Legends, tall stories and old myths are in demand for a special project aimed at entertaining visitors to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Whether it’s a different version of the mystery of Bartle, who’s effigy gets burnt every year as part of the West Witton Feast, or the terrifying Barguest, the saucer-eyed wolf creature that lived in Trollers Gill, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) would like to hear from anyone who has a tale to tell – something that makes their village or dale different from the others.

The project will make a collection of the stories, myths and legends available to businesses in and around the National Park

The stories will be used by local artist Ian Scott Massie as part of an exhibition of paintings, prints, poetry and stories about places in the Dales.

The exhibition will be staged in July next year (2013) in a disused church in Wensleydale.

Distinctly Dales

The Distinctly Dales project is working with local people and businesses in the National Park and in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB)) to identify and develop the special qualities of their communities and show how they can attract visitors and tempt them to stay longer – so boosting the local economies.

Stuart Parsons, the YDNPA’s Member Champion for Promoting Understanding, said: “The project hopes to use local stories to bring the Dales to life in the minds of visitors with the ultimate aim of encouraging them to explore the tales and the immediate locality of their bed and breakfast, campsite or hotel further – keeping them in the National Park for longer.

“The project will make a collection of the stories, myths and legends available to businesses in and around the National Park and the AONB so communities can really get involved in drawing in a sustainable group of visitors to explore their local village or surrounding dale.”

Local marketing consultant Susan Briggs from the Tourism Network has been commissioned to help with the Distinctly Dales Project.

Anyone who would like to feed into the growing collection of myths, legends and anecdotes we have found can visit the YDNPA website’s sustainable tourism pages and look up Distinctly Dales, where you will be able to send us your tales.

More details of Ian Scott Massie’s exhibition are available at http://www.ianscottmassie.com/blog.html.

Carlisle Cathedral boasts a peal of 12 bells, but it hasn’t always been this way.

When the diocese of Carlisle was founded in 1133, the Augustinian Priory Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity became a Cathedral.

The bell tower of Carlisle Cathedral

Mentions in the “Lanercost Chronicler” state that there were bells in the Cathedral in 1292 but in the late 1300′s it seems the central spire blew down following a storm, damaging the tower and north transept.  It is thought that the original bells would have been destroyed at this time.

A new tower was built when William de Strickland was Bishop, between 1400 – 1419 and in it, placed ‘four great bells’.  One of these was cast around 1401 to the tune of ‘g’ and still exists as the ‘Passing Bell’.  It bears the inscription;

+IHC+IN:VOCE:SUM:MUNDA:MARIA:SONANDO:SECUNDA which translates as;  ‘I, Maria, with pure accents ring, second in the chiming ring’.

These four bells are considered to have survived the English Reformation as they are mentioned in the 1552 inventory.

In 1608 a fifth ‘b’ was, cast by George Lees and Edmund Wright, with the inscription; ‘ Jesus be our speed George Lees Edmund Wright Bel Founders Will Orbel LM 1608′.

Improvements

During the Commonwealth period of 1649 – 1660, improvements were made to the belfry, bell wheels repaired and the ring augmented.  It is thought that the other three bells from the early 1400′s may have been used in the casting of four new bells and writings in Architectural Illustrations, History and Description of Carlisle Cathedral By Robert William Billings in 1830 describe the bells as follows;

Carlisle Cathedral's 1658 bell awaiting tower repairs in 1803

• The first bell note f shewn in the longitudinal section is inscribed in capitals as follows ‘I warne you how your time doth pass away serve God therefore whil life doth last and sayglorie inaxcelsis Deo anno Domini 1657 John and William Langshaw workmen’.   The hammer of the clock strikes on the rim of this bell
• The second ‘g’ Bishop Strickland’s bell has the following in richly ornamented Lombardic capitals In voce sum munda maria sonando secunda NPC and underneath the initials J B
• The third, a sharp, was cracked while ringing during the rejoicings for peace after the battle of Waterloo and was removed to the back of the altar when the belfry was re timbered.  It has the following passage on its rim ‘This ringe was made six tuneable bells at the charge of the Lord Howard and other gentree of the county and citie and officers of the garrisson by the advice of Majer Jeremiah Tolhurst governor of the garrisson 1658′.
• The fourth ‘b’ is inscribed as follows ‘Jesus be our speed George Lees Edmund Wright Bel Founders Will Orbel LM 1608′.
• The fifth ‘c’ has on it ‘Geor Fleming DD Decanus Gloria in Altissi mis Deo 1728′.
• The sixth bell ‘d’ has not any sentence on it but is simply inscribed with the initials WJL and the date 1659

Bonnie Prince Charlie

By the time of the Restoration, Carlisle Cathedral had ‘six tuneable bells’ and a system of chiming was also installed.

