Youlgrave. [Giolgrave] (Old English) geolu ="yellow" (Old English) graf ="grove, brushwood".

This is our favourite view of Youlgrave.

If you squint, you can just see the outline of Willow Cottage behind the privvy in the garden!

The boys and I climb up here quite often, me to admire the view, the boys to swing on their secret swing, though as I've now announced it to the world, it's not much of a secret!

Perhaps they'll learn to enjoy the view as they get older, and perhaps I'll lose enough weight to risk the swing without breaking it.

It's a beautiful spot, nothing but the sound of bleating sheep.

Youlgrave or Youlgreave? Well, the locals pronounce it 'Youl' as in Christmas and 'grave' as in churchyard. All of the maps spell it with an 'e' as did the signs on the edge of the village until recently. As to how the name came about, well, it has been spelt many ways going way back to the Domesday book. The most probable is that the grave comes from grove or groove which is an old term for a mine. The 'Youl' bit seems to refer to 'yellow' and I've have seen two explanations, one referring to the colour of the local rock, the second to a wild flower that used to grow around the spoil heaps. So, YellowGrove it is. Or Pommy if you're a local.

Youlgrave is surrounded by old mines and mining remains. The Mawstone mine on the other side of Bradford Dale was open until the middle of the last century and was also the scene of a mining disaster in 1932 when seven men lost their lives in an explosion. Alport, just downstream of Youlgrave was also home to an old refining plant but this is now completely overgrown with trees and can only be seen during the winter months when the leaves have fallen. Youlgrave holds its well dressing each year, you can see some photos from 2006 if you click here. You can also click here for 2007.

Where to eat in Youlgrave