Autumn Newsletter

www.place.uk.com 2015

Heritage Tourism and the Regeneration of the Seaside Town Joint event with the Historic Towns Forum Whitby, Thursday 24 th September

As previously advertised in our summer newsletter, this one-day conference will focus on issues and solutions surrounding retail, tourism, local economy and the ‘unique selling point’ of our coastal and seaside heritage. There will be lectures, a guided tour of Whitby and time for debate. The venue will be the Sneaton Castle Hotel and the cost of the conference will include coffee/tea at the hotel and lunch in the town. Cost: £20.00 (£15.00 for unwaged/retired people). Programme for the day: 09.30 Registration/tea/coffee at the Sneaton Castle Hotel 09.55 Welcome, introduction and important headlines, Noël James, Director, Historic Towns Forum and Margaret Atherden, PLACE 10.00 Keynote – Whitby – its history and historicity as a destination and location , Christiane Kroebel 10.30 Local and National Tourism - the North York Moors and Heritage Coast , Catriona McLees, North York Moors National Park 11.00 Finding your USP – your seaside town, your story , Michele Grant, Director, BlueSail 11.30 Walk down to lunch in the town 12.15 Fish & Chip lunch at Hadley’s (vegetarian options for non-fish eaters) 13.30 Tour of Whitby town, led by Mike Yates and Alan Appleton. Walk back to hotel. Tea. 14.45 A strategic overview – opportunities, challenges, partnership working and funding, Lyndsey Swift, Head of Strategic Partnerships & Engagement, VisitEngland TBC 15.15 Seaside heritage and regeneration – funding and research , Sara Crofts, Head of Historic Environment, Heritage Lottery Fund 15.45 Coastal Regeneration and Government intervention , Nicola Radford, Principle Development Officer, Lincolnshire County Council/Coastal Communities Alliance/Coastal Revival Fund 16.15 Plenary and final steps. 16.30 Conference ends

Please use the enclosed booking form for all PLACE events

Autumn conference, 3 rd October, York: Famous Geologists of

Another chance to book for this major conference, celebrating 200 years since the publication by William Smith (right) of the first geological map of and Wales. Morning lectures at York St John University : 09.30 Registration and coffee 10.00 Prof. Robin Butlin: Geological knowledge and its influence on the development of Physical Geography in the Yorkshire College and the University of c. 1874-1930. 10.30 Peter Robinson and Dr Chris Hill: The Father of English Geology – William Smith in Scarborough; Martin Simpson – a neglected Geologist of Whitby; Thomas Harris – the Plant Man of the Yorkshire Coast. 11.30 Coffee. 12.00 Dr Anthony Cooper: Yorkshire Geology as seen through the eyes of notable British Geological Survey Geologists. 12.45 Discussion. 13.00 Buffet lunch. 14.30 – c.16.00 Afternoon visit to the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens: Stuart Ogilvy and colleagues will show us the geological collections and there will be a chance to see the new walk-on geology map of Yorkshire. Cost: £20.00 (£15.00 for unwaged or retired people), including coffee/tea and buffet lunch. Bookings close on September 25 th . Page 2

Visit to Wortley Top Forge CURTAIN UP! Yorkshire on Stage and Wednesday 14 th October Screen Following the paper given at our spring conference Weds 4 th November this year, we have organised a visit to Wortley Top Forge. The history of this water powered iron forge can be traced back to 1640. The site has been used for various processes but is best known for the wrought iron railway axles that were produced between 1840 and c.1910. Following the final abandonment of the site in 1929, various bodies have been involved in securing the site, which now Yorkshire has a long and famous tradition of dramatic forms the heart of an industrial museum. Exhibits at productions, with numerous well known playwrights, Top Forge include the original water wheels and actors and venues. In 2016 we shall see another major water powered drop hammers within the original presentation of the Mystery Plays (below, 2012 forge building that is progressively being restored to production), and the reopening of the Theatre Royal. 1900s condition. All three water wheels can be run subject to conditions. Adjoining buildings house a 1920s machine shop, that is used for most of the restoration work, displays of medium sized and small stationary steam engines and displays of old machine and hand tools .

