2009 September | Yorkshire - God's Own County

Thorp Perrow Trees

Botanical tree gardens seem to thrive in North Yorkshire where we have the Kew Arboretum at Castle Howard and a replanted arboretum at Burton Constable. However one of the best Arboreta in Europe is Thorp Perrow, just a few miles from Bedale and the A1. Thorp Perrow for me is better than Westonbirt in Gloucestershire for variety, layout and the availability of information. I bought a catalogue for less than £4 listing and positioning 2400 different tree species together with maps and location within the arboretum, common names and origin of many of the other 15,000 trees.

Trees from the 16th and 17th Centuries include the impressively named ‘Catherine Parr Oak’ whilst a young oak was planted for George V’s Jubilee. There is an old saying about oaks living for 900 years, ’300 years a growing, 300 years a staying and 300 years a dying.’ The Pinetum was planted around 1850′s during the ownership of Lady Augusta Milbank. Most of the more recent development took place during the life of the then owner Colonel Sir Leonard Roper 1895-1977.

In keeping with the traditions of a botanic garden there are several National Plant Collections (NCCPG) including Ash, Lime, Walnut, Laburnum and Cotinus . There is a Bark Park that I missed and must go back to see, Holly Glades, Autumn bays and Acer glades that look brilliant in the late summer sunshine.

Added Features at Thorp Perrow

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gardens

Hull Hell of a City

Posted by brian in Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire Arts & Music | Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Yorkshire Trips and Places - (0 Comments)

The Maritime Weekender at Hull Marina this weekend drew me to a City I normally only pass through on the way to the Ferry. Despite cool blustery weather the Sea Shanty singing along the Marina wall was in full flow despite the hands in pockets approach of one of the singers from Hissyfit. Bitter End had all the audience participating, Shellback Chorus had at least 15 singer and Kimbers Men sang in powerful bass. As a music event in several pubs and outdoor stages it was fast moving, entertaining and well supported. Beyond the music there was other daytime entertainment and retail therapy set against Hulls seafaring history.

Walking from the railway station to the marina involved negotiating a street food market thronged with folk buying Yorkshire grub with the odd bit of exotic cuisine. This must have been specially designed to tempt me but I waited for Fish and Chips at The Green Bricks pub one of the singing venues on Humber Street. Moving on to The Minerva for more music and sustenance you got a good view of The Deep one of the ‘Visitor Attractions’ I didn’t have time to visit. This is home to 40 sharks and over 3000 fish in an area called a ‘submarium’.

Hull Museums & Exhibitions

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Billy Liar RIP

Posted by brian in Books & Literary Work | Wit and Humour | Yorkshire Folk - (0 Comments)

Charades will not be the same after the death of Billy Liar the author of ‘Keith Waterhouse. Is it a book, a film or a play? Yes! mimes the reply.

Still fresh after 50 years, Billy Liars’s novel about a compulsive dissembler who can’t handle reality is funny, sweet, and heartbreakingly sad. Set at the tail end of 1950s, the story is told by Keith Waterhouse, who lives with his parents in the fictional Yorkshire town of Stradhoughton. Keith can’t cope with his tedious clerking job at a local funeral parlor, living at home, or really anything about his life, and so, spends a great deal of time escaping into fantasy world in his head called Ambrosia. When he’s not imagining life as prime minister of his make-believe country, he’s spinning mostly purposeless lies to almost everyone he meets. Sometimes he’s lying to cover up real misdeeds, such as his small-time embezzling, other times, his lies are completely pointless, such as telling a friend’s mother about his fictional sister.

Billy grew up in Leeds, and like Waterhouse, worked as a clerk in an undertakers. 50 years since he wrote Keith Waterhouse, which began life as a book before becoming a hit West End play and film. Billy remembers there was a storm of complaints when it first appeared in the theatre because it had the word “bloody” in it. Fifteen times, apparently. Billy describes the word as “innocuous” and wonders what all the fuss was about. So how does the Mail spell it in the headline for the piece on Saturday? “B****y”. Bloody marvellous! says Media Monkey

Billy Liar Quotations.

“To my mind, 90 per cent of the unpleasant things that happen to us are in the name of rationalisation. Counties lose their names, trains lose their livery, ginger snaps lose their flavour and mint humbugs their sharp corners … under my derationalisation programme, Yorkshire would get back its Ridings, the red telephone box would be a preserved species, there would be Pullman cars called Edna, a teashop in every high street and a proper card index in the public library.”

“Should not the Society of Indexers be known as Indexers, Society of, The?”

“I wake up with views the way some people wake up with hangovers. Sometimes I wake up with both, when the confederation of clowns presiding over our destinies had better tread carefully.”"I never drink when I’m writing, but I sometimes write when I drink.”