One of the features of ringing at this time was the Sermon Bell, rung to call Dissenters to listen to the sermon.

The second bell was found to be cracked in 1728 and this was recast by Edward Sellar of York.

This ring of six bells would have sounded to welcome Bonnie Prince Charlie when he entered Carlisle in 1745, following the capture of the city by the Jacobites.

The  Duke of Cumberland’s forces took the Castle and Carlisle city only three weeks later in December, demanding surrender of the Cathedral bells.  However, his demands were not met and as a result, it is said that he banned the ringing of the bells as a complete peal for 100 years.

In 1747 a new chiming apparatus was installed and played the tune ‘St. David’s’ each day at 8.00am, noon and 4pm.

Neglected

Some of the bells were ‘clocked’ for services, but the tower became unsafe and the bells and belfry were left neglected for almost 100 years, until the mid 19th century.  A note in Architectural Illustrations, History and Description of Carlisle Cathedral by Robert William Billings, states;

‘…from the supposition that the ringing of the bells shook the tower it was resolved not to ring them any more.  Small cords were then attached to the tongues over pulleys and conveyed through the groining to the floor of the tower and one person can now comfortably make the whole give a faint sound’.

In 1845, the 4th bell, which dated from 1659 was found to be cracked and was recast by C & G Mears. Several years later in the 1850′s, Dean Tait appealed for money to restore the bells, but nothing further was done.

It appears that the bells remained in this condition until the early 1900′s, as records indicate that Queen Victoria wrote to ask if the Duke of Cumberland’s ban has been the reason why the bells had not been rung for her Diamond Jubliee in 1897, and a later report in 1915 describes three of the bells with no wheels or ropes and the other three being ‘clocked’ only.

Restoration

Writings by The Rev. H Whitehead in the 1880′s relates the history of the bells and suggests that there should be a ring of eight in the tower, adding that ‘there is ample room for a dozen or more’.

The Very Rev. Hastings Rashdall, Dean of Carlisle from 1917 to 1924 showed a keen interest in restoring the bells and when he died his widow offered to have them rehung and two new trebles added in his memory.

In 1925, Whitechapel foundry refitted and tuned the existing bells and added two new bells to complete the octave.  New chiming apparatus was put in place, programmed to sound the opening changes of Grandsire Triples.

Since 1925, the bells have been rung regularly on the anniversary of Dean Rashdall’s birth, the 24th June.

Millennium

Eight bells being cast by five different founders and dating between the 15th and 20th century, resulted in poor tonal quality, so much so that they earned the doubtful reputation of being the ‘worst Cathedral bells in England’.

Plans to improve the situation came to fruition with a Millennium grant, which combined with a legacy and other funds, allowed the bells to be taken to Taylor’s Bell foundry in Loughborough in the spring of 1999.

The five oldest bells, now being ‘listed’, returned to the tower to be hung dead for use as chiming and clock bells;

• Clock bell (ex Tenor) 1657
• Passing bell (Maria) 1401
• Chiming bells (ex 3, 4 & 5) 1659, 1728 & 1608

Ten new bells were named after northern saints, baptised on the 1st August 1999 by the Very Reverend Graeme Knowles, Dean of Carlisle.

The following week, the bells were raised to the belfry and on the 3rd October 1999, the new ring was dedicated by the Right Reverend Ian Harland, Bishop of Carlisle.

Two treble bells were added in November 2000 and a sharp second bell joined this ring in July 2005.

Carlisle Cathedral now has a ring of twelve bells (thirteen including the sharp second), with a peal tuned to the key of E flat. The dedicated band of ringers now believe that Carlisle Cathedral has the best bells in the country!

Further information

Carlisle Cathedral – Official website
Ailred’s first song - BBC feature with pictures of Carlisle Cathedral’s latest bell installed in 2005
Carlisle Diocesan Guild of Church bell Ringers
CCCBR - Central Council for Church bell Ringers
John Taylor & Co – Bellfounders, bellhangers and carillion builders of Loughborough

From great works of art by Gainsborough to the ordinary cotton underpants of a Midlands grocer, details of over 700,000 objects in the care of the National Trust go online.

