2009 July | Yorkshire - God's Own County

Yorkshire Flags

On July 28, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, By brian

Yorkshire Flags will be waving proudly on the first of August 2009. I hope we can see them for the rain and drizzel that typifies our summer so far . This picture was taken on Ilkley Moor as good a place as any (and better than most) for a Yorkshire Flag. For a fuller explanation of the ‘vexillology’, origins and heraldry behind the Yorkshire Flag look at the Yorkshire Riding Society

York stone makes the best Yorkshire Flags but they are a bit heavy to fly. These stones look like they have survived many a long year up on a moorland track above Windhill.
Our flagstones are now so popular they are also supplied from India (I think not in reality unless the Raj left a quarry name Yorkshire in one of the provinces).

Now for the biggest Yorkshire Flag

In the County Cricket Championship: Division One Table Yorkshire are currently 8th without a win in 2009. The headline in the Yorkshire Post could be ‘Yorkshire Flags’ every time we get a run chase or a tight finish. As long as we are still in Division One when the final flag is waved I suppose we will just have to stomach it.

Flagcrackers

The Flag Crackers of Craven are a Border Morris Set the practice venue is Farnhill Community Hall, at Farnhill near Kildwick – practice 8-10 pm every Wednesday. After all that practice and the fact that they will be 21 years old this October means the know what’s what when it comes to dancing on flags. Keep your eye out foor a local performance this Autumn.

Walks Around Ilkley

On July 24, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, Villages and Towns, Yorkshire Trips and Places, By brian

Holiday in Ilkley like the Victorians used to do using Shanks’s Pony. You do not have to walk all of the Dales Way to have a good holiday with fresh air and exercise. The River Wharfe runs through the town and you can follow it down stream to Denton and Ben Rhydding or up stream on the reasonably flat walks to Addingham. Before tackling the Moors themselves there are several more challenging walks on the rivers northern shore to Beamsley Beacon or Mount Calvary and Middleton Woods.

On the moor there are many features to visit such as White Wells, Cow and Calf Rocks and the Tarn or Hebers Ghyll and the Swastika Stone. Simple directions for the famous walk across the moor to Dick Hudsons (with acknowledgement to Ilkley.org) Leave the centre of Ilkley up Wells Road to the cattle grid, then aim up the hillside to White Wells. Take the path to the rear of the buildings towards Ilkley Crags and up the steps to a cairn at the top. Go forward along a broad track, partly a board walk and often a bit boggy, past the boundary stone of Lanshaw Lad and the Twelve Apostles stone circle. Ahead is Baildon Moor with Otley Chevin to the left and Almscliff Crag in the distance. Cross a wall by a stile and continue to a rough walled track down leading to the road and Dick Hudsons, the renown watering hole and foody pub.

When you are worn out from walking you may find a show at The Kings Hall or Ilkley Playhouse. Alternatively read ‘On Ilkley Moor’ by Tom Balding whilst you are on Ilkley Moor or sat in the bar at the Cow and Calf hotel.

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Barnsley Borne and Bred

On July 23, 2009, In Books & Literary Work, Villages and Towns, By brian

Markets were first established in Barnsley by Royal Charter in 1249. ( That is the year not nearly ten too one in the afternoon) The current markets in the local areas provide ‘quality products at bargain prices’. Small and casual traders can take space for a reasonable cost.

Goldthorpe Market every Monday (second hand), Tuesday and Saturday
Hoyland Market every Tuesday and Saturday, Thursday (second hand),
Wombwell Market every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
Penistone Market every Thursday
Barnsley Market Hall and Meat and Fish Markets every day except Thursday and Sunday,
Open Market Held every Tuesday (second hand and collectors), Wednesday, Friday and Saturday,
Car Boot Every Sunday 7:00am to 1:00pm

Tourism in Barnsley is still an unknown quantity with the Tourist Office closing on Saturday and Sunday but go figure. Still the greatest asset is the local people so go into Pub for a good listen if not chat. Alternatively see the links below for information on local attractions.

Cannon_Hall_Museum_Park_and_Gardens

Elsecar_Heritage_Centre

Cooper_Gallery

Worsbrough_Mill_and_Country_Park

Brilliant Book on Barnsley Borne and Bred Boys and Blokes by Brian buyable by Barclaycard

Yorkshire Roads Top Ten Problems

On July 22, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, By brian

cobblers

Just a year ago the Yorkshire Post was reporting that ‘More than two-thirds (68%) of AA members using the region’s roads believed they have got worse over the past 10 years’. Seven thousand members reckoned road surfaces were much worse and I don’t think anything has improved.