To celebrate this, PLACE is running a short course on Yorkshire Theatre, and as a free taster we are holding an afternoon visit behind the scenes at York University’s Theatre, Film and Television studios, by kind invitation of Dr Gavin Kearney, on Wednesday November 4th at 2pm . Dr Kearney will also explain the University’s involvement with the renovations at the Theatre Royal.

We shall meet at the Theatre Department foyer, near C19th painting of the Forge the Ron Cooke Hub on the East Campus, for a tour of the department’s theatre, cinema, studios and media Mee t at 1pm at the car park entrance to the Forge, facilities, and there will be an opportunity for questions, grid reference: SK 294998. The guided visit will take and to obtain refreshments (at your own cost) after the approx. 2 hours. For directions by car, see the tour. There is a public car park, and several bus Wortley Top Forge website. Wortley Top Forge is services run to the campus. accessible by public transport during the week and our visit will fit into timetables BUT the quickest route Please note that stiletto heels may not be worn in the is different depending where you are coming from department’s theatre. There are several sets of stairs and may require half an hour walk to/from the and ramps, but a lift is available throughout the nearest bus stop. If you would like to come by public building. Numbers are limited to 20 visitors, so early transport, please contact Christine Handley, who will booking is recommended. There will be no charge for advise on the best route. the visit but pre-booking is necessary, so please use the booking form to reserve a place. If you find nearer Wear good footwear and appropriate clothing for the the time that you are not able to attend, please let weather – the visit will be a mixture of indoors, PLACE know, as there may well be a waiting list. looking at the Forge itself and walks between buildings. NB: if you are coming by public transport a The course will continue in the Spring of 2016 . It is longer walk is likely. There are toilets on site. Cost: hoped to have three or four meetings at Bedern Hall in £3.00 per person (includes tea or coffee). York on Wednesday evenings in April and two visits, Places are limited to 20 so pre-booking is necessary. probably to Malton and Richmond. Details and costs For further details, contact Christine Handley: Tel: will be in the next newsletter. 0114 2694978, E-mail: [email protected] Page 3 To help PLACE members and friends IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER move into the festive season, we will 7.00 – 9.00pm be hosting another Christmas event at Thursday 10th December Bedern Hall. PLACE uses photographs Bedern Hall, York in every newsletter and every publication. We never talk about how to improve our own photographic efforts. All this is about to change! Roger Walton (Bishopthorpe Camera Club) will talk about and demonstrate how to take better photos and because of the time of year, he will focus particularly on taking photos outdoors in winter light and indoors in artificial light. He will show us some of his own pictures on this theme and how they might be enhanced, if he wished to do so. As usual at PLACE events, there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end. If you wish to bring one of your own photos on the theme of In the Bleak Midwinter , then Roger will certainly be able to make some helpful comments and there might even be a prize for one or more of us….. After the talk, festive food will be in the form of mulled wine, mince pies and Christmas cake with Wensleydale cheese. The evening will end at 9.00pm. Cost: £15.00 per person.

REPORTS ON PAST PLACE EVENTS

Annual General Meeting and Members’ Day, , May 9 th The Orangery, Wakefield, was the splendid venue for this year’s AGM, attended by a record 46 Friends of PLACE. The 2014 Annual Report and Accounts were accepted and Richard Myerscough and George Sheeran were re-elected as Trustees. Veronica Wallace stepped down after many years’ service as a trustee and was warmly thanked by Aileen Bloomer from the chair for all her hard work. She is continuing as our Editor-in-Chief and will also continue to have an input to future planning via the Advisory Committee. The one remaining vacancy was filled by Dr Catherine Neal, an archaeologist from the University of York, who was welcomed to the Board . Unadopted minutes of the meeting will be found on our website .