Laudanum bottle at Castle Ward, County Down . Pic NT

The website includes details of collections in storage, items that are too fragile to display, or on loan to other museums, making it one of the largest online resources for historic collections in the world.

The National Trust cares for some of the UK’s greatest works of art as well as the personal collections of many famous former owners such as Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling, Beatrix Potter and George Bernard Shaw.

There are artistic treasures from stately houses but also thousands of everyday items from modest homes, mills, cottages and workplaces. All the paraphernalia of life – with many quirky, unusual, retro and bizarre objects – come together to form ‘time capsules’ of life across the centuries.

Some of the fascinating objects now viewable online are:

• Laudanum bottle at Castle Ward
• Costume decorated with beetle wings for actress Ellen Terry at Smallhythe Place
• Sewing machine used at the tailor’s shop from the 1970s at the Back to Backs
• Brueghel the Younger’s masterpiece ‘The Procession to Calvary’ at Nostell Priory
• Early anti-ageing ‘Rejuvenating’ machine at Overbeck’s
• Lavishly furnished Georgian dolls’ house at Uppark
• Photograph from 1912 of the family’s servants at Erddig
• Bible reputed to have been used at the execution of King Charles I at Chastleton House
• Pair of Aertex underpants at Mr Straw’s House
• French 18th century painted sedan chair at Snowshill

The National Trust Collections website is drawn from the Trust’s national inventory – it has taken nearly fifteen years and the work of hundreds of Trust staff, volunteers and contractors to research, catalogue and photograph the collections and develop the database – and work is on-going.

Sarah Staniforth, National Trust Museums and Collections Director, said: “This is such an exciting moment and yet another step forward in bringing our places to life.

“We are now able to share our collections with everyone online –- and offer a fantastic resource for learning more about them.”

National Trust Collections online homepage - Pic NT

Philip Claris, National Trust Head of Collections Management, said: “This has been an incredible project for everyone involved but whilst the majority of the Trust’s collections are now online, work is on-going.

“For instance we are still adding books from the many thousands in our libraries, items from more recently-acquired properties and objects on loan to us.

“People will be able to see changes to the website daily as more is added.

“We estimate that by the time it has all been included we will have around one million objects online.”

Positioned high above the bustling crowds in Newcastle upon Tyne are colourful space invader mosaics which often go unnoticed by visitors or locals.

High on a wall is this yellow and red Space Invader

Installed in 2006, by  a French artist simply known as ‘Invader‘, the art installation is part of a worldwide series of over 30 works based upon the late 1970s computer game.

The most recent invasion was in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Other locations include Paris, New York and Mombassa.

Newcastle Space Invaders

Five space invader mosaics are listed on the Space Invaders official website for Newcastle

• Eldon Lane in the centre of the city.
• Located in the center of the city, on the central bus station pillar, Pilgrim Street
• A Space Invader on a Union Flag – On Pink Lane
• Bright yellow tiles with a black outline feature on a bridge support
• On a stone bridge pillar  - Dean St and Side

However a number of others seem to have appeared since the first invasion according to a number of other websites.

• High Bridge, Newcastle – next to the old entrance to Waygood Gallery. 
• Above the newsagent on the corner of Pudding Chare, off the Bigg Market, Newcastle.
• Northumberland Street, Newcastle.
• The steps walking up to The Sage Gateshead from Baltic Square.
• Next to Waterstone’s, near Grey’s Monument, Newcastle.
• Above Heartbreak Soup on the Newcastle Quayside
• In The Baltic, Gateshead, on the side of the stairs.On the corner of Pink Lane and Westgate Road opposite Cross Street.
• Next to the Quayside below the railings on the side of the Baltic Flour Mill.
• Stowell Street in China Town – link

Confusion on the streets
It seems as if some confusion exists as to where all of the space invaders are in Newcastle.  Have any been lost to history?

Some websites indicate that possibly mosaics were installed as part of an Urban Art exhibition and others that ‘Invader’ came back to the city to finish off his work.

Can you help.  Let us know via the comments area below or via the contact us form .

Jack-o’-lanterns are traditionally carved from Rutabaga (swede) or pumpkin and are often associated with Halloween.

The tradition of lantern carving is thought to originate in Britain, being carved from swede, turnip, mangelwurzel or commonly in Scotland, thick cabbage stalks (kail-runt torches).