Billy’s record in Who’s Who lists his hobby as ‘Lunch’, he created Clogthorpe Council and was also the founder of The Association for the Abolition of the Aberrant Apostrophe 9before Trusses’).

Close Shave Edwardian Style

Posted by brian in Yorkshire Business and Money - (0 Comments)

razor 2

Sheffield steel for 21/- with a silver plated handle – What Luxury for shavers in this 1913 advertisement from The Durham-Duplex Razor Co Ltd of Sheffield. A guinea would have gone a long way in 1913.

Durham Duplex still manufacture millions of blades every month in Sheffield the UK’s cradle of engineering excellence. They ‘stock the worlds most comprehensive range of standard designs to suit all your cutting, slitting, trimming, slicing, and scraping needs.’ Started at the end of king Edward Vll reign in 1910 they will be celebrating 100 years production in this cut throat business next year.

They recently acted as the Industrial Sponsor for Myers Grove School for the Master Cutler’s “Made in Sheffield” Innovation Competition 2009. The pupils worked on a design then at Kelham Island they demonstrated the results to a panel including the Master Cutler.

Early razors made of horn, flint or stone with bone handles have been excavated from Neolithic caves. The ancient razors from the Late Stone Age slowly evolved, and by 3000 B.C. hieroglyphics and tomb excavations show that the people of Mesopotamia were shaving with finely honed obsidian blades. Rolls Razors developed safety razors in the the post war years which are collected by those interested in ‘Barberiana’, the term given to collectible items that have to do with shaving.
Cut throat razors can still be bought from example at Executive Shaving a Yorkshire business that recently set up new premises in Plymouth.

erasmic 2
After the business soft soap I also came across a 1920′s advert for Erasmic Shaving Sticks that have no special links to Yorkshire.

Barden Tower and Priest House

Posted by brian in Food and Drink | Our Yorkshire | Yorkshire History and Heritage - (0 Comments)

Barden Tower

Twixt Appletreewick and Bolton Abbey is Barden Tower the former residence of Lord Henry Clifford. Built in the 15th century it has suffered several periods of decay and decline and is the ruin you now see. Nearby is Barden Bridge a 17th Century Arch bridge that is designated an ancient monument. There is some parking and plenty of interesting walks near by including access to the Dales Way that follows the northern bank of the river Wharfe up stream from the nearby Strid cottage. Over looked by the ruin is the old Priest’s House which housed the ‘Clifford’s’ private Chaplain. This is now a popular restaurant with a bunk barn for walkers or diners.

Henry Clifford was the eldest son of John ‘The Butcher’ Clifford who was know for his hatred of the Yorkists. Following his fathers death at the battle of Towton, Henry was hidden for 24 years until after the battle of Bosworth and now thirty-one years old, he was restored to his estates and titles by Henry VII who knighted him. Henry assisted the Earl of Surrey and fought at Flodden in 1513, he was one of the principal leaders with a large retinue and even brought home to Skipton Castle some Scottish ordnance.
Having spent his childhood and early years with a shepherd family he had little education and used Barden Tower as a place to learn and study.
Having regained his property and position, he immediately began to repair his castles and improve his education. He quickly learnt to write his own name; and, to facilitate his studies, built Barden Tower, near Bolton Priory, that he might place himself under the tuition of some learned monks there, and apply himself to astronomy, and other favourite sciences of the period.

Psychic Evenings
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Recycle Wheelie Bins

Posted by brian in Wit and Humour - (0 Comments)

I urge you to recycle your Wheelie Bin before they take over our back streets. They meet weekly down your street or on local corners then scatter to the four winds when you want them back home. I think they must be breeding but you don’t often see the small ones together with these 440 ‘s above.

Even if you brand them, with a house number for example, they never seem to come home. There is one way to get your wheelie bin back, if you cover it in a camouflage plastic green scene or piece of ‘artwork’, then it will always return to embarrass you.

According to today’s Daily Telegraph ‘Under new Big Joke council rules, every adult in a household as opposed to just one would be fined £110. This would mean in theory a student flat containing five over-18s could be hit with a £550 fine. Families with grown up children still living at home could also face the increased fines.

The new penalties cover offences such as putting a bin out too early or taking it in too late, leaving extra sacks of rubbish and over-filling. ‘

Binmen refuse to empty wheelie bin containing apples

Cor’ I bet that gave the gardener the pip – which jobs worth de-cidered to make that decision?

A dustman goes into a Chinese takeaway and says to the owner, “Where’s yer bin?”
“I been Ripon.”
Realising the Chinese chap has misunderstood, the binman smiles and says “No mate, where’s ya dust bin?”
“I dust bin in Ripon I told you” says the Chinaman.
“No, no, where’s yer wheelie bin?”
“I weally bin in Ripon.”