Spring Newsletter 2017

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Kathleen Francis
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February 14 th, 7.30pm, Tempest Anderson Hall, Yorkshire Museum, York. Entry free to PLACE members.

3 miles will start from the public car park in Boroughbridge (in the town centre near the fire station on Back Lane). It is an easy walk but walking boots are advisable. This is a free event.

The tour of the Old Town will pass the Ferens Art Gallery, the Maritime Museum, Holy Trinity Church, the Hull and East Riding Archaeology Museum, the Transport Museum and the Slavery Museum in

We shall then proceed by the Princes and Humber Docks to the Humber Waterfront, where we can see the Deep (a marine aquarium). Meet at 11.

1 Contents: Forthcoming events in spring 2017 pages 1-2 News of the PLACE AGM page 2 Reports on events in autumn 2016 pages 3-4 New PLACE publications page 5 Other events that may be of interest page 6 Contact details for PLACE page 6 Spring Newsletter 2017 Dr Louise Cooke: Before, during and after industry: the North York Moors This Exploited Land project. The talk will explore the impact of C19th industrial developments on the landscape of the North York Moors. Joint lecture with Yorkshire Philosophical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, Tues. February 14 th, 7.30pm, Tempest Anderson Hall, Yorkshire Museum, York. Entry free to PLACE members. To celebrate the publication of our new book on Winter Walks, Margaret Atherden will lead a walk around the Roman town of Aldborough on Thurs. 23 rd February, 1.00 c.3.30pm. The walk of 4.3 miles will start from the public car park in Boroughbridge (in the town centre near the fire station on Back Lane). It is an easy walk but walking boots are advisable. This is a free event. Visit to Hull To celebrate Hull s status as city of culture 2017, Richard Leggott will lead us on a walking tour of the city on Thurs. 9 th March. The tour of the Old Town will pass the Ferens Art Gallery, the Maritime Museum, Holy Trinity Church, the Hull and East Riding Archaeology Museum, the Transport Museum and the Slavery Museum in Wilberforce House. There will be a break for lunch, when we can sample the local eateries. We shall then proceed by the Princes and Humber Docks to the Humber Waterfront, where we can see the Deep (a marine aquarium). Meet at 11.30am by the statue of Philip Larkin on the concourse of Hull Paragon railway station (the bus station is adjacent). The tour will end about 3.00pm. Cost: 5.00 per person. People through the Mill: past and present. A joint walk with members of the Royal Geographical Society. Saturday 29 th April, Manningham, Bradford. The walk will be led by Peter Nias of the RGS and will focus on how Manningham has changed, both physically and in human terms, from being Bradford s C19th/20 th international textile hub to an area with a new global outlook today. Meet at 10.30am at Lister Park Gates on the approach to Cartwright Hall Gallery, North Park Road, Manningham, BD9 4NS. The walk will last c.2 hours. This is a free event but please book in advance by ing Chris Speight of the RGS: GSChris@CSpeight.plus.com Please use the enclosed booking form for all PLACE events

Page 2 STOPPING THE FLOOD an al fresco conference Instead of our usual spring conference, this year we are holding a two-part event, mostly out of doors.

Many parts of Yorkshire were affected by the floods of December 2015, so this is a topical and important issue.

