September 2018 Number 186

An Association of

National Trust Members

and Supporters

York AssociationNewsletter

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Contents Page

Chairman’s Letter 3 Membership and Committee News 4 Talks 5 Social and Fundraising Events 6 Holidays 7 Day trips 8 Country walks 11 Day Trip Reviews 14 Christmas lunch at York College 15 NT Property News 17 Holiday Reviews 18 NT Shop Christmas event for YANT members 19 Dates for your Diary Back Cover

Enclosed with this Newsletter are the 2019 Holidays programme and booking forms for York College Christmas Lunch, Day Trips and Full Day Walk (4 pages). Please contact the Newsletter editor if any of these are missing.

Chairman: Roger King chair@yant.org.uk 01904 761274

Secretary: Jean Haywood secretary@yant.org.uk 01904 702402

Treasurer: Roger Mortimer treasurer@yant.org.uk 01757 268118

Membership: Elinor Bailey membership@yant.org.uk 01347 821262

Day Trips: Colin Sherwood trips@yant.org.uk 01904 640915

Walks: Alison Rutter walks@yant.org.uk 01904 703430

Holidays: Peter Drew holidays@yant.org.uk 01904 702285

Events: Christine Truman social@yant.org.uk 01937 541163

Website: Mike Morrow web@yant.org.uk 01757 268118

Talks: Roger King talks@yant.org.uk 01904 761274

Newsletter: Catherine Brophy newsletter@yant.org.uk 01904 331273

Cover: Scampston Walled Garden © Roger King

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Chairman's Letter

In my last letter I said I hoped we would have good weather for the garden party and the July day trip. In the fortnight prior to both I was on holiday in Spain and had promised to bring some Spanish sunshine back with me. It is always gratifying to be able to keep a promise! Both events were very successful and greatly enjoyed. On 26th June Roger Mortimer, Mike Morrow and I attended the North Region 2018 Centres and Associations Conference which was held at Goddards and which was co-facilitated by YANT. The North Region covers a huge area on both sides of the Pennines from the Scottish border to the southern boundaries of Cheshire, West and South Yorkshire. 17 of the 42 supporter groups in the Region were represented. YANT is the only association with more than 500 members. Whilst many positives came out of the conference the one common problem for all associations is recruitment, both of members generally and more especially of committee members. On page 4 you will see that we need the help of the membership, under our constitution, in confirming three excellent committee members in their roles. After four years sterling service Roger Mortimer, our treasurer, has retired with immediate effect though he will oversee our finances until the end of the year. This is a very important position. Amongst our 606 members I must assume there is someone with the time, inclination and, ideally, expertise to take on this position for us, initially under Roger's guiding hand. For a job description and further information please contact Roger by phone or email, number and address on page 2.

I look forward to meeting many of you at the autumn events and the Saturday afternoon talks.

Roger King

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Membership

We are very pleased to have welcomed the following new members to our Association during the last three months, bringing the total membership to 606. We look forward to meeting our new members at some of the holidays and events organised by the various committees, as mentioned in the Newsletter. Ian & Barbara Reynolds Susan Matthews Ann Rawlinson Alwyn Wood Anne Ward Donna Waterhouse Malcolm & Stella Hutton Barbara Boyce Malcolm & Jenny Bradford Mr DJ & Mrs AC Newberry Dennis & Margaret Powell

Elinor Bailey, Membership Secretary

Committee Membership – please help us! The terms of our 2014 constitution state that committee members become ineligible for re-election after having served on the committee for five consecutive years. At the 2019 AGM Roger King, Chair, and Alison Rutter, Chair of the Walks sub-committee, will be retiring. However three valuable members are willing to continue beyond their five-year term if we trigger the “get-out” clause in our constitution. To do this we need 10 members to sign the motion to relax the five-year limit clause for each person. The committee members concerned are Christine Truman, Chair of the Projects sub-committee, Colin Sherwood, Chair of the Programme sub-committee, and Elinor Bailey, Membership Secretary. On the 2nd October at the Chocolatier event we will have a form for each of them and we need 10 members to sign their agreement to this constitutional change on each of the three forms. This will enable the smooth running of the Association into the future. Thank you.

