Black Diamonds Built Wentworth Castle

Wentworth Castle at Stainborough near Barnsley has fine gardens and parkland to walk around.
Now-a-days Wentworth Castle buildings are used as a college of further education known as The Northern College. Access into the house is therefore strictly by pre-booked tour only.

Wentworth Castle 122

Old History

‘In 1695, Thomas Wentworth expected to inherit the landed estate and vast wealth at Wentworth Woodhouse, some 7 miles to the south of Stainborough, when the 2nd Earl of Strafford died childless in 1695. Unexpectedly the estate was left to Thomas Wentworth’s cousin Thomas Watson.
Although Thomas Wentworth went on to command high positions as a soldier and diplomat in the service of King William III and Queen Anne, he remained determined to re-establish his claim to the title of Earl Strafford’.
In 1727, Thomas began to build a mock castle on the highest point of the estate. He called this Stainborough Castle, and on its completion in 1731 he renamed the house and estate Wentworth Castle.

20th Century History

For a full account of the fall of the dynasty from 1902 you could do worse than read ‘Black Diamonds’ by Catherine Bailey.
At that time Wentworth was surrounded by 70 collieries employing tens of thousands of men. The battle between the varying attitudes of mine owners and miners during the first half of the twentieth century is coupled with detail of the lives of the miners & their families.
Black Diamonds tells the story of Wentworth’s demise where family feuds, forbidden love, class war, madness and a tragic and violent death played their part. Coal is one of the most emotive issues in twentieth century British politics and this well written book sheds more than a miners lamp on the issues and social activity from two distinct points of view.

Book Cover

Wentworth Castle 122 Continue reading

Posted in Books Club & Literary Work, Yorkshire History and Heritage | Comments Off on Black Diamonds Built Wentworth Castle

Hospice Movement in Yorkshire


Independent or Voluntary Hospices are registered charities financed mainly by charitable income not the NHS or government. In addition to inpatient care most hospices provide home care, day services and bereavement support.

At Saint Michael’s Hospice in North Yorkshire they believe  ‘everyone in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Wetherby, Pateley Bridge and the surrounding areas should be offered the choice of quality end of life care, regardless of the illness they are living with or the place from which they are receiving care.’  There is an in-patient and many other services that can be accessed through a GP referral.   To help with fund raising they have 8 charity shops in Ripon, Harrogate, Otley and Knaresborough. Volunteers are always welcome to help with a range of activities.

There are many other hospices in Yorkshire that could benefit from your help or financial contribution towards support for the terminally ill. A list of just some Hospices includes:-

Wakefield Hospice– 01924 213900
Martin House Childrens Hospice – www.martinhouse.org.uk – 01937 845045 –
The Prince Of Wales Hospice– 01977 708868 – Pontefract01977 650077‎ Continue reading

Posted in Our Yorkshire | Comments Off on Hospice Movement in Yorkshire

Yorkshire Regiments

The East Yorkshire Regiment landed in St Nazare on 10th September 1914 and the battalions and some of the soldiers are researched in detail on 1914-1918 web site ‘The Long Long Trail’. This seems to be a good site for family and military researchers, ‘it is a tribute to the men and women who fought and won – and to the million who died trying.’

The Yorkshire Regiment’s formation in June 2006 was part of the restructuring of the infantry with the merger of three regular battalions, plus a TA battalion:

1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (previously 1st Battalion, Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire)
2nd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (previously 1st Battalion, Green Howards)
3rd Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (previously: 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (West Riding))
4th Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (previously: East and West Riding Regiments and Green Howards company from the Tyne-Tees Regiment ), all formerly titled and known as The Yorkshire Volunteers.
The Green Howards Museum is in Richmond and read more on the Yorkshire Regiment web site

The Royal Dragoon Guards were formed on the amalgamation in 1992, of the 4th/7th Royal Dragoon Guards and the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. They are stationed in Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, continuing a tradition of service that now runs over three hundred years. All Saints Church, Pavement, York is the Regimental Church of The Royal Dragoon Guards. The museum at York is also worth visiting.

Book Cover
East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War 1914-1918 by Everard Wyrall from Amazon

Book Cover
Hull Pals: 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th (Service) Battalions of the East Yorkshire Regiment

Book Cover
On 10th September 1914, the City of Sheffield officially raised its own Battalion.

