Brompton Heritage Group (B.H.G.)

(Picture kindly contributed by Harry Cooke) Brompton Heritage Group (BHG) was formed in an attempt to save the Wilford mill chimney which was such a feature of Brompton. Regrettably, the chimney was taken down in November 2003, the image above shows the dismantling in progress. Dark skies for a dark day in Brompton's History!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BROMPTON HERITAGE GROUP CONSTITUTION. Below is an extract of the constitution of the group - anyone who would like to take an active part in the group is requested to get in touch. Brompton Heritage Group The objective of the Group shall be to research, promote and conserve historical sites, items and information relating to Brompton and its environs, and to support others in doing so. Membership of the Group shall be open to anyone living in Brompton and its environs, or with an interest in the history of Brompton. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BROMPTON HERITAGE GROUP DIARY OF EVENTS 2013 NEXT EVENT IS:- May 21 – Copper Mining in the Dales - John Parkinson, Fellow of the Geological Society and explorer of mines, will tell the fascinating story of copper mining around Hawes and Middleton Tyas June 1st – Guided Tour of Middleton Tyas (morning) and Merrybent Mines (afternoon) with a break for a pub lunch or picnic. July 9 – History of Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge – Bridge Master, Alan Murray and Roger Wakerley, Principal Engineer, will illustrate the history of this local landmark. October 1 – The Orchards of Husthwaite – Cameron Smith, a trustee of Husthwaite Orchards Community Enterprise, will tell the story of the “Orchard Village”. Apple products will be on sale. November 12 – A Yorkshire Film Archive Special – Come and enjoy Ruth Patman’s presentation of selected archive film from the North Riding and remember the “good old days” All talks in Brompton Methodist Church at 7.30 p.m. Admission £3. Light refreshments available. For further information contact Jennie Hancock on 01609 774130 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Welcome Page

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THE STORY OF THE LINEN WORKERS' MEMORIAL SEAT AT WATER END (Memorial SatNav Location Postcode DL6 2RL) In June 2010 the Brompton Heritage Group (BHG) was successful in obtaining a Grant offer from the Big Lottery Fund towards the cost of building the Memorial Seat. We were now able to seek quotes for the build and the quotation from David France (Stonemasons of Darlington) was accepted. The form of the central feature was not yet known but with funding assured, the decision was taken to revert to our first choice of a rough hewn rock. The location on the green at Water End, opposite the Village Inn was agreed with Brompton Town Council and the necessary permissions were obtained. The decision was made to excavate and lay the foundations ourselves so that the funds could be stretched a little further, and this work was commenced in October 2010. Excavation and laying of the foundation base began.

The footings are set out, the digging is complete and Heritage Group Members Ian Richardson and Miles Langthorne complete the finishing touches to the concrete base.

In January 2011 after the difficulties of the heavy winter snows, the builder David France’s staff started to build the memorial. It was to be an octagonal seat based on the shape and width of the old Wilford Mill Chimney and would be built with bricks rescued when the chimney was regrettably demolished in 2003.

We then used the Dunhouse sandstone from Staindrop for the seating slabs and Catcastle Stone, Lartington for the pavers and the whole construction was covered with hessian sacking to protect it from the many frosts of early 2011 and to permit the concrete and pointing to mature and set.

A large piece of Dunhouse stone, intended for the central feature, was found to be unusable and was returned to Dunhouse. A replacement was found in Stainton Quarry, Barnard Castle, on 11 February and was delivered to the sculptor Charles Smith FRSA about a fortnight later. This stone needed to dry out to a degree and it was some time before Charles was able to start carving the inscription, but we had a promise that it would be ready by the end of May. Earlier we had received a gift of £100 from the Northallerton Branch of Lionesses quite out of the blue, and we decided to acknowledge this generosity by asking Charles to carve the Lionesses’ logo on the stone, a close-up of the completed logo is shown below:-

During May, replacement turf was bought and laid by the Group and this had to be well watered through the dry weeks which followed until it was established. First the frost and snow of the 2010/2011 winter caused problems with the building of the base, now the dry weather was not helping the grass to “take”. Ian and Miles battled on throughout the winter and spring and now the grass was green and the base was looking good and ready for the erection of the carved stone. Thursday the 2nd of June 2011 was the day chosen to deliver and erect the block of sandstone in the centre of the Memorial Seat. The weather was both warm and dry plus the sun was shining bright. Members of the Brompton Heritage Group (BHG) and passers-by watched as the sculptor Charles Smith supervised the fitting of the stone to the memorial seat base. Here, the Brains and the Brawn come together with Charles on the right discussing the measurements and procedures for moving the stone from the vehicle to the completed base.

The picture below shows the manhandling of the stone from vehicle onto the base. Great care had to be taken to prevent damage to the carved stone and also to prevent damage to the completed base – not an easy task.