Jean Haywood, Secretary

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Talks

Talks are held at the Friends’ Meeting House in Friargate on Saturdays, starting at 2.30pm, lasting for about 45 minutes, with time for questions afterwards. A charge of £4 is made at the door. Members and friends are very welcome. 20th October, Elizabeth Reid, “Civic Trust Blue Plaques” York Civic Trust has been putting up plaques in and around the city for many years to mark significant buildings, historical events and prominent people whose achievements warrant recognition. These have included some distinguished doctors, Quakers, entertainers and scientists. The number of plaques now exceeds 200 with many more being planned.

17th November, Simon McCormack, “Thomas Chippendale”

Simon McCormack will be giving a talk on the great 18th century furniture entrepreneur Thomas Chippendale, setting out the context in which he operated as well as looking at the work he undertook at Nostell. By exploring Chippendale's work at Nostell we will also delve into the world of 18th century high end design and unpick the form and function of the grand interiors at Nostell. 2019 talk dates for your diary: 19th January, 16th February and 13th April AGM 23rd March

Reminder! Mystery Tour

Tuesday 11th September

Cost is £35, booking form was with June newsletter or online. Places are still available.

Start at 9.45am. Return to York by 4.30pm approximately

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Social and Fundraising Events

Photo credit: Beningbrough Garden party © Mike Blackman The Summer Garden Party was held on Monday 25 June at Beningbrough Hall gardens in brilliant sunshine - as you see above. Everyone appeared to have a good time, with the Mayoral Party enjoying the event. The Head Gardener was available to answer questions about the planting.

The Christmas Coffee Morning

Saturday 24th November at St Olave’s Church Hall from 10am to 12pm

There will be a couple of stalls and a raffle so please do pop in and support this fund-raising event. The hall is in Marygate Lane, near Marygate Car Park, York YO30 7DS

Andrew Thwaite, Chocolatier, will be demonstrating his chocolate arts, with samples for guests, on Tuesday 2nd October at St Edwards Church Extension, Dringhouses from 2.30pm to 4.30pm. Andrew is highly recommended and

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we are sure this will be a very enjoyable and tasty afternoon. Places are available and the Booking form was enclosed with the June newsletter

Christine Truman, Chairman Projects Group

Holidays

Just two holidays remaining this year and if you still need a break both have spaces available. Just ring Brightwater on 01334 657155, or use your brochure booking form, or print one from the YANT website, to make a booking. Classic Scottish Steam 13 – 16 October 2018, Join us on the Falkirk Wheel, the world’s first rotating boatlift. Sail on the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, the PS Waverley and enjoy the gentle beauty of the Argyll hills and the Kyles of Bute from the deck of this grand old lady. There is a similar majesty to the SS Sir Walter Scott, one of the last surviving screw steamers, which has graced the calm waters of Loch Katrine since 1900. The Jacobite Steam Train, from Fort William to Mallaig, is one of the longest steam-hauled rail journeys available in Britain today, an 84-mile round trip through some spectacular scenery which features an impressive list of superlatives. It starts near Britain’s highest mountain (Ben Nevis), passes its most westerly mainland railway station (Arisaig), deepest freshwater loch (Loch Morar), shortest river (River Morar) and finally arrives next to the deepest seawater loch in Europe (Loch Nevis). December Tour to Edinburgh featuring ‘Cinderella’ 14 - 15 December 2018 - £289.00 (single supplement £40.00) Join us on a pre-Christmas tour to Edinburgh, featuring Scottish Ballet’s production of the classic fairy tale ‘Cinderella’. Our trip also includes a festive lunch in Jedburgh, a fascinating visit to the former Royal Yacht Britannia and time to visit Edinburgh’s centre or the continental-style Christmas Market. The full itineraries of these holidays, reviews and photos are on online.

