Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 1228 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| YORKSHIRE CURIOSITIES | 1959 | 1959-01-01 |
|
Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 23 mins Credits: Jack Eley Subject: Architecture |
| Summary This is a documentary film made by Jack Eley about interesting historical sites in Yorkshire. The soundtrack features an audio commentary against a musical background of a brass band playing various tunes, starting and ending with ‘On Ilkley Moor bar t’at’. |
|
Description
This is a documentary film made by Jack Eley about interesting historical sites in Yorkshire. The soundtrack features an audio commentary against a musical background of a brass band playing various tunes, starting and ending with ‘On Ilkley Moor bar t’at’.
Title: ‘Yorkshire Curiosities’ ‘A search for the strange and unusual through the County of the White Rose.’
The film begins with a map of Yorkshire identifying the three Ridings. The commentary points out that the name ‘Riding’ comes...
This is a documentary film made by Jack Eley about interesting historical sites in Yorkshire. The soundtrack features an audio commentary against a musical background of a brass band playing various tunes, starting and ending with ‘On Ilkley Moor bar t’at’.
Title: ‘Yorkshire Curiosities’ ‘A search for the strange and unusual through the County of the White Rose.’
The film begins with a map of Yorkshire identifying the three Ridings. The commentary points out that the name ‘Riding’ comes from the Norse meaning ‘a third’, and that York, right in the middle, constitutes a county on its own. The film then closes in on York on a different map with historical figures.
Just outside Micklegate Bar in York, a policeman directs traffic through the intersection, and the filmmaker captures a close-up of the battlements on the bar. A group of people walk along the city walls, and the Minster can be seen in the background. There are also some other views of the city wall. Shoppers walk along the narrow street of the Shambles. The timber framed buildings can be seen before scenes of York Minster.
The film returns to the map to show North Yorkshire and Upleatham, where the smallest church in England can be found. Returning to the map, Rotherham is shown. There is a shot of the chapel bridge across the River Rother before moving onto Wakefield where Yorkshire’s other bridge chantry is located over the River Calder. Additionally, Newport Bridge at Middlesbrough, is seen from the ground and from the top, as well as Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge in operation.
At Bolton-on-Swale, there is a church yard with a monument to Henry Jenkins. The commentary explains that Jenkins was believed to have lived until he was 169 years old. Another point in the map is shown: Grosmont. A road sign indicates a steep hill ahead, and four women and a man push a Morris Minor up a 1 in 3 hill after which some people walk through the old bridge for Stephenson’s railway.
The next scene shows a ride on Shipley Glen light railway, and then it is onto the railway at Middleton Colliery, the first to be sanctioned by an Act of Parliament in 1758. In Leeds, there is a factory chimney which is a replica of Giotto's campanile at the Duomo in Florence as well as the one near to this which looks like a candle stick. Another example of a recognizable chimney is at Wainhouse Folly in Halifax. This is followed by the site in Halifax where beheadings were performed using a gibbet, a precursor to the guillotine.
Two girls walk around the ‘Devil’s Arrows’ at Borough Bridge, and a few boys climb up on the rocks at Pateley Bridge at Brimham. There are many unusual rock formations in Yorkshire which the film documents. The Druid's Temple at Ilton, near Masham, was built in the 1820s, and is shown before the Swastika Stone at Ilkley.
The film then shows the Bronte parsonage at Howarth, seen from the graveyard, and then to the mill and village of Saltaire. The source of the River Aire is seen at Malham Cove, and then Wharfedale with the fast flowing river. Children walk over the stone steps near Bolton Abbey. The Abbey itself is then shown including the arch through which a road now passes.
At Rievaulx Abbey in the Hambleton Hills, the commentary explains that this Abbey is unique as it was north to south rather than east to west due to the narrowness of the valley. At Mount Grace Priory, some people walk around the buildings and grounds, and in the herb garden, a rare bush of Sylvestre shown. Moving south, to the Horse of Kilburn on Roulston Scar is shown and followed by another white horse, this time in a re-enactment of the ride into Ripon of St. Wilfred in AD 670. This is where he was received on the steps of the Cathedral by the Bishop and other dignitaries before doing a tour of the town.
The next site on the tour is the Lilla Cross on Goathland moors. It is shown up close and followed by the old Roman road that lies nearby. On the Leeds and Liverpool canal at Bingley Five Rise, a boat goes through its five locks. This is followed by the Dropping Well at Knaresborough. Also at Knaresborough is Fort Montague which is shown with a large sign painted on its wall, ‘Visit this house in the rock’. The tour moves to the graveyard watch house in Bradfield, and the medieval weeping cross at Ripley as well as the stocks there. Finally at the parish church at Richmond, there is a row of shops built into it, including ‘Johnny’s’, with teas and ices.
Over to the coast now, and three women are looking up at the fire beacon at Sneaton near Whitby, which used to warn of invasion. Then some men and a boy play the traditional Yorkshire game of Quoits. The metal rings used for the game are seen close up. The camera then moves across the map of Yorkshire back towards the coast.
In the next scene a woman is shown making Yorkshire pudding. The commentary informs us that the real test of a Yorkshire pudding is that it should melt in the mouth. If it needs chewing, it isn’t the real thing. The woman sieves the flour, adds salt and two eggs and beats this up, before adding milk and water. She puts a tin with lard into the oven, and when the lard is melted, she adds the batter to the baking tin. The pudding is then served with a number of toppings including gravy and raspberry vinegar. The film ends with a spoonful going into the mouth of the camera, and the commentary adds that Yorkshire people are the first to admit that ‘there’s nowt as queer as folk.’
