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Paul Jennings writes:

About 40 Society members gathered at a rather chilly St John’s Church, Bilton on September 25th for what proved to be a fascinating evening. Member Alan Gould, secretary and treasurer of the Bilton Historical Society, took us first on a guided tour of the church and then gave us a talk on its third vicar from 1868 to 1873, John Sheepshanks, the son of its first incumbent, Thomas.

John Sheephsanks, one of an important family in the history of Harrogate, turned out to be a most interesting character. He was a graduate of Christ’s, Cambridge, Charles Darwin’s old college. He began his clerical career under the celebrated Dr Hook of Leeds parish church. Between 1859 and 1867 he undertook missionary work in the far west of Canada, where he showed great sympathy with the indigenous peoples who were suffering the effects of a settler invasion. From there he journeyed westwards across the Pacific, taking in Hong Kong, where he visited opium dens. He continued across Siberia, where he witnessed the sorry spectacle of manacled prisoners, to St Petersburg, Germany and then home. After Bilton, he was vicar of St Margaret’s, Anfield in Liverpool, a tough area ridden with sectarian strife. He eventually became Bishop of Norwich from 1893 to 1910, dying two years later. He wrote a number of books, including on his world travels.

His daughter, Mary, was also a woman of interest, a committed socialist, pacifist, internationalist and suffragist and a son, Thomas, was a senior civil servant at the time of the birth of the NHS in 1948. I did rather feel for John’s wife, Margaret, the daughter of a Thirsk doctor and eighteen years his junior, who bore him seventeen children. According to Mary, who also wrote of the family’s ‘austere’ home life, she was ‘swamped’ by child rearing and suffered throughout their marriage from nervous disorders. She was thus like a number of Victorian women married to talented, energetic and driven men like John, or David Livingstone, for example, whose wife sought comfort in drink, who found life a struggle.

I left the evening having been wholly absorbed in Alan’s excellent presentation and determined especially to read more about Mary.

Thanks to Jenny and Kevin for providing the refreshments and helping to set things up.

If you are interested to learn more about the work of Bilton Historical Society please visit http://www.biltonhistoricalsociety.org.uk/

On Thursday 15th August we set off for our private tour of Markenfield Hall. Our guide was Markenfield volunteer Theresa who kept us enthralled for nearly 2 hours by telling is the story of this medieval moated house through the lens of the tumultuous history of the North of England. From modest house appearing in the Doomsday Book (1086), to being moated and crenelated, a centre for the (not very successful) Rising of the North in 1569, to confiscation and falling into ruin, to being restored- we heard it all and were rewarded with tea and cake around the blazing fire. It was August after all.

School-children “Digging for Victory”, led by Tom Wright, Pannal Old School headmaster. A faded black-and-white image of older girls cooking school dinner on a steaming stove while the younger ones studied the blackboard, all in the same Pannal classroom. A 1949 group photo of the 1st Pannal Boy Scouts, including a very young Mike Hine (“Mr Harrogate”). And the elegant Rosehurst mansion, before its demolition in 1969.

These are just a few of the striking images, many unique and unpublished, that over thirty Civic Society members got a chance to see during a most fascinating talk given by Anne Smith - long-time resident of Pannal, local historian, prolific blogger, and former Harrogate Civic Society chair (amongst other accreditations!).

Held in the chapter house of St Robert’s church in the village, members were treated not to a formal history lecture, but to an intriguing and often amusing blend of our speaker's personal memories and anecdotes of Pannal life over six decades, and of some of the characters who have lived there. We also learnt much about Pannal's heritage buildings: many long gone, others remodelled, and some still standing and put to new uses such as the Oddfellows, now Memorial, Hall.

We heard of Anne’s efforts to obtain in the village Harrogate’s first tree preservation order; of the mid-nineteenth century owner of the Bay Horse Inn choosing to have it closed down for being “too rowdy”; and we saw old images of some of the thirteen shops that existed when our speaker moved into the village. We were told of the dismay of body-snatchers in the 1830s who dug up a cadaver from St Robert’s churchyard, only to find it too decomposed to sell.

