Crackpot Hall – Ruins in the Heart of Swaledale

Crackpot Hall sits above Keld in upper Swaledale, a lonely but striking reminder of the dale’s long connection with lead mining. Although there was an original medieval building recorded nearby, the standing ruins are mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, when this remote spot served as a farmhouse built right on the edge of the old mining workings. Its unusual name is often misunderstood, but it likely comes from Old Norse – “kraka pot,” meaning a crevice or cave frequented by crows – a fitting nod to the rugged landscape around it.

Flying over the site gives a clear view of how the building and the surrounding terraces fit into the wider story of the valley. Below the hall, the scars of former lead workings blend with the brighter tones of bracken and pasture, while the deep greens of the woodland cling to the valley floor. From above you see both the isolation and the incredible beauty of this part of Swaledale – a place where industry, farming and wild landscape have overlapped for centuries. Capturing it from the air shows just how dramatic and layered its history really is.