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Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society 

Today's News (Tomorrow's History)

Part 7. 2011 - 2012

 
This information is provided by the Barwick in Elmet Historical Society. 



January 2012



As life settles down into its normal daily rhythm after the Christmas holiday period, the weather at the start of the New Year has been warm, showery and very windy all in good measure. While there is little sign of the wind causes damage the parish is preparing to invest in its future by planting 420 saplings donated by the Woodland Trust. Some of the trees are to be planted in the field which was part of Scholes Lodge Farm and some in the allotments in Chapel Lane, Barwick. Some of the larger trees such as oak and birch are to be planted in places yet to be decided and some saplings will be used to renew hedging where it is needed. In addition an oak sapling has been received which was grown from a seed collected at one of the royal household estates.

Some of the money generated from the sale of Leeds Festival tickets donated to the parish, has been put to use locally. Among the recipients have been the Barwick Rainbow Group, Scholes Primary School for cycle sheds, Scholes Methodist Church for dry rot repairs, new goal posts for Scholes Football Club.

Plans are being drawn up by the Parish Council to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this summer. There has not been a Royal Diamond Jubilee for 115 years. It is planned to have a temporary gas-lit beacon on the top of the motte in Hall Tower Field and also to have some other celebratory events on June 4th.

December 2011


It has been announced that following discussions between the parish council and the organisers of the Bramham Park three day musical event, Festival Republic, that the parish will receive an annual grant from the organisers and 250 weekend festival tickets. The grant will be £7,500 p.a. and the proceeds of the sale of the ticket allocation will also make a useful income to the parish. In the past the parish has received 50 tickets and were made sold to residents by ballot at £40 each; this which raised £2000. The sale of five times that number would possibly not fetch £40 a ticket, but the total income to the parish should be at least £10,000. The new fund will be administered independently of the parish council and the administering body will be chaired by Melvyn Benn, the Chief Executive of Festival Republic. The funds will be used for making parish improvements.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of expenditure on this scale. At present there is no fund, free from the restraints of local government public funding, which can provide resources without the holding of coffee mornings, jumble sales and the like. At times there has been a struggle to raise funds for public facilities, accompanied by worry on the part of organisers of how the necessary funds can be acquired. The one saving grace of the current situation is that it brings like-minded people in the parish to come together to raise the funds. It will be interesting to see how social cohesion is affected by the existence of funding.

The start of the month has been marked by the lighting of Christmas illuminations for the third time. We have not experienced snow like we did last year and the temperature has been relatively high for the time of the year. Development planning is taking place in the parish at present. The government has decided that planning regulations are too complex and need to be streamlined because too many proposed developments are being stalled or defeated by the current planning rules. The parish has been required to produce a neighbour development plan against a stated aim to build 3,500 houses in Scholes and 500 in Barwick. With such a massive increase in the size of Scholes and a large one in Barwick, the neighbourhood plans need to demonstrate the difficulties which such proposed wide-scale expansion will create.

Along-side this Scholes, in particular, and Barwick are currently involved in getting traffic measures implemented to cope with increasing traffic on our roads. The problems in Scholes are mainly associated with two problems, parents taking children to school by car and buses trying to use side roads to avoid the need to reverse at the terminus near the former railway station. In problems in Barwick are near the New Inn which has to cope with rush hour traffic from/to Garforth, traffic taking/collecting children from school and the shortage of parking space in that part of the village. With the proposed expansion of both villages the current proposals for traffic improvement will not be adequate to cope with in the enlargements. The new houses will be further from the village centres than current houses and will necessarily increase local traffic. The passage of time will tell whether the current fears will be realised. Read this article in twenty years time (2031).

November 2011


The warm weather of October has carried over into November and has produced an exceptionally colourful autumn. Because of last year's experience with the early heavy snowfall, people are bracing themselves to a similar event this year. At this stage of the month (3rd), this seems impossible.

Consideration is being given to making parts of Scholes a conservation area. A public meeting is to be held on 7th November to hear the views of residents on the proposal.

A curious habit has developed in Barwick over the last year which, though trivial in many ways, it still a mystery. The newsagents in the village have been facing a large demand for Walnut Whips far in excess of any other confectionery items. Demand is such that they frequently run out of supplies. Why should this be and how long will it last? Time (history) will tell.

We got to the end of November without snow and temperatures were higher than the norm for November until nearly the end of the month.