After viewing over fifty slides in a lively and fast-moving one-hour talk, members were able to collect a cup of tea and a biscuit and then be guided by Anne around parts of the graveyard and inside the church, asking questions and learning more on the way; or could chat with other members in small groups. Some were content just to take a seat outside in the balmy, humid, afternoon air; and a few strolled off at the end to investigate some of the sites and buildings that had been covered in the talk.

The Civic Society is grateful to Anne for so generously sharing her knowledge and insights at this most informative and entertaining event, and to St Robert’s church for kindly welcoming and hosting us.

Report by: Kevin Hales

Thirteen members of the Civic Society met at Yorkshire Water’s Education Centre for a fascinating presentation and tour of the treatment facility.

YWA manages 28,000 hectares of land to protect water quality from source to sea. There are 133 reservoirs across Yorkshire and 48 treatment plants serving 2million homes, 140,000 businesses (5 million customers) with 1.3 billion litres of water per day. This amounts to £1 billion of water bills per year! Reservoirs provide 45% of water, rivers 33% and ground water 22%.

YWA also deals with waste water through sewers both small and very large. There are 611 waste water treatment works. These separate solids from liquids, the methane gas released powers generators, the sludge is processed and can be spread on land and the liquid is cleaned and returned to the water course.

YWA is a private company and is tested and audited by many regulators all overseen by DEFRA.

We had an excellent informative and accessible presentation of the impurities in water and how they are eradicated. There are algae, bacteria, cyclops, daphnea, debris, herbicides, pesticides, peat and protozoa, all needing different treatments. These were explained and well illustrated from screening, flocculator, dissolved air flotation tank, rapid activity sand filter, ozone, granular activated carbon filter, contact tank and finally into a service reservoir at the rate of 90 million litres a day.

We then had a tour round the works to view these processes in action - we’ll never look at a cappuccino in the same way again!

The final presentation informed us of the 25 year plan for YWA. No new reservoirs are planned but more water will come from river abstraction and groundwater. We all need to reduce usage and grey water systems need to be developed eg. by incorporating into new housing developments. Some of the pipes (which in the YWA area would stretch twice round the world) have been in use since 1840, and more money needs to be invested into plugging leaks.

We ended with a little test of what we had learned which the majority passed with flying colours!

Jenny Moore (Events team)

When I was growing up in Harrogate in the 1950s I remember French Week and how exotic and foreign it seemed. In those days travel abroad was not a feature in many people’s lives! I was reminded of this when looking at the beautiful photos that Mike Newby showed us to accompany his most interesting presentation on town twinning.

Harrogate has four international twinning partnerships all of which reached significant anniversaries last year, 2023. Bagneres de Luchon, 1953, Montecatini Terme, 1963, Wellington 1953 and Barrie 2013.

The twinning with Luchon sprang out of the postwar bilingual movement. Local headteacher and councillor Don Costelow was an enthusiastic supporter and Alfred Coste-Fleurel, mayor of Luchon was secretary-general of the Association of the Bilingual World at the time. Quite how and when they met is lost in the mists of time, but somehow the connection was made. Luchon, like Harrogate is a spa and floral town. Not all in Harrogate were enthusiastic and there were questions from the Harrogate Advertiser as to the value and purpose of this and the ensuing French Weeks. There were French fashion shows, films and exhibitions which of course were good opportunities to publicise the town. Over the years there have been reciprocal visits from dignitaries and organisations from both towns and Harrogate even had its own float in the annual Fete des Fleurs in Luchon.

Harrogate’s second sister city is Wellington, capital of New Zealand. The link was formed through association of the two towns following the Second World War. New Zealand aircraft crew were based in and around Harrogate and 23 who lost their lives are buried at Stonefall Cemetery, 4 of them from Wellington. James R. Ogden & Sons of Harrogate crafted a mace bearing the coat of arms of both councils and this was given by Harrogate Borough Council to Wellington City Council in 1954. There is a New Zealand garden within the Valley Gardens which celebrates the friendship and commemorates the dead. Many of the plants came from New Zealand and the Deputy Mayor of Wellington came for the formal opening. The garden has been refurbished twice, in 2010 and 2023, with more plants, carvings and sculptures from New Zealand. Harrogate International Partnership has organised ceremonies at Stonefall Cemetery to commemorate Anzac Day.

