Finding Sanctuary at Beautiful Broughton

Middle Lodge, our idyllic early C19 gatehouse at Broughton Sanctuary

We were lucky enough to enjoy our recent 18th wedding anniversary adventure in this delightful 2-up, 2-down gatekeeper’s lodge on the Broughton estate just outside Ripon. Despite its small size, the building was so perfectly designed and gave us so much food for thought about the lives of its occupants that I’ll put a longer piece about it on my blog site. Suffice to say, £750 for our minimum 3-night stay compared favourably with luxury hotels but was far better suited to our needs for peace, privacy, and personal routines. Equipped with our every idea of home-from-home comfort including an eclectic mix of readable books in every room, jigsaws, Netflix, organic toiletries, and a welcome pack of delicious right-on organic drinks and snacks, it even had The Bull, a friendly pub serving excellent food, practically on our doorstep. Many of the other buildings on site, including the Hall itself, can also be hired for everything from posh weddings to conferences and holiday accommodation for adult-only groups of all sizes; and there are plenty of activities available – wild swimming, Land Rover trekking and wellness workshops to name but a few – as well as walks long and short through the stunning parkland and re-wilded areas. Altogether a superbly-realised venture – for further details, see my latest blog, or check out their website and prepare to be amazed…

Nature & Art in North Yorkshire:

Himalayan poppies: so blue they look artificial!

If you enjoy viewing sculpture in gorgeous surroundings, I can highly recommend a the Himalayan Gardens & Sculpture Park near Grewelthorpe, north-west of Ripon. You won’t see the usual brown signs for it because access is limited to pre-booked visits for a maximum of 500 people/day, so you’ll never find it too heavingly busy. We went in May specifically to see the rhododendrons in full bloom, only to find some already past their best due to the unusually warm spring. Not that it mattered – there was still plenty to admire, including the stunning blue Himalayan poppy which I’d never seen before, lovely lakes, and sculptures ranging from naturalistic to modernistic dotted all round the site. With walks for all ages/energy levels, a children’s playground, nice café, plant nursery and gift shop there’s something to please everyone, and as the gardens constantly change it bears repeat visits – we hope to go back to see it in autumn colours before the winter closed season (November – April).  

From Talking to Writing!

Final performances done!

All good things must come to an end – after nearly 20 years on the local history circuit, I’ve packed away my Powerpoint, hung up my henin, and retired from the interpretation side of Herstory. The main reason, bizarrely, is lack of time; ‘semi-retired’ for me and Hubcap just means ‘differently busy.’ Our partly self-sufficient Good Life is highly labour-intensive, now we have a well developed, productive smallholding and allotment – the non-negotiable tasks of tending land and animals, processing crops, keeping everything watered in summer/the home fires burning in winter occupies a big chunk of every day, (not to mention the gardening jobs we’ve kept on). Plus now I’m in my mid-60s, it’s harder to summon the energy to entertain an audience for an evening lecture or find the spare time to guide walks; so, regretfully but realistically, we’re selling our rarely-used re-enactment kit and retiring. The good news is this should give me more time to spend on writing, promoting my books, and maintaining my blog and this website – so look out for some changes and more regular updates!

RIP Sweater Woollie, April ’20 – July 31st ’24

Our 2nd sad loss: Sweater joins Soboray in heaven’s pastures

A sad start to August: our poster-boy Sweater, arguably the prettiest Woollie with his fine. fluffy white fleece and cute panda face, died on 31st July within hours of Hubcap paying his last afternoon visit. He lost his appetite last week, and though rallied briefly after emergency treatment for urinary blockage, I guess his kidneys failed. It was a bitter blow only 10 months after losing our beloved black Soboray to some wasting disease. The most timid and suspicious of the three with an uncanny sixth sense for when we needed to catch them, we never made friends properly with Sweater because he was so overshadowed by cheeky Sob and greedy, bossy Socks; but we were still dearly fond of him, and always amused to see him hanging behind hoovering up all the scraps while the bolder boys competed for our attention and choicer titbits – hence he was fat as a barrel, looked fit as a lop, and we thought he’d be with us for years. Alas, we were wrong, and poor Socks was left alone for the first time in his life, albeit not for long – to console us all in our loss, we’ve just taken delivery of two spring lambs to restore our flock to a trio and give him some young minions to boss around. They seem to have bonded remarkably well!

Pond Progress: Success for Wildlife & WDC

Ready to plunge into the ponds!

Our Kettlethorpe Nature Action Group back in action! Hardcore members turned out on a miserable wet February day to help Hubcap and Wakefield Council officer Stuart Saxton (pictured) do essential maintenance on the wildlife ponds created by the Council at our request two years ago. Since then, they’ve turned from unsightly, muddy – if expertly dug! – scrapes surrounded by ruts and wheel-marks into delightful, tranquil ponds abounding with wildlife, surrounded by grasses and looking as if they’ve been there forever. The larger, with the deeper sump, held water all through last summer’s hot dry spell thanks to a clump of reeds and sedges providing some shade and coolth and trapping water among their stems, a welcome oasis for amphibians. The smaller dried out fully, although the mud it provided while doing so was a boon for birds like house-martins, and insects including some bees, which use it to build nests. Both ponds were also colonised by hundreds of self-set willows, like the ‘whips’ you buy at plant nurseries, which had to be lifted before the roots developed enough to crack the puddled clay and make them drain too quickly. Thanks to a special tool brought by Stuart, they could be lifted roots intact – and many were re-planted elsewhere, making this labour of love a real eco-triumph! I’m looking forward to seeing the ponds develop over the summer – watch this space for further reports.

