Great Mitton in the early morning mist

Great Mitton is a village and a civil parish in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is separated from the civil parish of Little Mitton by the River Ribble, both lie about three miles from the town of Clitheroe.

Great Mitton Hall

The photograph above is of Great Mitton Hall taken from the main road, a stone house in the centre of Great Mitton. It is a partly pebble dashed building, with a slate roof, in two storeys with an attic and cellar.

The photograph above is of Great Mitton Hall sometimes called the Manor House, taken from the graveyard of All Hallows Church.

Aisled Barn Old Hall Farm

In total, Great and Little Mitton cover less than 2000 acres of the Forest of Bowland, making it the smallest township in the Forest. Historically, the village was part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, but was transferred to Lancashire on 1st April 1974.

The photograph above is of The Old Vicarage, a stone house with sandstone dressings, quoins, and a slate roof. The southwest front has three bays.

Great Mitton has an ancient church, All Hallows, an ancient Manor House (Great Mitton Hall) and a pub, The Three Fishes, where in former times manorial courts were held. A second pub, The Aspinall Arms, sits across the Ribble in Little Mitton.

The ancient parish of Mitton took its name from the Old English, being a settlement at the mythe, the confluence of the Hodder and Ribble Rivers.

The photograph above is of The Three Fishes Inn, a public house in pebble dashed stone with a modern tile roof, and has two storeys.

(Photographed Sunday 13th November 2022)

From Great Mitton village centre, take the B6246 road north west and after about a quarter of a mile turn right onto the B6243 road.

Continue on the B6243 for about another quarter of a mile, and just after where the road bends left, on the same side of the road you’ll see a wooden bus-stop. Mitton Village Green is just on the grass next to it.

In a region were there are many old crosses hiding away in the landscape, we have very little history about this particular wayside cross and its stony base.

The Medieval cross base is in sandstone, and has a square plan and sloping sides. On the top is a rectangular socket. The cross base is set on a square block of sandstone.

Also on Great Mitton Village Green is a wooden cross with stone base celebrating Christianity.

The inscription on the plaque at the base of the cross reads “This cross celebrates 2000 years of Christianity” Donated by the Wilkinson Family Edison Hall Cottage in the Parish of Mytton.

(Mitton Village Green was photographed &
filmed on Tuesday 28th February 2023)