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York Association of theNational Trust

Please send contributions and photographs for the December Newsletter to Catherine Brophy newsletter@yant.org.uk by Wednesday 12th November

1970-2020

www.nationaltrust.org.uk

September 2020 Number 193

An Association of

National Trust Members

and Supporters

York AssociationNewsletter

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YANT Officers 1970-2020

Many hundreds of willing and enthusiastic volunteers have devoted many hours to running the group over the last 50 years. When we have access to the archives, via Explore York, we will make a roll of honour of these members to display next summer but for now, for the record, here are the names of the Chairmen who have led the Centre/Association during these years.

YORK CENTRE/ASSOCIATION CHAIRMEN 1970 -2020

1970-1974 Margery Willoughby 1997-1999 Ralph Wilkinson 1974-1977 Ronald Little 1999-2001 Michael Potter 1977-1980 George Hepworth 2001-2003 Frank Lowe 1980-1983 Geoffrey Sheath 2003-2005 Margaret Middlemiss 1983-1985 Sydney Judson 2005-2007 Jim Wilson 1985-1987 Charles Middlemiss 2007-2009 Don Dormer 1987-1989 Sydney Appleby 2009-2011 Elizabeth Hjort 1989-1991 Lance Gilling 2011-2013 Peter Denton 1991-1993 Tony Rogers 2013-2014 Allan Charlesworth 1993-1995 Peter Marsden 2015-2019 Roger King 1995-1997 Bill Taylor 2019- Catherine Brophy

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Contents Page

Chair’s Letter 3 NT Director-General Letter extract 4 Holidays 5 My Time with YANT 6 A YANT Tour Leader remembers 9 Social and Fundraising Events 10 NT Wish List 2019 11 Walks Group 12 News from the NT 12 Nostell Priory 13 Chairmen 1970-2020 15 Website Information 15 50th Anniversary Quiz Loose Insert

Enclosed with this Newsletter are the 2021 Holiday Programme and a questionnaire. Please contact the Newsletter editor if any of these are missing.

Chair: Catherine Brophy chair@yant.org.uk 01904 499179

Secretary: Mererid Hunt secretary@yant.org.uk 01653 690992

Treasurer: Valerie Laud treasurer@yant.org.uk 01904 704600

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 01904 654546

Newsletter: Catherine Brophy newsletter@yant.org.uk 07947 854923

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

Communications: Della Brotherston communications@yant.org.uk

Cover: Teapot Sculpture Beningbrough Gardens© National Trust Images/Paul Harris

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the Art Fund in 2010. Those who visited York Art Gallery during the campaign will have had the benefit of viewing it close to in what is now Madsen 2. Painted in oil on a large oak panel, Christ is shown at the bottom left struggling under the weight of the cross as he makes his way up the hill to Calvary just at the moment when St Veronica reveals his image on her veil. Simon of Cyrene is directed to assist bear the weight of the cross as Christ falls to the ground. Set in a distinctly Flemish landscape, Christ is surrounded by a huge crowd of followers, the Virgin Mary, sympathisers, citizens and soldiers. The soldiers, by their mounts and armour, are clearly identifiable as Spanish troops at a time when Flanders was part of the Spanish Empire in a nice reference to Palestine status under the yoke of the Roman Empire. Further up the hill, the two thieves are being transported in a horse-drawn cart, the thief on the right, the ‘good’ thief, dressed in white, the ‘bad’ in black. At the top right is Calvary itself, forbidding under a dark sky and showing gruesome signs of previous executions. In spite of the rich reds and yellows of the composition, this is not a happy scene, but it is certainly striking. Pieter Breughel the Younger (1564-1638) was not as highly regarded as his father, Pieter Breughel the Elder (1525-1569), nor is his representation of Calvary as well known as his father’s version painted in 1564 (now in the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna). However, there are distinct similarities in the use of colours, the crowded and dynamic scene, the Flemish setting and much contemporary clothing and Nostell Priory has every reason to consider their painting stands up well against the earlier version.

Dr Dorothy Nott

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Chair's Letter

Originally we planned this issue of the newsletter to be a celebration of the Association’s Fiftieth Anniversary in November but, as we have all discovered, 2020 is the year that really has not gone to plan. I do hope that you have remained safe and well and will bear with us as we make future plans, which remain dependent on government advice. We are now planning our 50th Anniversary celebration for a summer afternoon in July 2021; with birthday cake, fizz and music. To help our planning for other future activities we have included a short questionnaire with this newsletter. On page 6 you can read about long standing member Kathie Carr’s memories of the early days of the York Centre. Elizabeth Hjort has followed this on page 9 with her account of leading tours, including many Mystery Tours. I am grateful to both of them for writing for us now and for the many years they have supported the Association. Included with this newsletter is the “YANT 50th Anniversary Quiz” for which the prize will be a £50 National Trust Voucher. Many thanks to Roger King for writing the questions and administering this quiz. As you will know, this has been a very difficult few months for many charities, including the National Trust, and I have included on page 4 an extract from the letter that Hilary McGrady, Director-General, recently sent to supporter groups including YANT. On page 12 there is an update on the current situation with our local Yorkshire properties and on page 13 a reminder of a couple of gems at Nostell Priory. In 2019 our social events enabled us to raise £5,500 for projects at local properties, which included a donation of £500 from the Walks Group. Details of the projects supported are on page 11. The need for fund raising next year will be important and we would appreciate your suggestions. See Christine Truman’s request on page 10. On behalf of myself, and the committee members, I send you all our best wishes.

