Category: Uncategorised (Page 11 of 15)

I chatted with this lovely lady at my favorite coffee shop in Todmorden Market. We reminisced  about travelling through the Australian Outback – going to the underground church in Coober Pedy, Broken Hill, alice Springs. She’d emigrated to Sydney with he husband but after 8 years he was homesick for Yorkshire so they returned.

Quite a family get-together

Enter a caption

On an impulse I decided to get my hair restyled at Stone Art Hair. Ela is from Cypress and runs the shop with her brother who has styled hair and makeup for Brenda Blethin, Hugh Laurie and Wayne Rooney!

Enter a caption

Green Springs where one of my ancestors lived

View of the derelict canal in the center of Hebden Bridge in 1963

The bridge today . . . .

Same view in 1963

Not ready to go back to my mill I stopped at the shoulder of Mutton for a drink and a journal catch up. There I got talking to Ken who lives in Surrey but who has a narrow boat in Hebden Bridge and comes up a couple of times per month. His Danish friend  who was attending a child psychology conference in Manchester joined us.

The we went out for some excellent Thai food at the restaurant by the canal and ended up at the Trades Club later. I was surprised to find this photo posted on Twitter the next day.  . .  and  discover that the view from my kitchen window is of Ken’s boat!

Picture of the day! 

Lunch on the patio

It must be hot

I joined that ladies of the knit ‘nd natter at Hope Chapel, Hebden Bridge.

Hope Chapel has been closed and undergoing major restoration since the floods of 2015. It’s going to be reopened shortly

The ceiling was finished today

An evening stroll along the canal to Mytholmroyd and provided this mill chimney

You can see my mill  on the left  of the canal.

The remote chapel in Sowerby

View from the chapel

Afternoon tea in the Sunday School

This serves 4!

Katrina, Jean and friend

It rained so heavily overnight that the constant noise on the skylight in my bedroom woke me up several times. I’d planned to go to two cemeteries in Heptonstall so fortunately the rain had stopped by the time I left at 10 a.m.

It was cold, wet and windy  but I uncovered three of the four gravestones I was seeking: James Wrigley  of Heptonstall d 1846, his wife, Mally, 1858, ( my gt gt gt gt grandparents)t heir son Thomas (my gt gt gt uncle) of Hebden Bridge d 1875 and his wife Susey d 1886

James Farrar Whitham d 1901, Elizabeth d 1907, Sarah Hannah, d 1923 and William Farrar Whitham 1924

Farrar Whitham was living in Heptonstall  ‘under arch’ in 1895. I couldn’t find that on any map so I asked the man who runs the Post Office. He stepped outside his little shop and pointed to ‘the arch’ through which are some ancient cottages. Interestingly, this building is actually joined to The Old Dairy where Rachel and I stayed two years ago!

Cottages ‘under arch.’

View from Lily Hall

Cross Lane cemetery, Heptonstall. The Methodist chapel was demolished in 1960 but the graveyard remains.

Grave of Sarah Wrigley and Thomas Henry Wrigley

After about 10 minutes’ walk I came upon this view of William Farrar’s underdwelling on River Street: it’s the house on the far right of the terrace.

Stairs provide access up and down the steep slopes.

A new discovery today was the fact that my 2nd cousin three times removed was the architect of this Catholic church no more than 10 minutes’ walk from my mill! It’s now converted into very nice apartments

I couldn’t find River Street on any map of Hebden Bridge. Yet my gt gt gt uncle, Farrar Whitham had lived there , at #2, in 1895. With the aid of Diana from the local historical society I located River Street. It is the underdwelling of Bridge Lanes. This path (above) is the only access to the house. From Bridge Lane the house appears to be 2 storey but from the path (called River Street) there is another level underneath. 

This is River Street. It didn’t seem such a good place to wander around alone, especially taking photos so I was delighted when a man approached me. ‘Do you live here?’ I asked. and he does. He’s the longest resident and has lived here for 40 years. He was able to tell me the more recent history of the building, how originally it had been two storey, then a third storey was added. About 40 years ago the whole block had been condemned as unfit for human habitation but a grant was given to renovate it and now many of the homes are single family dwellings spanning the entire 3 storeys. A doctor owns William Farrar’s house now but it is a second home for her. Barry agreed to tell his story on camera but for some reason my camera malfunctioned so I didn’t get it all. However, he invited me to Quiz Night at the Fox and Goose later that evening. 