Sheeple Sorrow: RIP Soboray, 2020-23

One of my last photos of our sweet Soboray alive…

In recent years, our festive seasons have been marred by the sad loss of loved ones, animal and human, and unfortunately 2023 is no exception. Soboray Woollie, our Soay-Boreray crossbreed, was always the smallest of our sheepy trio, the faddiest eater, prone to lose most weight over winter, the most vulnerable to fly-strike (he had a horrible episode of maggot infestation last autumn) – and possibly always carried a burden of some parasite the bigger, fatter boys can shrug off but which periodically weakened him until we had to have him euthanised on 13th November when it became clear he’d barely survive another night, let alone winter. We’re heartbroken; he’d always been special, our sociable show-sheep, cheeky and funny, the one who liked us best, followed us around like a big daft woolly dog, and complained loudly when we left site; much more of a friend than Socks and Sweater. So Beckside’s bittersweet for us at the moment, not the same without him… though of course still beautiful, as are our surviving boys, and great comfort to our sad souls (as is the knowledge that we saved all three from being sausaged back in 2021, and gave him two years of fabulous fun in our natural, re-wilded corner of West Yorks). An unforgettable character, a true Black Prince among sheep – RIP, Soboray sweetheart.

Awesome Artwork for City Centre!

Wakefield’s new acquisition by local artist Jason Wilsher-Mills

At first sight, I took this stunning statue to be a steampunk St George, wearing angel wings, a sacred heart, and his slain dragon’s head as a helmet. At second long, close look, it had me fascinated by the immense detail, then moved to tears as I began to understand what I was looking at. On Googling for more info I found he’s actually an Amazonian love god who had caused great controversy/numerous objections prior to his installation near Wakefield Cathedral. I thought that was sad, because seldom have I been so moved by an artwork – even more so since learning his true nature/appreciating the many profound messages embodied in his crippled, yet proudly loving form. Gulp. I’d say it’s worth a trip to Wakey to see this wonder alone – I’ll certainly be visiting him again next time I’m in town.

Treasures of Towton

Our Towton treat: a private viewing of battlefield finds

The misfortune of missing a talk for Towton Battlefield Society in January turned into a great piece of luck in February when the speaker, renowned battlefield metal detectorist Simon Richardson, invited us for Sunday lunch and a personal guide to some of his best finds from Towton. As a former conservator I was very impressed by their condition – for lack of alternative, Simon and friend had carried out DIY electrolysis to great effect – surface detail is retained and everything looked stable. But the great revelation came when Simon showed us his finds distribution map and the exact spots certain artefacts identifiable to a particular household or individual were found, greatly enhancing our understanding of troop dispositions on the field, and supporting TV archaeologist Tim Sutherland’s view of Towton as a single running conflict over 24 hours rather than a series of separate engagements. It’ll certainly transform the presentation next time I do a Towton talk or we guide a battlefield walk, and we hope to do more work with Simon in future.

Boo Hiss, English Heritage!

St Peter’s Church, Barton-on-Humber

For our 14^th Wedding Anniversary Adventure this year, Hubcap and I decided to revisit a couple of Lincolnshire sites I used to monitor for English Heritage. Thornton Abbey is the picturesque ruin of an Augustinian (Blackfriars) order, which grew rich and important due to the medieval wool trade, and survived destruction during the Dissolution by becoming a secular college. Its grounds, with the building foundations and standing scraps of the chapterhouse and cloister, used to be open year-round and were always popular with walkers and picnickers, although you could only access its main attraction, the unusual, opulent brick gatehouse, on a couple of afternoons a month. Now, alas, the whole site is closed indefinitely for conservation of the masonry – which visitors ARE told on the EH website if they bother to check, (we didn’t; nor did a half-dozen other carloads who arrived while we were there) – and as we discovered, you can’t even walk round to a roadside viewpoint to take photos of the interior. The ‘boo hiss’ is for the EH sign suggesting visitors go on to the other local site we’d planned to take in, St Peter’s Church in Barton-on-Humber, which also used to be open daily – but that was closed, too! We learned from a friendly resident that the custodian had been removed some time ago, and EH declined her offer (though she was well qualified) to open it and conduct visitors round. Very disappointing – we had to make do with looking at the exterior of the rare Anglo-Saxon baptistry and tower nave, and a visit to nearby St Mary’s (which we could get inside!).

Henry Wowler Meets Simon Williams

I’m honoured to have among my Facebook friends Simon Williams. Simon is the author of nine dark fantasy/young adult novels including the Aona series, told in a crisp, lucid style with plenty of original ideas and good ‘visuals’ to evoke the worlds of his imagination. He also has an extremely funny website and a thought-provoking free e-newsletter – in which I feel particularly honoured to feature this month, with an illustrated interview about the late lamented Henry Wowler and the fantasy he inspired, Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat.

If you’d like to check it out, visit Simon’s website – and if you sign up to receive his newsletter, you’ll get a free copy of his young adult fantasy novel The Light From Far Below, the sequel to Summer’s Dark Waters, (pictured), also free on Amazon, illustrated by the talented Ankolie. I hope to reciprocate by featuring Simon as my first guest on a forthcoming new ‘Author Interviews’ page.