October 2011


Barwick in Bloom has received a Royal Award from The Duke of York's Community Initiative. The award was presented by the Duke himself at a ceremony at the Army Foundation College in Harrogate on October 13th. Barwick was one of 31 awards made this year by the Initiative. The initiative's aim is to give recognition to groups who have demonstrated what a real difference could be achieved by the community working together, identifying their own needs, and deciding for themselves the actions needed to find the answers to such needs.

The citation says :

The initial remit of Barwick in Bloom, to smarten up a village which was a bit drab, has blossomed over the last 15 years. Local pubs and businesses, the school, church, chapel, scouts and guides and many individuals all join in the regular fund raising efforts and work around the village. The difference is visible and palpable, a beautiful village achieved through communal pride and effort.


Barwick was represented at the ceremony by Peter Williams, Frank Noble, Mrs Greta Pierce and Mrs Lesley Clark. Peter Williams received the award on behalf of the village.


Peter Williams receiving the award from the Duke of York
© Jake Sugden


Both Barwick-in-Elmet and Scholes have achieved Gold awards from this year's Yorkshire in Bloom competition. Where can the parish go from here? The important outcome from these competitions is not the winning but the effect which the associated effort which has been expended has been clear for all to see.

Various new events are being held in the parish this month. The Barwick-in-Elmet Flower Club, which meets in Scholes, has held a workshop for anyone to learn the art of flower arranging or to enhance existing skills. There is to be a Holiday Club for children during the half-term week. It has been arranged by the members of the Methodist Church in Barwick.

There has been a surge in crime reported the past month. There 17 reported incidents in Barwick and five in Scholes. Most cases were of theft from garden sheds and garages.

Both primary schools have been given £1,500 to purchase musical instruments from the organisers of the Leeds Festival at Bramham Park. The donations were in response for the tolerance of residents during the festival.

Complaints about road safety issues and bus services continue to be aired.

Along with the start of autumn, Barwick was visited by the fair on Jack Heap's Field. The event no longer seems to be called The Barwick Feast as it was forty or so years ago.

September 2011


From time to time it becomes known to society that there is a document of interest to us. Over the last couple of months we heard from Mrs Casburn, who lives in Cambridge, that she had in her possession a document which she inherited from her late father. It records the Potterton estate details in the 1820's. Apparently her father worked as a gardener at Potterton in the early 1950's and it has been in his possession ever since, only being found when they cleared his house after his death. Mrs Casburn felt that the document should be in the possession of a body which could make use of it. She was willing to donate the document to us and it is now in our possession. We are grateful to Steve Burt of the Royal Armouries, who put Mrs Casburn in touch with us.

The document contains records and plans of many farms and other properties in the north of the parish and will enable to add to the work done previously in that part of the parish by Arthur Bantoft and Tony Cox. In lieu of a purchase price the society has made a donation to a cancer charity. The society is extremely grateful to Mrs. Casburn for her gift. The document was collected by the Mrs. Moore, the daughter of society members (Martin and Nesta Tarpey) and her family who delivered it to the society.


Jack and Grace Moore present the Potterton Estate Record book
from Mr and Mrs Casburn of Cambridge to Pauline Robson, Editor of ‘The Barwicker'


The document is already revealing details of the parish which were unknown to us.

The society held an Earthworks Tours weekend as part of the nationwide Heritage Open Days scheme. While not receiving good local support, we had 102 visitors over the day and a half for which we were open. The visitors, who came from many parts of West Yorkshire, appeared to have found the earthworks of great interest.

At the society's meeting on Wednesday 21st, we witnessed the award of the Personal Achievement Award for 2011 by the British Association for Local History to our member Arthur Bantoft.

Arthur Bantoft's citation

The citation scroll was presented by Helen Good, the Chairman of the British Association for Local History as Arthur had not been able to travel to London to receive it. It was fortuitous for the society. We were able to witness the award of the scroll by the Chairman of the Association who came from the University of Hull to present it in the society's presence.

Arthur receiving the award from Helen Good the Chairman of the B.A.L.H


The last week of the month has been unusually warm. As we enter October the temperature maximum has been 28 ° C. It has made up for a dull August. This is little consolation to those sweltering at school.

Walkers leaving Barwick northwards on the Leeds Country Way may pause to see what must be one of the most decorative footpath signs, the work of Frank Noble, which he has named H.M.S. Pathfinder. Frank is becoming known in the village for his imaginative creations. In 2009, he received a Britain in Bloom Community Champion Award for his achievements.