The term Jack-O’-Lantern means man with lantern and became a colloquial term for a night watchman.

There are a number of versions of how the Jack O’ Lantern got it’s name, but the two most popular are after the phenomenon of strange flickering lights which appear over peat bogs, called Ignis Fatuus, Will-o’-the-wisp or in Newfoundland Jacky Lantern or Jack the lantern.

The other story originates from Ireland and a rather unsavoury character called Stingy Jack who tricked the devil into never taking his soul.

When Jack died, he could not go to heaven or to hell and was left in the dark to roam.  When he asked the devil how could he see were to go, the devil tossed him an everlasting burning ember from the flames of hell.  Jack carved out a swede and placed the ember inside.  He was doomed to wander the earth searching for a resting place.  He became know as Jack of the lantern.

Link with Halloween

All Hallows’ Eve as we know it, on the 31st October has it’s history firmly rooted in Pagan belief.  The festival of Samhain (pronounced Sow-inn) celebrates the end of the Pagan summer, it’s harvest and the start of a new year.

Thought to be the time when the veil between the worlds of the dead and living is at it’s thinnest when spirits can come and go freely.  However not all spirits are considered good.  The festival starts at sunset on 31st October, large fires are lit and food and drink placed outside doorways to appease the roaming spirits who might play tricks on the family and ruin crops.

Turnip to Pumpkin

British immigrants to America in the 1800′s found the local pumpkin a good replacement for the turnip or Rutabaga (swede).  Easily available at harvest time, the pumpkin had long played it’s part in American harvest thanksgiving festivities but the British found it larger and much easier to carve.

In America, Halloween is now celebrated to a greater degree than in the UK.

Carving a Jack O’ Lantern

Regardless of the type of  vegetable used, the top is removed and the centre hollowed out.  A scary, comical face or other design is carved into the shell through which a light placed inside can shine.

How to carve a Jack O’ Lantern

Carving a pumpkin lantern or Jack-o-lantern is a tradition at Halloween, designed to scare away spirits, ghosts and ghouls.

We have created a gallery below detailing step by step how to carve your Halloween pumpkin.

You will need; A pumpkin, small sharp knife, large spoon, a couple of bowls, a tea light candle, lighter, pencil or pen, a piece of string about 40cm long (if you want to carry the lantern around).

• 1.Draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin, large enough to get your hand in.
• 2. Cut this out making sure you angle the knife inward at an angle.  This stops the pumpkin lid falling through.  Cut away the seeds and some of the flesh and leave to one side.
• 3. Scoop out the seeds and stringy centre.  You can keep these to make roast pumpkin seeds.
• 4. Now scoop out about half of the firmer flesh.  To make your lantern “glow” remove enough flesh to allow you to just see torchlight from the outside.
• 5. Draw your scary face or other halloween design on the outside of the pumpkin.
• 6. To use a pre printed stencil, place the design on the outside of the pumpkin and “prick” through the design to transfer it to the pumpkin.
• 7. Carefully cut out around your chosen design.  Take extra care near areas which are easy to break off such as the teeth.
• 8. Push the cut out from the back to remove and scrape around the edges to neaten the design and remove any drawing lines.
• 9. If you want to carry your lantern – make a couple of holes about 5 cms down each side (do not make any higher or the pumpkin could split and fall off the string). Tie through a piece of string about 40cm long to form a handle.
• 10. Place the tea light in the bottom and light using a lighter.  DO NOT try to place a lit candle through the hole! (Never leave a lit candle unattended).
• 11. Put the lid back on and your pumpkin lantern is ready.

More information

History of the Jack O’ Lantern

Pumpkin carving 101 – Virtually everything you need to know to carve a pumpkin.

Ray Villafane - Pumpkin carving taken to a whole new level and his tutorials will show you how.

Footnote.com has a database of over 70 million digitised historical images.

Millions of unique documents online

Footnote helps you find and share historic documents. Bringing you many never-before-seen historic documents through unique partnerships with The National Archives, the Library of Congress and other institutions.

Patented digitization processes help to bring other collections to life on the web everyday.

But Footnote is more than just a dusty, digital archive online.

They provide you the tools to share your historical passions and connect with others.
Footnote is perfect for;

• History Buffs
• Genealogists
• Researchers
• Family Historians
• Military Historians
• Teachers
• Institutions

History

The concept for Footnote.com is rooted in the company’s years of experience in the digitization business as iArchives, Inc. Starting in 1999, iArchives digitized historical newspapers and other archive content for leading universities, libraries and media companies across the United States.