Wow! Henry’s Still Making News

Henry Wowler hit the airwaves this month with our 15 minutes of fame: my interview on Hannah Murray’s Talk Radio Europe Book Show! I was pleased enough with my performance, although there were a few more pauses and ‘ers’ than I recall from the day… and now await my April statement with interest to find out if it’s had any impact on sales! Meanwhile I’m still working on my podcast for Black Swan (see below), and also looking forward to featuring in the ‘author interview’ section of dark fantasy Aona Series writer Simon Williams‘ newsletter – oh, and my article for Cats Protection UK will be out soon in the Summer edition! Exciting times.

Henry Wowler Lives On!

Promoting Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat hasn’t always been easy since the untimely death of its hero on New Year’s Eve. However, needs must – and things are going so well I now feel more excited than sad. I was honoured to contribute an author interview for Black Swan Book Promotion, which should be up on their website any day; and delighted when Hannah Murray of Talk Radio Europe agreed to feature Mirror-Cat on her Sunday book programme. I’m doing a phone interview with her on 28th March, and will post a broadcast date as soon as I know it. Meanwhile I’m enjoying revisiting my photo archive/putting together an annotated pictorial biography which Black Swan will make into a podcast as part of a forthcoming social media campaign. I hope that will be online by Easter – as ever, watch this space!

Henry Wowler: Finally in Print!

Yes, after nearly three years of work, Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat is finally in print! I’m so pleased Henry had chance to see it, (not that he took much notice), before his untimely death on New Year’s Eve, and that copies were ready in time to be given as Christmas presents to family and friends. I’m especially pleased to report that it’s going down well so far with readers young and old, and has received some good reviews on Amazon. Unfortunately, the ongoing uncertainty of the Covid situation means that it’s difficult to plan the kind of launch events I’d like, though I am cracking on with promotion through social media and hope to have it on sale in some local bookshops in the near future. Meanwhile you can read an extract on the New Releases page, order it via YPD Books or Amazon UK, or order signed copies directly from me on her.story@hotmail.co.uk at £6.99 inclusive of P+P if you live in the UK or Republic of Ireland.

The Woollies Have Landed!

Yes, meet our micro-flock of rare breed wethers: two white Borerays, and a brown Soay/Boreray cross. This ‘thrifty’ breed is famously hardy and requires little care – especially castrated males like these – ideal for complete novice shepherds like us, and we don’t plan to get any breeding stock until we’re more experienced. Meanwhile the Woollies now come to Hubcap’s whistle, and follow us round the field. Bold Soboray, the most agile, likes challenging food (eg leaves and bark from Hubcap’s precious apple saplings, nibbled despite their barricades). Bossy Socks is greedy for treats like apple and carrot, and stamps in excitement when he sees them coming; and Sweater’s new nickname is ‘Messy’ because his fleece is so festooned with vegetation. They’re thriving in their new environment, and simply by grazing down the poor Yorkshire Fog grass Hubcap now regrets sowing so widely, and making short work of invasive weeds and brambles, they’re saving us countless hours of mowing and weeding – plus fertilising the site and providing food/habitat for millions of insects and micro-organisms as they go. Beckside feels even more alive and organic now, and we’re delighted with them!

KNAGing Pays Off!

Hubcap and I were thrilled to learn that Wakefeld District Housing, one of the landowners of our proposed Kettlethorpe Community Nature Reserve, has nominated us for the Community Group section of their annual ‘Love Where You Live’ awards. If we scoop the first prize of £200 when results are announced in November, we plan to get another community skip for use by KNAG members and neighbours – but even if we’re not placed at all, the nomination itself is a massive, unexpected honour, and a nice accolade for all the hard work so many members have put into group projects so far.

Although the only actions we’ve taken recently have been clearing up yet more fly-tipping in the woods and beck, we have been meeting regularly with WDH and Council officers to plan future works, including some major woodland management/tree-planting projects over the autumn and winter when all the present lush vegetation has died back. Watch this space for further developments!

KNAG Update: Huge Progress!

Since mid-January, we’ve achieved great things and caused quite a political stir! Thanks to loads of free publicity through our Labour council candidate, Paul Belbin, we got an influx of new members from Wakefield Labour Group and other local residents, swelling our number to 174. (Paul won a much greater percentage of the vote, though sadly not enough to take the seat). Together with Wakefield Litter Heroes, we’ve pressured the Council to observe ‘No Mow May’ and immediately abandon the use of dangerous herbicides on public green space. Our short-lived ‘Beck Bridge Mk 1’ experiment proved a massive hit with locals of all ages, prompting a rapid response from landowners WDH. Although we had to take it down, officers understand why a bridge is needed/wanted, and are for the idea in principle – so we’re now seeking permission to have an approved crossing of some sort installed before too long. However, our carpenter neighbour’s fabulous designer bin (pictured) can remain – another massive hit with locals which has significantly reduced littering in the vicinity. So everything’s coming together for our Kettlethorpe Community Nature Reserve with safe paths and bridges, lovely informative signage, better facilities for users, and a cleaner, greener environment for nature – with full, enthusiastic support from the landowners and local residents. It’s all good!

