God's Own County

Yorkshire Men Looking Their Best

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Hortoris

Many a sergeant major has bawled ‘Get Your haircut you ‘orrible little man’ as they did in the Carry on Sergeant films. Modern day recruits and city gents now have a far wider choice of methods of ‘grooming’ their hair and ‘improving’ their appearance..

Barbers

The old standby, the traditional barbers is still a firm favourite. How many still have copies of Picture Post or Punch on display? Not many they are too posh but Titbits then that’s a whole different issue.

Short back and sides, a bit of a trim or a square neck were and still may be the top injunctions to the traditional barber. Anything else drives the barber up the pole.

DIY hair has moved on from the traditional pudding basin. Some of the results may not be all that different however. Still for less than £30 you can buy a modern trimmer to do your own (Pudding basin not included.) This should appeal to cost consious Yorkshire folk as it will save paying money to have someone trim your hair for you. It also encourages a more regular trim as it costs nowt after the the trimmer is bought .

Grooming Salon

A new kid on the block is the ‘Salon’.
This is the more upmarket and therefore expensive male version of the ladies hairdresser. The Refinery is London’s one-stop Grooming Emporium for men offering barbering, skincare and spa treatments in exclusive luxury retreats.
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Good Things About Leeds

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Hortoris

Leeds upon Aire is the new seaside location in the middle of Yorkshire. Snorkeling, scuba diving and muddy beaches are waiting for the intrepid visitor. No money at all has been spent on making this a holiday destination of a life time.

The Good Things

The road to Hull but beware the M62 also goes to that other place.
Road to Bradford via Pudsey or any other road out of the city for that matter.
The ring road so you do not have to go into the city centre – not that the Burghers of Leeds want any cars near their city judging by the atrocious parking and one way system. They might as well put up no entry signs!
Leeds bus station a very convenient 1.2 miles from Leeds railway station. That’s the way the silly Burghers encourage the use of public transport.
Only slightly better are the roads to Harry Ramsdens, Bryans and Murgatroyds gold plated fish and chip shops in Guiseley, Headingley and Yeadon.

Take a weekend in Leeds, if you dare and still want to after all this, ‘Leeds love it live it’

On a positive note ……….

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Wit and Humour | Tagged Transport and Travel | 1 Comment

Geoff Boycott in Black or White

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Hortoris

It was always Black or White for Geoffrey Boycott. Whether batting or commentating, his uncompromising attitude was one of his greatest attributes and it is relevant that his autobiography is cased in a Black and White photograph.

Boycott Quotes

‘He’s a typical Yorkshireman, says what he thinks, and his book reflects that.’
‘He puts himself over as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.’
‘Misguided, mishandled, criticised and crucified – and only because he’s different,’ Brian Clough
On facing the England ‘pace’ attack – ‘I’d like to paint my face black and go in for the West Indies against our bloody attack.
I think England will win a Test. My concern is Australia will probably win the others.
To stay in, you’ve got to not get out.’ Geoff Boycott

See also Fiery Fred Trueman Fantastic Raconteur

Posted in Books Club & Literary Work, Wit and Humour, Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes | Tagged Biography, sport | 1 Comment

Fanny Adams Bitter Sweet

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Hortoris

Did the proprietors of this shop in Halifax know the story of the original Fanny Adams? ‘Lest we forget’ here are some of the gruesome details. Eight-year-old Fanny Adams was brutally murdered and dismembered in August 1867. The head, eyes and ears were scattered and this notorious murder of young Fanny Adams made sensational national headlines, creating a wave of horror, revulsion and pity. A solicitor’s clerk was arrested and tried for Fanny’s murder and despite ‘it was my family upbringing defense, after only 15 minutes the jury returned a guilty verdict and Frederick Baker was hanged before a crowd of 5000 in front of Winchester County Prison on Christmas Eve 1867.