YANT Tours Organiser, Peter Drew

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Day Trips

Tuesday 9th October 2018: Visit to Fulneck Moravian Village and Kirkstall Abbey This month we shall be visiting the Fulneck Moravian Settlement in Pudsey where, after refreshments on arrival, we will have a talk in the Moravian Chapel about the history of the Moravian Church and the foundation of Fulneck. This will be followed by a guided tour of the village, which will include the Moravian Museum of artefacts illustrating the history of the Fulneck Settlement and the Moravian Church worldwide. Members of the Moravian Church settled at Fulneck in 1744. They were descendants of the old Bohemian/Czech “Unity of the Brethren”, extinct in Bohemia after 1620 due to forcible re-Catholicisation imposed on the Czech lands by the Habsburg emperors. Within a few years of settling at Fulneck, houses, a school and a chapel were built, all of which are still in use today in this thriving community. Please note that the tour around Fulneck does involve a reasonable amount of walking (at a leisurely pace), but there will be opportunities to rest at the refreshment break and in the Moravian Church. Please be aware that there will be uneven surfaces, steps into and inside the museum and entry to the burial ground is via a steep slope. Suitable footwear is recommended. The coach will depart Fulneck at 12.30pm for the short drive to the Wetherby Whaler in Pudsey for a 3-course lunch. Details of the menu are on the enclosed booking form. After lunch the coach will depart at 2.00pm for the short ride to Kirkstall Abbey. Kirkstall Abbey was founded as a Cistercian monastery in 1152. Many noblemen granted gifts of land and money and by 1182 the great church and chapter house, remains of which can still be seen today, had been built. Over the centuries the monks acquired estates in the area such as Chapel Allerton, Headingly, Roundhay and Seacroft. Kirkstall remained prosperous until the reign of Henry VIII when, as a consequence of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the king’s agents closed the Abbey on 22nd November 1539. The gatehouse became a private home and later the Abbey House Museum. In the 1800s Colonel North, a Leeds dealer in

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gunpowder, bought the grounds and buildings. He eventually donated the site to Leeds Corporation in 1890. On arrival at Kirkstall, we will split into two groups, with one group being taken first on a guided tour of the abbey ruins whilst the other group explores the Abbey Visitor Centre and the Abbey House Museum. The Abbey Visitor Centre has a number of exhibitions, displays and audio-visual presentations which illustrate the story of the abbey from its construction in the C12th to the present day. At the Abbey House Museum you can step back in time and explore Stephen Harding Gate, the C19th equivalent of a modern high street. Enjoy displays showing rare and interesting C19th toys, games and dolls in the shop on Harewood Square and imagine being at class in the local Methodist Sunday School. There is a café in the Abbey House Museum where refreshments may be obtained on an individual basis. Toilet facilities are available at the Abbey Visitor Centre and the Abbey House Museum. Please note that there could be uneven ground and slippery surfaces in the abbey ruins. Ingleby’s coach will pick up at Memorial Gardens, Leeman Road, York, at 8.45am and Middlethorpe Drive, Dringhouses, at 9.00am. The journey time is about 1.5 hours. The coach will depart from Kirkstall at 4.30pm and the estimated arrival time back in York is approximately 5.45pm. The cost of the trip is £36, which includes coach hire, morning refreshments, tour of Fulneck Moravian Settlement, 3-course lunch, tour of Kirkstall Abbey, entrance to the Abbey House Museum and driver’s gratuity. The day trip leader will carry mobile phone no. 07960 710975. Please call this number on the day if you are delayed or cannot attend. We have tight schedules and we try not to delay our departures.

2019 Holidays Preview 31st October at 10am at Walmgate Ale House

Contact Peter Drew to book your place (see page 2)

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Thursday 13th December 2018: Christmas Trip to Harewood House This year’s Christmas trip will be to Harewood House near Leeds. The house, designed by John Carr and Robert Adam, was built between 1759 and 1771 for wealthy West Indies plantation owner Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood. The landscape was the work of Lancelot Capability Brown. Still home to the Lascelles family, Harewood contains a superb collection of paintings from Italian Renaissance Masters to the modern art works collected by the late 7th Earl of Harewood. Included in the splendid pieces of furniture are a number by the renowned local cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. There are more than 100 acres of garden including the Himalaya Garden, formal Terrace and exotic bird garden. As in previous years, the house will be decorated for Christmas though, at the time of writing, this year’s theme is still a well-kept secret. Your entrance ticket will allow you free flow around the decorated State Rooms and entrance to the gardens including the Bird Garden. On arrival at Harewood around 11.00am, you will be free to tour the house, gardens and Bird Garden at your own pace. Morning refreshments on an individual basis will be available in the Courtyard Café. At 1.30pm a 2-course buffet lunch will be served in a private room for our group – the Harewood Suite. Please indicate your lunch choices on the Booking Form. Tea and coffee will be included but alcoholic and other drinks will be on an individual basis. Please note that there are some steps to negotiate into the entrance to Harewood House and down to the Servants Quarters. There could well be a lot of uneven ground and slippery surfaces at that time of the year in the gardens. Ingleby’s coach will pick up at Memorial Gardens, Leeman Road, York, at 10.00am and Middlethorpe Drive, Dringhouses, at 10.15am. The journey time will be about 45 minutes. The coach will depart from Harewood at 3.30pm and the estimated arrival time in York is 4.15-4.30pm. The cost of the trip is £42 which includes coach hire, entrance to Harewood House, lunch and driver’s gratuity.

