Pannal

History and etymology

Pannal has been an important settlement for centuries. It developed in the middle of the former Knaresborough Forest and is believed to date back to the Bronze Age.

Pannal was earlier known as Rossett, recorded in the Domesday Book as Rosert (from the Old English hross hyrst, meaning "horse wood"). Until the early 19th century the village of Pannal was part of Beckwith with Rossett, one of the eleven constableries within the Forest of Knaresborough, but the parish, which appears to have covered the same area as the constablery, was known as Pannal. The name Rossett survives in the suburb of Rossett Green, 1 mile north of the village, and in the nearby Rossett School.

The name Pannal is first recorded in 1170. Its etymology is explained by Watts:

By the early fourteenth century, Pannal had become a thriving market village with weekly markets and an annual four-day fair. The parish of Pannal covered a large area, including Beckwith, Beckwithshaw, Brackenthwaite and Low Harrogate. In 1894 Low Harrogate became part of the new Municipal Borough of Harrogate, and in 1938 the village of Pannal was also added to Harrogate. This left the village of Pannal outside the civil parish of Pannal. This confusing situation continued until 2010, when the civil parish was renamed Beckwithshaw.

One of today's most significant structures in Pannal is Pannal Hall, rebuilt in 1860 after a 200 year history.

Governance

The village is in the Pannal electoral ward of Harrogate Borough Council. For county council purposes the parish is in the Pannal and Lower Wharfedale electoral division of North Yorkshire County Council.

As a result of the transfer of the village to the municipal borough of Harrogate in 1938, Pannal had no parish council to represent its interests. In 1974 it became part of the unparished area of Harrogate. However the village remained a distinct community separate from Harrogate, and in the 1990s local residents formed the Pannal Village Society to give the village a voice. A local campaign led in 2016 to the formation of a new civil parish for the village and the neighbouring village of Burn Bridge, known as Pannal and Burn Bridge.

St Robert's church

This is the main parish church in Pannal and is renowned for its friendly village atmosphere. It is very popular for weddings as it offers a traditional environment without being too formal. For baptisms this church uses a traditional font but with an added twist. In order to more accurately recreate the spirit of traditional biblical baptisms they have added a fountain to the font bowl. This ensures that the water is constantly running as it would have been in the rivers originally used.

Pannal Methodist church

The church was built in 1905 to replace the 1778 Wesleyan structure. It has a growing congregation with two cell groups and many house groups.

Pannal Memorial Hall

The building originally called the Oddfellows Hall, was built in 1888. On 24 May 1919, a parish meeting considered a suggestion to erect a village institute in memory of the boys who belonged to the neighbourhood and who had fallen in the 1914-18 war. Instead, the villagers resolved to approach the Society of Oddfellows about purchasing the existing Oddfellows Hall. A figure of £600 was agreed upon, and on 11 November 1919, the "Pannal Memorial Hall" was opened by Major Cross.

The Memorial Hall has served Pannal well ever since. Mr. Midgeley's Mason Band played for all the dances held there in the 1930s. Children's Christmas parties started to be held there from 1928. There was the Pannal Women's Dramatic Society and during the Second World War films were shown for the troops stationed in the area. There was the initial Baby Health Clinic, "Keep Fit" classes, children's "Play Groups" and many other community activities.

Scout Hall

1st Pannal Scout Group is based in the old school on Spring Lane. Built in 1817 it remained the home of the village school until new school buildings were opened on Pannal Green in 1967. The Scout Group, founded in 1948, had previously met in the Parochial Hall on Church Lane (now a private residence), moving into their new headquarters in 1969. The Scout Group meets on Fridays and more information can be found at their website in the links section below

Areas of Pannal

Rail

Pannal railway station serves the village of Pannal, including Burn Bridge, in North Yorkshire, England. It is located on the Harrogate Line 15 miles (24 km) north of Leeds City Station and operated by Northern who provide all passenger train services.

It is a busy station considering the size of the village it serves. This is due to the large amount of commuters using the station for journeying into Leeds every weekday.

Services

During Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is generally a half-hourly service from Pannal southbound to Leeds and a half-hourly service northbound to Knaresborough with one train per hour onwards to York.

Evenings and Sundays there is generally an hourly service in each direction.

Road

The village is served by the A61 road to Leeds and Harrogate. It is also at the heart of the local road network.

Bus

The Route 36 serves Pannal every 15 minutes (hourly evenings & 30 minutes Sundays) to Leeds and Harrogate & Ripon. The 767 bus serves Pannal every 90 minutes to Leeds Bradford Airport (all times) and Harrogate (evenings only). The X52 bus serves Pannal every 2 hours (except evenings & Sundays) to Ilkley, Pool & Otley and Harrogate. The X53 bus serves Pannal every 2 hours (except evenings & Sundays) to Guiseley, Pool & Otley and Harrogate.

Local government development plans

In March 2009 there was a strategic housing land availability assessment. In March 2013, a suggested plan was revealed for building houses and a business park on the Dunlopillow factory site. The Dunlopillow art deco facade of the office building would be demolished according to this plan, which as of March 2013 was not yet finalised.