Some thoughts on communities and heritage

Louise Cooke – This Exploited Land Heritage Officer

Heritage is not just about breath-taking landscapes, bricks and mortar or rare species – it’s also about the communities who make, remake, use and visit places. The Oxford English Dictionary defines community as “all the people living in a specific locality”: they tell stories, talk about the weather, share knowledge and are always (as the academic Arjun Appadurai argues) ‘producing’ locality.

The 200km² of the This Exploited Land (TEL) Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership area is incredibly diverse – from Battersby and Rosedale in the west, to Goathland and Grosmont in the east, taking in the Esk and Murk Esk river valleys and all the communities that live and work here.

Here are some of my thoughts about TEL communities I have encountered so far.

Lost communities

As an archaeologist, one of the most exciting aspects of the TEL project is the evidence of ‘lost’ communities. As industry developed in the 19^th century it attracted workers, and those workers and their families lived near to the industrial sites. The historical maps from the mid to the end of the 19^th century show rows of terraced housing in Rosedale, Beckhole and at Warren Moor near Kildale. Whilst a number of those houses continued into contemporary occupation, a number were ‘lost’ with the reclamation of building materials meaning that the walls remain only as low ‘ruins’, or just as earthworks. This is one of the unique aspects of the TEL project area – after the period of rapid industrial expansion and population growth, decline set in just as quickly. People came and people went. Homes were no longer used and either fell into disrepair, or the building materials sold on and re-used. This pattern of expansion and decline (rather than re-use) is one of the factors that adds to the significance of the industrial archaeology within the TEL area.

Grand designs for industrial homes (Rosedale)

This time last year I was working on an archaeological site developing conservation approaches for structures from c. 12,000 BC, but here in the TEL area these archaeological sites are, at the most, only 150 years old. As TEL develops I hope the rich historical and social records from the Victorian period will help bring these sites, and the communities who lived and worked in them, to life in a way that is impossible on other much ‘older’ archaeological sites.

Living communities (part 1)

The industrial developments within the North York Moors laid the foundation for the later industrial developments in the neighbouring Cleveland Hills. On Sunday 6 July, Stephen (TEL Project Manager) and I attended a Service of Thanksgiving for the Cleveland Ironstone Industry, held at St Helen’s Parish Church at Carlin How, in conjunction with the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum. The service marked the 50^th anniversary of the ‘conclusion’ of Cleveland Ironstone Mining.

A candle for each community: Boosbeck, Brotton, Skelton-in-Cleveland, Loftus, Carlin How and Skinningrove, Lingdale, Kilton, North Skelton.

The service really made me think (albeit whilst holding back the tears as the North Skelton Brass Band played Abide with Me and Jerusalem) about the close affiliation between people and place. About the distinctiveness of different communities linked with the different mines, and how those communities fundamentally changed when industry shifted. This is just as it would have been within the TEL area where the industry developed earlier and faded sooner (at the latest by the 1920s).

What does heritage mean to you?

One of the tricky things about developing a heritage project is that ‘heritage’ means different things to different people. Each person may value something quite differently to the next person. So whilst communities are distinctive, within each there will be a diversity of opinions about what is important and therefore how it should be looked after.

The Heritage Lottery Fund defines community participation as; “involving people in the development of the services, sites and spaces that they use or are affected by”. The TEL Executive Group which is steering the development of the project, and the broader TEL Partnership Group, come from the communities within the TEL area and each person values different elements of the TEL project in different ways. They are keeping Stephen and myself busy and on our toes as the development work continues.

Much more about communities in future TEL blog posts.

Small Scale Enhancements with cumulative effects

Clair Shields – Small Scale Enhancements Scheme Co-ordinator

The North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme is funding five Small Scale Enhancement Schemes across the LEADER area. These SSE Schemes co-ordinate and deliver small scale community projects which have been highlighted by members of the community. Priorities are the conservation & upgrading of rural heritage and village renewal & development i.e. projects that enhance the local village environment, strengthen and generate community cohesion or encourage community activities and village events.

Below, I’m highlighting a few of the most recent projects from the North York Moors SSE –

Underground heating system – Pockley Church

Underground heating system – Pockley Church

Pockley Church – The open afternoon at St John the Baptist Church at the beginning of April was a great success as approximately 30+ members of the public turned out to see the unique Victorian heating system being brought back into use. Both local residents and people from as far afield as Stockton on Tees turned up to the event. The warmth of the Church welcomed us in from the cold and a lovely cuppa and biscuit rounded off an enjoyable afternoon. A success all round!

Arts for Sustainability – This project involves the provision of a series of workshops for the public and schools focusing on butterfly biodiversity and conservation, and promoting the use of foraged plants. The workshops are being held at Dalby Forest Courtyard. Also the Danby Moors Centre will be hosting an art exhibition of art created from natural materials by Fine Art degree students (Saturday 18 May to Monday 17 June). All events are free.

Heritage Cycle Route – The Ryedale Folk Museum will be working with local community groups, history groups and cycling groups to develop Heritage Cycle routes. The plan is to create three family friendly routes of different lengths for local families to enjoy and at the same time help people connect to their local history.