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The day trip leader will carry mobile phone no. 07960 710975. Please call this number on the day if you are delayed or cannot attend. We have tight schedules and we try not to delay our departures.

Country Walks Programme Full day walk with coach transport and afternoon tea. There is still time to book for our last full day walk of the year: Saturday, 15th September, CWP 2018/5, Fewston/Swinsty reservoirs. Distance 7 miles (not 7 ½ as shown in June Newsletter). Standard easy. Leaders Alison and Nigel Rutter (07523 944065). A walk through the woodland around Fewston and Swinsty Reservoirs, on paths which are very good, although the Fewston track is slightly uneven in places. No stiles or steps. We may see interesting bird life in the woods and on the water and, if there is time, we will pay a short visit to the Washburn Heritage Centre at Fewston Church. There will be a ham salad tea, followed by cakes, at Brearton WI. Please indicate any dietary requirements, e.g. vegetarian option, on the booking form. Ingleby’s coach leaves the Memorial Gardens, Leeman Road, at 9am and Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride at 9 15am. Cost per head £22, which includes coach travel, tea and all gratuities. Please send the relevant booking slip, with payment, by Saturday, 9 September, to Celia Rutt (address on booking form). It is worthwhile contacting Celia (01904 627384) after this date and before the day of the walk to see if places are available. Walkers participate at their own risk and must be capable of completing the walk in any weather conditions. Suitable clothing and footwear must be worn and a packed lunch and drinks carried.

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Circular shorter walks using own transport Thursday, 6th September, Ripley and Cayton Gill. 5 miles/9km. Leader Ruth Davies (01904 763248). A circular walk through part of the Ripley Castle estate, which then follows the Nidderdale Way up to Low Kettle Spring, before branching off to Bedlam and returning across fields to the Park Wall. Meet for a 10am departure in the large free car park in Ripley village off the A61 Harrogate/Ripon road, Grid ref. 284604: Maps: Explorer 26, Pathfinder 653 (SE26/36), Landranger 99. 3 hour walk on tracks and paths, with some stiles and one road with a shallow ford. Waterproof footwear and a stick are advised. Refreshments are available in Ripley. Tuesday, 23rd October, Deighton to Naburn circular. 4 ½ miles. Leader Colin Sherwood (01904 640915/07766 817025) A walk to the south of York, leaving cars at the White Swan, Deighton, which is on the A19, about 1 ½ miles south of Crockey Hill. There is ample parking at the White Swan where it may be possible to get lunch after the walk. Alternatively, take the 415 bus from York which leaves Piccadilly every 20 minutes for a journey taking 20 minutes. We walk on a footpath, marked in places from Deighton, in a roughly westerly direction through the fields and across the old East Coast Main Line railway track (ECML) entering Naburn along Vicarage Lane. We aim to reach the banks of the River Ouse at the historic location of the ferry. We will then walk south along the old ECML, now the York-Selby path and cycleway, until we reach the bridge of Moor Lane over the old railway. We then head across fields following footpaths towards Deighton, finally retracing our steps to the village. No stiles along the route and no toilet facilities except possibly at the White Swan, the Blacksmith’s Arms at Naburn or nearby at the York Marina. Meet at the White Swan, Deighton, for a 10am start. Thursday, 15th November, Rawcliffe Lake and Clifton Backies 4 – 5 miles. Leader Celia Rutt (07443450161) A fairly flat walk from Rawcliffe Bar Park and Ride, no stiles, but there may be some mud on the Backies footpaths. We walk along the flood bank towards

