a year and a half sub-postmaster salary. You couldn’t but anything on a year and a half salary now.”