Montecatini Terme in Italy is an Etruscan hill town and spa which twinned with Harrogate in the early 1960s. As with Luchon this twinning was aimed at promoting an exchange of language and culture. There were several Italian Weeks with fashion shows, concerts, exhibitions and even a waiters’ race down Parliament Street! In 1966 the Italian ambassador paid a visit and attended a concert by the Halle Orchestra conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. I remember my parents going, but I was rather more interested in a different kind of music at the time!

Harrogate’s final twin is Barrie in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is named after Sir Robert Barrie who commanded forces across the region during the Anglo-American war of 1812. His connection to the Harrogate district, through his marriage to Lady Julia Ingilby, led to the twinning of the two towns in 2013. He is buried at Ripley where there is a church window in commemoration. At the Spring Flower Show in 2023 there was a specially designed Community Garden organised by Harrogate International Partnership which was visited by the Mayor of Barrie.

In recent years there has been a revival of interest in the twinning scheme and our sister cities are set to be represented in Harrogate’s floral summer of celebration displays.
Harrogate BID has launched a new International Work Experience grant for staff from member businesses to travel to our twins and learn more about working in other countries.
Harrogate International Partnerships was formed in 2017 to provide a structure for developing awareness and opportunities for exchange visits and to provide support for twinning groups.
The success of twinning relies on the enthusiasm of individuals, all of whom are volunteers. If you would like to know more look at the website https://harrogatetwinning.org/ or talk to our Civic Society committee members Michael Newby and Paul Fennimore.

Jenny Moore (Events team)

Many of us associate Victoria Avenue with the library, and we may know Tower Street mainly for its two handy carparks. But on 5 June, 35 Harrogate Civic Society members learnt a great deal more about both, as they were led by Dr Paul Jennings on his brand new “Harrogate Contrasts” history tour.

Both walks were over-subscribed. I joined the afternoon group, and members’ enthusiasm was such that we were assembled and ready to go three minutes early. The sun shone, the wind blew, and umbrellas were at the ready.

Paul began by explaining the origins of Victoria Avenue, including the 1906 Carnegie library. Crossing into Belford Road, we heard about the infirmary building, now a school; and facing it, Rogers’ almshouses, originally for twelve widows or spinsters from Harrogate or Bradford of - as our guide delicately put it - “high moral character”.

Tower Street contrasted starkly with Victoria Avenue in its development. We were told of long-gone pubs, often with rooms for visitors, transient labourers and coachmen; prostitution, fights, drunk and disorderly behaviour; back-to-back housing (rare in Harrogate); neat gardens that became parking spaces in front of terraces of workers’ cottages; and the coincidence of today’s budget Travelodge being on the site of yesterday’s budget lodging houses.

Turning into West Park, the contrasts struck us again when we assembled outside the magnificent Belvedere mansion; then across to the former Congregational Church to inspect the twelve heads on the south wall, heroes of the Nonconformists of the time, from Bunyan to Wesley; and ending outside another splendid house, Vanderbilt Court.

Our hour together was relaxed and sociable, there was plenty of time to ask questions, and some members had anecdotes and insights to share, which added further to our knowledge.

None of us could have departed still of the view that the two roads are just a library and carparks!

The society’s grateful thanks go to Dr Jennings for preparing and hosting the walks.

On 21 May, an audience of over 50 members heard Charlotte Simons and Sarah Lonsdale talk about the work of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust. Charlotte is the Senior Project Manager at the Trust and Sarah, who recently joined from the North York Moors National Park Authority, is the Project Manager (river enhancement).

The Trust covers a very wide area including the catchments of the Swale, Ure, Nidd, Wharfe and Ouse and associated tributaries. While Charlotte manages the establishment of partnerships across the whole region, Sarah’s work focusses particularly on the Nidd and Swale catchments.

