York Gate Garden, Leeds: Why this 'little oasis of greenery' is a hidden gem in Yorkshire

Going to Barnsley with my sister and my mum on the bus from our home in Leeds, for the sole reason (as I recall, and I was only four or five years old) of buying pork pies from Albert Hirst, the famous butcher. I was allowed to hold the pie when it had been wrapped in a brown paper bag. Mum used to swear by Hirst’s pies, and always told us that they were the very best, and that they had won awards.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

The North York Moors – because they are vast, the landscapes sit under a huge sky, and the views are like nothing else.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire?

Going to the Yorkshire Arboretum at Castle Howard, and just wandering about, looking at, and appreciating, those wonderful trees. All their unusual sizes, shapes, and colours. To be honest with you, I’m quite happy being there by myself, because I can never get enough of trees, and others who might be with you always seem to have had enough after about thirty minutes, and want to make to the café.

Do you have a favourite view?

It’s from Hebden Bridge, up and over and across to Bridestones, those beautiful and extraordinary weathered rocks. From there. You can see all the way to Stoodley Pike, and the moors of the upper Calder Valley. Stunning.

Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

The Yorkshire and England opening batsman Herbert Sutcliffe, for the sole reason that this great sportsman was claimed by some of our family members, to be a distant relation. It would be a pleasure to have a chat to Herbert, and to find out if there is a shred of truth in this, but I have a suspicion that I’d be hearing him says “Nay, lass, I’ve never heard of any of you!”

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, or past or present, would you like to take for dinner?

The great boom that is Brian Blessed – a Mexborough lad who became (and still is) a fine actor. That voice. You certainly know if Brian is in the building.

What’s your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’?

York Gate Garden, in Adel, in Leeds. A little oasis of greenery and thoughtful planting, widely considered to be one of the UK’s best small gardens, with an Arts and Crafts house to one side.

If you could own one thing in Yorkshire for a day, what would it be?

The Hepworth, in Wakefield. I am no fan of brutalist architecture, so I’m not fond of the exterior shape and form of the building, but it’s the interior, and the contents which are the attraction for me. The spaces are filled with light, and there’s a glorious view of the river, as it circles past. Just being there alone, to savour the sculptures, would be such a joy.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The extraordinary variations of the landscape, and our impact on it. You have that beautiful long coastline to the East, the stark beauty of the moors to the West the undulations of the Wolds – when were young, if you went to Sheffield on the train, there was all the roar and light from the steel mills and industrial units on the way. The contrasts were, and are, amazing.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

The Fox and Goose in Hebden, which is no luxury place, but it is a proper community pub, with a big heart, and which offers a lot of activities. I’m no beer drinker, but I’m told that their real ales are something else.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

The Market, in Hebden is one of our Saturday ‘must-do’ places. Paul the fish-man is definitely worth a visit, there’s an abundance of fresh bread, and the meat nearly all comes from local farmers. You can come back with a load of deliciousness.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?

Thinking about growing up in the Leeds of the sixties and seventies, there was a strong feeling of prejudice, of fear of the unfamiliar, and I hope that now, people are a lot more tolerant, a lot more open-minded. It’s certainly a much more diverse place.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

The late MP Jo Cox, the MP for Batley and Spen, who devoted all her energies to her constituents, and who fought so hard to heal a divided country. I have the deepest respect for her, and who knows what she might have achieved, had she not been so cruelly assassinated. He sister Kim is carrying on in he name, and she had to be admired as well.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Without a shadow of a doubt. You have to prove yourself to someone from this county, but when you do, you are embraced. And there’s no faffing about here, people call a spade a spade, and they tell you what they think without fear nor favour. It’s perhaps not always what you really want to hear, but at least it is honest.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

Anything by Ted Hughes, or Charlotte Bronte. If I could have them both over for dinner one evening, it would be an interesting encounter – but I genuinely suspect that Miss Bronte would be the better company. Sorry, Ted.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

York Minster. One of the finest buildings in Europe, majestic, splendid, extraordinarily beautiful.

Olwen May recently directed a radio drama based on the history of the Victorian attraction The Sandhouse, a complete subterranean mansion carved out of rock and a Doncaster tourist attraction in its day. For more information visit thesandhouse.podbean.com/e/2