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire History and Heritage | 2 Comments

Plot Night 1605

‘Remember remember the 5th of November gunpowder treason and plot’ so it isn’t bonfire night but Plot Neet or just Plot!
The Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605 included plotters Robert Catesby,Thomas Percy, Christopher and John Wright, Thomas Wintour and the infamous Guy Fawkes, a Yorkshire man from Scotton, Knaresborough who went to school at St Peter’s, York. Most of the plotters had Yorkshire connections but it isn’t their effigy that is burnt on Plot night but Guy’s (burning a Tom, Bob or Chris doesn’t sound quite the same).

‘Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…………………. ‘ In fact we may think again after this years appalling expenses shambles. It is obvious MP’s are not Right and they are not Honorable. Perhaps the picture of these Mine of Serpents is more appropriate than you could imagine.

Fireworks

Outside Yorkshire I have never heard of collecting wood for a bonfire called ‘Proggin’ but that is what we called it in Bradford in the 1950’s. The posh kids may have been ‘chumpin’ but on a straw poll in Lancashire I was told they went ‘collecting bonfire wood’ (blinkin’ obvious if you ask me). A bit of ‘millband’ was used to light the blue touch paper (although we never called it that) on Volcanoes, Penny bangers, Rip Raps, Catherine Wheels, Roman Candles, Snow Storm, Airbomb, humble coloured matched and Rockets launched from milk bottles. Even the names of the manufacturers brings back nostalgic memories; Wessex, Standard, Pains, Brocks, Astra, Wells and Benwells were just some of the Firework manufacturers I remember. More info at the Fireworks Museum.

Fireworks by bayasaa CC BY 2.0

Posted in Yorkshire History and Heritage | 1 Comment

Halloween In Haworth

My simple advice would be don’t do it, parking in Haworth that is, unless you are prepared for the clampers. I had heard many apocryphal tales about the private car park at the top of main street in Haworth where they obsessively look for cars not parked straight or ones that over stay be one minute. Even Christa Ackroyd has commented on the parsimonious way the owner treats visitors to Haworth.
Having just ‘parked myself for a cuppa and butty’ in the excellent Apothecary Tea Rooms I saw the sign warning tea drinkers to drink up and check their car or risk a £75 clamp or worse. Knowing I had parked at the bottom of the Cobbles in a council car park I was less worried except I had been unable to pay in either of the broken and vandalised parking machine. The signs told me numerous time to pay on entry but I would look like these former parkers if I had waited to get a ticket.

It was Halloween weekend and the whole of Haworth had made an effort to join in the spirit with spirit. Eight foot dragons roamed the cobbled street and the wicca influence was wicked. The town is ideal for this sort of festivity and a walk around the church grave yard crammed with Gothic grave stones was spooky.

That Betty Boo is really frightening

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Villages, Towns and Cities, Yorkshire Trips and Places | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Whitby – Home For Vampires That Fear The Light?

Since Bram Stoker lit his first candle to see the ink drying on his story of Dracula the local vampires have preferred the night and twilight. So might you if you see the light like this around St Mary’s and the Abbey. Gouls, Goths and Vampires are generally portrayed in black but when shown in their true colours it can be quite illuminating.

Can you see the vampires heading down the steps to the sea front? Mind how you go or we may never see you again.
Take your own Vampire potions and protection with you if you venture out as the lights begin to twinkle, dim and then disappear as night sets in and Vampires start to roam.
Avoid getting spooked, meeting a zombie or getting kissed on the neck in Whitby. On a positive note dawn has always returned, so far!

Illuminating Images

This page has been designed in part to promote a series of Whitby photographs which use light in a variety of ways to emphasise the nature of our favourite Yorkshire seaside town. The real images are bigger better and dare I say it ‘more spooky’ but follow a successful, tried and tested theme.
Similar works based on clever lighting of Ilkley Moor are available from retailers in Ilkley and a deal could be done for a Whitby organisation that sees the light. Contact Chris North Photography.

Whitby Home For Vampires

Not Goulish enough for you? Try reading ‘Whitby Vampyrrhic’ by Simon Clark

Book Cover

JOHUTCH says ‘This book is probably one of my all time favourites and I have read a lot of horror books. Mr Clark draws you in to the characters straight away and the storyline is transfixing…. Give him a go, in my opinion he is better than King.’