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York, crossing the A19 and on towards Clifton Backies, the site of the old World War 2 airfield, which still has some outlines of the buildings. The site has an interesting history and is now a small developing nature reserve. We pass through a pleasant estate on our way to Rawcliffe Lake, which is man-made, created to provide flood relief. The lake is popular with wildfowl and migrating birds, particularly in winter. We then either return to the Park and Ride site and/or can go to the Doormouse on Shipton Road for lunch. Meet at the Park and Ride buildings (toilets available there) for a 10am start. If coming by car please park in Car Park C. Thursday, 28th December. Eileen Wishart will lead a local walk. Details will be in December’s Newsletter. NB. Walkers participate at their own risk and must be capable of completing the distance in open countryside, over uneven ground with some hill ascents, in a variety of weather conditions. Suitable clothing and footwear must be worn and light refreshments carried. If you would like a lift for any of these walks or can offer one to others, please contact Colin Sherwood (01904 640915). A £1 administration charge will be collected on each walk, except in December which is free. Social Evening 2019. The New Earswick Bowls Club on Huntington Road has been booked for Friday, 15th March 2019. Full details and a booking form will be enclosed with the December Newsletter. 2019 walks – leaders needed. Many thanks are due to those who plan and lead the walks, which we all enjoy. Some of these folk have led more than one walk per year for a while. It would be good if more people could come forward with suggestions for venues and offers to plan and lead walks. Help with recces would be available. We shall soon be putting together next year’s programme; if you can help please let any sub-committee member know.

Brenda Batty (Secretary).

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Day Trip Reviews

Visit to Scampston Walled Garden and Barnsdale House 23rd May A short drive towards Malton took us to our first visit of the day, Scampston Walled Garden. Charlotte greeted us and distributed leaflets of the garden and grounds, and directed us to the restaurant. Here we were given tea, cakes and biscuits. Most of the group visited the beautiful walled garden, followed by the surrounding grounds and lake. The majority of the grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown with the newer garden being designed by the celebrated Dutch gardener, Piet Oudolf, combining the old with the new. Many of us enjoyed lunch in the restaurant before joining our coach at 1.30. Darren drove us through some beautiful countryside towards our next destination, Birdsall House where we were given a warm welcome by Hugh Willoughby and Lady Cara Willoughby and given a potted history of the Willoughby family who have lived at Birdsall since the 18th century. The current owners are Sir Michael and Lady Cara Willoughby and their children. We were informed that a great deal of restoration work has been done to the house, most importantly the roof, but that there was still more work to be done. The group was divided into two and we were given an extremely interesting guided tour of the house and its contents. Particular attention was given to the portraits of all the Willoughby family throughout the ages painted by such notaries as Reynolds, Lely and Winterhalter. Various pieces of furniture made by the renowned cabinetmaker Chippendale were shown to us, with particular reference to a cabinet which was in a glass case due to its fragile condition. Following the tour we made our way to the dining room where we were given tea and cakes and enjoyed a well-earned rest. Before joining the coach we had time to look at the gardens, which were extensive, and some of the group made their way to the ruined church which is very close to the house. We then set off on our journey back to York having enjoyed a very memorable visit to a beautiful garden and a very interesting house.

Janet Harper

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Visit to Barnsdale Gardens and Rutland Water 26th June The description in the newsletter ‘Our June trip takes us to Rutland, England’s smallest and arguably prettiest county.’ was justified. Forty members set out early on a blazing hot day. Our refreshment stop, after a relatively trouble free journey, was The Friendly Farmer near Newark, which had a good display of tempting local produce. On arrival at Barnsdale Gardens, the vision of Geoff Hamilton of BBC Gardener’s World fame, we were met by Kim who gave us maps for our self-guided tour and explained that the 38 individual gardens are maintained by a handful of gardeners and a band of volunteers. The gardens were stunning in colour and variety: an impressive array of plants and flowers. Often scents filled the air and bird song provided a restful background - much to inspire! The Woodland garden gave welcome shade on this almost cloudless day and a scuttling in the undergrowth revealed a small rodent – probably a shrew. After exploring these beautiful, peaceful gardens we enjoyed a very good sandwich and cake lunch and drank copious amounts of tea and coffee. A short transfer brought us to Rutland Water where the cry went up ’I see no ships’, but very soon The ‘Rutland Belle’ rounded the corner and we were given the choice of inside, or on top. The breeze and open windows inside added to the pleasant experience as we were told the history of the large reservoir. There are many leisure facilities on the shores and an internationally famous nature reserve at one end.

