The history of Brimham Rocks spans over 340 million years and is a treasure trove of geological and scientific interest. The natural and human history of the rocks have been enchanting visitors for generations. It is a place of history, adventure, peace and tranquillity.
Brimham’s rocks are largely made from millstone grit. The North America and Eurasia plates collided 400 million years ago, creating a huge mountain range to the north of the Brimham/Nidderdale area.
Around 335 million years ago, the UK was located over the equator where warm, tropical seas dominated. Approximately 15 million years later, erosion from the mountain range transported silt, sand and pebbles by fast flowing, powerful rivers, periodically flooding this tropical paradise.
The grit included crystals of steel-hard quartz and softer crystals of feldspar. The deposits by the rivers were compressed and hardened over time to form the millstone grit rocks of Brimham.
As grit and sand is laid down, each depositional episode form layers called bedding planes. Bedding planes represent periods of time and depending on the angle at which they are laid down, show the direction the river was flowing.
A change in the angle of the bed is representative of a change in the river direction. In some places at Brimham the bedding planes run diagonally as well as horizontally, showing where huge underwater sand dunes once were.
In places there are large holes and tunnels. Some of these were formed by stones getting caught in an indentation and being swirled round by water, wearing away circular holes.
Long, tunnel-like holes are likely to have been formed when giant vegetation (such as roots) were buried in the rock when it was being formed. It then would have eroded more quickly, leaving a tube-like hole.
When North Africa collided with Europe about 50–25 million years ago, forming the Alps, there was a ripple effect extending north to parts of the UK, resulting in massive forces putting lots of pressure on the rocks. This caused some to crack and fracture. An example is Eagle Rock where the sides of the two rocks fit together perfectly.
During the last Ice Age (30,000–18,000 years ago) a passing glacier carved out the Nidderdale Valley, creating a deep U-shaped cross-section. The hard millstone grit of Brimham resisted this glacial erosion and was left exposed as the softer rocks of the Nidderdale Valley were cut away by the moving ice, before it finally melted about 10,000 years ago.
The gritstones at Brimham were exposed above the glacier and subjected to fierce Arctic-like weather, further eroding the rocks into even more fanciful shapes.
Medieval times
In the Domesday Book Brimham is recorded as ‘Birnebeam’ – a name suggesting that it used to be heavily wooded – and described as ‘waste’, uncultivated and unpopulated.
By 1252 it was owned by the monks at Fountains Abbey and used for grazing livestock. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s, Brimham passed into private hands and became part of the Grantley estate in the 18th century.
Find out how to get to Brimham Rocks, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
From rocks to moorland, Brimham Rocks offers a host of different of features for visitors. Take a look at the highlights of what you might see on your next visit.
Find out how our countryside team conserve the moorland at Brimham, from trialling different bracken control techniques to introducing certain breeds of cattle to graze.
There are plenty of ways to explore Brimham Rocks, from walking and cycling, to orienteering and geocaching. Discover the outdoor activities on offer.
Looking for some refreshment during your visit to Brimham Rocks? You can find a selection of food and drinks at the refreshment kiosk open Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 3pm (3.30pm on weekends). Every bite of a sausage roll or crunch of an ice-cream cone helps to protect this special place.
Learn about people from the past, discover remarkable works of art and brush up on your knowledge of architecture and gardens.