Other novels by Simon Clark in order of publication over the last 17 years
Nailed by the Heart
Blood Crazy
Darker
King Blood
The Fall
Judas Tree
Darkness Demands
The Night of the Triffids
Stranger
In This Skin
The Tower
Death’s Dominion
London Under Midnight
Lucifer’s Ark
This Rage of Echoes
The Midnight Man
Stone Cold Calling
Vengeance Child
This Ghosting Tide
Ghost Monster
Whitby Vampyrrhic
The Gravedigger’s Tale
His Vampyrrhic Bride

Simon Clark is from Doncaster and is best known for his ‘The Night of the Triffids’ a sequel to Wyndham Lewis’s ‘The Day of The Triffids’. The sequel takes up the story twenty-five years later when the now grown-up son of Bill Masen is still searching for a method of destroying the implacable triffid plant as it continues its worldwide march.
Simon also wrote many short stories and ‘Doctor Who Dalek Factor’.

WGW is the Whitby Goth Weekend which runs from Halloween to Bonfire night. The big event 4th-6th November 2016 is sold out. This gathering of Steampunks, emos, goths, metallers, and other musical genres makes for a very suitable Whitby weekend home for ‘Vampires Who Fear The Light’.
Let the light shine but not too brightly!

Posted in Books Club & Literary Work, Yorkshire Arts & Music, Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Comments Off on Whitby – Home For Vampires That Fear The Light?

Halloween Horsemen of the Yorkshire Apocalypse

Ghost rider

This Halloween horse in Bingley is getting ready to meet one of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse; Pestilence, War, Famine, or Death.  Alongside such an array of potential problems Trick or Treat pales into insignificance.

Apocalyptic Biblical References

  1. Revelation 6:2, “I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.”
  2. Revelation 6:4, “Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.”
  3. Revelation 6:5-6, “…and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”
  4. Revelation 6:8, “I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

Long may Yorkshire and Yorkshire folk avoid such apocalyptic events.

Posted in Our Yorkshire | 1 Comment

Doncaster in the Political Spotlight

The Directly Elected Mayor:

  • is the council’s political leader and is elected by constituents on a four-year term of office
  • has executive powers and is responsible for the effective implementation of council policy and delivering services
  • has eight cabinet members to advise and support her – each cabinet member has a specific portfolio responsibility
  • Ros Jones is the current incumbent ‘before becoming Mayor in 2013, she was a councillor for  for seven years working hard to make improvements in the community and support local residents. She was also Civic Mayor in 2009/10’ She won by 639 votes from Peter Davies.

The Civic Mayor for Doncaster (2016/17) is Councillor David Nevett

History

Doncaster Mayor
English Democrat Peter Davies replaced outgoing Doncaster Mayor Martin Winter  having campaigned for a cut in councillor numbers from 63 to 21. He pushed the Labour candidate into third place winning on the second preference system. The anti-EU former schoolteacher has also called for a referendum on the future governance of the borough and the end to council literature being translated into other languages. He is quoted “We have had a corrupt and spendaholic council and Doncaster is laughed at all over the country. I will get rid of the dreadful political correctness and introduce a refreshingly open regime.” Doncaster was  put into government intervention in 2010. The running of children’s services, was overseen by the government since 2009, has now been transferred to an independent trust.

Rosier View
Rosie Winterton (Minister for Yorkshire and Humber and Department for Work and Pensions at the last count) and MP for Doncaster Central grew up in Doncaster and is proud of the town’s rich and varied history as well as how it has helped shaped the country today according to her web site. ‘Doncaster stands on the site of the Roman settlement Danum. It is the largest geographic Metropolitan Borough in the country with an area in excess of 225 square miles… Transport coal and steel have been the core industries around Doncaster and Rosie reports how it was the first public proclamation that helped create the original Labour Party:
‘Thomas R Steels was a railway signalman working for the Great Northern Railway Company who moved to Doncaster in around 1891. In March 1899, Steels drafted a famous resolution, at the Good Woman public house on St Sepulchregate, on labour representation in Parliament. The motion called on the TUC “That this congress, having regard to its decisions of former years, and with a view to securing a better representation of the interests of labour in the House of Commons, hereby instructs the Parliamentary Committee to invite the cooperation of all the cooperative, socialistic, trade union and other working class organisations to jointly cooperate on the lines mutually agreed upon …….’
So I am left wondering if much has really changed?