KNAG: Action for Local Nature

An update on Kettlethorpe Nature Action Group (KNAG): I’m delighted to report that since its inception, the group has grown to more than 100 members, including our local councillor, and a candidate for the forthcoming council elections. We’ve also held a well-supported inaugural event, a Street Spring-Clean, involving a litter-pick and a free street give-away where people could pass down unwanted items (and browse their neighbours’!) in an attempt to reduce rubbish and fly-tipping at source. I was very pleased to give away plants, bookcases and unused board games, among other things, and to acquire a pretty ceramic jug; and KNAG members collected at least 20 sacks of litter from our street and woodland paths, to be promptly removed by Wakefield Council’s excellent Streetscene service. The event resulted in several new group members and orders for Hubcap’s free swift-box initiative, so we were well pleased – and we have much bigger plans in the offing, which I look forward to sharing in due course. Watch this space!

Coming Soon: Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat!

My first foray into writing for children is on track for a summer release. Graced with a cover quote from renowned arts journalist and author Maeve Kennedy, Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat is a whimsical, humorous tale for children aged 8 years and over, and cat-fans of any age. I was delighted with the proof copy which Hubcap is perusing above, and am now awaiting return of the corrected final version before confirming an order for the first print run. Based on the doings of our own feline companion and beautifully illustrated by talented artist Janet Flynn, it’s a cross between Mr Benn and Through the Looking-Glass, with cats – and if you’d like to know more about Henry Wowler or check on the progress of His book, you can follow him on Facebook.

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Autumn Cats Charity Appeal:

Herstory books help Henry’s Haven Cat Rescue

Buy Herstory books to help cats in crisis! From now on I’ll be donating £1/copy of my publications (see www.herstorywriting.com) to the lovely local rescue centre whence came our fabulous ex-feral Foxy, https://www.henryshaven.com/ . My most recent, funny feline fantasy Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat, and the fantastic, equally funny Irreverent Memoir by ice-dance legend Courtney Jones OBE, are both internationally available at best prices from York Bookshop (formerly YPD Books), all other titles available from Amazon UK, via any High Street/independent bookshop. You can also buy signed first editions directly from me at big discounts – email her.story@hotmail.co.uk for details. So if you’ll be Christmas shopping for ice-skating or feline fans, please help me to help needy cats in memory of the late great cat-lover/renowned skating coach Bobby Thompson, Courtney’s partner, and my late beloved, sadly missed Muse Henry Wowler, departed his ninth life on New Year’s Eve 2021 – get both books for only £10 with my Special Book Pack offer, and I’ll donate £2 to Henry’s Haven. Happy holidays, and happy reading!

Golden Bolero: 40th Anniversary

Torvill & Dean’s golden moment in British sporting history

Valentine’s Day 1984: Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean won Olympic Gold in Sarajevo with their interpretation of Ravel’s ‘Bolero.’ I vividly recall watching on TV, though had no idea how many ice-dance norms it defied: a single piece instead of fast-slow-fast segments, CD’s soft blouson to echo JT’s dress instead of formal tailoring, and a technically controversial lift tweaked before the preceding European Championships in an amazing, clandestine, last-minute revision – which meant T&D had taken a great risk that this now-iconic Free Dance would prove too radical for Olympic judges’ taste. I only learnt this when a strange quirk of fate gave me the privilege to edit and publish ‘Around the Ice in Eighty Years,’  the ‘irreverent memoir’ of their old friend, mentor, costume designer and co-creator of ‘Bolero’, Courtney Jones OBE, former unbeaten British, European and World Ice Dance Champion with two successive partners, June Markham and Doreen Denny, then international judge and referee after his retirement from competitive skating in 1961. Herstory’s celebrating the 40^th anniversary of their enduringly famous achievement by releasing an e-version of Courtney’s book to make it more readily available worldwide. Meanwhile you can buy the paperback from York Book Shop (formerly YPD Books). Enjoy!

KNAG: Acting for Local Nature!

From sterile monoculture to thriving wildlife garden!

It’s been quiet on the action front, but plenty has been going on behind the scenes for Kettlethorpe Nature Action Group (KNAG)! In response to people pressure, both major landowners, WDC and WDH, have reduced weed-killing/mowing frequency, left more borders uncut, and sowed some wildflower verges – an absolute boon for insect pollinators/creatures that depend on them all summer. Our biggest joy was WDH’s inspired wildflower planting which, along with the trees we put in 2 winters ago, have transformed a dull stretch of grass into an informal park – glorious winding flowerbeds in full bloom since early summer and changing colour as the season progressed, so beautiful we know many locals who went out of their way to see it. And it’s still alive with insects making the most of the last nectar – we even had crickets there, the first Hubcap’s ever heard in Kettlethorpe. All encouraging developments towards our Community Nature Reserve – long live biodiversity!

Herstory – Back in Action!

Future Cat: Foxy MacFurson makes himself at home!

Apologies for the prolonged stagnancy of this website – the latest I’ve ever posted a New Year update due to a 6 month nightmare of sickness and bereavement as Covid and variants passed round the family. Compounded by loss of internet for 5 weeks and loss of work (when we were fit enough to do some) due to bad weather, when we finally shook off our last post-viral symptoms, we were hopelessly behind with everything. But now I’m back in action I can share one of the brighter notes of a difficult year: the arrival of Foxy, a beautiful socialised former feral sadly bereaved of his first Ooman friend at Christmas. He’ll feature in my forthcoming sequel, Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cats, as Major Foxy ‘Fairytoes’ MacFurson, SAS (Special Animal Services) – meanwhile if you’d like to read the first book about his posthumous stepbrother, it’s available from YPD Books for £6.99, or as a special double pack with Courtney Jones’ Around the Ice in Eighty Years for just £10.00. I’ll be donating £1 per copy of Mirror-Cat to Henry’s Haven, the wonderful local cat rescue service who gave us Foxy – so please buy lots of copies to help needy cats, and tell all your friends to do the same!