Spaunton Pinfold – before

Spaunton Pinfold – Work has recently been completed on the restoration of the listed pinfold in Spaunton Village. The pinfold was in poor condition mainly due to adjoining trees and their roots affecting the stability of the walls, and so this village feature was included on our ‘At Risk’ register. Despite initial concerns that the whole structure needed taken down and rebuilding a more sympathetic approach was agreed concentrating on selective areas of re-building. A pinfold (also known as a Pound) is a common historical (and cultural) feature in moorland villages – it’s an enclosure where stray animals were held until released on payment of a fine to the Pinder.

Spaunton Pinfold – after

Oswaldkirk telephone kiosk – community at work

Oswaldkirk telephone kiosk – before

Oswaldkirk Telephone Kiosk – The wonky and dilapidated appearance of the kiosk put doubt into the community as to whether they should ‘adopt’ the kiosk from BT in the first place. However now the renovation of the Oswaldkirk telephone box is well underway, albeit slightly delayed by the weather! The aim is to restore the kiosk to its original appearance, or as near it can be, in order to provide a real enhancement to the character of the village. An excellent start has been made by the local community on the replacement of the discoloured plastic windows and flaky paint and rust – all the work is being done by them. All that is outstanding is the delivery of the internal equipment by a well-known supplier in Carlton Miniott.

Fylingthorpe Luncheon Club

Fylingthorpe Luncheon Club – The Fylingthorpe Methodist Chapel along with members of the local community asked for help to enable them to set up a Luncheon Club for up to 25 elderly residents of the village. The Club provides a freshly cooked meal as well as a friendly meeting place with all the benefits that increased social contact can bring. The Scheme purchased a new cooker for the Club.

Below are a few of the recent Ryedale SSE projects. These projects are outside the National Park but together with the North York Moors SSE and other area SSE partner projects, we’re generating community benefits across the whole of the wider LEADER area.

Exclamation Gates, Castle Howard

Exclamation Gates at Castle Howard – These Grade II listed gate piers have been repaired and restored with the support of the Ryedale SSE Scheme. As visitors and guests at Castle Howard were driven along, the view through the gates provided their first panoramic view of the rich and varied landscape created by Vanbrugh and  Hawksmoor under the patronage of the Earl of Carlisle – at which point they were expected to exclaim in wonder.

St Margaret’s Church, Hutton Ambo

St Margaret’s Church, Huttons Ambo – The Ryedale SSE Scheme was able to provide the funds to repair and rehang the cast iron gate and rebuild the subsiding gate pier in order to retain the attractive entrance to the village church.

St Michael’s Church, Crambe

St Michael’s Church, Crambe –Two projects have been supported in the church grounds: the first was the repair of a number of tomb chests, and the second was the repair and re-erection of 27 headstones in the churchyard that over the years had been damaged, broken and pushed over by the horses that grazed there.

LEADER: community lead approach to rural development

Amy Thomas – North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme Manager

The North York Moors National Park Authority doesn’t only try and conserve the natural and historic environment of the North York Moors; the Authority also has a duty to ‘seek to foster the economic and social well being of local communities’. Often, conserving the environment and supporting local communities can go hand in hand.

We deliver the North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme across the National Park and the wider area around, providing matched funding for community lead rural development projects. LEADER is a European fund for rural communities. Our Programme’s priorities are basic services, village renewal & tourism, and conservation & heritage. Our Programme has been running since 2009 and all the funding is now committed – which is good news because it means we’ve had our money’s worth and we won’t have to give any back.

The North York Moors, Coast and Hills LEADER Programme itself officially ends at the beginning of 2014. Hopefully we can secure a future LEADER funded programme for the area after 2015 when a new Rural Development Plan for England will be in place. Between the end of the current Programme and the start of any future programme there will be a transition period with work required to demonstrate the need for a new programme locally through a Local Development Strategy, to identify delivery improvements and efficiencies, and to develop new relationships  e.g. with  Local Enterprise Partnerships. We will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, Jo Collins our new LEADER Programme Officer started in March. Jo will be working on the monitoring and evaluation of the current projects, and organising community consultations to provide information for the whole Programme evaluation and the transition into a future LEADER programme.

Work begins at Wilton Village Hall

Examples of recent project progress have included a start on the new multi use games facility in Loftus, and major improvement works to Fadmoor and Wilton Village Halls. After a new heating system and double glazing was installed in Fadmoor Village Hall, the community were able to enjoy possibly their first warm Christmas party ever.

In March we hosted a group of French students who are studying for MScs in public administration. The students’ research involves comparing similar rural areas across Europe.

There are a couple of upcoming LEADER Programme events –

• a Local Action Group (LAG) meeting at Hutton le Hole on 24 April 2013, where LAG members can start to get involved in the process to develop a future programme by letting us know what they think about the current programme and what a new programme should look like and include;
• and a joint final LAG event with the Yorkshire Dales LEADER Programme on 16 October 2013 at Fountains Abbey at which the final report and evaluation of the two programmes will be presented – more details to come nearer the time.

Everyone is welcome – but booking is required. Local Action Groups are made up of individuals who broadly represent the interests of the LEADER Programme area and its’ communities, and steer the policies and strategies of each Programme.