Charlotte explained the many factors involved in river management, restoration and conservation. She described her role which involves coordination with all the businesses and organisations having a stake in the management of rivers, as well as an educational programme, working with schools and local communities.

River management includes dry weather measures as well as flood protection measures. These include returning parts of a river to a more natural winding course and other measures to slow the flow during high rainfall events. Restoration includes removing tonnes of invasive non-native species such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed.

Closer to home, Sarah described the work on the Nidd and its many tributaries, including Oak Beck, Bilton Beck, Hookstone Beck, Crimple Beck and the river Crimple. This has been subsumed within a project called iNidd which sets out to investigate all the issues affecting the Nidd and develop solutions, including, importantly, raising the funding to carry out the work. YRDT works alongside community groups such as the Nidd Action Group (NAG) to monitor pollution incidents and help restore and protect the river quality.

NAG's two major water quality surveys in 2023 identified a number of Nidd Catchment pollution hotspots. The group will now focus on the sources of this pollution and its effects on wildlife habitats, working with volunteers to ensure that local concerns for improvement are met with appropriate actions.

More information on the work of the YDRT can be found on their website: https://www.ydrt.org.uk/about-us/
More information on the Nidd Action Group can be found here: https://www.niddactiongroup.org/

Red kites, song thrushes, greenfinches and great tits were among the birds that came out in song to greet 23 Harrogate Civic Society members on a private visit to RHS Harlow Carr. They were joined by Andrew Willocks, RHS horticulturalist and our expert guide. Andrew’s tour focused on the wildlife and ecology of the site but he was also generous to answer the widest range of horticulture questions that members raised.

We learnt that the avian life above the gardens is joined from time to time at ground level by badgers, foxes, stoats, water shrews and even deer, and that the birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife numbers are monitored and recorded in national databases.

Our tour soon passed the former mid-19th century Harlow Carr Hotel & Spa (Harrogate Arms), closed to the public since 2014 but which had its informal re-opening as a brand new RHS-managed café the day before our visit. Andrew highlighted some of the significant re-landscaping nearing completion, noting the target to increase biodiversity in this area by 30 per cent. The ongoing challenge to manage drainage throughout the gardens was a consistent theme: one tip we were given was to plant willow to reduce soil erosion and control moisture levels.

We stopped outside the Bramall Learning Centre and Library to inspect the heat-loving Afghan sage beds; we were told about the tufted ducks that arrive in summer to nest on the lake’s island; and we then proceeded to view a magnificent newly-completed sandstone bridge. Andrew explained to us the RHS’s “Wild About Gardens” campaign, and we were all encouraged to follow a "No Mow May" policy for our lawns.

Gloomy skies, chilly April air, and drizzle competing with feeble rays of sun didn’t faze any of us and after two hours admiring and learning about the fauna, flora and landscaping, our guide delivered us to the front of the Harrogate Arms. After a group photo, little effort was needed to encourage us inside for a hot drink, bite to eat, and a sit down, with a chance for members to chat and compare notes on what they’d discovered during a most informative, enjoyable and sociable visit.

The Society’s thanks go to Andrew Willocks and the RHS Harlow Carr team for welcoming and looking after us. As the visit was over-subscribed, we'll seek to repeat it next Spring.

It was standing room only at our AGM on 16th April, with a record attendance of over 70 members. Fortified by a glass of wine (or tea, coffee or water), the members dealt with the business of the meeting. Our outgoing Chair, Stuart Holland, summarised the many events and activities that had ensured a busy year for the committee, who were supported by members of the sub-groups (Planning and Development, History, Communications and Events).

