Malton’s Castlegate has been blighted by flooding over the years – so much so, that the floodwater was used in innovative ways. Howard Campion reports.
HEADING east out of Malton, this street eventually descends to river level after having led a reasonably level course from Butcher Corner to before its junction with Church Hill.
At this point, it starts to descend towards the river by going down the edge of what is part of quite a steep cliff whilst the castle wall also comes in on the left-hand side.
It continues there almost until the road levels out again into what was once called Low Street.
The position of the houses beyond the castle wall at the lower end (including the Temperance Hotel and the Crown and Anchor – ‘Bridge Foot’) results in the area sometimes being troubled by heavy rain in a rather an unusual way.
They are subjected to a double whammy of flooding because they receive additional rainwater from the hillside.
Therefore, these buildings flood from the front as well as their rear – resulting in a spectacle of water flowing through and out of the front door into the street.
However, the plentiful supply of natural water has been put to good use.
In the 1700s a Mill Race was developed – a fast-flowing underground stream fed by surface water utilising the drop in height from the castle side down to the river.
Its considerable energy being linked to a mill near the river island.
Apart from using the potential energy of fast-flowing water, there was always plenty of it available for the brewing process.
Five or six breweries tapped into the water supply from the hillside, eventually two remained into the mid-1900s – Charles Rose along with Russell and Wrangham were as good an introduction to beer as anyone would require.
Their former sites are housing (Rose’s) and Morrison’s supermarket (Russell’s) where the remaining brewery chimney was brought down quite spectacularly one snowy winter’s morning in February 1984 in preparation for the new supermarket – the first large one in Malton.
Its shops and businesses in have contributed important roles in the economic life of Malton and Norton: Taylor’s played their part in food and domestic needs, the first co-operative was established here, the original building is still in use whilst Robson’s garages began in Castlegate.
- Howard Campion is a trustee at the Malton and Norton Heritage Centre
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