Bell Busk is a hamlet situated in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The hamlet is located at the southern end of Malhamdale where the nascent River Aire meets Otterburn Beck. The village is north west of Skipton and used to have a railway station on the line linking Skipton and Hellifield. Historical industries in the hamlet consisted of a cotton mill that became a silk mill, with quarrying prevalent also. Tourism became the leading industry in the 20th century. History The name of Bell Busk is believed to have been derived from Old Norse and Old English meaning the bell shaped bush. Bell Busk is north of Coniston Cold, north west of Skipton, south of Malham and east of Hellifield. The hamlet sits at the southern end of Malhamdale, where the River Aire meets Otterburn Beck. Malhamdale is the very northern end of Airedale. Official records of the area make no mention of the hamlet until 1585, even then, it was not shown on mapping until the early 17th century. One of the oldest houses is a Yorkshire laithe known as Granny House Farm, nowadays known as Granny House on the old Roman Road; Mark House Lane. Granny House is mentioned in the walking book 'Through Airedale from Goole to Malham' by Johnnie Gray. In 1891 it is described as a 300 year old 'Public' and a stout edifice. There are two grade 2 listed bridges in Bell Busk: Red Bridge over Otterburn Beck and Bell Busk Bridge over The River Aire. In 1781, a weir and large mill pond with a long mill race were constructed on the Aire to provide water power for a silk mill. The weir was located south of Malham and from the mouth of the Aire on the River Ouse. The mill has long since been demolished after it was destroyed by fire, but the weir was only removed in 2018 to make fish passage easier into the spawning grounds. This is to encourage salmon into the River Aire and its tributaries after a 200-year absence. In the 19th century, quarrying became an important industry when at least three rock quarries were in operation; Field Rock Quarry to the west, Esh Bottom Quarry to the south west and Haw Crag Quarry to the east. Haw Crag was noted for its medium-purity limestone which was used in the local buildings. Quarrying here was