The election of the new Committee took place with Andrew Brown, David Siddans, Henry Pankhurst, Chris Dicken (Treasurer) and Angela Fahy (Secretary) remaining in place. New committee members, Tony Thorndike, Nick Brennan, Michael Laycock, Paul Fennimore, Brian Dunsby and Mike Newby, were elected. Stuart Holland retired from the committee, as did Susan Amaku (after an admirable 25 years of committee membership), leaving the posts of Chair and Vice Chair vacant. Members approved the proposal that Andrew Brown would become an interim Chair, with Mike Newby as Vice Chair. Mike will step in to the Chair role after a period of handover to him, at which point a new Vice Chair will be appointed for the remainder of the year.

Henry Pankhurst thanked both Stuart and Susan profusely for their time in office and gifts were presented to recognise their work on the committee; flowers were also presented to Chris Holland in recognition of the support she had provided to Stuart.

The meeting then heard three short talks from members of the Society. Barry Adams bemoaned the approach of North Yorkshire Council to the town centre, which appears to be largely dictated by traffic engineers and consultants who have little idea of what makes Harrogate special, and then set out some of his vision for the future. David Rhodes talked of Harrogate’s historic significance as a spa, albeit one that only dated back to the eighteenth century, and suggested that this should be used as the basis for future developments. He also reminded us of a number of key anniversaries that will occur in the next few years and suggested that they were all worthy of celebration. Finally, Paul Hatherley argued that visions were of limited use unless they could be turned into reality and explained how the Society, together with Zero Carbon Harrogate, was exploring whether there was the appetite for a Neighbourhood Plan that would help to define the town’s future.

The evening closed when Andrew Brown thanked the three speakers and all those who had been involved in the organisation of what had been a very successful event.

Inspired by the popular talk about the census given to society members by Dr Paul Jennings on 20 February, this practical hands-on session, in the top-floor local studies area of Harrogate Library, attracted an eager group of ten members, the maximum that space would allow. All were keen to begin or progress their own family, house or other local history research.

Paul was on hand to offer guidance, including in the use of the computer terminals to gain free access online to Ancestry for the census and other records, and demonstrating how to use the census on microfilm. Angela Fahy, secretary of the society and regular volunteer at the library, described the variety of printed materials, some stored in the basement and awaiting cataloguing, that exist to aid our research. Ian Rogers, who volunteers at the library one morning a week, providing a drop-in advice service for the public seeking help with family history research, also kindly joined us. Old Harrogate street maps, books about the census, and a recently-donated album of old colourised photos of Harrogate were brought out for us to examine.

Some delved into online census records to aid their family history research, several wanted to learn about their house's history and focused on the old street directories and maps, while others explored the folders of old photos of the town. Members soon got caught up in their studies, as one discovery led to another, and so the event went on longer than planned. The society is grateful to the staff at Harrogate Library for welcoming us and reserving a room for this most interesting and educational event.

Kevin Hales

A visit to Allerton Waste Recovery Plant was a revelation - we could not have imagined how advanced the technology is for dealing with our humble “black bin” household waste. Allerton only processes North Yorkshire waste (and not recycling) but, rather than going to landfill, the waste goes through a complex conveyor belt system so that it can be “recovered”. Organic waste is diverted to a digestor (which produces gas) and recyclable waste is extracted to be sold on (as not all households recycle correctly). The remainder is incinerated to produce electricity.

Our guide challenged us to say what should be put in our recycling bin - and even the most devoted recyclers got some of that wrong! Amongst the dos and don’t were:

Do not recycle black plastic containers/pots-much plastic is recycled into new bottles/containers, which is good, but the companies who reuse it do not like black as it affects the colour of the recycled product.

Do put the metal lids back on glass bottles before recycling - if loose they are difficult for the recycling machinery to identify.

Don’t recycle paper that has plastic/foil/sparkles on it but don’t worry about removing the plastic windows from envelopes - they separate easily from the paper on the recycling process. But don’t recycle shop till receipts - they have some plastic in them.

We were guided through the plant, watching the conveyor belts was both fascinating and depressing. The amount of soft plastic packaging was striking - despite the fact that many supermarkets now have collection points where it can be recycled.