Wakefield

Inside the Chapel on the bridge

In the morning, we had a fascinating talk on the history of Wakefield by Kevin Trickett, the President of Wakefield Civic Society. He led us from prehistoric and Roman Wakefield, through Anglian settlers and Vikings to the present day. Mentioned in Domesday Book (1086), the Manor of Wakefield passed to the Earls Warenne in 1090, who held it until 1347. Two castles were built in the twelfth century, at Lowe Hill and Sandal, either side of the R. Calder. Lowe Hill was later abandoned and became the centre of the manor. Wakefield was a thriving town in medieval times, with fairs, a market, prisons and courts. Like York, it had its own cycle of Mystery Plays, giving rise to the title of ‘Merry Wakefield’. It was a centre for the wool trade, tanning and cattle dealing, with coal mines on the outskirts of the town. Wakefield cathedral dates from the eleventh century but has been much extended since. The present cathedral is a very striking building. There were also four chantry chapels, including one to St Mary the Virgin on the bridge, dating from the mid- fourteenth century, which was opened especially for us to visit.

There were many further developments over the next few centuries, with the peak of material prosperity being reached in the eighteenth century, based on the cloth trade. The railway led to further development in the nineteenth century, with Kirkgate station opened in 1840 and Westgate station in 1867. However, Wakefield also had its fair share of the typical Victorian problems of poor housing and living conditions. Several important municipal buildings still grace the urban landscape, including the Town Hall (1880) and the County Hall (1898). A new market hall was also built. Wakefield achieved city status in 1888. There are also many interesting modern buildings and the city centre is a vibrant place, with many regeneration projects, leading Kevin to suggest that it is ‘a merry city once again’. We were fortunate to have such a knowledgeable person to tell us about the history and to lead us on our afternoon tour. Page 4