Top Ten Complaints

Speed bumps that are poorly maintained and damage your tyres.
Road works that last too long and are badly organised.
Street furniture that is badly placed, badly maintained or badly in need of replacement. (eg the traffic light control panel above)
Pot holes ( and I do not mean caves like Ingelton …. Mmmm I’m not so sure now).
Utility road works that haven’t been reinstated correctly. ( some drivers swerve to avoid the patch work on roads).
Excess road markings in some areas and worn out markings where needed. (I have got my cats eyes on this one).
Minor infringements that are not policed, no lights on skips left at the side of roads, double parking causing obstructions, abuse of bus lanes etc.
Increase in the number of road closures to help construction when planning would keep them open.
Standing water and poor drainage during our summer rain (and in winter snow come to that).
Corrugated and badly surfaced roads, loose chippings and unintended skid pans.

The modern equivalent of the Cone Hot Line is Fix my Street. com where you can put in your postcode and leave a complaint.

Take a lump of Tarmac into your pub and have a stiff drink plus one for the road.

Band Of Hope to Salvation Army Band

On July 21, 2009, In Yorkshire Arts & Music, Yorkshire History and Heritage, By brian

sally bash

The Band of Hope started in 1847 when Ann Jane Carlile was invited to Leeds to speak at some children’s meetings. She was convinced that children suffered because of the ready availability of ‘strong drink’. Hope UK still works as a childrens charity ‘enabling children to make drug free choices’. ‘First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you’ Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.

After exposure to the Band of Hope William Booth and his wife Catherine opened The Christian Revival Society renamed in 1878 The Salvation Army. There are many icons associated with The Salvation Army including The Citadels, The War Cry, the Red Shield and the slogan “Blood and Fire”. (Representing the Blood which was shed by Jesus for our sins and the Fire of the Holy Spirit).

The good works of the Salvation Army include;

3,000,000 meals served every year at community and residential centres
79,000 prisoners visited each year in 134 prisons
3,200 homeless people given food and shelter every night in 57 centres
709 local church and community centres
636 elderly people accommodated every night in 17 residential centres
300 youth clubs providing a caring environment for young people
120 drop-in centres offering support and help for people in need
70 day centres for elderly and disabled people
50 nurseries and playgroups
30 Red Shield support centres for military personnel in the UK, Germany and the Falkland Islands
10 people reunited every working day with their families through the Family Tracing Service

Perhaps the most obvious icon is the Salvation Army Band that is one of the activities that supports the necessary fund raising activities.

Why there are Ghosts at Clifford Tower

On July 18, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire History and Heritage, Yorkshire Trips and Places, By brian

The original wooden castle keep was destroyed by fire in 1069 by locals unhappy with William the Conqueror but it was rebuilt again also in wood.

A more bloody event took place 100 years later. According to the inscription on a commemorative tablet:-
‘On the night of Friday 16 March 1190 some 150 Jews and Jewesses of York having sought protection in the Royal Castle on this site from a mob incited by Richard Malebisse and others chose to die at each other’s hands rather than renounce their faith.’ As the few survivors exited the keep the following day they were set upon and killed by the besiegers and angry mob that they had feared. The protection the Jews had had from Henry ll was dramatically diminished under Richard l for whom they had to contribute ransom money.

In the thirteenth century the keep was rebuilt in stone and later became known as Clifford’s Tower after Roger de Clifford, who was executed by Edward II for treason in 1322. Clifford was reputedly hanged in chains from the walls of the tower until dead.

If you take one of the several ghost walks available then you will be regaled by further tales of the walls running red with blood on certain anniversaries. Charred wooden beams have been recovered from deep in the ground as evidence of the early death by fire and this also contributes to the ghost tellers tales. For 5 more ghost tales read Ghosts of York

Little Known Dent Dale

On July 17, 2009, In Books & Literary Work, Yorkshire Dales, By brian

Cowgill and particularly The Sportsmans Inn was a favourite watering hole for our family when the children were young. I was able to drink and the kids could dabble and fall in the Cowgill rivulet.

Nearby is St John the Evangelist church enroute to the railway station for Dent which serves all the villages around. The church has connections to Adam Sedgwick, the father of modern geology, who came from a local family of Vicars. Cambridge University still maintains a museum in his name the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Science but the monument most people will know is the vaguely pyramidal stone on the cobble streets of Dent engraved Adam Sedgwick 1785- 1873.
Returning to the tribulations of the Cowgill Chapel there is an account by Adam Sedgwick of Orthological skulduggery (scanned in by Google) entitled ‘A Memorial by the Trustees of Cowgill Chapel By Adam Sedgwick, Cowgill Chapel (Yorkshire) 1868. The curate of the new church attempted to change the name of the local hamlet from Kirthwaite to Kirkthwaite without informing the trustees of which Adam Sedgwick was one. Since the Sedgwick family were already bemoaning the change of name of Coegill to Cowgill they put up a robust fight resulting in an ecclesiastical court battle. From the foundation stone laying in 1837 until the final protest in 1866 the story hints at empire building and parochial politics that could still be relevant today. With added appendicies about Climate History and Dialects of Dent it makes a fascinating read to see what exercised the bright minds of the time.

