GROSMONT
Situated in the heart of the Esk Valley,
Grosmont is a picturesque village set amid woodlands and traditional
farmlands. During the 19th century Grosmont was an important area for
the mining and smelting of iron ore, though the industry declined and
the furnaces were demolished some time ago.
Grosmont's
main claim to fame over recent years is its situation at the head of the
preserved North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway, connecting Grosmont with
Pickering.
The
Whitby and Pickering Railway was connected between Whitby and Grosmont in
1835 and was soon extended to reach Pickering. With the arrival of the Esk
Valley branch line in 1865, Grosmont became a relatively important railway
junction. After a prosperous few ensuing years, the decline of the railway
industry and the Beeching Act of 1965 finally called a halt to all
services.
In
1967 a group of railway enthusiasts formed the North Yorkshire Moors
Railway with a view to re-opening the line. Now under the ownership of the
North York Moors Historical Railway Trust it has been operated as a living
museum since 1974, providing some eighteen miles of steam railway
journey's through the spectacular scenery of the North Yorkshire Moors.
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