2 Page 2 STOPPING THE FLOOD an al fresco conference Instead of our usual spring conference, this year we are holding a two-part event, mostly out of doors. Our theme will be Stopping the Flood, and we will look at some of the work that is being carried out in Yorkshire to try to prevent future flooding. Many parts of Yorkshire were affected by the floods of December 2015, so this is a topical and important issue. There will be two events, the first in the spring and the second in the summer (to be advertised in the next newsletter). Weds. 26 th April, the Pickering Slowing the Flow Project The Slowing the Flow Project is exploring a new approach to flood management, one that tries to work with nature to store more water in the landscape and slow its passage downstream, using such means as leaky wooden dams (left). Whilst this will not prevent all flooding, it is expected to reduce the frequency of future floods in Pickering. So far the signs are good, as Pickering did not experience any flooding in December 2015, despite having flooded many times in the past. The project is led by the Forestry Commission in partnership with other organisations. Philip Roe of the Forestry Commission will lead this event, which takes place on Wednesday 26 th April. Meet at the FC Office, which is on Outgang Lane in Pickering, at 11.00am. If approaching Pickering by car from the south, turn right immediately after the petrol station about 50 metres before the roundabout. If coming by public transport, from Pickering town centre walk c.50 metres down the Malton road and turn left along Outgang Lane. The FC Office is a short way along on the right. There is limited parking available at the FC Office, so please share cars, if possible. The event will begin with coffee and a presentation by Philip Roe about the Project, followed by questions. At c.12 noon we will set off in a convoy of cars to look at some of the flood control measures on the Pickering Beck and River Seven. Please bring a packed lunch and wear walking boots or wellingtons. The event will end by 4.00pm. Cost: 5.00 per person. Number limited to 20, so please book early. PLACE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND MEMBERS DAY, SAT. 13 th MAY 2017, BEVERLEY Our AGM this year will be held in the Parish Centre, 38 Highgate, Beverley, HU17 0DN. As well as the AGM itself, there will be a series of events based on the historic town and its minster: 10.00am Arrival and coffee 10.30am Talk about Beverley Minster by John Phillips 11.30am Coffee break 12 noon PLACE AGM 12.45pm Lunch 2.00pm Guided walks led by Richard Myerscough, John Phillips, David Neave and Mary Carrick Please bring a packed lunch or visit one of the cafés in the town (a buffet lunch will be laid on for the speakers). The day will end c.4.00pm. The Parish Centre is on Highgate, a road leading north from the Minster. There are several car parks. The bus station is c.15 minutes walk away and the railway station c.10 minutes walk. The AGM itself is free but there will be a charge of 5.00 per person for the rest of the day s activities. At the AGM we shall be accepting the annual report and accounts and electing trustees. Three trustees step down each year but are eligible to stand for re-election. There will be at least one vacancy this year, so please consider whether you could serve PLACE by standing as a trustee. Nomination forms are available from the PLACE Office and must be returned by 31 st March 2017.

Page 3 REPORTS ON AUTUMN EVENTS 2016 Visit to Drax Power Station, October 2016 Drax power station is big, very big. You can t miss it.

Drax, the largest coal fired power station in Britain, was built in the 1970s and its massive chimney was then the tallest in the world.

The decision was made to convert the power station to using bio-fuel and to reducing or eliminating harmful waste products.

3 Page 3 REPORTS ON AUTUMN EVENTS 2016 Visit to Drax Power Station, October 2016 Drax power station is big, very big. You can t miss it. The twelve cooling towers with their clouds of steam can be seen more than 50 miles away. Drax, the largest coal fired power station in Britain, was built in the 1970s and its massive chimney was then the tallest in the world. Its position near the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Aire was important as the Ouse provided its water source and coal was brought in barges along the Aire from the West Yorkshire coalfield. However, circumstances changed. The mines were closed, coal became very expensive and there were major concerns regarding pollution of the environment by exhaust emissions and waste products from the generation of electricity. The decision was made to convert the power station to using bio-fuel and to reducing or eliminating harmful waste products. Thirty-one members of PLACE and their guests visited the power station on 19 th October 2016 to learn how electricity is produced there. After donning hard hats, safety glasses and earphones, we set off in a bus. The site is so big we needed transport to get around it. The machinery is housed in huge halls, seven storeys high. The twelve cooling towers dwarf everything and in another frightening area are rows of transformers, transmitters and cables reminiscent of a science fiction movie. The bio-fuel comes from North America where they have a lot of trees. Timber is the main source of construction material there, but only the tree trunks are required. The unused branches which would formerly have just been discarded are now sent to be crushed and made into pellets about the size of animal feed. This reduces the volume and facilitates transportation. After being shipped to Britain the pellets are transported by trains which arrive about every 40 minutes. Whilst we were there one train was moving very slowly discharging its cargo on to the conveyor, another train was waiting to do the same and a third train carrying coal arrived. The reason for the latter is that only two thirds of the furnaces have been converted to use bio-fuel. The rest are still using coal. The power station authorities are awaiting consent to convert all the furnaces. The huge heap of coal which is now imported will then disappear. The next process is to reduce the pellets to dust by conveying them to the giant pulverising machines which are housed in a huge hall. The pulverisers contain giant metal balls each weighing about one ton. They grind everything to dust as that is the most efficient form of fuel to attain the high temperatures in the furnaces. These are housed in an adjacent hall and they heat up the water to produce the steam to drive the multi-bladed turbines. The coal fired furnaces work in a similar manner. Water is extracted from the river but is carefully filtered to remove not only large items such as plastic bags, shopping trolleys, etc. but also to allow wildlife such as fish and frogs to swim on their way down stream. The hot water is cooled in the towers then returned to the river in better condition than before. Waste products are now dealt with more efficiently. SO2 is filtered through limestone sludge. The by-product from this is gypsum, which can be used to make plaster. The ash from the furnaces, which used to be dumped on huge heaps, is now made into building blocks and artificial pebbles or converted into fertiliser. Plans have also been made to greatly reduce the amount of CO2 produced. It was interesting to hear of smaller problems which needed to be overcome. For example, to avoid air pockets developing in the storage domes of pellets which could have led to spontaneous combustion, at regular intervals a quick burst of nitrogen was injected in the dome to shake up the contents. Likewise the coal heap could develop cavities which might ignite, even explode, so a giant blender type machine with multi buckets stirred up the heap. Drax produces enough electricity to power the whole of Yorkshire. When one considers the heavily populated areas in west and south Yorkshire, that is a great deal. More than 1000 people work there although not all at the same time. Much work and planning has been done regarding supplies, maintenance, timing, efficiency and reduction of pollution. We all learned a great deal and left with much to think about. Maybe another visit in a few years time will show how much has changed by then. Margaret Bastow. The group outside Drax. Photo: Paul K. Burton Mira showing the group the layout of the site. Photo: John Watts Leigh addressing the group. Photo: John Watts The turbine hall and bio-mass feeders. Photo: John Watts

