FORGOTTEN CORNERS
I think many of you will have seen and enjoyed Kevin Hyland's splendid exhibition during the recent Barlick Week event in the Town Square. He took some of the images of the town I have been making over the last 40 years and did a 'before and after' exhibit using his own modern versions of the same scene. I post these old images on the Oneguyfrombarlick website under the title 'Forgotten Corners' and it gets a lot of interest.
We tend to have short memories and it's very instructive to look at these old pictures and compare them with what we can see today. Apart from the changes in the buildings it's quite surprising to realise how much more vegetation there is in the town, many of the views I did thirty years ago are impossible now because there are so many mature trees. What we tend to forget is that during times of severe fuel shortage like coal strikes, a lot of young trees finished up on household fires! In my interviews for the Lancashire Textile Project I was told by more than one respondent that in 1926 there wasn't an axe or a saw to be bought in the town. At one point there was a rumour that there were trees at Calf Hall were available for felling and the farmer got into trouble for firing his shotgun in the air to frighten the wood-cutters off! Another very obvious difference is the modern proliferation of cast iron street furniture and street signs. A hundred years ago lamp posts were the only obstructions on the pavement, compare and contrast with our modern thoroughfares. I suspect some Chinese iron founders have done very well out of us!
On the whole we have done well as regards conserving our stone-built heritage. My American friends are amazed when they visit the town because every building they see would have 'Landmark' status in the US (the equivalent of our listed buildings). I once read an old account of the buildings in Lothersdale which commented that they all looked as though they could withstand cannon-balls. Barlick is the same, and the nice thing is that despite their age they are still better-built and more durable than a modern build. There are a couple of exceptions of course. If I could have a wish come true I'd like to see Post Office Corner demolished and rebuilt in stone, the 1950s brutalist architecture may have been in fashion then but it does not sit well in our townscape. The red brick fire station is even worse but of course most of us are so used to seeing these buildings that we forget that they are alien. Just think what a difference it would make to that part of the town. This was why I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we saved Rainhall Road School.
When it was first proposed that the Central C-op should be demolished I was dead against it but I was wrong, our Town Square is a brilliant asset to the town and of course gets well used. Again, my American visitors comment on how nice it is to see the square well populated with people actually talking to each other, particularly on a sunny day. The Town Council did well when they decided that instead of demolishing the Squatter's Hut in Wapping it would be better (and cheaper!) to refurbish it and keep the red telephone box outside it. Only a small thing and overlooked by many people but it's an interesting and important part of our history. Thanks to Ernie Roberts in the LTP we even know the names of the old ladies who lived there in the 1930s.
These are not big projects but give a huge return for very little investment. My current pet projects are to clean up and publicise Poor Bones, the small yard on Barlick Lane just above Letcliffe Park entrance which was the place where poor people knapped stone for road maintenance in order to qualify for Outdoor Relief from Skipton Workhouse. Years of misery in that small spot an all weathers, we need to commemorate these things. I'd like to see the well in the wall of Gisburn Road School near the zebra crossing opened up again. My sources say that the original stone trough is still in there. It wouldn't cost a fortune to open up a small hole and see if this is true. If so it would be another addition to the evidence of our history, truly a forgotten corner as until the late 19th century when we got mains water these town wells were an important source of domestic supplies.
Are there any areas where we should be wary and keep an eye on them to make sure they are not swept away? One thing that worries me is the occasional rumbling about the short stretch of Barlick Lane (now Manchester Road of course) from just above the Dog to the top of the hill. This is a true survivor, an unspoilt length of medieval road that has existed for thousands of years. True, in comparison to modern roads it is narrow but because of this it is a natural 'traffic calmer' and slows down traffic approaching the town from High Lane. It has a good safety record and should be left alone. If motorists can't handle an occasional piece of narrow road they shouldn't be driving. One thing is certain, any change to it would completely change the approach to the town.
We have a lovely, well-preserved town which is a delight to live in and we should be wary of any development that would change this and encourage any possible improvements. Have you noticed the work of the volunteers connected with the War Memorial? Much painstaking research has gone into checking that all the fallen are recorded when alterations are made. There is a will to help conserve our heritage and volunteers like this would come forward if there was some structure or organisation to encourage them. How about the Town Council initiating a body of conservation volunteers. A bit of seed corn invested in this could tap a deep well of concern for our town and lead to great things. Look at what has been achieved in a town like Todmorden where Incredible Edible Todmorden has transformed the town and attitudes to free food grown in otherwise neglected corners. What if the raised beds in the Town Square were used as a start? We already have volunteers helping to keep them tidy, would they be interested in the Free Food Movement?
Town Square in 2001. A busy and useful space and a credit to Barlick.