Walking back to my mill from Quiz Night Bridge Lanes looked quite spooky. it’s only second time I’ve been out in the dark! It was after 11 when I left the pub.

Quiz Night at the Fox and Goose, a community owned pub – meaning you could buy shares in it! I ordered a beer and asked which room the quiz took place and I was told to sit ‘reet theer.’ And I found myself sitting next to Nina who I had sat next to at the Hepton Singers on Saturday night. Nina lives in Hebden and she was with Mike who was visiting from Brighton. They didn’t know about the quiz but I enlisted their considerable expertise, and together with Barry we formed the Passenger Pigeons team.

A spooky walk back through the deserted town.

Tea and cakes were, of course, served between the rehearsal and the service

With Graham, the organist and Father Hillary

Wainsgate Chapel, high above Hebden Bridge in Old Town. I’d never been to Old Town before. the bus driver didn’t know where the chapel was but I’d see a flier for a bazaar there so I knew that would be a good time to see inside the chapel. So many of these old buildings are crumbling and are usually kept closed for safety. And yes, that person is wearing a beekeeper’s overall.

Beautiful but crumbling. The art installation is called Vessels and is about one’s journey through life. The origami birds made from pages from magazines were very clever.

Tea and cakes were served. Just look at the layers on that chocolate cake!

One window had stained glass – unusual for a baptist chapel

Then i went to explore Old Town

Old Town mill is now derelict but I was informed that it will be converted into apartments.

Old Town mill chimney

Scrap metal and Stoodley Pike

I like this shot

. . .and this one. They remind me of my ghost towns.

Back down the hill in Hebden I’d had an email from Gerard. Roz at yesterday’s tea and cakes at Hope Chapel  had passed on my contact info to him and he’d be interested in seeing my research about the Wrigley family. True to his word I chatted to him, shared my photos and told him that Diana has the bill of sales for Wrigleys’ renovation of Hope Chapel. ‘You should talk to Jean. She knows a lot about old time Hebden. She’s 92.’ Five minutes later just as I was leaving Jean appeared and I sat back down again for yet another cup of tea.

Concert in Heptonstall church  – the Hepton Singers

In Heptonstall it’s 9:30 pm as man and dog stand to watch the sunset . . . .

 . . . their view! 

A stormy sky but it didn’t mizzle until 8pm. This block of 6 homes rising directly out of the Rochdale canal are very photogenic. I was here to meet Diana who lives in the dwelling with red windows. She was having an open garden in memory of one Rev Fawcett’s 200th anniversary. The garden is on the side nearest the camera. 

Chatting with Diana in her lovely terraced garden. She’s another local history buff and my host knows her. That’s what i like about this place – it’s small enough for all these personal connections. 

Diana offered to escort me to the family history center in the town at some point. I’d been trying to work out which house the Wrigleys lived in and thought it could be one of this block. It turned out that Diana knew of the Wrigleys and pointed out which house she believes they lived in. It’s tricky because not only have many of the houses been pulled down and therefore the numbering  system is all messed up but many streets have changed their names entirely since the early 1800’s!

 The building on the left is where Diana believes the Wrigleys lived. they had a painting, plastering and renovation business dating back as far as my great great great grreat grandfather James Wrigley. Funnily enough I’d had a drink at The Railway two days before!

The inside of Hope Chapel. Today they are removing the scaffolding. The renovation was needed after the tremendous flood on Boxing Day, 2015 when the buildings in the centre of town were submerged by 6 feet of water. I had tea and a slice of the best ever Victoria sandwich with ‘the ladies’ and eventually one of them remembered a Wrigleys decorating business in town, and another lady remembered that it was next door to the Railway pub!

Thee letterheads dating from 1862, 1867 and 1931 were sent to me from New Zealand where some of the Wrigleys emigrated to in the 1880s. Rochdale to Heptonstall to Hebden Bridge to New Zealand and Australia!

The door of Hope Baptist Chapel

I spent a couple of hours in the library looking at microfilms of the Hebden Bridge Times.

I found the announcement of my great great great grandfather’s death – James Wrigley of Lily Hall (the next door neighbour of the widowed Sally Whitham nee Farrar. 

David and Anne of Lily Hall

David and Anne with Lily and Finn

Fishing competition outside my mill