From the beginning, the iArchives team developed a unique understanding of the value of creating an online repository for the world’s original source documents.

Leveraging the proprietary systems and patented processes built for the digitization of paper, microfilm and microfiche collections, the management team made a strategic decision: Use the iArchives platform to provide access to these historically significant and valuable collections.

In January of 2007 Footnote.com went live with over 5 million documents already featured on the site. Today, they continue to grow and bring to life history that was once hidden.

Ancestry acquisition

In 2010 was acquired by Ancestry.com and like Ancestry, the Footnote website is user driven, with thousands of people uploading adding to data daily.

US genealogy

For those with a particular interest in US genealogical research, Footnote provides data on the Civil War, Vietnam, and US Census collections.

The “Black History” section documents how African Americans have played an integral part in the development and achievement of the U.S, revealing a side of the African American story that few have seen before. View more than a million photos and documents found nowhere else on the internet.

Historical Era

One of the features that we particularly like about the Footnote site, is the ability to search via historical era; from the Revolution years of 1700s – 1815, the creation of a new nation between 1815 – 1860, the boom and bust years of the 1920′s and 1930′s and so on until the 20th century.

More information

Footnote.com – Over 72 million documents online. A fantastic resource for genealogists and historians everywhere.

Ancestry.com - Aquisition of Footnote.com press release.

The local heritage of a Northumbrian village can now be told, following the opening of a micro-museum.

Contained within a restored Victorian railway station near Haydon Bridge, Northumberland the new museum will use local knowledge to tell the story of an industrial past.

The North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Partnership, contributed £1000 towards the project.

The Garden Station now features a micro-museum Pic Mike Winstanley

The micro-museum, also known as the history room, shares the story of Langley’s industrial past.

Mike Winstanley, owner of the Garden Station, said: “Visitors always ask me lots of questions about the Hexham to Allendale Railway, the Langley Smelt Mill, flue and chimney and other local heritage. Creating the history room has allowed me to share this local information and provide a tribute to the industrial workers of Langley.”

The Garden Station is a restored wooden Victorian railway station with café, gardens and woodland walks in Langley near Haydon Bridge in the north of the AONB.

Mr Winstanley is a former teacher turned restaurateur. He bought the business in March 2008.

Mr. Winstanley would love to hear from anyone with photos, stories and items relating to Langley’s past. He said: “This is a work in progress and a group effort. We know there are more remarkable tales out there and we want to help people share them.”

Grants available

Simon Wilson, Project Development Officer with the North Pennines AONB Partnership said: “The micro-museum’s aims compliment the AONB Partnership’s; to help people discover, enjoy and understand the local landscape and its natural and cultural features.”

The AONB Partnership invites people to come forward with innovative project ideas based within or benefiting the North Pennines AONB. If they support the environmental, social and economic prosperity of the area they could be eligible for funding of between £300 and £1,000.

For more information about the AONB Partnership’s grants scheme contact the Staff Unit on 01388 528801 (info@northpenninesaonb.org.uk) or visit www.northpennines.org.uk

The lands on the border of Scotland and England are probably more famous for being the northern most outpost of the Roman Empire, with Hadrian’s Wall attracting archaeologists and visitors alike.

However, apart from the Roman visitors, the area has it’s own rich and colourful history, being the pawn of the monarchs for hundreds of years.

Border Reiver

Mention the term Border Reiver, and most people will conjure up images of bands of brigands and ruffians who stole and murdered with almost daily regularity.

In fact many writings about the Border Reivers also tell of a lawless society, uncontrollable by monarchs on either side of the border. These are often just lists of dates and notorious deeds.

Hermitage Castle, Guardian of Liddesdale

Whilst most of this is true, one needs to understand the often inhospitable region, the feuds between the crowns and the demands of warrior kings, to begin to have any comprehension of the border people and their way of life.

People living in the borders were indeed victims of circumstance, with their lands and possessions regularly destroyed during clashes between the crowns and the clan warrior kings in the region, who demanded loyalty above that of the monarchy.

Survival

It became near pointless to own anything, as it would only be destroyed or taken away, so the people adopted the “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach and created their own set of rules and a tough way of life.  Being in the borders for over 300 years was not living it was merely survival.