Celia Rutt

York College Christmas Lunch This popular event will take place on Friday 7h December at 12noon. The three-course meal costs £23 per person and includes a welcome drink on arrival, tea or coffee and mince pies after the meal and tip. The full menu is shown on the enclosed booking form, which will be acknowledged after 1st October.

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Visit to Haworth and The Piece Hall, Halifax 18th July Another lovely sunny day greeted us as we joined our coach to make our way to our first visit of the day, Haworth. We were accompanied by our guide Roger King and driven by John through some rugged West Yorkshire scenery, arriving at Haworth at 11.00 am. After refreshment at the White Horse it was a short walk to the Brontë Parsonage. We were met on arrival by one of the guides and divided up into groups of 6, due to the smallness of the museum. Once inside, the famous painting of the three sisters, by their brother Branwell, which is on loan from the National Portrait Gallery, was drawn to our attention. The museum is maintained to a high standard recreating the life and times as lived by the three sisters, their brother Branwell and father Patrick in the early 19th century. The rooms, all very small, were furnished as they would have been when the house was lived in. One of the most interesting exhibits on display was the table where the Brontë sisters’ most famous novels where written. After our tour of the Parsonage there was time to explore the village shops and other buildings of interest, such as St Michael and All Angels church. A delicious lunch was enjoyed at the White Horse before we joined our coach and made our way to Halifax Piece Hall. Our group entered the Piece Hall through the South Gate. A very ornate iron structure displaying the coat of arms of Halifax and painted in bright colours as it was when originally built. We were divided into manageable groups and escorted around the building by several guides who informed us of the history of this individual building. Opened in January 1779 it has had a very colourful past. Used initially for the sale of pieces of woollen cloth, when the area was the centre of cloth manufacture, this was how it got its name. Following the Industrial Revolution, it was converted into a wholesale market hall. Changes took place again in 1976 and finally, in 2017, the hall was re-developed at a cost of £19 million into the impressive piazza surrounded by specialist shops, restaurants and cafes which we see today.

Janet Harper Editor’s Note

All reviews are available online in full. However, because of space limitations, they may be edited for inclusion in the printed newsletter. There are also many photographs of holidays and day trips on the Members’ area of the website at www.yant.org.uk

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News from the NT in Yorkshire Treasurer’s House Frank Green’s special ‘by appointment’ tours Sundays 23 & 30 September, 11.15am – 4pm Join a small group for an exclusive 45-minute tour to learn more about Frank Green and his special gift of Treasurer's House to the National Trust - the first to be gifted complete with its collection. Normal admission charges apply.

Blue drawing room at Treasurer’s House National Trust Images/ © Chris Lacey http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ Goddards “A Suitable Job?” 5th September to 7th October Our new display for the autumn continues the National Trust’s theme for 2018, Women and Power, looking at the positions women held at the Terry’s factory, and how this changed over time, as well as exploring the roles the female members of the Terry family played, complementing our current display, ‘A Daughter’s View’, which will run alongside it until the end of the season. Nunnington Hall “Watercolours Wonders” Exhibition, 22nd September to 4th November Showcasing a collection of beautiful watercolour paintings from the talented David Birtwhistle. His picturesque depictions of historic architecture and landscapes brings light and life into each iconic view.