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South Pennines Walk & Ride Festival

On July 15, 2009, In Yorkshire Business and Money, Yorkshire Trips and Places, By brian

New Picture

If you want to stretch those leg muscles on a bike or long walk then the South Pennines may be the place to go. If you prefer to ride in style on horseback then you could do worse than try the Mary Townley Loop on your trusty steed. Fresh air and the right to roam should not cost us but these events are put on ‘for our benefit’ by our taxes so take full advantage.

Funding for this Pennine Extravagnsa

‘Leader’ (see the green boxy logo) is a European community-led approach to rural development, focusing on basic services for communities, culture and heritage, village development, and renewal. It is funded Europe wide by the European Union to the tune of 5,046 million euros over the last 5 years and is managed by Yorkshire Forward in the Yorkshire and Humber region. Further funding of £1.97 million is coming from the National Lottery for ‘The South Pennines Watershed Landscape’ project led by Pennine Prospects, a regeneration partnership.
‘ This part of the South Pennines runs up through the backbone of northern England, separating the major conurbations East Lancashire and West Yorkshire and consists of wide sweeping moorlands rich in wet bog, cotton grass, heathland and pastures with key habitats for wildlife, such as the rare ‘Twite’ which is also known locally as the ‘Pennine Finch’.’
It also receives the enthusiastic backing of the charity Pennine Heritage and 7 local authorities .

Do not let our extravagant quangos spoil a good walk get out and about in the South Pennines this September

Tagged with: quangos

Royal Harrogate for the Weekend

On July 14, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Trips and Places, By brian

Royal Hall

The Royal Hall in Harrogate has been restored to its Edwardian glory and is a great venue for musical entertainment. I was amused by the traditional usherettes with little torches that showed us to our seats at a Saw Doctors concert last month, sitting is not what this audience had in mind. The circular venue makes for an intimate attmosphere and I was left disappointed when a show featuring The Troggs and The Move was canceled due to ill health (it made me a bit sick too).

There are free open days on the 5th August and 3rd of September and I am sure the bars and cafeteria will be open so if you are in the area pop in for a look around, it is well worthwhile.

royal-bath

For a full history of the Turkish bath read more on Victoria Baths better still visit the Steam Room ‘where high humidity, made gently fragrant with cleansing eucalyptus, opens pores, penetrates the respiratory system and eases tense muscles’ before taking a bracing dip in the Plunge Pool. Towel down with the supplied towels and work your way through three Hot Rooms, the Tepidarium (warm), the Calidarium (hot), and the Laconium (cor blimey).

harrogate-pump-room

The Royal Pump room can round off your visit to harrogate with a sip of Sulphur spring water but I would content myself with a visit around the museum. You can also discover Harrogate’s connection to Russian royalty or learn more about Egyptian monarchs.

Illuminating Religion in Yorkshire

On July 13, 2009, In Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire History and Heritage, By brian

multifaith

The spotlight or more accurately the streetlight was on this picture of the Mosque at Drewton Street Bradford. No matter where I stood for the photograph one or more lights were always in the picture. The oldest mosque in Britain is in Liverpool on the ground floor of a 19th century grade II-listed building established in 1889 by Henry William Quilliam who converted to Islam after visiting Morocco. Al-Madina Jamia Mosque at 31 Brudenell Grove Leeds LS6 1HR is one of the historic mosques in Leeds, built in the 1970s by Leeds Muslim Council with the assistance of the whole Muslim community of Leeds it has recently been refurbished. There are many multi-faith trips and visits to Temples, Mosques, Synagogues and Churches.

The Gurdwara is the centre of worship for the Sikh faith and there is a 360° view of the central Sheffield Temple on the BBC site. The GNNSJ Leeds Gurdwara was established in December 1986 when the Ringtons Tea Factory was purchased and converted to our Gurdwara. On the 5th January 1987 the first Sri Akhand Paath in the Gurdwara was held celebrating our Guru Gobind Singh.

Hindus worship at Radha Krishna Temple, Middlesbrough studying the Vedic scriptures which describe that prior to 3000 BC knowledge was passed down by word of mouth, a great sage Vyasadeva compiled a series of literatures in Sanskrit. The Mahabharata describes the history of India 5000 years ago and its 100,000 verses make it the longest poem ever written. At that time Hindus believe Lord Krishna was present on the earth.

The Synod of the Church of England has been meeting this weekend to discuss the disproportionately large number of expensive bishops now employed when compared to the deminishing numbers of stipendiary parish clergy. I would have more sympathy if there was clear moral leadership from the Bishops but they claim they are needed to ‘manage’ the Church – ho hum sounds too much like our politicians.

God dosen’t believe in Atheists.

Yorkshire – God’s Own County

A tribute to Yorkshire Heritage