Visit to Riccaldale, 12 th May On a very windy spring day, a party of PLACE Toothwort members drove to Pockley, c.2 miles east of Helmsley. Accompanied by our geologist interpreter, David Wharton-Street, we walked south-west down the Intake Lane track and were soon admirably protected from the strong wind as we quickly descended into the steep valley of the R. Riccal. Even before reaching the bottom we became aware of the profusion of spring flowers: great swathes of wild garlic dominating the Bluebells valley sides. When we crossed over to the track on the west side of the valley we were astonished to see no water flowing under the bridge along the river bed. We knew that eventually the river flows into the Rye and thence into the Derwent. However, as we moved northwards a full flowing beck did become apparent. The explanation was that the glacial run-off through the Tabular Hills creating the valley had exposed the underlying porous limestone and a swallow hole had developed down which the water was tumbling, except in times of heavy rainfall when the capacity of the hole would be limited and some water would flow all the way Thatched cottage, along the surface. This explained the damp look of the Pockley river bed under the bridge. Further south as the saturation level rose the river would again appear before it joined the Rye at High Waterholmes. Bloody battles and political intrigue The latest short course led for us by Robert Wright As we strolled north up the wide stony track by the very focused on Yorkshire Battles and included many a steep west bank of the valley, we saw over 53 species tale of blood and gore. The subject matter over the of wild flower, including early purple orchid, primrose, six-week course ranged from early battles with the bugle, wood anemone, cowslip and pale wood violet. Scots, at a time when the border between England One that drew excited attention was toothwort, growing and Scotland was ill-defined, through battles of the at the foot of an oak tree up a steep bank. But the Norman Conquest (e.g. the Battle of Fulford, which biggest gasps of delight were when the valley sides had a critical effect on the outcome of the Battle of opened out less steeply and the wild garlic gave way to Hastings), battles of the Wars of the Roses (e.g. huge spreads of bluebells. Several tree and shrub the Battle of Towton) to the Civil War (e.g. the species were noted, including silver birch, holly, wild Battle of Marston Moor). With his usual high level cherry, bird cherry, elder, sycamore and beech. There of research, Robert led us through the background was much hazel and evidence of former coppicing. It and context of each set of battles, explaining the was difficult to see the birds but some were identified by complex family lineages and various claims to the their songs, including whitethroat, nuthatch and throne that lay behind the conflict. greenfinch. Obvious to all as they swooped around together in a large campsite open area were swallows, The course attracted more than 65 people in total house martins and swifts. and resulted in several new members for PLACE. It was followed by two trips to the battlefield trail at We left the valley to toil up eastwards past Hasty Bank Towton, where a series of information boards has Farm to emerge eventually on to the tarmac road which been established to guide visitors around key led south down to the hamlet of Pockley. Had we points of this battle, sometimes described as the instead followed the path on the topside of the wood we bloodiest on English soil. The first group enjoyed would have traversed a track leading to a small quarry. fine weather for the trail and went on to visit the This and another nearby quarry had presumably delightful Church of St Mary at Lead, near Saxton, provided the stone for the original building of several and enjoy a cup of tea in the sunshine. The second farms, many now obviously converted from historic long group were not so lucky and retired soaked after houses into very tidy attractive modern residences still the battlefield trail. Stoically, several people wearing their neat thatched roofs. This was an excellent commented that it allowed them to appreciate what trip from the point of view of botany, geology and history difficult conditions faced the combatants in 1461, in this beautiful area. when there was actually snow on the ground! Sonia Rose Page 5 Visit to Saltburn-by-the-Sea Helmsley Walled Garden A warm, sunny day in June found nine of us and two In late July we visited the Walled Garden in dogs beside the seaside. Our meeting place was the Helmsley – Yorkshire’s answer to the lost gardens Woodlands Centre, which is managed by volunteers of Heligan. Set in five acres beneath the imposing from Saltburn Friends of the Valley. Following local ruins of Helmsley Castle, the garden was laid out authority cuts in 2012, the Friends are managing the in 1759, originally to provide fresh fruit, vegetables woodlands, restoring the gardens, organising educational and flowers for the Feversham Family of activities and leading walks. The valley itself is of Duncombe Park, a role it fulfilled until just after the considerable geomorphological interest. The original line First World War. It was then leased out as a of the valley ran close to the main road towards the sea market garden until the 1980s, when it was but, in the glacial period, this was filled with boulder-clay abandoned and largely forgotten. It was thanks to from a lobe of ice from the North Sea. As the ice the efforts of local woman, Alison Ticehurst, who receded, two new valleys were cut either side of the discovered it some ten years later, that restoration boulder-clay, Saltburn Gill and Skelton Gill. The valley began in 1994 by a team of enthusiastic woodlands we walked through are alongside Skelton Gill. volunteers. They painstakingly cleared the wilderness, replanted the garden and rebuilt the In the morning, we were treated to a whistle-stop tour of dilapidated greenhouses, one of which now serves Saltburn with local historian Philip Thompson, starting as a café. with the unexpected bonus of a ride on the miniature railway. As a councillor, Philip seems to know everyone in the town and also owns several properties there, so he was the ideal person to tell us about the history and development of Saltburn. In 1860, Saltburn was a hamlet of 16 houses, whose residents engaged mainly in fishing and smuggling. After the arrival of the railway in 1861, the modern resort began to develop. The magnificent Zetland Hotel (now private apartments) was erected on the cliff top, the Ha’Penny Bridge (a toll bridge, later demolished) was built across the valley, the pier opened and a vertical hoist up the cliff from the beach to the town was constructed. The cliff hoist was replaced by an inclined tramway in 1884 and then by the current electrically operated cliff lift in 1975. This now carries 100,000 passengers each summer season, including the PLACE party on this occasion. We were guided around the town at a lively pace (temporarily losing one member of the group on the way!), seeing the tourist accommodation on the cliff top, the modern renovation of some of the older housing, the pier, the promenade and the railway station. A line from the station ran originally right up to the door of the Zetland We were fortunate to have one of the volunteers, Hotel, so that guests could alight at their accommodation Barbara Hickman (a former Chair of our Board of with minimal inconvenience. Trustees), to show us around and identify the In the cliff lift many interesting plants encountered. The herbaceous borders were looking at their very best on the lovely sunny evening, with vibrant yellows, reds and oranges dominant. There is a large selection of fruit trees and vegetables, as well as areas of wild flower meadows. Nature conservation is combined with horticulture to give a dynamic garden in which wildlife thrives, Beside the miniature railway including bees, from which honey is produced for sale. There is a shop and outdoor plant sales area In the afternoon we walked up the valley as far as the and a range of modern and heritage garden tools. impressive railway viaduct, led by Lorna Moone. We saw The ethos of the garden is to promote organic, the rich woodlands, a large meadow area and a newly- local production, and to provide horticultural established orchard of old varieties of fruit trees. The therapy for people with learning difficulties. We left afternoon ended down on the beach, where the dogs full of admiration for the tireless work of the enjoyed a romp in the waves and we enjoyed afternoon volunteers who, over the past 21 years, have tea – a fitting end to a most enjoyable day. turned a lost garden into a horticultural gem. Page 6

