Capturing the essence today of a small Yorkshire town, whose roots are planted firmly in a rich heritage
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Friday, 17 October 2014
Medlars in abundance
Above: attention was drawn on Silsden.net in September to this splendid medlar tree, which hitherto had probably been largely unnoticed by passers-by in Chapel Street. But it is a remarkable specimen. Relatively uncommon these days, medlars were known in ancient times. They have a gnarled bark and crooked trunk and are generally found in old cottage orchards or growing wild in south-east England. They sprawl and reach a height of 20ft.
Above: the medlar's unusual-looking fruits need to be over-ripe before they can be eaten raw. They do not fall from the tree after ripening but can be gathered in October and stored until they become soft. Enjoyed by the Greeks and the Romans, the fruit was a delicacy for centuries. It can also be made into jelly.
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
Briggate grocer and corn dealer who supplied the local farmers
Above: Harold Wade is pictured at No. 20 Briggate, a grocery which he ran with his brother Joe. The shop (which is now Paul's DIY, see below) was started by their father, Herbert, and continued for many years until the 1960s. They supplied corn and were well-known in Silsden's farming community. The photograph belongs to Harold's daughter, Betty Crabtree, herself a noted local resident, being a former chairman of the old Silsden parish council. Her late husband, Bill Crabtree, was a Briggate butcher for many years, at the premises which are now Cafe Cake.
Above: following the Wade era, No. 20 Briggate had three changes of ownership before it became Paul's DIY in 1979, run by Paul Waddington. The premises were expanded in 1985. My focus on Briggate over the years can be viewed in a post earlier this month.
Above: following the Wade era, No. 20 Briggate had three changes of ownership before it became Paul's DIY in 1979, run by Paul Waddington. The premises were expanded in 1985. My focus on Briggate over the years can be viewed in a post earlier this month.
Saturday, 11 October 2014
After Le Tour, Le Togetherness
continues with a
community showcase
Above: voluntary organisations took part in a community showcase at St James' Church on October 11.The aim was to continue the momentum that brought the town together for the Tour de France in July. Groups represented covered activities and interests from allotments to music, from history to theatre and from photography to community care. The first meeting of Le Post Tour Group will take place at the King's Arms on Thursday, October 23 (7.30pm).Above: town mayor Councillor Chris Atkinson and deputy mayor Keith Savage with some of the nearly 750 baby jumpers that were knitted for town-wide Le Tour display, adorning shop windows and streets. The jumpers were presented during the community showcase to Mission Direct for distribution in Africa.
Above: some of the bikes decorated for Le Tour have been collected by the Bradford-based Margaret Carey Foundation, which sets up workshops in prisons. Offenders voluntarily restore scrapped cycles and wheelchairs for sending to people in need abroad. The foundation has 200 bikes in store, 131 of which were donated at a recent collection point in Ilkley.The picture shows foundation CEO David Brown (centre) with Eileen and William Jowitt, who presented a cheque on behalf of Silsden Methodist Church. The foundation was one of the charities to benefit from the church's Le Tour bike festival.
Thursday, 9 October 2014
Businessman's 80th birthday and a look at Briggate over the years -- the street that started out as Skipton Road
Above: well-known Silsden businessman and former City Hall councillor Eric Waddington
celebrated his 80th birthday on October 10. He and his wife, Mary, were
members of two of the UK’s most prominent fairground families but they quit the
travelling life to run a fish-and-chip shop in Briggate in 1962 and went on to
become a highly successful local business partnership. Married in 1959, they
had known each other since childhood. Fairground fame had been in their
respective families for generations but Eric and Mary decided to look for a
settled and more conventional living when their son, Paul, was born with health problems.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
A new generation of
power to the people
The photographs above and below show a selection of local installations 145 years since street lighting came to Silsden. In those days the lamps were gas-powered.
UK power generation from solar photovoltaic panels rose 67%, due to increased capacity, in the second quarter of 2014 compared with a year ago, according to the government's Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Above: another gas lamp at Bolton Road End in 1904. This lamp continued in use until 1936. In the early days, the practice was for the lights to be lit at dusk and put out at 11pm (midnight on Saturdays) from October to March. In winter they came on at 5am to light the way for workers. In 1872 William Fortune and Stephen Ramsden admitted vandalising street lamps but escaped punishment by signing a public apology, which was conveyed on 20 posters around the town.
Above and below: farmers on Silsden Moor have invested in wind turbines to generate electricity. The turbines add a majestic dimension to these fascinating, wind-swept landscapes where farming historically has been a constant battle against elemental and market forces.