Herstory Sale – Both New Releases for £10!

Need an entertaining light read for those long winter nights? Then pick up a copy of my funny illustrated tale for children and cat-fans of all ages, Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat from YPD Books for just £4.99 plus P+P (RRP £6.99)! Even better, buy one of my Special Book Packs and get Mirror-Cat AND Courtney Jones’ brilliant new autobiography, Around the Ice in Eighty Years, for only £10 plus P+P. Hurry while stocks last!

Herstory Mad March Offers!

Beat Brexit and recent price rises with my spring special offers on Herstory new releases! Until 31^st March, readers at home and abroad can grab big discounts on my limited first edition of Around the Ice in Eighty Years: An Irreverent Memoir by an Accidental Champion, the fascinating and funny autobiography by Courtney Jones, OBE.

Available exclusively from YPD Books, just quote the relevant code on your order to receive at least £3.99 off the RRP of £9.99. For readers in:

GB, NI, Irish Republic: UKRI0322

European Union: EUBB0322

Americas, Canada: AMCAN0322

Australia, New Zealand, Japan/Far East: OZFE0322

I’ll be offering similar great deals on Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat in April – watch this space!

Unhappy New Year 2022: RIP, Henry Wowler

If you follow my blog you’ll understand why this post is so late, and so different to my usual positive start to a New Year: I lost two very old and dear friends between May and December ’21, then on the 31^st, my beloved feline Muse, Henry Wowler. Alas, heavy senior males with any history of heart trouble, like Henry, (aged 10 in August), are prone to develop saddle thrombus, a blood clot which presses on the spinal cord causing hind-end paralysis and breathing difficulties. It’s a grave condition with an uncertain prognosis even if immediate surgery can be performed – which wasn’t an option on New Year’s Eve during a pandemic. So we had to let Henry go; and if you’d like to know how we coped with this shocking and traumatic loss, I tell the full story as it happened on my Facebook page and his obituary on my blog. I’m also contributing an article to the summer edition of the Cats Protection magazine, which will be a nice tribute to him and hopefully help other cat-parents suddenly bereaved by this terrible condition. And I’m grateful that he’s still alive and kicking on his own Facebook page and now immortalised in print with the long-awaited publication of Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat.

Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat: Coming Soon!

The proofs are approved, the print run is ordered, and I expect news any day that Henry Wowler & the Mirror-Cat is finally available to buy! So the advance publicity has gone out via Black Swan Book Promotion: mailings have gone out to hundreds of schools, libraries and university bookshops, and it features in the October 21 Signet catalogue distributed to the book trade. Syros Cat Sanctuary in Greece will also be promoting HW&MC, and a percentage of sales will go towards supporting their important work with the island’s street cats. I’ll be selling copies at £5 (RRP £6.99) at the Towton Battlefield Society Christmas meeting on 6^th December, (where I’m also giving a talk on The Story of Christmas) – but if you can’t make that, order your copy direct from ypdbooks.com. I really hope it does well, because I have lots of ideas for a sequel!

New Herstory Publications

Big news: Herstory is publishing ‘Around The Ice in Eighty Years: An Irreverent Memoir by an Accidental Champion’ by our former British, European and World Ice Dance Champion, Courtney Jones! Given publisher backlogs due to Covid, there’s no chance of having it in print by the February ’22 Winter Olympics unless we do it ourselves – so now it’s full steam ahead with the final touches, including pre-launch publicity. On Tuesday 31st August, my recent interview with Canadian skating expert Ryan Stevens will appear on his Skateguard blog, and there’s a podcast in the pipeline for Courtney. It’s all very exciting, and I look forward to posting further details soon!

Also, the latest corrected version of Henry Wowler and the Mirror-Cat has gone off for what I hope will be the final proof copy before the print-run goes ahead. Considering that it’s my shortest book, it’s the one that’s had the most revisions – I can’t believe how many mistakes got through repeated checks – but now I think (fingers crossed) it’s good to go, and I hope it will be ready for Christmas. Watch this space…

Palm Sunday: Remember the Battle of Towton

In the last week of March 1461, Edward IV’s Yorkist army fought their way through bitter weather, and sharp engagements at Ferrybridge and Dintingdale, to face a massive Lancastrian army at Towton. Famously fought in a snowstorm, the battle of Towton was among the biggest ever fought on English soil, and the worst, bloodiest rout of the Wars of the Roses, with no quarter given to the vanquished foe. Since the 1990s, Towton Battlefield Society has marked the anniversary with a special event – this diary piece gives a flavour of one of my earliest events:

You can also read about our memorable snow year in 2013, and the event’s effective demise in 2016 in posts on my blogsite, Helen Rae Rants, and a re-enactment slideshow on my Walks page – enjoy!

New Year, New Website!

Welcome to Herstory Writing & Interpretation’s brand new website! On this page you’ll find regular updates, starting with big thanks for all your encouraging and useful feedback, which helped me make numerous layout improvements – and special thanks to the wonderful WordPress support team for patiently helping me get to grips with the software. This site will be far more interactive than my old ones helencox-herstorywriting.co.uk and lay-of-angor.co.uk, with the recent addition on the Walks page of virtual tours of some favourite sites to tide you over until we can physically go there together. In the coming weeks I’ll also be adding new pages of articles and reviews, and developing the Lay of Angor page until I get round to giving it a new website of its own. Enjoy!

