Thornton-in-Craven is a village and civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 in the Craven

Craven

Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...

 district of North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is approx 530 metres (1,738.8 ft) from the border with Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

 and 1 miles (1.6 km) north of Earby

Earby

Earby is a small town and civil parish within the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England. It is north of Colne, from Skipton, and from Burnley. The parish had a population of 4,348 recorded in the 2001 census,...

. Barnoldswick

Barnoldswick

Barnoldswick is a town and civil parish within the West Craven area of the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England just outside the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is built in the shadow of Weets Hill, and Stock Beck, a...

 is nearby. The Pennine Way

Pennine Way

The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England. The trail runs from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and the Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes...

 passes through the village, as does the A56 road

A56 road

The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...

. The village has a church, a primary school and a retirement home, but no shops or pub.

Near the medieval church to the west of the village is a holy well, dating from Saxon times and now covered by an octagonal structure erected in 1764 by the rector.

Thornton-in-Craven railway station

Thornton-in-Craven railway station

Thornton-in-Craven railway station was a railway station that served the small village of Thornton-in-Craven in North Yorkshire , England. It was built by the Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway....

 was closed when passenger trains over the Skipton

Skipton

Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...

 to Colne

Colne

Colne is the second largest town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 20,118. It lies at the eastern end of the M65, 6 miles north-east of Burnley, with Nelson immediately adjacent, in the Aire Gap with two main roads leading into the Yorkshire...

route were withdrawn in 1970.

The village playing field, at the bottom of Boothbridge Lane, is home to the first and second XI of Thornton in Craven Cricket Club who compete in different divisions of the Craven League. The teams are both heavily populated by players from nearby Earby and Barnoldswick, with few representatives from the village itself. In 2010 the 1st XI were promoted as champions of the 2nd Division after a single season, following relegation from the 1st Division in 2009. The 2nd Division trophy was presented to the team on Saturday 28 August by Trevor Coe of the Craven League at the ground of Sandy Lane Cricket Club.