Don Valley MP Caroline Flint is now the former Minister for Europe. Well I think least said! Flint was one of 98 MPs who voted in favour of legislation which would have kept MPs’ expense details secret but then decided to work from the back benches.With ‘the house’ expenses scandal maybe we have got a ‘Flippin’ Government’ with lots of fishy smells.

Summary

Doncaster has been badly served by local and national politicians for decades. They are not alone and several venerable northern communities are  in similar circumstances. Changes at Doncaster need time to evolve and it will be interesting to see how the town copes over the next decade.
In business there is a style of management referred to as Kipper Management, ‘Two Faced and no Backbone’.

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Tagged , | Comments Off on Doncaster in the Political Spotlight

Betwixed Leeds and Shipley Along the Canal

‘Leaving Leeds and heading towards Shipley’. The first 10 miles of the Leeds-Liverpool canal hold a lot of interest for walkers, fishermen and historians. It is a good 10 mile linear walk with pubs enroute at Newley, Rodley, Baildon and Greengates.

Canal pilons

The Canal of the Roses – History

From the Leeds Liverpool Canal Society records comes this short history. Do not read it if you have a nervous disposition about Lancastrian perfidy.

‘In the middle of the 1700’s, Yorkshire was a well established woollen manufacturing area, while Lancashire’s industries were still in their infancy. Consequently it was in Yorkshire that the canal was first proposed. In the 1760’s the merchants there were keen to improve the supply of lime and limestone from the Craven district. This they used to improve the fertilisation of agricultural land and to provide a mortar which allowed them to increase the size and height of buildings used for weaving. They also hoped to expand the market for their cloth by gaining access, via Liverpool, to the growing colonial markets in Africa and America. The route they chose was up the Aire valley to Gargrave, then through Padiham, Whalley and Leyland to Liverpool. They would thus have a fairly direct route to Liverpool as well as reaching the limestone country around Craven.

Canal chimneys
‘Leeds needs to repurpose it’s Victorian buildings’ or loose them!

When the Yorkshiremen sought support in Lancashire they found that Liverpool merchants were more interested in acquiring a good supply of coal for the town from Wigan. They suggested a different route, through Wigan, Chorley, Blackburn and Burnley, joining the Yorkshiremen’s line at Foulridge. The two groups fell out over this, though they eventually agreed to a compromise. The Yorkshire line was to be followed, but there was to be a link to Wigan, with work starting at each end simultaneously.

By 1777, when the canal was open from Liverpool to Wigan and from Leeds to Gargrave, the company ran out of money. Construction ceased until 1790 when the economy improved and more finance was available. By then East Lancashire was rapidly developing as an industrial area and the canal proprietors realised that there was a greater opportunity for trade around Blackburn and Burnley. The proposed line of canal was altered and when it opened throughout, in 1816, it had been constructed along the route first suggested by the Liverpool merchants.’

Waterside Activities

Rodley has an interesting nature reserve mid way betwixed Leeds and Shipley on the canal side.
Apollo Cruises operate a boat bus service from Shipley in summer. It runs through Saltaire past the Fishermans Inn at Dowley Gap and over the aqueduct to the foot of 5 Rise Lock at Bingley. You can also hire a boat for c.30 people with a meal provided as I did for my 50th birthday. The Pie and Peas were amongst the tastiest I had eaten but I put that down to the drink license and the fresh air.

Walks abound around this area as the river Aire runs parallel to the canal for many miles. Formal walks are provided by the Waterboard or most bookshops but you can usually find your own circular route back to the starting point of take the Towpath Trod.

Book Cover

Fishing except under overhead cables, playing in parkland at Roberts Park and woodland activities at Hirstwoods are all available along the canal near Shipley and families can find a lot to do. For a day out you can do a deal worse than take the fresh air and exercise along Yorkshire Canals.

There is always something interesting to see alongside a canal withold mill chimneys and odd buildings as you enter the Shipley section from Leeds. The view from opposite the towpath at a boat turning circle at Dockfields and there is a wonderful old packhorse bridge (junction bridge 208) on the left sadly in need of a bit of TLC. This junction should be the start of the reopened link to Bradford, when they get cracking, the new canal side apartments will doubtless rise in value (but not aesthetic appearance).

Dutch canal in colour

This atmospheric photograph proves Holland also gets fog on the canal but it doesn’t smell as good as Yorkshire fog or our canal.

Posted in Transport and Travel, Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual | Comments Off on Betwixed Leeds and Shipley Along the Canal

White Rose Zulu

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on White Rose Zulu