Dark Secrets at Haddon Hall!

Skeletons a-plenty in the closets of Haddon Hall!

A recent away-day to Haddon Hall gave me much food for thought. Knowing nothing of its history prior to our visit, I was fascinated by this architectural gem in its stunningly picturesque setting, lovingly restored to Tudor glory by John Manners, 9th Duke of Rutland (the connection with the original Vernons of Haddon came in 1563, when heiress Dorothy Vernon married Sir John Manners, son of the 1st Earl of Rutland). As well as the ‘mystery’ Tudor panel portraits I try to identify in my latest blog, I was particularly struck by the Chapel with its amazing secco (dry plaster) wall-paintings, and the painfully moving replica tomb of Robert, Lord Haddon, who died suddenly in 1895, aged nine – a death which had dire consequences for his younger brother John, who became 9th Duke in his stead. If you’d like to know more about this shocking story of family tragedy, intrigue and skulduggery at the highest levels of Victorian/ Edwardian society, do read Catherine Bailey’s excellent book The Secret Rooms – then do visit Haddon Hall to stick a satisfying two fingers up at the 8th Duke and Duchess, who were the parents from hell to poor John and his sisters!

Yearlings to Shearlings!

Freshly shorn: L – R, Bob, Scarf & veteran 6-year-old Socks

Our Boreray lambs Scarf and Bobble, (or Bobbin, either way he’s always called Bob for short), had their first birthday in April and their first shearing a few weeks ago when the weather got hot. Sadly, I didn’t dare do them myself, having put my back out so badly last time; but helped by mate Martin, Hubcap did a grand job and all three look very smart now. The lambs have also found their voices after saying very little for the first year, and like the late Soboray, now shout at us when we appear, chivvying for more better treats, then beg us not to go – sweet, but also somewhat embarrassing when they kick off on weekend mornings, not caring whether they disturb the neighbours! But they’ve certainly brought the joy back to Beckside and thus far, still get on well with surrogate dad Socks – though we’re braced for some teenage tantrums and more argy-bargy as time goes on…

Welcome, Woollies Scarf & Bobble!

New boys for Beckside: twin brother Boreray wethers

Our sorrow at losing Sweater was lightened at the weekend by the joy of receiving this bonny pair of April-born twins from Dan and Heather Procter’s award-winning flock at Marlfield Farm. Born to a gingery dam, one has such a pronounced red collar I dubbed him Scarf (standing, piebald face). The other looks very like Sweater, chubby and round; I call him Bobble. (Hubcap prefers Bobbin, but it doesn’t matter because either way, he’ll get called Bob for short). To my delight and relief, on catching sight of each other, they and Socks rushed to meet and greet through the fence; so we let them in together and they bonded straight away. Socks seemed rather tense and officious at first – as well he might, on being thrust suddenly into foster-fatherhood – chivvying them away from choice plants and, we soon realised, keeping them well away from us, literally herding them like a sheepdog and interposing his body between us and them; it was amazing and touching to see how his protective instinct kicked in, though he hasn’t seen/been around lambs for three years, and they’re happy to accept him in lieu of their mum. But after only three days everyone’s chilling down nicely, the lambs are exploring their new world – and eating their little heads off, which we hope means they’re as happy as can be.

Barrier to Anti-Social Behaviour!

Wakefield District Housing response to our to KNAGing!

In KNAG’s early days, one of the main threats we identified to local residents, animal and human, was unauthorised vehicle access to the lovely stretch of land slowly turning into a Community Nature Reserve. Lack of adequate barriers at access points led to perennial problems with fly-tipping, as people could drive into the land and empty a car-load discreetly, and the dangerous nuisance of youths racing round on trial bikes and quads, chewing up the paths and grassed areas. Solving the problem was less simple than it might sound, given the need to preserve access for legitimate users (including vehicle access to ‘our’ ginnel, for electric company vehicles to reach the sub-station behind the bottom of next-door’s garden). However, after several site meetings to discuss options, the Council’s housing partner, Wakefield District Housing, is coming up trumps! This new gate prevents cars continuing to drive to a favourite dumping ground, and though it doesn’t stop motorbikes, it inconveniences riders if people remember to shut it behind them! And even when it’s open, it’s quite a formidable psychological deterrent, so I’ll be very interested to see what effect it has on littering and other misuse of the immediate environs. Whatever, I’m grateful to have it – another great example of local authorities listening to, and working with, local communities.

Adopting a Cat? Consider a Fabulous Feral!

Feral doesn’t mean uncivilised when it comes to felines!

Having never met a socialised ex-feral before, I was prepared for all kinds of wild, anti-social behaviour when we adopted Foxy from Henry’s Haven in March – so it came as a huge surprise to find that friendly ferals have beautiful natural manners, learned from their mums/practised in wild colonies. Unlike his adored but aggressive and abusive predecessor Henry Wowler and other domestically-reared kittens, Fox has his own etiquette: respects the big animals, doesn’t hassle us at night, or scratch things/poop where he shouldn’t, or presume to walk across us to reach his favourite sleep-spot on the back of the couch without an apologetic air. He even asks permission to eat, sitting by his place-mat in his fluffy tux – being hand-fed treats is one of his greatest joys – initiates and replies to conversation, (not terribly intelligible, but making the effort), and in lieu of killing small creatures, plays as sweetly and enthusiastically as a kitten. Yes – chilled, independent yet friendly, I’d recommend an ex-feral to anyone looking for an ideal feline companion. Foxy’s among the most fascinating, cleverest cat-characters I’ve ever met – and definitely the politest!