Forestry Past, Present and Future – a short course in understanding some of ’s woods and forests What is ‘forestry’? As with many words the meaning has evolved over the centuries and no doubt will continue to do so. Historically of course the term forest was associated with hunting so forestry could be assumed to mean the management of an area for that purpose. In the present day we use the term rather loosely to describe the management of woodland and in its broadest holistic sense that would also include environmental and recreational management. Silviculture, the growing of woods, might be more accurate but does not reflect the way people used and continue to use woods. In this short course I attempted to show how ‘forestry’ has changed over the centuries in the struggle to keep up with the changing demands placed on it.

Our journey through forestry began in Deer Park, Helmsley (an area currently owned by Duncombe Estate, but leased to the Forestry Commission and not open to the public). This area has one of the most important groups of ancient trees in the country as well as areas of ancient semi-natural woodland and planted ancient woodland sites. The history of woodland in the area was discussed; from the monks at Rievaulx Abbey and their disputes over firewood between the abbot and the lord of the manor, through the use of charcoal for iron working to the more recent extraction of much of the woodland for timber in two world wars. As always with people it comes down to supply and demand. From prehistoric times to medieval times there was sufficient timber to supply the various needs (even though demand was outstripping supply) and people could make a living, albeit an impoverished one, making use of selected small woods such as hazel for hurdles and coppice for charcoal . Brian Walker The second part of our journey looked at the realisation by government that there was not enough woodland in the United Kingdom to support it in an emergency and the steps taken to put this right. For this we went to Cropton Forest. Britain had become an industrialised nation drawing on the resources of a vast global empire providing cheap resources . The fact that since the 17 th century we had become increasingly dependent on imported timber seemed to go un-noticed except by a few landowners who were planting oak for warships in the early 19 th century. We discussed how following the 1st World War the government created the Forestry Commission and charged it with rebuilding the nation’s timber stocks as a strategic reserve. Landowners had been growing plantation trees since the 17 th century but the new planting was on a vast scale unlike anything seen in the United Kingdom before. Expertise was sought wherever it could be found from continental Europe to Canada. Land was acquired by purchase and in default of death duties. Most of the land was in the uplands, on ‘marginal’ land, too poor for agricultural crops and with too few grouse to make it profitable shooting land. Large new forests were created in the south west and the north of England, Wales and southern and central Scotland. The forests were an instant change in the landscape. Hundreds of thousands of acres were ploughed up and planted with fast growing trees from halfway round the world. It was a huge experiment planned and implemented with logistics developed in the running of an empire. Senior forest officials became known as Conservators, middle management officials were ‘District Officers’. From the planting of the first trees until the 1980s the primary function of the Forestry Commission was seen by government and others as the creation and management of a strategic supply of timber and, apart from ‘covert operations’ carried out by isolated staff in various parts of the country, little attention was given to the needs of the greater environment. Trees were planted in straight rows in, usually, straight edged fields known as compartments. Trees were selected for their (believed) ability to grow on a particular site not because it might benefit the environment. The tree crop was thinned wherever possible from the age of 25 years every 5 years. This produces the maximum amount of timber in the smallest number of trees for the final crop at around 70 years, a system called thinning to marginal intensity. We looked at some of these compartments, the trees in them from Norway and Sitka Spruce to European and Japanese larch and how they have been managed. We also discussed how some bits of land slipped through the planting ‘net’ and have become part of the current rich biodiversity of forests.