Page 4 PLACE visit to Yearsley Mill, September 2016 PLACE autumn conference 2016 The Yorkshire Wolds: Past, Present and Future Our autumn conference was held at the Wolds Heritage Centre in Warter in

There was also a presentation on photography, featuring some of Paul Moon s wonderful images of the area.

4 Page 4 PLACE visit to Yearsley Mill, September 2016 PLACE autumn conference 2016 The Yorkshire Wolds: Past, Present and Future Our autumn conference was held at the Wolds Heritage Centre in Warter in October. Eight speakers covered a wide range of aspects of the Wolds landscape, including the geology, archaeology, wildlife, the Wolds Way trail, farming, rural policy and commercial opportunities. There was also a presentation on photography, featuring some of Paul Moon s wonderful images of the area. A group of 15 people were given a guided tour of the excavation of the former Yearsley Mill on the Howardian Hills, led by Geoff Snowdon and Elizabeth Sanderson from the local community archaeology group working on the site. The remains of the water wheel were discovered in 2011 and since then more and more of the site has been revealed by excavation, including foundations and paved floors of several buildings, the wheelpit (left centre in the photo above), the base of one of the millstones (right centre) and hundreds of sherds of medieval pottery. We also looked at some of the C18th landscaping of the area, now hidden in the surrounding forestry plantations. This site is a good example of what can be achieved by local enthusiasts. The conference was attended by nearly 70 people and the papers were followed by a discussion session. Many thanks to Richard Myerscough and John Brown for arranging such an interesting event. The proceedings will be published later this year. The Twelve Days of Christmas in an hour the PLACE pre-christmas event, 2016 This event, organised by Aileen Bloomer and Veronica Wallace and held at Bedern Hall in York in December, was billed as a home-produced DIY event to begin our celebrations of the festive season. Despite not knowing what to expect, 36 PLACE members came along and were treated to an entertaining evening of readings, a short dance and a festive quiz, washed down with mulled wine, soup and dessert. As the evening unfolded, we learned about the origins of the twelve days of Christmas and explored some of the more unusual pieces of prose loosely related to the theme and read by PLACE members. A good time was had by all. Thank you to Aileen and Veronica for putting on such an original and enjoyable event.

Page 5 New PLACE publications Michael Hopkinson has coordinated a PLACE research project over the past few years, studying some of the villages around York and further afield.

There were case studies of New Earswick, Heworth, The Poppletons, Copmanthorpe, Bishopthorpe, Fulford, Stockton on Forest and Hunmanby.

Thanks to some good publicity in the local press, it has been selling like hot cakes and is about to be reprinted!