Miles Langthorne and Ian Richardson watch as the men from Abbotts Memorials of Knareborough lower the heavy stone and fix it into its final position in the centre of the completed base.

In the picture below, Charles checks the orientation of the stone prior to removal of the lifting/lowering mechanism.

Charles Smith the sculptor (in the dark shirt) and Ian Richardson of the BHG appear to be satisfied with the siting and fixing of the stone whilst ladies of the village gather to show their approval!!

The carving and sculpture of the memorial included the traditional carver’s signature, the Lionesses symbol and the inscription on the face of the stone states:- “In Memory of Generations of Brompton Linen Workers. Erected by the BHG 2011” plus a carving of a linen shuttle as can be seen in the picture below:-

In the picture below, the assembled group of BHG members and supporters, the sculptor and the builders pose in front of the newly erected memorial.

Total completion occurred on 16th June when The Big Lottery Logo was fixed to the brickwork as seen below:-

All that remained now was to have the official unveiling and the following Press Release was produced for publishing on the BHG pages of the www.BromptonMatters.co.uk website and it was also sent to the local press for publication. PRESS RELEASE BROMPTON CELEBRATES GENERATIONS OF LINEN WORKERS On Sunday 17th July at 2 p.m. on Water End Green, Brompton, near Northallerton, the Brompton Heritage Group, friends and helpers will meet for the official unveiling of their memorial to the linen workers of past centuries who wove linen in their own homes and sheds and later on in the Wilford and Yeoman/Pattison mills in the village. The memorial is an octagonal seat based on the shape and width of the old Wilford Mill Chimney and is built with bricks rescued when it was demolished in 2003. In the centre of the seat is a large block of sandstone into which has been carved the inscription “In memory of generations of Brompton Linen Workers. Erected by the B.H.G. 2011’ Funding of £9650 has been granted towards the cost of this memorial by the Big Lottery Fund, which agreed with the Brompton Heritage Group that such an important part of the village’s past, about which many people are unaware, should be celebrated. Mill owners have their own memorial in the parish church and the large houses they built from the profits of the industry, but the mill workers had none – until now. The official unveiling of the seat will be performed by Mrs. Vera Brittain, who worked in the Yeoman/Pattison Mill after her return from service with the WAAF during the Second World War. Photographs recording the building of the memorial and scenes of Brompton in the past will be on view and all who are interested in this event will be most welcome to attend to help to make it a memorable occasion. Official unveiling of Memorial - July 2011 Sunday the 17th of July 2011 came along during a very showery and breezy weekend but as 2pm approached, miraculously the clouds cleared and the weather calmed. Villagers, members of the BHG and visitors, many with a family connection to the Village, assembled to see the unveiling. They were all able to peruse the display of photographs and a variety of linen memorabilia which was beautifully presented by Colin Narramore of the BHG. Colin’s wife Sam represented the Northallerton Lionesses. The BHG leader, Jennie Hancock started the proceedings by relating the story of the Linen Industry and how, along with farming, flax spinning and linen weaving and eventually the mechanisation of the industry in the 2 village linen mills, had shaped and been such an integral part of Brompton’s history and people

Vera Brittain, who had worked in the Linen Mills before the mill’s demise in 1959/60s, is shown below unveiling the memorial to much applause from the assembled crowd.

and the Memorial stone is revealed

Vera is presented with flowers by Audrey Pitchforth on behalf of the Brompton Heritage Group. The display and the villagers plus visitors can be seen in the background.

Vera stands proudly by the newly unveiled Memorial

Mrs Vera Brittain and the sculptor Charles Smith FRSA It was a proud day for Vera and a proud day for the village. In particular, it was a proud day for the Members of the Brompton Heritage Group. A lot of hard work by the leader, the treasurer and others behind the scenes had obtained the necessary funding.Thanks must go especially to Ian Richardson and Miles Langthorne who had spent a great deal of time (and physical effort) in achieving the goal of creating something which will hopefully remind people for years to come that the people of Brompton were once a very important part of the Linen Industry.

The memorial looks serene in the warm sunshine in the middle of Water End green between Willow Beck and the now re-opened Village Inn (the old Black Swan) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The School Flower Beds Project

Acknowledgement - Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund Some of the grant money awarded to the BHG in 2010 by the Awards for All Big Lottery Fund was to be used for the construction of 3 raised flower beds in the grounds of Brompton Primary School, using bricks from the demolished mill chimney. (The Lottery Fund is very keen on recycling). These have been stored in Vince’s garage since Autumn 2003, and a couple of hundred or so had to be moved to the site at the school – no problem, thanks to Miles with his tractor and trailer.