The final part of our journey took us to Langdale Forest to see how Britain’s modern forests are meeting the challenges and demands of a modern world and delivering sustainable, cost effective benefits for all – even those people with no interest in forests. Even though governments and politicians are obsessed with fiscal wealth there is a realisation in some circles that what the race needs to survive is environmental wealth. The Forestry Commission has for many years been ahead of the political game in this respect and we saw how as far back as the early 1980s Forest & Water Guidelines were changing the way watercourses were managed. Page 7

Maverick foresters and rangers had surreptitiously incorporated modern environmental thinking into forest management for decades before the Wildlife and Countryside Act placed a duty on the Forestry Commission to care for the environment. The benefits of this work are plain in Langdale Forest, tens of miles of herb rich road verges, tens of miles of ‘naturalised’ river and stream banks, tens of miles of upland heath and grass on forest rides and all this without mentioning the structural and species diversity of the trees themselves. In recent years the value of deep peats and upland wetland has been increasingly recognised both as carbon stores and as ‘sponges’ to store water. We saw how at the source of Hipperley Beck (left) spruce trees have been replaced by tens of hectares of open space with all the drains blocked with woody debris and watercourses choked with natural vegetation. We discussed how financially such work can reduce income for the Forestry Commission (and Government) but provide massive savings in other areas. The loss of timber income at Hipperley Beck may run into tens of thousands of pounds but, if the naturalised headwaters prevent just one serious breach of the River Derwent or the Sea Cut near Scarborough, potentially millions of pounds can be saved. Of course, we still need to grow trees for our use; wood is a part of everyday life. The Forestry Commission is just getting very smart about how, where, when and what trees to plant. That includes identifying the challenges of a changing climate. Brian Walker

Hawnby Church and churchyard Hawnby Walk, August 4 th The village of Hawnby is located on the tabular hills to the north west of Rievaux Abbey, lying in the upper reaches of the River Rye. Twelve PLACE members walked a circuit through fields and mixed woodland to study the landscape and geology, vernacular architecture and flowers.

A visit to the attractive small Hawnby Church, dating from the 12 th Century, revealed some fine stained glass as memorials to those lost in the First World War. In June The party on a 2005, a flash flood flattened all the gravestones in the footbridge churchyard as well as filling the church with mud and silt. A magnificent effort by the villagers quickly restored the church interior; the re-erection of the gravestones taking longer. The area around Hawnby is unusual in that every building is listed; either Grade 2 or 2*. All are built of the local Ravenscar sandstone and we pondered over a particularly fine example of a late 16 th Century New Hall with mullioned windows. Looking east towards Hawnby Geologically, the River Rye cuts down through a mixture Hill of alternating sandstone and limestone strata, creating a stepped appearance in the landscape. The highlight of the walk was Arden Hall. Founded as a Benedictine Nunnery in 1119, under the watchful eye of the nearby monastery at Old Byland, at the Dissolution it was converted into an Elizabethan Hall. Parts of this remain within the fabric of a much larger Queen Anne house, built by the Savile Family. The descendants – the Earls of Mexborough - live in the property and manage the surrounding estate of farms, woodland and moors. A most enjoyable walk culminated in a cream tea at Hawnby Post Office. In front of Arden Hall David Wharton-Street Page 8