When the Royal Navy were served tins of mutton as the latest shipboard fast food in 1869, sailors gloomily declared that the butchered contents must surely be ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’. Thus “Fanny Adams” became slang for mutton or stew and then for anything worthless. Gradually accepted throughout the armed services as a euphemism for ‘sweet nothing’ it has passed into common usage as Sweet F. A.
That seems to be what is on offer in the shop window, certainly not the 1974 record ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’ by the glam rockers The Sweet but inside you may find Sweet Fanny Adams knickers from New Zealand. None of these seem to be great tributes to a murder victim despite the catchy name.

Old Books abound about Fanny Adams. Keep a look out in secondhand shops for ‘Unhand Me, Squire Or Much Ado About Sweet Fanny Adams by Richard Tydeman’ or the compendium ‘The Love, Joy, and Distress, of the Beautiful & Virtuous Miss Fanny Adams; That Was Trapan’d in a False Marriage to Lord Whatley’ and ‘Sweet FA: The true story of sweet Fanny Adams’ by Peter Cansfield.

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Frank Meadows Sutcliffe at Whitby

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Hortoris

You do not need any special reason to visit Whitby but if by chance you have overlooked the Whitby Museum then you are missing a trick. It is located at the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society where the famous photographer Frank Meadows Sutcliffe was curator. Sutcliffe was born at Headingley, Leeds in 1853 but set up his own professional studio in a disused jet workshop at Waterloo Yard, Whitby in 1875. Photography in Victorian times was not easy to master and people were often content to produce an acceptable image which was sharp and well exposed but there were a handful of photographers who wanted to lift their pictures into the heady realms of ‘Art’.
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe was one of these artists! His sepia toned pictures are world renown recording incidents and images from a bygone era, his most famous photograph was taken in 1886. Water Rats caused much comment at the time as it featured naked children but the image is not erotic and even the Prince of Wales is believed to own a copy. Sutcliffe was using the conventions of the academic nude to show how photography can approach art. However it is said that his local clergy excommunicated him for displaying his Water Rats.

Some of the strongest images are of what was work-a day life in Victorian times like this picture above of ‘The Fisher women Shop’. His fishermen pictures show such detail they repay lengthy study and he also produced farming and landscape pictures around Whitby Sandsend and Staithes of artistic merit.

Frank Meadows Sutcliffe became World famous as a great photographer winning over 60 gold, silver and bronze medals from exhibitions all over the world. He is buried in Aislaby churchyard, north of Whitby .

When you next visit Whitby, and I hope it is soon, take a look at the many pictures that are available from the Sutcliffe Gallery, Flowergate, Whitby.

Photo credits
Rigg Mill, Whitby by Preus museum
Sutcliffe, Frank Meadow
Mølle ved en foss. Whitby, England, 1900
17,7 x 22,8 cm
Sandsend Beck and NMFF.000448 by Preus museum
CC BY 2.0

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Photos, Yorkshire Folk, Yorkshire History and Heritage | Comments Off

Harewood House Highlights

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Hortoris

Harewood House, completed in 1771, is a significant English stately home with gardens by Capability Brown, interior design by Robert Adam and furniture by Thomas Chippendale. The rooms appear bright and well lit even on a gloomy Yorkshire day and that isn’t only down to the crystal chandelier in the green drawing room. The ceilings bear further inspection before inspecting the paintings on the walls and the Aubusson carpets. Painters featured include works by Titian, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent and Joshua Reynolds.

The children can help the Bird Garden keepers to feed the penguins or adopt a bird under the conservation scheme. Red Kites were released on the Estate ten years ago as part of a UK conservation initiative. The bird garden has many species of Pheasant and they (the keepers not the birds) are active members of the World Pheasant Association. A variety of bird baths and drinking vessels are on show in the large cages.

The ‘Proms Spectacular’ in September is a chance to crack open the champagne, watch a World War ll Spitfire fly through its paces and see the culmination of a grand fireworks display. Tickets and more information.

