My Yorshire: David Aynesworth on his favourites of the county
What’s your first Yorkshire memory?
My first memory was of being in my grandparents garden on Apperley Lane in Rawdon pushing a wooden horse with wooden wheels it was called Dobbin and it had a seat on it which I am certain was covered in blackout cloth. I was born there on the 3rd of June 1943 during the war and my father was away most of the time which is why we were living with my grand parents on my mother’s side, I was proud that on my birth certificate he was down as a Squadron Leader but in fact he never ever went up in an aircraft. He was a doctor and first of all on an air sea rescue boat out of Scarborough and then on airfields. At one stage he was stationed at Stratford on Avon and was billeted in the adjoining cottage to Ann Hathaway’s cottage. I am told that I saw aircraft on fire on the ground but cannot really remember it. After the war he was the doctor for the tank factory at Barn bow near Crossgates near Leeds and he used to take me sometimes and it made me feel proud when we were waved straight through the gates by the sentries. He told me that it was Churchill who came up with the idea of building tanks He wanted them to be called land ships. They were being developed and built in top secret locations and the workers were told that they should just say that they were making water tanks petrol tanks etc and the name tank stuck.
What’s your favourite part of the county?
My favourite part of Yorkshire is Wharfedale with its dynamic community and the most beautiful and diverse countryside in England. I always say that you haven’t anything like the control of your life as you think you have. I liken life to a pin ball machine and you are the ball which bounces back and forwards off springs and eventually you drop down a hole, I was very lucky to bounce off that spring that sent me down the hole to Wharfedale.
What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire?
A perfect day out would be to one of the agricultural shows which abound and are thriving in Yorkshire such as Kilnsey Show and Pateley show. Did you know that the first Great Yorkshire Show now held at Harrogate and now one of the largest in the country was held at Skipton.
Do you have a favourite view?
My favourite Yorkshire view is of Burnsall when coming down the fell road from Bolton Abbey with its five arched stone bridge over the river Wharfe with the Red Lion Inn and the church up beyond overlooking the village making a perfect picture. When returning home from holiday we often said that that we have just seen some great places but nothing better than that.
Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?
The Yorkshire sportsman I would most like to meet would be Freddie Trueman. At the age of about 12 my father took me to Headingley to watch a match between England and Pakistan. After only two overs heavy rain stopped play but I saw Freddy Trueman bowl someone out sending his middle wicket bounding end over end. You could not see anyting better than that. We only saw those two overs but went home more than happy.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?
My worry is about the rapidly changing way our language is changing even in Yorkshire. We are absorbing American words phrases and slang into our everyday conversations accelerated no doubt due to mobile phones, social media and television. Our language has always changed but not at this unprecedented rate.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.
My favourite Yorkshire author is Julia Chapman with her Dales Detective Series and its trials and tribulations. It is based on Settle and its surrounding area and is nice easy human reading about an area I know quite well.
Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?
My favourite pub is a bit difficult to answer as I am slightly biased as it is the Craven Arms in Appletreewick. The reason I am biased is that it is owned by our family and that I and my son Robert are joint landlords. We bought it in a run down condition over 20 years ago and it had been “modernised” and lost its character and soul resulting in it getting quieter and quieter and eventually only occasionally opening. It was a big job and a big risk financially to put it back as it was and restore its sole and character but it has worked and is now very busy and is often used by television and and film companies and in their productions. There are many great pubs in the Yorkshire Dales such as the Fountaine at Linton, the Hare and Hounds in Starbotton, the George in Hubberholme, the Queens at Litton and The Green Dragon all of which have managed to retain their character.
Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?
I follow the Upper Wharfedale Rugby Union Club I always want to know the results of each match even though I don’t go to watch them as I just don’t have the time. The club is much more than just a rugby club it is doing a lot for younger people and is a great asset to the area.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?
It is undoubtedly the people with their own brand of humour and their directness although I worry that this could get watered down by the effects of social media etc. There is a danger that we will all become a bland standardised society and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?
The hidden gem that people ought to visit is a small unassuming shop in Grassington called the English Polisher. It is an absolute Aladdin’s cave inside. The owner Rob restores furniture on the premises but he also sells fascinating artifacts of all types and holds furniture restoration courses.Well worth a look.