Many people have written with varying degrees of accuracy about the Border Reivers and the story of Kinmont Willie, probably the most well known by Sir Walter Scott.

Buy Deadlock and Deliverance from our Amazon Bookstore

Deadlock and Deliverance

Tom Moss has taken a new approach by writing the story combining fact and fiction under the same cover; Deadlock and Deliverance.

Years of gathering factual information and visiting sites, is instantly obvious as soon as one starts to read the book.

Tom said:

“The impulse to write the book came from my love of the history of the English, Scottish border and, in particular the Border Reivers and the frustration I had felt over the years in reading the same account, albeit from different authors, of the Kinmont affair!”

Tom researched many accounts of the time to get a factual hold of events and an idea of the personalities involved.

From this research he had the factual bones on which to put historically based fictional meat.

William Armstrong of Kinmont has become the most notable of the Scottish Reivers.  His capture by the English and subsequent bold rescue from Carlisle Castle by the Scots, left a lasting impression both sides of the border.  In fact this was the “Last truly momentous event in the history of the Border Reivers”

Deadlock and Deliverance tells this story in two parts, from both Scottish and English prespectives and presents the book in a way which makes more sense of the facts than any other book on the subject I have read.

“There has been an honest endeavour by the author to search out and understand the personal relationships, the bonds, amicable or hostile, that tied together the main protagonists in Kinmont’s capture and release; the people caught up in the aftermath of the capture and subsequent audaciousness of the manner in which the escape was planned and carried out, have become flesh and blood, not just names in snippets of history.

Protecting Langholm Castle. Copyright Bill Ewart of Lanholm

It is a story of bitterness, discord and breakdown of the personal relationships of those individuals who were to become prominent in the Kinmont Affair”.

For anybody interested in the history of the Scottish/English border or the deeds of the Border Reivers, Deadlock and deliverance is a must read.

The text is supported by photographs and some superb artwork by Bill Ewart of Langholm and all presented in a wonderful hardback book featuring one of Bill’s drawings inset into the clan Armstrong tartan and bearing the clan coat of arms.  This book does not deserve to be hidden away on the bookshelf but should grace the table for all to see and read.

The time and effort spent researching the historical facts also makes this book a great resource for teachers and tour guides.  It should have pride of place in all border region bookshops and gift stores.

For those of us who have ancestral links to the Reivers, and there are many still around the border region.  Deadlock and Deliverance gives us an insight into the lives of our forebears and the events that shaped them.

More information

Deadlock and Deliverance - Reiver History website;Learn more about the author and his books.

A series of demonstrations and workshops highlighting techniques and materials used to create essential and decorative textiles through the ages, is to take place later this year.

The work of textile artist Elizabeth Smith, who will be at the Museum on May 8

The series of events are to be held at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, throughout the summer and early autumn.

The Museum is owned by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Museum Manager Fiona Rosher said: “Knitting and textiles form a significant aspect of the cultural heritage of the Yorkshire Dales. The hand knitting industry was once an important part of the Dales’ economy, second only to lead mining”.

Events are based upon the traditional knitting and textile skills once used in everyday life.

Visitors will have the opportunity to visit the museum, explore the displayed collections, learn traditional skills and use them to create their own contemporary pieces.

The textiles events at the Museum are:

• Spinning demonstrations in the Museum reception on 3 May, 7 June, 5 July, 2 August, 6 September and 4 October between 2pm and 4pm.
• Weaving demonstrations by Dilys McCaffrey in the Museum reception on 17 April and 14 August from 1pm to 4pm.
• A creative knitting workshop led by textile artist Elizabeth Smith, who is inspired by seaweed and moss, on 8 May between 10am and 4pm. The session costs £35, which includes all materials and refreshments.
• Felt artist Wendy Chan will be creating beautiful jewellery from 10am to 3.30pm on 12 June as part of the Open Studios programme of events. The cost of the day is £15 plus materials.
• Two weekend workshops on 21/22 May and 16/17 July on the theme ‘Sheep to Scarf’. Frances Coates will be demonstrating a variety of processes from raw fleece to finished creations including dyeing, carding, spinning, knitting and felting between10am – 4pm. She will give talks at 11am and 2pm.
• The history of knitting in the Dales will be explained and demonstrated by Kate Trusson between 1pm and 4pm on 5 June and 2 October.

For more information and to book a place please phone 01969 666210