Sculptures of soldiers in armour currently adorn parts of the gardens and there is a sense of something going on in most sections of Harewood House/

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Yorkshire’s RSPB Reserves

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Hortoris

For Yorkshire’s birdwatchers and nature lovers we are blessed with four top notch sites maintained by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Fairburn Ings

There are three main trails on the RSPB reserve and some nice walking country to local villages. Walks on site take you through a variety of habitats allowing stunning views of birds such as willow tits and tree sparrows in the woodland, and lapwings, snipe and redshanks in the wet grassland.
In winter you may need to keep walking to stay warm as there are few hides but Fairburn Ings hosts an array of swans, ducks and geese on the main lake.

The visitor centre was a welcome respite from the cold breeze when we visited. The feeding station was abuzz with activity and made the visit worthwhile on its own as we nursed a hot drink and watched the feeding antics of the many birds.

Blacktoft Sands

Blacktoft sands has the largest tidal reedbed with brackish water in England and is important for its breeding bearded tits, bitterns, marsh harriers and over 175 different species are recorded on this RSPB reserve each year. The outer edge of the reserve with the two rivers forms a saltmarsh that is inundated with birds at hightide.
There are 6 observation hides overlooking six man made lagoons looking over the reedbeds to the river Ouse.
April – June and August- October are the best times to visit to see the spring and autumn migrations of waterfowl and waders.

Hornsea Mere

Hornsea mere is the largest freshwater lake in Yorkshire. It was formed at the end of the last Ice Age and at times you could believe we were starting another. Close to the North Sea the lake attracts a variety of wintering birds including gadwalls, common pochards goldeneyes, and tufted ducks.
The mere’s reedbeds provide breeding sites for hundreds of pairs of reed warblers. It is also an important site for little gulls which congregate in large numbers in autumn but there is something to see at all times of the year.

Whilst at Hornsea Mere you can also visit the boulder clay cliffs at Hornsea and Mapleton to watch seabirds moving south from July-November.

Bempton Cliffs

We went to Bempton to see the Puffins and were not disappointed. An RSPB warden was spotting for the visitors and this proved invaluable as they seem to have X-ray vision. The chalk cliffs as son high it is hard at times to get close to the birds but it is a great location for a reserve.
You can stay in near-by Scarborough as we did and get more than your fair share of Gulls, Gannets and Guillemots. Visit in May-July when the breeding activity is at its height.

Photo Credits
2011 05 09_Fairburn Ings_0163.JPG by Keith Laverack CC BY-ND 2.0
Ruff by GrahameB@Richmond CC BY 2.0
Hornsea Mere – East Yorkshire by Bradford Timeline CC BY-NC 2.0
Gannet, Bempton Cliffs by Richard Carter CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Yorkshires top Twelve Birdwatching Sites

Posted in Yorkshire Sport and Pastimes, Yorkshire Trips and Places | Tagged birdwatching | Comments Off

Day Trip to York

Posted on December 20, 2015 by Hortoris

What is the capital of Yorkshire?

‘Y’ at least according to the old playground joke. Obviously a trip to York will dispel any thoughts of York being a joke and I wondered how to report on our great County town. If you Google York you get 808 million hits so that gives you some idea of the vast range of reasons for celebrating York. On that basis I have selected just one or two that took my fancy on last weekends visit.

‘York Minster is one of the great cathedrals of the world. We invite you to enjoy its vast spaces, filled with music and revealing the human imagination at work on glass, stone, and other fabrics.’ And thinking about fabrics you can buy a handmade Archbishop of York Christmas tree decoration, produced using traditional cloth techniques from the Minster shop or the web site by clicking the photograph below.

An ‘Ouse Cruise’ when the river is not flooding may appeal to some but a drop of booze by Lendal Bridge was my eye-opener on a Saturday morning. The Maltings’ great atmosphere (enhanced by the woman who spilt a bottle of vinegar) was provided my a mix of locals, visiting sports enthusiasts and day trippers like us. Formerly Yorkshire pub of the year it deserved the Camra accolades it has received and to top it all is the chip butty.