Amazing Ammonites – a Hidden Treasure

A surprise find: Greener Living Space on George Street

One of the things I most enjoy about Wakefield’s compact city centre is the hotch-potch of fine civic architecture of all periods; and taking a rare walk down George Street last weekend, I stopped for a proper look at the buildings in the header photo. The almshouses were endowed in 1838 by local GP Dr Caleb Crowther (buried behind the row) for 12 nonconformist almsmen, while Monarch House next door was built in the 1890s for the wine and spirit merchants Cawtheray, Ramsden & Co, whose initials appear in the frieze. Then a little further down the road I stumbled on this wonderful fossil and cast in a little ‘Greener Living Space’ garden created with support from Marks & Spencer’s carrier bag charging scheme. I must’ve driven past countless times without ever realising it was there – which has made me resolve to do a full walking tour of the city centre someday, and record more of Wakefield’s hidden treasures.

KNAG – Back in Action Too!

Community Clean-up: making our woods pathway safe

Apart from members’ individual efforts, Kettlethorpe Nature Action Group has been largely inactive for a long while – until recently! Last month we were pleased to tour Wakefield Council’s nature projects with Deputy Leader Jack Hemingway, and our new Labour ward councillor (hurrah!), Katrina Law. We were pleased to find both wildlife ponds working as they should, one overgrown with shady vegetation and still holding water despite weeks of drought, the other reduced to mud – a valuable nest-building resource for many insects, and birds like house-martins; and the hardiest saplings from the White Rose Forest plantings KNAG helped with are surviving despite vandalism, accidental mowing and challenging weather conditions. Then on 7th July, Hubcap and I took part in the WDH On Your Street event/litter-pick, resulting in a meeting next month to try and resolve the perennial problems of fly-tipping/other anti-social behaviour in the nature reserve area; and yesterday, we and friend Martin set about clearing an overgrown stretch of woods path made practically impassable by giant brambles, nettles and hogweed. It feels great to be actively KNAGing again, and we look forward to more projects with our landowner partners in months to come!

Late Flies Strike Soboray

An unexpected ordeal for our sociable sheep

Shortly after penning my blog A Celebration of Sheeple to mark the first anniversary of acquiring our wonderful Woollies, we had to call the vet in for the first time… despite twice-daily inspections and regular application of organic repellent/ fly-strike treatment, the density of Soboray’s under-fleece meant that some eggs went undetected until they hatched – and to our horror, within 24 hours he was crawling with big writing clots. And despite twice-daily catching him, going through his fleece, treating infestations and pulling handfuls of maggots off him, we couldn’t beat them and had to resort to a drop-on insecticide. That did the trick straight away and now he’s back to normal and, thank God, unscathed – we got on top of it in the nick of time before they punctured his skin and began eating into him. But this is clearly something to watch out for in years to come – fly activity should have stopped by September/October due to frosts, but the mild autumn meant that they were still active and a constant threat to our Black Prince.

Around the Ice – on Sale on Ice!

Great news for ice skating fans! The cracking new autobiography by former British, European and World ice-dance champion and fashion legend Courtney Jones OBE is now on sale at British Ice Skating events at the special price of £7.99 (with £2 per copy going to support BIS). An advance copy attracted lots of interest at a recent private coaches’ event – which I hope was reflected in lots of sales when ‘Around the Ice in Eighty Years: an Irreverent Memoir by an Accidental Champion’ was launched in the September Championship Qualifiers event in Sheffield last weekend! Remember to snag you copy if you attend any BIS skating events in the run-up to Christmas!

Henry Wowler, Time Traveller!

A chilly, dull Saturday 18th June was brightened for me by the unexpected honour of having a half-dozen Herstory books, plus a short piece of writing and ‘biographette’ lowered into the well at Sandal Castle inside Wakefield’s Platinum Jubilee Time Capsule, due to be raised and opened in 2072. Let’s hope it survives better than the Blue Peter capsule! The blue plaque on the nearby wall was unveiled by the Bishop of Wakefield, Tony Robinson, and it was quite a poignant occasion for me and Hubcap; as well as the excitement of being a contributor, it was our chance to bid farewell to our friend, well-known local author, former Chair and staunch Friend of Sandal Castle, Dr Keith Souter (on the right in the picture above). Keith was making his last public appearance in Wakefield before setting off for a new home in Stratford-on-Avon, and will be sadly missed. But at least he could bow out on this high note – and I’ll always be grateful to him for inviting me to contribute to the Capsule. I wonder if our great-nieces will go to the raising event? They’ll be in their fifties by then… what a strange thought!

KNAGing Pays Off for Pond-Life!

Over the past year, our estate has become a much friendlier place for pond-life, thanks to numerous KNAG members creating or enlarging water features in their gardens, and Wakefield Council’s recent addition of two splendid new wildlife ponds at the unused, muddy end of a playing field near Kettlethorpe Lake. This will be a great boost for amphibians, aquatic insects, and those which lay eggs in water like dragonflies and mayflies – not to mention all the creatures which predate them. Our own pond at Beckside is making a significant contribution with a fine crop of tadpoles and other critters, despite being unfinished/as yet unlined; and we hope a proportion will survive and migrate along the beck corridor to the new ponds nearby. And judging from the number of larvae which lived through the winter, we’re expecting the site to be alive with dragonflies this summer!