Bradford City Walk, 4 th July A group of PLACE members joined with the Royal Geographical Society for a city walk led by Professor David McEvoy, starting at Centenary Square, originally known as Town Hall Square. We discovered how Bradford changed from being a provincial town to an international hub through its development as the wool capital of the world. With a current population of c.580,000, Bradford is the 5th biggest city in England. It is very much a bi-cultural city with 63% of the population being White British. 25% of the city is Muslim in religious faith. Centenary Square The Town Hall was built in 1873 in the Gothic revival style to a design of Lockwood and Mawson. Two of the main features are its Florentian tower and collection of statues of monarchs from William the Conqueror to Victoria. Oliver Cromwell's anomalous presence is perhaps indicative of the link with Bradford's non-conformist and parliamentary heritage. The Memorial Garden celebrates the victims of several atrocities and calamities such as the Ukrainian Famine of the 1930s and the Bhopal Disaster as well as the life of HRH Diana Princess of Wales. The nearby St. George's Hall was also designed by Lockwood and Mawson in 1853. It is still renowned for its excellent concert hall acoustics. We learnt that Bradford is twinned with several textile cities including Roubaix and Verviers. The Valley Memorial Garden Parade Football Fire is also commemorated. Exchange Square with the Crown Court provides a stark contrast from the nineteenth century development of Centenary Square. A statue celebrates the birth of Delius in Bradford in 1862. Nearby is the stalled Westfield retail area. We noted the urban clearway of Broadway and the mention of W.E. Forster, the Bradford MP who is associated with the 1870 Education Act. We walked to Little Germany. Originally this inner city area was devoted to the finishing of cloth in the nineteenth century but it is now principally an area of offices and apartments. There is also a concentration of Asian business in this zone and the 1873 Baptist Chapel is now used as a Gurdwara (Sikh) temple.

Bradford Cathedral is on a Norman site of Christian worship and parts date back to 1458. We saw the stained glass window dedicated to the Pals regiment of the Great War. The nineteenth century Bradford diocese is now subordinated to The of Little Germany Leeds. The former GPO is now an Indian Arts Centre. An Asian Arts Festival was established in 1988. The Midland Hotel is a Victorian railway hotel and is where Henry Irving died. The Bradford Wool Exchange was finished in 1867. St. Blaise is the patron of wool and also of Bradford. Nearby is a former location of precious metal retailing, with the Fattorini shop. In the centre of the city the medieval street pattern can still be discerned in streets such as Ivegate, Kirkgate and Westgate. We walked on to have a look at the Alhambra (1914 and designed by Francis Laidlaw). Nearby is the National Media Museum with its IMAX screen. East European immigration is evident from a Polish Catholic Church and associated community centre. There is also a German Protestant church. The continuing need by the textile industry for cheap labour encouraged a second wave of Asian immigration in the 1950s and 1960s. The earliest Mosque in Bradford is the Jamiq Masjid (1958). After a tour lasting over three hours some of the group had sustenance at a local curry restaurant. Photographs by John Watts Philip Mander Page 9 Gothic Revival Churches

As a follow-up to last year's conference at Harrogate on Victorian Christianity, eight PLACE friends visited three Victorian Gothic Revival churches on Wednesday 19 August : Christ the Consoler at Skelton (near Newby Hall) and St Mary at Studley Royal by and St James at Baldersby St James by William Butterfield. The day was superbly led by Margaret Bastow. There was a lunch break at the Fountains Abbey centre between the two Burges Churches.

Christ the Consoler was commissioned by Lady Margaret Vyner of Newby Hall as a memorial for her younger son murdered by Greek brigands in 1870. It was begun in 1871 and completed in 1876.It displays Burges' Christ the Consoler, Newby Hall slightly idiosyncratic style of 'muscular' Gothic with crisp heavy and the tower and positioned over the east bay of the north housing the organ pipes, the console taking up the east bay of the . The arcades are in a standard early Gothic style (French rather than English), the unaisled has double window tracery reminiscent of Lincoln's Angel Choir and the church is full of sculpture inside and out, especially over the arch (the Ascension by Thomas Nicholls who always worked with Burges). The stained glass is by Lonsdale, Weekes and Saunders who also were always employed by Burges; the quality is high but there are problems of durability, as is often the case with Victorian glass.