August 2011


August has been quiet in the parish. The music festival in Bramham Park is now well established and passed by without too much of a problem. The traffic arrangements are now well worked out and coped with a larger than previously audience. The wind must have been from a northerly direction because the concert was heard more than previously on the southern extreme of Barwick-in-Elmet.

The weather this month has been disappointingly cloudy. In the past year a few houses in Barwick have installed photovoltaic solar panels. Besides enabling householders to generate some of their own electricity and sell what they don't use to the national grid, the setup records daily patterns of production thereby giving a strong indication of how much sunshine or brightness we are getting. This shows that in the parish in August the weather was duller than April and almost as dull as in March.

June/July 2011


A quiet two months with the routine annual round of Galas, Open Gardens and Yorkshire in Bloom inspections in both Barwick and Scholes. As the months have progressed, the weather has become sunny with rainy intervals.

The plan to build houses in the land between the built-up parts of Seacroft and Scholes and Thorner has been approved in spite of opposition expressed at the planning enquiry by local residents. There are signs of the open space on Leeds Road, Scholes - which is now in the care of the parish council - being made into the public area for the use of local villagers. An access point has been made from Leeds Road so that maintenance equipment can be brought to the field.

The maypole regalia is being featured in an exhibition in the Leeds City Museum entitled "Dancing in the Street" celebrating the diversity of street festivals in Leeds. The exhibition is on from July 22nd until 8th January 2012.

On the night of Tuesday/Wednesday 26th/27th July someone stole the newly installed gates to the church in Barwick. The gates which are made of solid oak and the metalwork has been used on many sets of gates dating back further than anyone here can remember. The gates cost nearly £2,000. If anyone sees the gates (see the photograph below) on sale - probably some distance from Barwick, please contact the police.


The new gates to the church which were stolen on 26/27 July.


May 2011


Barwick's Maypole Queen for 2011 was elected today (3rd May) in the traditional way at the Primary School. The children of the village elected Lucia Harker of Aberford Road. Lucia is twelve years old. Volunteers have started to take garlands around the parish in the evenings for people to see them at close quarters.

There are to be discussions at the Parish Council about the possibility of providing some form of meeting place for young people in both villages which will not be an inconvenience to people living nearby. The parish council also has held a consultative meeting in Scholes about the newly-provided public open space at Scholes Lodge Farm. The mood of the meeting was in favour of pathways, seating an area for walking dogs, nature trails and display boards about the area's history; the meeting expressed reservations about using it for games, youth shelters, car parking and any building which would impair the view of local homes.

Barwick in Bloom works quietly away practically once every week and sometimes a lot more is done by individuals. In the last month or so Frank Noble, a member of the group has constructed two bug houses in the Jubilee Gardens. He has named one "Fawlty Towers" and the other "Insect Hotel" with a vacancies notice on it.



Insect Hotel with vacancies



Glancing quickly at the church yesterday (16th) something looked wrong. As part of the repair and maintenance of the church, the bell tower louvres have been removed showing the bells from outside the church.



An unusual view of the All Saints Church, Barwick-in-Elmet


It is sad for us to hear of the death of one of the society's most valuable former member, Tony Cox. Born in Scholes, Tony joined the society in its early years and contributed greatly to the society's research. He was a member of the Editorial Committee and was author of many of the articles published in The Barwicker and reproduced on this site. Tony moved to Aberdeenshire several years ago to be near to one of his daughters and her family. Only several months ago he phoned me and told me how he had settled and was beginning to immerse himself in the area's local history. Tony was 86 years old.

April 2011


It has been a quiet month in the parish so far (23rd). The most remarkable feature has been the scorching hot weather. It is more like high summer than spring. April showers have been almost absent and watering has become the gardener's main occupation.

Whilst nationally the press and enterprising merchants have made much of the forthcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton , there is no conspicuous activity in the parish to commemorate the event even though the bride is the great-great granddaughter of a Lupton "born of the parish" (Roundhay).

There is activity, however, associated with the maypole festivities in Barwick. The pole comes down on Easter Monday (24th). In the meantime the Maypole Trust's newly activated web site is full of information and requests for helpers. Beside the web pages there are Facebook and Twitter connections to suit all tastes in communication. At this stage of planning there are the usual anxieties about having enough income to pay for all the overheads and for the very first time it is possible to support the event by sending a contribution on line.

The pole was taken down without mishap on Monday 25th. On initial examination, it looks in good shape and can go up again in just over a month's time. This year the gap between Easter and the Spring Bank Holiday is short so the volunteer painters, Carl and Kath Whitfield, will have little social time to spare.