Nature News from KNAG

2022 has got off to a flying start as far as our local nature’s concerned! In January, enthusiastic teams of KNAG members and friends turned out in some horrible weather to plant trees for the new White Rose Forest, an initiative to combat climate change by planting some 100,000 trees across Yorkshire. We were very proud that Wakefield Council and Wakefield District Housing chose a zone each, at either end of our proposed Community Nature Reserve, to receive more than 1000 mixed native trees – and that so many locals young and old came to help plant them. We also had great support for our February event, a big spring-clean to get rid of litter and fly-tipping in the woods and beck, which has made it much safer and cleaner for people, pets and wildlife alike. Roll on the next project!

Rocky Road to Riveaulx

To make up for our abbreviated anniversary weekend, Hubcap and I finally did something we’ve long planned but never got round to: the 2.5 mile walk from Helmsley to Rievaulx Abbey.

The footpath from town takes in part of the Cleveland Way, a stiff hike up and down rough trackways and steep gradients. Overdressed for the surprisingly mild day, we were soon puffing and stripping off layers, and I regretted I’d left my walking stick at home. To spare ourselves for the return journey, we opted not to look round the site (we plan to do that another time), and instead stoked up with drinks and bars of chocolate from the café; and as I couldn’t face a second trip down and up the rough stone steps of a precipitous gorge without my stick, we took the longer (3 mile) route back by road. As I’d hoped, once we’d made the hairy climb up the narrow, winding lane from Riveaulx, (luckily there was very little traffic), the rest of the way along the main road was safe and relatively easy going thanks to the broad grass verges – and unlike the densely wooded footpath, offered spectacular views. So we got the best of both worlds – a nature walk and a scenic walk – not to mention a strenuous cardio-vascular workout. Highly recommended if you’re fit enough!

Battling on: TBS Back in Action

After such a long dry spell without meetings, it was great to catch up with old friends on a fine sunny evening in July. TBS Chair Chris Berendt and his wife Jo entertained around 30 members with a barbeque, kindly hosted by Laura Charles in the Crooked Billet’s lovely new outdoor covered dining area. The Society’s programme of guided battlefield walks is now up and running again, public lectures resume at Saxton Village Hall on the first Monday in the month, starting 6^th September, and I’m due to give my ‘Story of Christmas’ talk there in December – see the TBS website for further details. (Pre-pandemic, I was scheduled to speak on the Black Death, but we felt that might be a bit too grim and depressing for the festive season!). It almost felt as if the past 18 months had never happened as we all chatted away, although naturally coping with Covid was a big topic of conversation – but it felt very good to be back in company again, and we’re looking forward to being more actively involved with the Society in the coming months.

Accidental Editor for ‘Champion by Mistake’!

As a child fan of ice dancing on TV, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that fifty-odd years later, I’d be editing the autobiography of one of the all-time-great British champions, the unique, multi-talented Courtney Jones (former British, European and World Ice Dance Champion, eminent skating judge and coach, and responsible for Torvill and Dean’s famous Bolero routine and iconic costumes, among many other notable achievements). Then a friend of a friend put us in touch after Courtney wrote his memoir, with no idea how to get it published. To cut a long story short, I knew precisely how to go about it, and volunteered to help. I’ve drafted 10,000 words in a week, adding titbits of research and extra details kindly supplied by Elaine Hooper, official historian of British Ice Skating, and straight from the horse’s mouth – an incredible privilege, and tremendous fun. By far the most important editorial project Herstory has ever undertaken, the story of Courtney’s meteoric (and completely accidental) rise to global skating stardom is pure gold, studded with gems of anecdotes ranging from the touching, (a 4-year-old Courtney skating off clutching his teddy to the strains of ‘Blaze Away’), to the hilarious, (going to Harrods to buy a pair of socks and coming out with a gay Siamese kitten). I feel truly honoured to tell it, and will be amazed if a major publisher doesn’t snap it up straight away – hopefully to be in print in time to catch the Christmas market. Watch this space!

From Wakefield to Towton

560 years ago, Edward, Earl of March, was proclaimed King of England in London – the Yorkist rival to the Lancastrian Henry VI. This unique situation occurred after an unprecedented campaign fought by the 18-year-old Earl after the deaths of his father Richard, Duke of York, and younger brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland, at Wakefield in December 1460. The story of his campaign, encompassing Yorkist triumph at Mortimer’s Cross, disaster at St Albans, and eventual decisive victory at Towton on Palm Sunday is told in my book co-authored with Alan Stringer, Walk Towton 1461 – and you can see more of the images Alan and I collected on our research trip in the slide-show just added to the Walks page. I also plan to mark the 560th anniversary of Towton with a feature on memorial events held by Towton Battlefield Society – watch this space!

Nature Conservation in Action

I’ve always been interested in conservation in the widest sense: of museum objects, collections and buildings, of energy and the environment, and of the natural world. So now that Hubcap and I are easing down into semi-retirement, we found the time to set up a private group, KNAG, (Kettlethorpe Nature Action Group), and its companion public page, Kettlethorpe Nature Group, aimed at encouraging local people to care for the flora and fauna on our amazingly rich and diverse estate. It clearly struck a nerve, because we already have 90 group members and 70 page followers in just a couple of weeks – and extremely heartening for us to discover that far from being lone eco-freaks, we’re surrounded by kindred spirits doing their bits for nature, and keen to do more. Check us out for some great wildlife-gardening tips!