Then it was on to the Wall for a walk around the city or at least to the next stop. Depending which direction you take from The Maltings it is either 2.5 miles around the wall or 0.1 mile to the next watering hole. There are 4 very old bars in York – Micklegate Bar, Monk Bar, Bootham Bar and Walmgate Bar. After all my drinking it is a good job the railway station is so convenient for the journey back home.

Posted in Our Yorkshire, Yorkshire Facts - Interesting and Unusual, Yorkshire Trips and Places | Comments Off

The Northern Clemency

Posted on December 19, 2015 by Hortoris

The Northern Clemency paperback edition is a stonking good read about family life in a Sheffield suburb in the 1970’s-80’s. The hefty tome has a plot involving a mother who commits adultery with a drug smuggler, a slim teenager who becomes a tubby restaurateur and a sociology lecturer mixing with radicals during the miners strike. The sharp portrait of Sheffield and family life concludes with a violent finale as good fictions should. Appropriate reading as the Kellingley mine closes as the last deep pit in the UK.

This book was on the Man Booker Prize shortlist when the Times reviewed it thus ‘Engaging and hugely impressive. Hensher is an anatomist of familial tensions and marshals his large cast of characters deftly. He has an impeccable eye for nuances of character and setting, and the details of Seventies food and decor are lovingly done.’ the size and setting make this book value for money but the added literary merit encourages you to enjoy the read.

Philip Hensher was born a southerner although he spent the majority of his childhood and adolescence in Sheffield, attending Tapton School Crosspool.

(The Northern Clemency Hardcover and Talking book are also available)

The amazon review says ‘Essentially, this is an (upmarket) family saga, detailing the lives of a pair of families who live on opposite sides of a street in Sheffield in the 1970s, bringing to life a host of characters whose problems – and ultimate destines – both disturb and move the reader. Philip Hensher couches all of this in prose that performs a fascinating balancing act: it is as descriptive and nuanced as one might wish, but it is also extremely refined — in the sense that there is nary a wasted word; everything here absolutely justifies its place, and Hensher suggests to the careful reader that he has lavished the most forensic of attention on the craft of his novel….’

Posted in Yorkshire Arts & Music | Comments Off

Work, Consumption and Capitalism

Posted on December 17, 2015 by tejvan

Yorkshire born lass Lynne Pettinger has just been rewarded for her efforts to have her new book ‘Work, Consumption and Capitalism’ published. The result is a well produced and printed paperback by Palgrave a ‘macmillan education’ imprint.

As the books blurb says ‘ Work, consumption and capitalism are big topics, but Lynne Pettinger does a magnificent job of bringing all three together. Her book is admirably clear and careful but never patronising, and those qualities will make it a terrific resource for students and researchers alike. -David Hesmondhalgh, Professor of Media, Music and Culture, University of Leeds, UK.

At the end of each chapter is a research task and suggested discussion points and I found this a way to unify the subject and encourage me to keep reading and thinking. As with other books and presentations by academics I have belatedly come to appreciate how business and capitalists can learn from such ‘interdisciplinary insights’ and hopefully apply the new knowledge in their environments.

Doctor Hook in Leeds

But using the denim analogy and Levi Strauss, as the book does, I am sure Dr Hook would say to Dr Pettinger

‘Baby makes her blue jeans, yes she makes her blue jeans talk
Baby makes her blue jeans, yes she makes her blue jeans talk
You know what she’s thinking about and it turns you inside out
She don’t say nothing but, baby makes her blue jeans talk’

Another Dr Hook was the Vicar of Leeds when Queen Victoria processed through the town in 1858. He is reported as making a significant impact on the heritage of the rapidly expanding Leeds being directly responsible for the construction of over 20 new churches. Many now sadly lost. ( Dr Hooks missing churches Building conservation.com)

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