My Yorkshire: Tim Hogarth

What is your first memory of Yorkshire? It would be going as a very small child of about three years of age to see Father Christmas in Busby’s of Bradford. The excitement of seeing Santa and his little helpers was secondary to the store itself. Its sheer size and glamour was mesmerising. It was truly magical.

What’s your favourite part of the county and why? For me, it would be York there is so much history and culture in the city. Around every corner there is something that you’ve never seen before, even the odd ghost!

What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire? Being a antiques dealer and having a passion for country houses, my perfect day would be to Sledmere House, near Bridlington. It’s a Georgian jewel of a property set in the most beautiful gardens and grounds and lunch in the terrace garden is divine.

Do you have a favourite walk or view? Being brought up in the Brontë village of Haworth I know plenty of good walks in and around the surrounding villages of Oxenhope and Oakworth. It’s easy to follow in the footsteps of the sisters, walking from the parsonage to Top Withens, which was the inspiration for Wuthering Heights. The wild moorland landscape has remained unchanged and it is both dramatic and beautiful.

Which Yorkshire sportsman or woman, past or present, would you like to take to lunch? Without doubt, Jane Tomlinson. She was truly a inspirational person who threw everything into her athletic challenges, raising millions of pounds for charity in her tireless campaigns. A true sportswoman and a shining example of what can be done and achieved when facing adversity.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, past or present, would you like to take for dinner? There is only one Yorkshire screen star I would love to have had dinner with and that would be Huddersfield born and bred James Mason. A Hollywood star of the 1940s with his velvet tones and debonair ways. I can image having a long liquid dinner and for pudding I’m sure he would serve up some really juicy Hollywood gossip!

If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’ what would it be? The magnificent Cartwright Hall in Bradford. Donated by Samuel Lister the textile tycoon in 1904, it’s a treasure trove for all art lovers of any age from Victorian to more contemporary works. It is also home to a notable collection of prints from Goya and Warhol to Bradford’s first son of art David Hockney.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? Without doubt it’s the people who give the county that unique edge. We’re feisty, common sense folk who know how to treat people. Everyone loves a Yorkshire lad or lass.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what? I’m not a great sports follower but I do like a good day out at the races. We have some great racecourses here from York to Doncaster, but I’m still waiting for that elusive winner.

Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub? Yorkshire has so much to offer to the discerning diner from fine dining to good pub grub. But we also have the best curry houses in England and my favourite Is Akbar’s on Leeds Road in Bradford. The food is awesome, the atmosphere always buzzing and the service is excellent.

Do you have a favourite food shop? Keelham farm shop in Bradford is my must shop destination. It stocks quality, locally sourced products and everything from the butchery to the bakery and delicatessen is all under one roof.

Who is the Yorkshire person you most admire? William Wilberforce. As the MP for Kingston upon Hull he, along with a small group of activists, campaigned tirelessly for the abolition of the slave trade which passed throughParliament in 1807.

How do you think Yorkshire has changed, for better or worse, in the time that you’ve known it? Leeds has become a city of commerce, Bradford which had lost its way with the decline of the textile trade, is starting to find its feet again. Yorkshire today is not unlike the Yorkshire of yesteryear, it is forward thinking and creative.

It a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be? This is a no-brainer. I would take them to York Minster and defy them not to be impressed with its splendour.