There is some evidence of an Iron Age settlement on top of nearby Burton Moor that has been designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[5] The manor befell the same fate as other lands belonging to Geoffrey in that they eventually passed to Richard Duke of Gloucester in 1480.[13] West Burton lies within the Yorkshire Dales National Park[14] on the B6160 road to Addingham.[8] Pupils receive secondary education at The Wensleydale School & Sixth Form in Leyburn.[19] There are a number of local businesses including a butchers shop, a small pottery, general store and a public house.[20] In their retirement, musical theatre actress Pat Kirkwood and her husband Peter Knight, the former president of Bradford & Bingley, lived in the village for ten years.
Cauldron Force in early summer
The Methodist Chapel in West Burton, from the back