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Holiday Reviews Holiday Review: Guernsey, Herm and Sark. 11th-15th June 2018. When French novelist Victor Hugo was exiled in 1857 he thought long and hard where to make his new home. He finally chose the Channel Islands because they were "morsels of France fallen into the sea and gathered up by England." Hugo felt perfectly at home there, as did many British and Irish army officers and colonial servants who chose to settle there in the 19th century. We set off to investigate three of these islands to see if we could discover what makes them still special today. Sadly the flower-growing industry for which Guernsey was famous is in decline because of economic and financial pressures. However the Guernsey Freesia Centre continues to operate in a competitive market and we were able to see the various stages of growing these exotic flowers. The pride the Islands take in their past is expressed in a number of heritage-themed museums such as the Folk and Costume Museum, housed in a group of 18th century farm buildings grouped around a cobbled courtyard. Through a series of reconstructed rooms we could see life as it was on the Islands 100 years ago. Brother Deodat of the De La Salle order began an extraordinary project in 1923, single-handedly building a complete church in miniature. The "Little Chapel" claims to be the smallest in the world, just 5 metres long and able to accommodate a dozen people. The chapel is encrusted with shells, coloured pebbles and fragments of china. Herm is a tiny island measuring just one and a half miles long and half a mile wide. Visitors come for the scenery, the walking and the wildlife. With a ban on cars, music played in public and "unseemly behaviour", Herm really is a place to "get away from it all". The best way to enjoy all this peace and quiet is to walk around the island, which is what many of us did. Brett Moore the head gardener led us on a stroll around the island showing us the work which has been done during the past 15 years and pointing out many exotic plants from South America and Africa which thrive in the climate of the island. His tour ended at the Norman chapel of St. Tugual, a reminder that the island was once a purely religious community. Many of us then walked on to Shell Beach, considered by many to be the finest beach in the Channel Islands. About three quarters of a mile long it consists almost entirely of shells

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pulverised into sand by centuries of wave action. On our return crossing we were accompanied, at one stage, by a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins whose acrobatic leaps and dives enthralled us. Victor Hugo considered Sark to be "la plus belle" of the Channel Islands and after our visit few of us would disagree. As we approached after a 50 minute crossing we passed beneath towering cliffs, sea caves and evocatively shaped rocks. Once ashore we were transported by the famous horse-drawn carriages to the Seigneurie, home of the head of the island government. Following a tour of the beautiful garden we were privileged to be shown arond his house by the Seigneur, Christopher Beaumont. A leisurely carriage ride took us back to the landing stage, calling en-route at St. Peter's church Our remaining time was spent visiting attractions in St. Peter Port and western Guernsey. Sausmarez Manor was the stronghold of one of Guernsey's oldest families and site of a fine old manor house and sub-tropical garden; Catherine Best Jewellery is housed in a wonderfully restored windmill; the private garden of La Petite Vallee and Castle Cornet, was built in the 13th century to protect St. Peter Port. In western Guernsey we discovered a wonderful example of a mid 19th century farmhouse at Les Caches. Spectacular cliff scenery was explored around Le Gouffre while the German Occupation Museum served as a reminder of a grimmer chapter in the island's history.

Roger Bridgewater

Members’ Discount Evening At The National Trust Shop, Goodramgate, York

Wednesday 14th November 6-8pm

The shop has kindly agreed to open late exclusively for YANT members and is offering a 20% discount on all items bought on the night. We hope you will take advantage of this excellent opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping and benefit the National Trust.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Printed by Print Solutions, Audax Close, Clifton Moor, York, YO30 4RA. (01904 690090)

SEPTEMBER6 Short Walk: Ripley and Cayton Gill11 Mystery Tour15 Full-day walk: Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs

OCTOBER2 Andrew Thwaite Chocolatier at St Edwards’, Dringhouses9 Day Trip: Fulneck Moravian Village & Kirkstall Abbey13-16 Holiday: Scottish Classic Steam20 Talk: “Civic Trust Blue Plaques” by Elizabeth Reid at Friends’ Meeting House, Friargate, 2.30pm23 Short walk: Deighton to Naburn31 Pre-holiday meeting at Walmgate Ale house, 10.00am31 Drop-in lunch, Walmgate Ale House & Bistro from 12 noon

NOVEMBER14 NT shop evening for YANT members 6pm to 8pm15 Short walk: Rawcliffe Lake and Clifton Backs17 Talk: “Thomas Chippendale” by Simon McCormack Friends’ Meeting House, Friargate, 2.30pm24 Christmas Coffee Morning, St Olave’s Church Hall, 10.00am28 Drop-in lunch, Walmgate Ale House & Bistro from 12 noon

DECEMBER7 Christmas lunch at York College at 12 noon13 Day Trip: Christmas visit to Harewood House with lunch14-15 Holiday: Edinburgh and “Cinderella” 28 Short Walk: see December Newsletter

Please send contributions for the December Newsletter to Catherine Brophy newsletter@yant.org.uk by Wednesday November 7th.