5 Page 5 New PLACE publications Michael Hopkinson has coordinated a PLACE research project over the past few years, studying some of the villages around York and further afield. A team of PLACE members and other scholars studied the historical evolution and geographical types of villages. There were case studies of New Earswick, Heworth, The Poppletons, Copmanthorpe, Bishopthorpe, Fulford, Stockton on Forest and Hunmanby. The resulting publication, Approaching the Village, also includes a section on how the film record can be used. The publication makes fascinating reading and can be purchased for 2.50 ( P & P) from the PLACE Office. The PLACE Book of Winter Walks in North Yorkshire was published in early December, after a delay in the printing meant that the planned launch in November had to be cancelled. Thanks to some good publicity in the local press, it has been selling like hot cakes and is about to be reprinted! It features 13 walks suitable for the winter half of the year, illustrated by colour photographs and sketch maps and including background information on the areas. Each walk has a particular theme, e.g. archaeology, veteran trees, industrial archaeology. The walks vary in length from 4.4 miles to 6.9 miles and all have been tried and tested by PLACE members (and approved for dogs by Bertie). The book costs 5.00 ( P & P) and is available from the PLACE Office. YORKSHIRE WOODLANDS Edited by Margaret Atherden and Veronica Wallace The proceedings of the PLACE spring conference 2016, Yorkshire Woodlands, are about to be published. The book contains chapters by Melvyn Jones (on walls, woodbanks and worked trees), Tim Laurie (on relict limewoods in the north-east Pennines), John Weir (on climate change and forestry) and John Grimshaw (on the Yorkshire Arboretum) and a summary of a presentation by Tom Lord (on wood pasture in Upper Ribblesdale). The conference and the publication are in memory of the late Oliver Rackham. The book costs 5.00 ( P & P) and will be available from the PLACE Office at the end of January. To order a copy, please use the booking and order form enclosed with this newsletter. Coming soon: Industrial Legacy and Landscapes of South Yorkshire (proceedings of the PLACE spring conference 2015) The Yorkshire Wolds: Past, Present and Future (proceedings of the PLACE autumn conference 2016). A list of all our publications currently available is printed on the back of the booking form.

Page 6 Other events of interest Woodland Archaeology in the South Pennines Anyone who is interested in woodland archaeology may like to take part in some surveys led by Chris Atkinson, Woodland

6 Page 6 Other events of interest Woodland Archaeology in the South Pennines Anyone who is interested in woodland archaeology may like to take part in some surveys led by Chris Atkinson, Woodland Heritage Officer of Pennine Prospects, between January and March this year at localities scattered across the South Pennines, including Bradford, Ilkley, Keighley and Hebden Bridge. Booking is essential; for further details, contact Chris by phone or chris.atkinson@pennineprospects.co.uk Yorkshire Dales Annual Archaeology Dayschool The Yorkshire Dales Dayschool is on the move! In future it will be held at different places within the (enlarged) National Park. This year s dayschool will be held on Sat. 8 th April in Barbon Village Hall (near Kirkby Lonsdale). For further details, contact the National Park by telephone: or by herinfo@yorkshiredales.org.uk Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group Annual day school and AGM, Sat. 25 th March This year s theme is House and Home, looking at how houses were used and furnished in the C17th. Venue: Headingley Campus of Leeds Beckett University, Leeds. Speakers include Barry Harrison, Sheila Graham, Sue Wrathmell and Peter Brears. Adam Menuge will give an introduction to recording vernacular buildings. Booking is essential; contact David Cook by phone or dcook0@talk21.com Coming soon.. Viking Yorkshire a short course by Robert Wright, summer Details in the next newsletter. PLACE subscriptions are due on 1 st January. Unless you pay by standing order or have joined us since October 2016, please send us your 5.00 a.s.a.p. We take DATA PROTECTION very seriously. All personal data, e.g. addresses, are kept on a secure database which is updated regularly. We will only use such data for PLACE administrative purposes and never pass them on to third parties. All our events are open to the general public. Children are welcome, provided they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. Dogs on leads are allowed on most outings, subject to the agreement of the leader. We sometimes take photographs at events for publicity purposes. If you do not wish to be photographed, please tell the event organiser at the time. To contact PLACE: By post: PLACE Office, York St John University, Lord Mayor s Walk, York, YO31 7EX. N.B. This is a virtual office and is not staffed. Please remember to tell us if you change your address or other contact details! PLACE Board and Officers Chief Executive: Dr Margaret Atherden By phone: (N.B. this is the Chief Executive s home number. Messages may be left at any time) By place@yorksj.ac.uk Website: Trustees: Ms Aileen Bloomer (Chair) Dr Jean Dixon Ms Christine Handley (Company Secretary) Dr Michael Hopkinson (Treasurer) Ms Hilary Moxon Mr Richard Myerscough Dr Catherine Neal Dr George Sheeran Mr Brian Walker The next newsletter is due in April

PEOPLE, LANDSCAPE & CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTRE (PLACE)

PLACE PEOPLE, LANDSCAPE & CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTRE (PLACE) Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 December 2014 Registered Charity number: 1106814 Company