Three Howes

Desolate moorland is traversed by a rough road the status of which allows its use by any traffic; as a result it sees frequent use by 'off roaders'. In this image the road's surface seems fairly secure but in places, wear is a problem: Link.

Siss Cross Hill is a minor eminence near to the northern end of the North Yorks Moors National Park; all about is heather. The view is to the south across the gulf of the Esk valley to further moorland beyond.

Graffiti on a rural bus shelter.

The road to Commondale joins the road over Moorsholme Moor. A sheep waits in the bus shelter as one would expect out here.

Looking SW.

Looking north from Dimmingdale Road.

Looking south from the road.

From the path into Commondale.

Track running across the top of the moor from White Cross towards the main Whitby road on Liverton Moor. Shown on the map as an 'other route with public access' and quite possibly a county road.

Artistic work in the bus shelter at White Cross. I note that extra graffiti has appeared since the last photo taken of this shelter.

Looking west along the road to Commondale with Skeldersceugh Farm visible on the opposite hillside.

Commondale seems out of place. A village more suited to the dales of West Yorkshire with its steep sided valleys and industrial buildings. There is none of the vernacular sandstone architecture common in other villages of the North York Moors. Everything is built in a deep red brick. The church of St. Peters is brick, the old school house is brick, the old shop is brick. For Commondale is a “modern” village, still more of a hamlet really, but substantially built at the end of the 19th century. And the source of its wealth were those bricks. It was Stokesley business man John Slater Pratt who opened the first brickworks in the middle of the 19th century which ceased operations when Pratt died in 1867. Five years later John Crossley restarted it but it closed again when he emigrated to America in 1882. Again it reopened under new owners but Crossley returned and brought back the works. His son Alfred took over until operations ceased for good in 1947. It was Alfred grew the business and whose name is on the village hall. The name Commondale is said to be derived from Colmán of Lindisfarne, a 7th century monk from Whitby who became Bishop of Lindisfarne and a saint, although in the Domesday book the valley was referred to as Camiesdale. The first written documentation of Colemandale was in 1273. From Link

Looking north.

Job Cross on Moorsholm Moor.

White Cross near Commondale.