Events and Activities

Programme of Events 2013

  • Understanding Local Buildings 1700 to the present

    A ten-week course starting on Thursday 10 January 2013

    Come and join us on this course run by the YVBSG at The Red House, Gomersal, to investigate the rich legacy of historic buildings in the area. We will be looking at houses great and small, churches, chapels, farm buildings and institutional structures. Using a range of illustrations the course will examine changes in architectural fashion in both high status and humble buildings. A variety of documentary sources will be used to shed light on building methods, structural techniques, the organisation of the building trades and the people involved.

    1.30pm to 3.30pm at The Red House, Gomersal. Tutors: David Cant and Alan Petford. Fee: £60, or £55 for YVBSG members. To book, please print and complete the booking form and send it with your fee to Alan Petford at the address on the form.

  • Owt Fresh? Advances in our understanding of Yorkshire's Vernacular Buildings

    Saturday 16 March 2013

    At this day school, to be again held jointly with the Yorkshire Archaeological Society at Headingley Campus of Leeds Metropolitan University, we will explore the changes in our knowledge and understanding of Yorkshire's vernacular buildings that have taken place over the last forty years. As usual, the day school will be followed by the Group's AGM. Talks will include:

    • Rural houses of the Vales of North Yorkshire - Barry Harrison
    • Mud, pantiles and tumbled gables - exploring the vernacular architecture of the East Riding- David Neave
    • New perspectives on lower-status housing in late medieval York - Jayne Rimmer
    • Discoveries in Craven - Alison Armstrong
    • Studies of West Yorkshire rural vernacular: how did we get here and where are we going? - Colum Giles

    To reserve a place, please print, complete and return the booking form, enclosing your fee.

    The YVBSG will hold its AGM immediately after the talks as usual.

  • Further Drawing Techniques - A Workshop

    Saturday 4 May 2013

    A practical workshop led by Allan Adams (Technical Survey and Graphics Officer at English Heritage) with the assistance of Tony Berry (formerly of English Heritage), focusing on the process of getting from a field sketch to a final drawing, looking at things like getting to grips with details, using diagonals, equipment, drawing conventions, scanning, scales, and adding captions and headings. The event will be based at the Priory Street Centre in York and follows on from the workshop held in November 2012, but you don’t need to have attended the first one to come along. If you’d like to come, please contact Lorraine Moor before 1 April 2013. It would be very helpful if you could state whether there are any particular topics you would like to cover. Full day, own arrangements for lunch. Confirmation of times will be sent to those who have booked a place. Fee: £10 per person, payable on the day.

  • Annual Recording Conference in the Spen Valley

    Friday 17 to Sunday 19 May 2013

    Annual recording weekend, to be held this year in the Gomersal and Birstall area. The landscape here is varied with some steep hills, open countryside, nineteenth and twentieth century industry and associated housing developments with a sprinkling of older buildings. Full details are available on the booking form. All welcome, whether beginners or experienced members! Please note that additional useful information on prices of hotels in the area can be found on the Members’ Area of the website.

    To reserve a place, please print, complete and return the booking form, enclosing your fee.

  • Visit to Austwick Hall and village (now fully booked)

    Sunday 23 June 2013

    Full day visit to Austwick, five miles north-west of Settle, located just east or north-east of the A65 in north Craven. A village walkabout will be mainly in the morning, when we will see features such as decorated and dated lintels, including one with 'Cheese-room' painted on it. Also noticeable are chimney stacks on corbels, or extruded, topped with round or diagonally-set caps. Other features include a semi-circular (or curved) stair turret, unusually placed at the front (see photo below)! Some whitewash survives, and there are several houses with internal floor-to-ceiling flagstone partition walls.

    Lunch will be at the seventeenth century Game Cock Inn, which has many early photographs of the village.

    In the afternoon we have a guided tour of Austwick Hall, a house of several periods, including the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The tour costs £5 a head, a reduced fee especially for the YVBSG, and includes tea/coffee (maximum of 25). If time permits, we could visit Wharfe, a hamlet of Austwick, just over a mile away. Meet at 10.30am outside the Game Cock, park anywhere sensible and legal, especially beyond (east of) this inn. The village shop is open 9am to 12 noon.

    If you want to come, please telephone Kevin Illingworth on 01422 844941, stating whether you want lunch and leaving your telephone number clearly. If I am away from home, all messages will be answered upon my return. YVBSG members and guests only.

  • A walk around Whitby

    Sunday 28 July 2013

    A day at the seaside! Barry Harrison will lead a walk around the town of Whitby which will allow us to view a wide variety of buildings including timber and cruck framed examples. Assemble outside the Railway Station (large car parks are located nearby) at 10am. Own arrangements for lunch - there are plenty of options available. Finish about 4pm. We need to know numbers to arrange access to buildings so if you’d like to come please contact Barry Harrison, telephone 01287 633182, preferably by 7 July. YVBSG members and guests only.

  • Recording Day in the Great Broughton Area

    Sunday 11 August 2013

    Following last year's enjoyable conference in the Great Broughton area, a further recording day has been arranged jointly with the local history group. We hope to record three or four houses, depending on the number of recorders. Assemble at Great Broughton village hall for 10am, finish about 5pm. Own arrangements for lunch - there are three pubs in Great Broughton and cafes at nearby Stokesley. If you’d like to come, please contact Barry Harrison, telephone 01287 633182, preferably by 12 July. An early response would be appreciated so that we can decide how many buildings to record.

  • Conference Review Day

    Sunday 6 October 2013

    An opportunity to hear about the exciting buildings recorded during the Spen Valley conference held in May. Note that the date has changed from that originally advertised. Full details to follow.

Any further events will be advertised here as details are finalised.