The End
Context
This documentary film is one of many made by John (Jack) S. Eley, a keen amateur filmmaker from Leeds. The YFA has a large collection of Jack’s films spanning nearly fifty years, from 1932 up until 1980. As this film demonstrates, Jack was a highly accomplished filmmaker, making different types of films, though principally of a documentary type. He covered geographical and historical topics such A Temple For Athena (1954), a trip of historical sites around the Mediterranean finishing up at...
This documentary film is one of many made by John (Jack) S. Eley, a keen amateur filmmaker from Leeds. The YFA has a large collection of Jack’s films spanning nearly fifty years, from 1932 up until 1980. As this film demonstrates, Jack was a highly accomplished filmmaker, making different types of films, though principally of a documentary type. He covered geographical and historical topics such A Temple For Athena (1954), a trip of historical sites around the Mediterranean finishing up at Athens, and Invaders From The Sea (1964) about the places that the early Viking and Saxon invaders of Britain came from in Northern Europe. Also among Jack’s documentaries is one on the restoration work on York Minster from 1965-1967. Jack was also a member of the Leeds Cine Club and its off-shoot Mercury Movie Makers. For more on Jack Eley and the Leeds Cine Club see the Context for Kelly’s Eye (1972), for more on Mercury Movie Makers, see A Vision Fulfilled (1982).
The film provides an excellent basis for a tour of Yorkshire, and includes many places and activities that don’t feature on typical Yorkshire tours. There is no commercial interest driving the sight seeing tour, just Jack’s fascination with places and history, and his obvious enjoyment in putting them together, with some skill, in a seamless film. Much of the background information on the subjects covered in the film, as with other of his films, is provided by Jack himself in his ample commentary. One of the things he doesn’t make mention of is the musical accompaniment to the film. In the beginning and end we hear the familiar strains of ‘On Ilkley Moor bar t’at’. This, perhaps more than any other music, has become associated with Yorkshire – its unofficial anthem and a rousing song to sing in the pub after a few drinks. Jack Eley clearly did his homework for his documentaries, although some of his claims could do with checking: for example the early one that the Shambles is the largest medieval area of anywhere in the world – Barcelona and Genoa, among others, might want to dispute this (of course, if not for the allied saturated bombing of Germany towards the end of World War Two, here too there would be many contenders). The same goes for the claim that the church at Upleatham (since 1974 part of Cleveland) is the smallest church in England, although this is widely believed to be the case (theGuinness Book of Records lists this as Bremilham Church, Wiltshire – see also Shirley Knight). But allowance must also be made for the growth in information in the 50 years that have elapsed since the film was made. Interestingly though, on some things our knowledge has hardly developed, such as the ‘Devil’s Arrows’ at Boroughbridge, about which archaeologists are really none the wiser (which doesn’t stop the speculation). It is as well though to be aware of other names that some of these places get called. So, for example, in this instance these megalithic monuments are also variously known as The Devil’s Bolts, The Three Greyhounds, The Three Sisters and The Three Arrows. This is also true of the Roman Road near Goathland, also known as Wade's Causeway and Wheeldale Roman Road (although it isn’t known for sure if it is Roman). Many of the sites featured in the film also appear on other films, including Shipley Glen light railway, Malham Cove, Bolton Abbey, the Wainhouse folly and Rievaulx Abbey. But just as many are unique to Jack’s presentation of Yorkshire. Some are now, since the 1974 local government reorganisation, no longer part of Yorkshire, such as the Newport Bridge and Transporter Bridge at Middlesbrough. Thankfully most of the places featured are still with us. This is the case with the factory chimneys in Leeds, where in Holbeck Urban Village, considered the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in Leeds, are the three decorated towers in Italian style. These are among the 30 listed buildings in the area. Perhaps the most curious artefact among the curiosities – and both this film and Yorkshire in general has plenty to choose from – is the Swastika Stone on Ilkley Moor, one of many carved stones there. Again, no-one knows for sure what this represents, or even when it was made. But it has led to plenty of fascinating theories – see, for example, the discussion on Julian Cope’s excellent website (References). Unfortunately, at least one of the events that is shown in the film, the annual celebration of St Wilfred in Ripon, no longer takes place, although in 2009 Ripon Cathedral started an interesting series of St Wilfrid lectures to mark the 1300th anniversary of his death; an annual event that aims to promote public conversation on Christianity and public issues. But the ancient game of Quoits (pronounced k-waits), reputedly going back to the reign of King John (1199 - 1216) if not before, it seems is still surviving – although this film provides rare footage of the game as it was played 50 years ago. And, given the different accounts of the weight of the disc, and the distance it is thrown, it may well have changed in the meantime. Another feature shown in the film about which there is some uncertainty – and which viewers might be able to help with – concerns the row of shops built into the side of the Parish Church in Richmond, and to what happened to ‘Johnnys’ in particular. Perhaps not surprisingly, Jack Eley finishes on that most famous of Yorkshire curiosities, the Yorkshire pudding. The best recipe is still in dispute after all these years, and although exact measurement are not given, if nothing else, Jack’s film ought to finally settle this burning issue! References Guinness Book of Records Shirley Knight, St Andrew’s Old Church, Upleatham Julian Cope’s The Modern Antiquarian the Swastika Stone |
