Muker Literary Institute

Description

Muker Literary Institute MYD35850 (c) YDNPA, 2023

The lead mining industry brought great wealth to Muker in Swaledale, and its Literary Institute reflects this. It was built in 1867 from public subscription and by the end of the nineteenth century contained 600 books. It is a rather unusual building with its ornate almost Flemish-style stone façade. No one knows why this particular style was chosen for Muker. It ceased functioning as a literary institute in the postwar period and became the practice room for the Muker Silver band in 1994.

Source:

Partrick, C (2004) ‘Reading Rooms and Literary Institutes of the Yorkshire Dales’ in White, R F & Wilson, P R (eds) (2004) Archaeology and Historic Landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales. Yorkshire Archaeological Society Occasional Paper No 2 pp203-212