Then Ian and Jennie had to clean the bricks by chipping off the old (very hard) mortar, which was quite a problem. On Monday 1st August 2011 work began on the build, to the left hand side of the school drive as you face the school, an area from which a number of old tree stumps had been removed by Les Lonsdale (local builder).

First came very careful measuring and staking out of the 3 beds, with boards put into place to receive the concrete for the wall bases. The weather was lovely, if a bit too hot at times (see Miles’s attire!).

By Wednesday 3rd August Miles had finished laying the bricks of beds 1 and 2, and had done 2 courses of bed 3. Ian tackled the grouting and pointing. Jennie watched and fetched as required, and took photos.

On 4th August the weather broke and the skies opened, but bed 3 was finished and coping stones topped the sides of all 3 beds.

Friday 5th August was sunny again. The 3 of us were on site by 9.30am shovelling top soil into the beds. Grouting and pointing were finished, and Miles rotovated the (by now) muddy spaces round the beds, before putting down grass seed. When term started early in September the grass had grown nicely and before long the beds were planted up by the children in the gardening group run by Jackie Walker.

The plants were provided by the BHG.

Acknowledgement -

Supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund


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THE “STORY BOARD” STORY

In 2011 Brompton Heritage Group was awarded Heritage Lottery funding in order to provide three interpretive boards (story boards) for the village. The subjects had already been chosen because of their historical significance for Brompton and beyond. The first of these boards refers back to the late pre-Conquest years when the Anglo-Saxon stone hogback grave covers and wheel head crosses, now in Saint Thomas’ Church, were carved. These are internationally famous, drawing visitors from all round the world. This storyboard, giving information on the present church, which would have replaced the original, probably wooden, building, and the story of how the stones were discovered, can be seen on Church Green, slightly to the left of the Lych Gate.

Another important event was the Battle of the Standard in 1138, when the English army successfully defeated the Scots on the edge of the village on what is now known as Standard Hill.

The third and much more recent event, which has done much to shape the nature and character of Brompton, was the establishing of the two linen mills here in the mid 1800’s. These survived into living memory, the last one closing in the late 1950’s. These last two storyboards can be found on the edge of Brompton Recreation Association car park, standing side by side opposite the remaining buildings of the mills.

Part of the remit for the lottery funding was that the children of Brompton Primary School should be involved in the production of the information shown on the boards. The school rose to the occasion with enthusiasm, holding a Brompton Heritage Day in November 2011, when the usual curriculum was put to one side while every child learnt about the history of the village. Mrs Vera Brittain, who had worked as a weaver in Yeoman’s Mill for six years after the end of World War II, went into the school for the whole day to talk to every class and to answer questions on her experiences. She was ninety years old at that time.

Some of the children’s work had already been started and much of it was continued afterwards, making a wonderful display of written and art work. Of course, only a few of the pieces could be used on the storyboards because of the lack of space, but the full body of the work was put on display in the school hall. Meanwhile, decisions had to be made about the stands, or plinths, for the boards to be fastened into. It was agreed that members of the Committee should build these out of the bricks remaining from the demolition of the last mill chimney in 2003. This chimney had been octagonal, and there were enough of the shaped bricks left for the stand for the linen mill storyboard to be built as an octagon, to echo its shape.

The other two stands are rectangular. Final designs for the boards themselves were produced by members of a sub–committee with the assistance of SS Crome Associates, who also arranged for their manufacture.

Finally, on Friday 18th January 2013 Brompton Heritage Group held a celebration of the end of the project. Peter Walker (a.k.a. Nicholas Rhea the writer) had agreed to be the celebrity guest, but unfortunately was unable to attend because of ill health. Nevertheless, despite this disappointment a very successful event was enjoyed by guests and a group of children from the school.

The school choir entertained everyone with song and light refreshments were served. Brompton Heritage Group, February 2013 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

POINTING THE WAY…..

Part of the funding from the Big Lottery Fund, which the Heritage Group were awarded in 2011, was intended for the provision of a finger-post in the village to direct visitors towards three sites of heritage interest.

This was duly erected in the autumn of 2011 at the end of Church Green nearest to the crossroads. Ideally it should have been placed nearer to the crossroads, on the cobbled area on the corner outside the Crown Inn, but problems arose when the Highways Department at County Hall said that the ownership of that patch of land was not established. The other three corners of the crossroads were unsuitable sites because of existing street furniture and interference with parking. Fortunately, the present position has proved an effective one, as visitors to the village have testified. One “finger” points to Saint Thomas’ Church where the famous hog-back tombstones reside, another points to Water End and the Linen Workers Memorial Seat and the third to the site of the linen mills.

Though the last one seems to be pointing to the nearby houses, visitors have used their common sense and realised it is directing them to Station Road, where, of course, they then discover the two information boards on the road-side edge of the Recreation Ground car park which tell them about the linen industry and The Battle of the Standard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------