At the head of the village stands the woodland and steep sided valley of Crunkly Ghyll, a ravine carved by the River Esk through the hillside where the river drops from the valley above to reach the village. It was formed during the last great ice age as a huge wall of ice moved across the landscape carving out what is now the Esk Valley as far as Lealholm. At its head it formed a massive dam blocking the flow of water from above and creating a
lake running back up the valley to Commondale. As the ice melted, the river forced its way out carving the present-day ravine. The main village of Lealholm is situated at the bottom of Crunkly Ghyll (sometimes spelled "Crunkley" and "Gill"), a deep cutting where the river emerges into the flat bottom of a glacial U-shaped valley. This was crucial to its development as a settlement, becoming an important crossing point over the River Esk where the valley flattens out, becoming shallow at end of a sharp bend in the river before slowing to a deeper meandering course further downstream. The remains of the fording point are still visible next to the arched bridge used today, which dates back to the 17th century. Three roads lead from the centre of the village, one follows the river up the valley towards
Danby; the second heads north past the hamlet of Lealholmside and across the moors towards
Whitby; and the third leads south, towards
Fryup and
Rosedale. Typical of the area are the medieval
cruck-built
longhouses of Lealholm. These were constructed as single storey combined dwelling and beast houses and made of the local
Jurassic limestone. Originally they had
ling thatched roofs, but they were mostly re-roofed in the 19th century with slate or
pantiles. – dates from the 18th century, and as the only public house in the village and it is a popular venue and regularly holds
domino drives. Lealholm is in the
Anglican parish of
Glaisdale, within the
deanery of
Whitby, the
Archdeaconry of Cleveland, and the
Diocese of York. There are three churches located within the main settlement, the
Roman Catholic Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, the
Church of England St James' Church, and
Lealholm Methodist Chapel. Close to the chapel, between the River Esk and the mill race stands a
Quaker Friends Burial Ground, donated by Thomas Whatson.
Climate As part of the United Kingdom, the North York Moors area, in which Lealholm lies, generally has cool summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. The latitude of the area means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds with depressions and their associated fronts, bringing with them unsettled and windy weather, particularly in winter. Between depressions there are often small mobile anticyclones that bring periods of fair weather. In winter anticyclones bring cold dry weather. In summer the anticyclones tend to bring dry settled conditions which can lead to drought. For its latitude this area is mild in winter and cooler in summer due to the influence of the Gulf Stream in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Air temperature varies on a daily and seasonal basis. The temperature is usually lower at night and January is the coldest time of the year. The two dominant influences on the climate of Lealholm are the shelter against the worst of the moist westerly winds provided by the higher ground and the proximity of the North Sea. Late, chilly springs and cool summers are a feature of the area but there are often spells of fine autumn weather. Onshore winds in spring and early summer bring mists or low stratus clouds (known locally as sea frets) to the area. Within the area variations in climate are brought about by local differences in altitude, aspect and shelter. Snowfall is variable from year to year. Heavy falls are associated with north-easterly winds off the North Sea.
River Esk The
River Esk dog-legs through the village. In the centre stands the bridge which crosses the Esk a few yards south of the old fording point. further upstream lies a set of stepping stones. Between these two the river becomes very deep as it bends sharply to the right. Due to its proximity to the River Esk and its tributaries, flooding has long been a problem for some of the lower lying houses in the village. Marks carved into the side wall of the Methodist chapel show the heights of floods in the past. At the lowest level, the floods in November 2000 stand just short of the floods in July 1840. However, these were low compared to major flooding on 23 July 1930 when the Methodist chapel stood more than underwater, even though the chapel itself stands approximately above the normal water level of the river. This same flood caused the collapse of bridges over the river at
Glaisdale,
Egton and
Sleights, further down the valley. It is here that the site of Lelum was located, at or near the present site of Lealholm Hall and home to the de Lelum family in 1274. ==Demography==