Ilkley West Ramble #3: Netherwood
This is the 3rd in a series of 28 caches which will take you on a memorable ramble through some fine, varied West Yorkshire countryside immediately west of Ilkley and south of Addingham. The southern half of the ramble traverses an area called Addingham Moorside.
See Ilkley West Ramble #1: Intro & Start for maps, background info on the trail, and parking waypoints.
From IWR #2 head due west to the squeeze stile and little wooden gate @ N 53 55.493 W 1 51.662 between two ancient stones, pass through this and on past an ancient lone standing stone (this is a gate stoop*) to the field gate to the lane outside Netherwood House (Farm).
[QI: A stoup | stowp | stoup is a Yorkshire dialect word meaning post, gate-post, distance marker (milestone), standing stone which comes from the old Norse stolpi. It sometimes appears in place names like Yeadon Stoops].
Once through the gate head a short distance left along the lane and around the corner to the cache (a camo-taped preform tube) location near the gate . . .
The Netherwood estate consists of several buildings set in beautiful grounds with mature trees and a large pond. These include Nether Hall (grade II converted barn), Netherwood House, Netherwood Farm, Oak Tree Barn (two converted barns), Dovecote Cottage, and Rams Gill Farm and Cottage together with associated outbuildings.
The current valuation of Netherwood House alone is approx UKP 2.5 million. The Historic England listing for this C18 Grade II listed building reads:
. . . 2 storeys. Squared coursed stone. Projecting chamfered quoins. Parapet. Stone slab roof. Central doorway with pilasters and pediment of stone. The tympanum is initialled WWM and the lintel is dated 1770. On each side is a semi-hexagon bay window of 2 storeys. Much enlarged before end of C18 and again later.
Netherwood House, the outbuilding next to Netherwood House on north east; north and south outbuildings of Ramsgill Farm; pair of cottages west of Netherwood House; House to north-east of Netherwood House; outbuilding abutting latter house to east form a group.
The north and south outbuildings at Ramsgill Farm, pair of cottages west of Netherwood House and the outbuilding abutting house north-east of Netherwood House to the east, on the east, are of local interest only.
Glossary of Terms:
chamfered = having a 45o sloping edge or corner
lintel = horizontal support of timber, stone, concrete, or steel across the top of a door or window
quoin = external angle of a wall or building
pediment = the triangular upper part of the front of a classical building
pilaster = a rectangular column, especially one projecting from a wall
tympanium = semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window
