Tosside

The village of Tosside, originally known as Tosside-with-Houghton, is halfway between the farming village of Slaidburn and the market-town of Settle and split halfway between the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire (in the current, administrative sense that is). The name Tosside, pronounced locally as ‘Tossit’, comes from the Saxon words ‘tod’ for fox, a term which is still in use, and ‘saet’ for pasture, and the village still has a somewhat medieval aura about it.

Old Tod

In the centre of the village at the crossroads you will see a water fountain and war memorial which is a local landmark and now has a fox shaped weathervane on its top, which reflects the connection between the village and ‘old tod’. The community also holds an annual Fox Festival usually around july, when the villagers decide on a common theme and construct foxes, a bit like scarecrows, around that theme, which can be a bit startling when you are passing through and don’t know it’s on!

Strong Identity

Tosside is very representative of other upland farming villages in the north of England, with a strong identity of its own and a very close-knit and supportive community, the village hall is very much the centre of life in the village with pool, darts, dominoes, whist teams and even an indoor bowling club, (the pool team is very good as I know full well from playing against them!) There are discos, plays, pantos and other events held there and it is leased out for weddings.

St Bartholomew’s

Opposite the Village Hall stands St Bartholomew’s which is also supported well with a strong congregation, the church dates from 1694 and is also known by its older name of Houghton Chapel, harking back to its origins as a chapel-of-ease for the church of St Mary’s in Gisburn. It became St Bartholomew’s Church in 1870 after renovations were carried out and the two villages of Houghton and Tosside were amalgamated into one village; Tosside, within the church can be found a 17th Century octagonal font made of local stone, which, judging by its weathering stood outside for a good many years, and a Jacobean pulpit dated 1701.

The Tosside Tragedy

In June 1950 Tosside was shaken by an awful tragedy when a light aircraft crashed and exploded in a field just outside the village. The Proctor Percival MK3 had been en-route to Blackpool from Hartlepool carrying 3 holiday-makers and had landed in a nearby field when the pilot lost his bearings. Disaster struck when the plane, upon take-off from the field, clipped the coping stones of a wall and crashed into the next field exploding in a fireball. Sadly 4 people lost their lives and the incident, known as the Tosside Tragedy, is still spoken about to this day.

Visiting the Village

There are several places to stay around the village and plenty to explore nearby with bike trails in nearby Gisburn forest attracting many cyclists to the village, Gisburn forest hub, with a cafe, shop and trails dedicated to mountain biking is fast becoming one of the most popular centres for the sport in the U.K..

If you are visiting the area for cycling, walking or birdwatching in the hides at Stocks reservoir there are places here to stop for lunch, Crow Trees Inn at the nearby Bowland fells holiday park is a very popular local inn, and the Old Vicarage Tearooms in the village itself is quite famous locally for their cakes and the traditional afternoon teas they serve.

A B-H

(July 2024)