April 2011

A rare chance to see what the fox on the top of the maypole looks like.


March 2011



With longer days, spring seems close at hand but not fully arrived. For some inexplicable reason, the parish is carpeted with a marvellous display of snowdrops which I cannot recall before. In my garden which I have turned from a meadow into a garden in the last 47 years, I have a marvellous display of snowdrops, yet I have never bought or planted a single bulb. I am not complaining for the effect is splendid - much better than naturally planted dandelions.

By the middle of the month, spring has arrived. The curlews are back, there is a large number (I can't call it a swarm) of adybirds and also bumble bees are around in plenty. The villages continue there quiet existence getting ready for the judging day for Yorkshire in Bloom. Meanwhile in Japan and Libya, to name just two countries, there is chaos and much to worry about.


February 2011



As part of the cost reduction programme being carried out by Leeds City Council in order to meet the loss of income from the government, there is a proposal to close Scholes Library one of a number of smaller libraries across the city and to replace it with a mobile service. On Wednesday 2nd of February a public meeting was held in Scholes to discuss the proposal. It was well attended by villagers who were able to question central library staff and put their points of view across to the staff and the local councillors, who were also in attendance.

As if the threat of library closures was not enough, Scholes experienced an armed robbery at its local convenience store on Sunday 6th. A 34 year old man was arrested in possession of an imitation firearm. The man made off in a dark coloured car in the direction of Swarcliffe and abandoned the car on the A64 nearby.

There are plans being considered to cure the parking problems near the primary school and the convenience store in Scholes. The plan is likely to involve the use of double yellow lines near both road junctions and the school.

The parish strong winds at the beginning of the month and as a result, the roof of the church in Barwick was damaged near the tower on Friday 4th. Tiles were ripped off the roof leaving a hole about four feet (1.3 metres) wide. There was a Mothers and Toddlers group meeting in the church at the time but no-one was hurt.



Arthur Bantoft
April 2010


We heard today, 22nd, that Arthur Bantoft, our long serving former Society Chairman and former Editor of The Barwicker has been awarded the Personal Achievement Award for 2011 by the British Association for Local History. The award is made to "local historians who have made significant voluntary contributions to the subject in their own areas". The award to Arthur is well deserved as can be witnessed by the many articles by him on this site.

There was news this month of a serious earthquake in Christchurch which killed over 200 and created much damage in the city centre. On occasions such as this, my mind goes over who I might know who lives in the place affected. This time I thought of Mark Coulthard who works in Christchurch and lives out in the suburbs. He was born in Barwick and emigrated some years ago. Not having way contacting him, I wondered if he and his family were safe or not. It was a pleasant surprise and relief when, that evening, I turned on the television local news and there he was. He had contacted the BBC in Leeds using his laptop and was describing what happened. Anyway, he was clearly safe.

The point of saying this is to point out, what is now obvious, what tremendous strides in communications we have made in the last fifteen years. As this site completes twelve years on line, it is interesting to reflect on the contacts we have had with former residents from overseas in places like Norway, Greece, Spain, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and South Africa. This news page is written with former residents, wondering what if anything is happening in Sleepy Barwick and Scholes, and readers in thirty or more years time, wondering how the Barwick and Scholes of their day compares with 2011 or before. For those of you overseas who would like the chance to make contact (on-line, of course) with contemporaries elsewhere, the opportunity exists. Starting this week, the newly revised Maypole Trust web site (see links) updated by John Fergusson, who has recently returned from his exile in the south of England. The Trust also has started Facebook and Twitter pages, which can be accessed via the web site.

January 2011



January has begun quietly with mostly dull weather but, thankfully with temperatures during the day above freezing. The arrival of temperatures of as high as 6ºC. made it feel almost spring-like after the experience of last month. We have also had quite sunny weather which has helped to lift spirits.

On Tuesday 18th, the community display cabinet in the Leeds City Museum featured a display presented by the society. Being Maypole Raising Year, we chose the maypole ceremony as the main theme for the display. There is an array of items associated with the maypole including regalia, a former May Queen's dress, a piece of an old maypole, the society's model of the pole, as well as many photographs and illustrations. We have also been fortunate to have a completed garland which is ready for this year's ceremony on display in the cabinet. The display also has a collection of other items featuring other aspects of the parish's history including items from the church.


The Society's display in Leeds City Museum
18th January - Mid-March 2011
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Today January 2009 to December 2010 
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