St Mary at Studley was almost exactly contemporary, begun again in 1871 but only finished in 1878. It was commissioned by Lady Margaret's daughter Henrietta who had married her cousin the Marquis of of Studley Royal. The church is of more conventional shape inasmuch as the tower and spire is at the usual west end owing to the church being at the culminating point of the great avenue of Studley Royal. There is the same form of 'muscular' Gothic with French (and this time Italian) influences but the development from the relatively simple nave to the sophisticated chancel is more marked with richer marbles employed in the choir including porphyry and with the walls lined with alabaster and the floors with mosaic. The window tracery becomes more elaborate (again with double tracery) and the sanctuary bay is actually a centrally planned space St Mary, Studley on pendentives, as found in many rooms at Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch. The organ is placed under the nave arcade as at Skelton but the pipes are put in front of the arch so that the north aisle is unimpeded (but with a delicate spiral stairway leading to the loft). There are wonderful examples of Burges' whimsicality in little carvings of animals peeping round corners or out of capitals and much fine sculpture, especially over the east window outside. He used the same craftsmen here as at Skelton.

St James at Baldersby seems relatively restrained after the two previous churches. Nevertheless, it displays Butterfield's fine use of brick inside (set off by stone bands) and there is again a progression in elaboration towards St James, Baldersby the chancel with again alabaster panelling along the walls. The font stands on marble columns and there is a beautiful pointed font cover. Externally, the church is built of Bramley Fall stone and hence seems rather forbidding but the tower and spire over the south porch are very impressive. Butterfield designed the church in 1856-1858 for Viscount Downe of Baldersby Park (for whom he designed a number of churches) in a generally later Gothic style than Burges (Middle Pointed as the Victorians described it). He also designed a new estate village to accompany the church (Baldersby St James as opposed to the older Baldersby).

Richard Leggott Photographs by John Watts Page 10

NEW PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM PLACE

THE MOSQUE IN THE CITY

BRADFORD AND ITS ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE

George Sheeran

Martin Knight received a grant Popular author Nan Sykes has As previously advertised, from PLACE to continue his produced another book on wild George Sheeran’s book, research into the 1918-1919 flowers, this time concentrating based on his research into influenza epidemic in on those which can be found in the Islamic architecture of Yorkshire. This book is the some of the forests on the North Bradford, is now available second that he has produced York Moors. As usual, it is from PLACE. Now that the and is the culmination of his illustrated with Nan’s superb pre -publication offer has scholarly research. Packed full photographs. It is available from ended, the price is £6.00 + of information about the effects PLACE for £2.00 + £1.50 P & P, £2.00 P & P. of the epidemic, it makes for but hurry, as this is a limited very interesting reading. It is edition and Nan does not intend available from PLACE for to reprint once it sells out. £2.00 + £1.50 P & P. To order any of our publications, please use the order form enclosed. You may use the same cheque for books and PLACE events and even for subs, if yours are overdue!

Please remember to tell us if you change your To contact PLACE: e-mail address or other contact details. We By post: never pass these on to third parties. N.B. This is a PLACE Office, ‘virtual’ office York St John University, and is not Lord Mayor’s Walk, staffed . York, PLACE Board and Officers YO31 7EX. Chief Executive: Dr Margaret Atherden By phone: 01904 766291 Trustees: (N.B. this is the Chief Executive’s home Ms Aileen Bloomer Ms Hilary Moxon number. Messages may be left anytime) (Chair) Mr Richard Myerscough Ms Christine Handley Dr Catherine Neal By e-mail: [email protected] (Company Secretary) Professor Terry O’Connor Dr Michael Hopkinson Dr George Sheeran Website: www.place.uk.com (Treasurer) Mr Brian Walker

The next newsletter is due in January