The sorting system (which includes infrared lights to detect plastic, and magnets to detect metal) handles 1000 tons of waste each day and once it has extracted organic matter/plastic and metals the remainder is burnt in the on-site furnace, generating 30 mega watts per hour of electricity, 365 days a year. Banks of computer screens monitor the temperature of the furnace, and the emissions, which are strictly controlled.

Final lessons from the day were that if in doubt it is better to put something in general waste (as it will be incinerated) than put it in recycling (where the wrong thing causes all sorts of problems), and also that (while we didn’t see any) there are plenty of rats at the plant - they hitch a lift in the rubbish.

After teas and coffees and a chance to socialise and chat, over 60 members sat down to be taken by Dr Paul Jennings on a journey through the decades of the census. He brought to life a fascinating subject that many of us know little about, and punctuated the story with census data from his own family history.

We learnt that beginning in 1801, despite concerns even then about “invasion of privacy”, simple population counts were undertaken every ten years. Officials who supported the count, known as enumerators from 1841, had laboriously to transcribe by hand all details from individual schedules into large registers. We were told that the records from 1931 went up in smoke in 1942, and that since the 1921 census individuals’ details remain confidential for 100 years.

Paul illustrated his talk throughout with extracts of original census registers - with, for example, some names being assigned “FP” by 1841 if the individual had been born in Foreign Parts - and with contemporary cartoons. He gave as an example Valley Road in Harrogate where just one of the residents in 1901 had been born in the town.

There was time at the end for feedback and questions from the audience and then we were reminded that Paul will host a hands-on workshop at the Library on 11 April where members will be able to bring along their own census and similar research, investigate the local studies materials, ask questions and seek advice.

Sue Wood, North Yorkshire Council Horticultural Development Officer and RHS Britain in Bloom judge, took 40+ members and guests on a virtual tour of the many parks/gardens under her care. While most of us know and appreciate Valley Gardens we also had our eyes opened to the history of Ripon Spa gardens, established by the 1st Marquess of Ripon and the work being done there to ensure its continued success in competitions such as Yorkshire in Bloom (Platinum winner in 2022). Like many public spaces anti social behaviour is a challenge but rather than remove areas of planting that attract such behaviour NY found a creative solution- rather than removing trees completely their trunks were carved by "Chain Saw artist" Mick Burns into an Alice in Wonderland display.

The gardens at Conyham Hall and the gardens around Knaresborough House and Castle were also featured.

Of course we also heard about Valley Gardens, and the recent projects renewing the New Zealand and Japanese Gardens. Valley Gardens is one of the few public gardens still featuring the once traditional summer dahlia display bed.

A very illuminating evening, making all present appreciate the wonderful gardens we have in the local area.


It remains to be seen how the gardens that were under local management (Harrogate Borough Council) will fare under North Yorkshire Council control. Unfortunately cuts in budgets are feared reducing the already limited funds available for the excellent gardening team, and possibly seeing the replacement of dramatic, and often themed, seasonal flower beds with easier to maintain grass.

Anyone standing in the rain outside the hall might have believed they were hearing a professional choir performing inside! But no, the dulcet tones were those of Civic Society Members, in hearty voice as they sang along to songs and carols as part of the Society’s Christmas social event.

Over 70 Members came together in the hall of St Wilfrid’s church, on a thoroughly wet and grey Saturday afternoon, to make and renew friendships; to enjoy a glass of wine or juice, or a good old cup of tea; and to take the lead from Christine and Mandy from the Harrogate Dramatic Society in exercising their vocal chords.

Jane and Paul did brisk trade at their book-stall, Stuart spoke at the end of the Society’s achievements during 2023 and what’s on the agenda for 2024, and just a tiny few lonely mince pies remained untouched when the party came to a close.

One minor hiccup arose in the lead-up. The hall’s boilers had been a bit on the blink. Would members have to shiver inside, clad in their thermals, bobble hats and woolly gloves? Well no, of course not! The church had swiftly arranged back-up heaters but then, a couple of hours before the party, the boilers miraculously came back to life. In the end, the heat from the radiators was matched perfectly with the warmth and friendliness of the party atmosphere in the hall. Kevin Hales.