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A new page in the history of Upper Nidderdale and its people
For much of this week, Chris Butters has been snowed in 1,000 feet up at her isolated home at the head of Nidderdale.
But she has every intention of getting out this morning and making her way down to the village, five miles away.
"If the 4x4 won't do it, I'll have to get a sledge," she says.
They are used to severe weather in these parts, and Chris's determination will be matched by a group who live in and around Lofthouse, Middlesmoor and Ramsgill – because this is their big day.
Three years of work come to fruition with the launch of their new book, People and Places, a pictorial history of the area, at Lofthouse Memorial Hall.
Chris, a retired schoolteacher married to a retired dental surgeon, moved here 11 years ago and was the prime mover for the project. "I called a meeting to see how many were interested in local history, and it turned out there were quite a lot."
A small team set to work, and after five months of discussing how to proceed, they held an open day. "We had no idea what would come in. Now we have masses of material we haven't even started on. The general interest from the community has been overwhelming."
With guidance from Kevin Cale, the community archaeological adviser, they landed a 25,000 Local Heritage Initiative grant from the National Lottery. It paid for their computer kits and suchlike and the rent of a room in the memorial hall.
Chris had to take a back seat because of illness and got back into harness three months ago. Now she's eager to see what the wider world makes of their endeavours.
The book, which contains about 250 pictures, has a 1,500 print run, and word has already spread some distance because they have had an order from Belgium.
"It was a steep learning curve," says Chris. "We had no experience of this sort of thing, but what we did have was a personal link with the past of the area handed down through generations – the oldest contributor is just coming up to 90. They could see links between families that 'oftcumd'un' couldn't be aware of. We're got some amazing information about families who lived in the area. One of the more unusual aspects is that round here was more or less land-locked until the building of the reservoirs – Garthwaite, Scar and Angram – by Bradford council from the late 19th century to 1936. We discovered two schools we hadn't known existed."
A prize exhibit came from a pupil at one of those schools. It's Jane's dress – worked by farmer's daughter Jane Ann Harrison when she was 13 and a pupil at Angram temporary school, which was set up to accommodate children of the workers on the reservoir. The little girl's dress and over-pinafore has been passed down through the family and is now owned by the maker's great niece.
Some 200 people live in Lofthouse and the immediate area. It has a pub, the Crown, a post office and shop, a Methodist chapel and a band room for the Lofthouse and Middlesmoor brass band.
"It's thriving," says Chris whose home is five miles out, near Scar reservoir. "It's a lovely spot by the Nidderdale Way – there's no higher point at the head of the dale. It really is heaven."
With the first of three planned publications under their belt, the team has more ambitious plans. The aim of the second book will be to present a more detailed picture of some of the long-established farming families. A member of one of them, Eddie Verity, will be doing the launch in the Memorial Hall today (1pm-5pm).
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Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
