Glasshouses lies on the northern side of the river Nidd valley. Carved by a glacier, the fine sands left in the river were suitable for making glass. It is believed that this was exploited by the monks and lay brothers of Fountains Abbey, near Ripon, to make glass for the abbey. The name 'Glasshouse' is mentioned in their documentation of 1387.

Much later, farms and mills appeared in the area. Many farms practised a dual economy; handloom weaving and farming. During the 17th and 18th centuries, linen production took over from wool, with the woollen trade becoming more focused in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

An historic country mill

• Glasshouses Mill was operated as a corn mill prior to the early 1800s, before becoming involved in flax processing. In 1835, two brothers, John and George Metcalfe, took over the mill and became very successful. The mill was extended and doubled in size and Glasshouses Dam was built in 1850. An island in its centre was used to host a band concert, lit by fairy lights, followed by a firework display to both celebrate the marriage of John’s son, George Jr and the end of the Crimean war.
  A large waterwheel was installed at the mill; 25 feet in diameter and 21 feet in depth. It was believed to be the largest waterwheel in Yorkshire. 
• In 1862 a railway line connecting Pateley Bridge to Harrogate was opened, financed by George Metcalfe Jr. and this continued to exist as a passenger line until 1951. Just above the school playground, the (now much modified) crossing keepers cottage still stands. This was where the Harrogate to Pateley Bridge railway crossed the road that runs through the village.
• On 23rd December 1864 gas arrived at the mill and it was lit for the first time.
• By 1866, there were over 400 employees at the mill. A significant amount for the locality.
• A 120ft mill chimney built in 1867 replaced an earlier one and survived until its demolition in 1982. The remains of it exist near Flax Mill Cottage, by the planted border.

In the latter part of the century the demand for linens fell, being replaced by cotton. Local mills had turned to spinning jute and hemp, for rope and twine, but Glasshouses mill continued to spin flax until George Jr's death in 1898. New machinery to spin hemp was required and while this was being installed, the workforce were laid off. Sadly the company never recovered. George's sons had not inherited their father's business acumen and the business limped along until the sons gave it up, being declared bankrupt in 1907.

• In 1912 new owners, the Atkinsons, purchased the mill and continued manufacturing rope from hemp bought from India, Africa and Italy. In the 1950s trade declined however due to the rise in man-made fibres and in 1970 the mill closed.
  
  Both the Metcalfe's and the Atkinson's were regarded as good employers and benefactors.

The focal point of the village is the green. This was left in perpetuity by the Metcalfe family for the enjoyment of the residents of Glasshouses.

The Glasshouses water wheel is still in operation today on the River Bollin in the National Trust’s Quarry Bank Mill near Manchester Airport. The wheel was transported there in the 1970’s.

Little known fact:

It is rumoured that the rope for the ill-fated Titanic was made at Glasshouses Mill!

With thanks to the Glasshouses Village Association and Eileen Burgess for the above information.