Catherine Brophy Chair

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Nostell Priory We were able to give a small donation towards the conservation of the 18th century historic dolls’ house. This very rare dolls’ house now has its own exhibition space on the ground floor of the mansion. Hopefully in summer 2021 we may be able to organise a group visit to see the house again, and the wonderful art collection including this painting:

The Procession to Calvary-(1602) Pieter Breughel the Younger

© National Trust Images/John Hammond

Nostell Priory is indeed fortunate to house one of Pieter Breughel the Younger’s major works of art, The Procession to Calvary, a painting saved by an intensive fund-raising campaign jointly mounted by the National Trust and

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From the National Trust Director-General to Supporter Groups

National Trust spending cuts and redundancies With much sadness I am writing to let you know that, today, the National Trust is opening consultation on proposals that will likely lead to staff being put at risk of redundancy. Like so many organisations, the Trust has been hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost every aspect of our income has been affected and we estimate we have lost £200 million in revenue this year alone. As a result, we have drastically reduced our spending for the year and used some of our unrestricted reserves. Like many organisations, we have also accessed furlough, loan and grant schemes. However, we need to reduce costs further. Our purpose remains clear, to provide benefit to our nations and to bring people closer to nature, beauty and history. That was the vision of our founders 125 years ago and it remains undiminished today. To achieve it we need now to adapt to the changing world around us. This is undoubtedly a challenging time for the Trust, and many of our staff across the organisation will be balancing their own involvement in the consultation alongside reopening our places for members and the wider public. We therefore ask for your patience, understanding and kindness as we all work through the consultation period. Thank you for your longstanding and continued support at this critical time. Yours sincerely

Hilary McGrady Director General

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Walks Group

The Walks programme is cancelled until such time as it is deemed safe to resume. My thanks to all who have been involved in organising the Quiz night, offering to lead walks, book coaches and take bookings but I’m sure you agree that this is our only option to keep people safe. As you will see on page 11 the Walks Group raised £500 in 2019 to support the Yorkshire Dales NT at Hudswell Woods in providing new stiles, gates and similar facilities. This year we have been able to give them a further £300. They are very grateful for this help and have sent us a letter of thanks.

Alison Rutter Chair Walks Group

News from the NT in Yorkshire

Many NT Parks and Gardens are now open from Wednesday to Sunday for pre-booked visits. Tickets are released on Fridays for the following week. Nostell and Nunnington Houses are open but there is limited access with no pre-booking. If you have a ticket for their car parks/gardens you will then be able to check if there is room in the houses during your visit. Beningbrough: As major projects such as the Mediterranean Garden are currently on hold the gardeners have created a wonderful wild flower border along some of the walled gardens. The seed mix was provided by “Pictorial Meadows”, and is their “Sundance Mix”, which is the same collection of flowers that was used outside the Olympic Stadium. Refreshments are available. Fountains Abbey: The abbey, grounds, shop and café, (for takeaways with outdoor seating) are open again but all visits must be pre-booked.

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Holidays

2020, what a disaster! All holidays to date are cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with perhaps a slim chance of the West Sussex trip, 24 - 28 September, running. As members have booked, paid deposits and some even the final amount for these holidays the simplest way to plan next year’s holidays is to transfer these bookings to the same venues with the exception of Madrid, which was cancelled due to low numbers. This is being replaced with a trip to ‘The Trust in Devon’ in April 2021. The decision for West Sussex is yet to be made, but as the production of next year’s brochure is imminent, we have substituted this with East Kent, 6 - 10 September 2021. If West Sussex does not run this year it will take place in 2022. All 2021 details are in the YANT holiday Brochure accompanying this Newsletter.

YORK ASSOCIATION of the NATIONAL TRUST

Walmgate Ale House, 25 Walmgate, York YO1 9TX

Tours Advisory Group Meeting

Wednesday 24 February 2021 at 10:00 am

Come and find out more about our 2021/22 holidays. A meeting before lunch with Andrew Sharples from Brightwater Holidays and your YANT Tours Organiser, when we will discuss & show slides of our 2021 planned holidays and decide our choice of holidays for 2022.

Whether you have booked or are just thinking about it, come and find out more details.

Space is limited to 40 members, so let me know if you’re coming. Peter Drew, Tours Organiser : 01904 702285 email: holidays@yant.org.uk

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Beningbrough Gardens ©Mike Morrow

2019 Wish List for NT Projects

In 2019 YANT fundraising activities enabled us to make the following grants to Yorkshire Properties. Property Project Cost Beningbrough 2 Table and Chairs for Andy Sturgeon

Garden

£1,311

Beningbrough Garden chairs for Mediterranean Garden

£1,439

Brimham Rocks Pond dipping equipment (10 sets at £25 each)

£250

Nostell Priory Dolls House Restoration

£1000

Nunnington Hall

Scaffolding £700

Nunnington Hall Iris Garden

£300

Hudswell Woods New stiles etc

£500

Total £5,500

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Goddards Gardens ©Tom Longridge, NT Senior Gardener

My time with YANT by Kathie Carr The York Centre of the National Trust was one of the first centres to be formed in the country. This was in 1970 with Miss Willougby (Headmistress of Mill Mount) as its Chairman. The Centre covered the whole of Yorkshire but as this grew it was divided into smaller regions i.e. Ryedale Centre and Dales Centre in 1980. I joined the Trust in 1974 at Blickling Hall, Norfolk, and then soon became a member of the York Centre together with Anne MacKray. We soon took part in the activities and were made very welcome. The Centre consisted of three sub-committees as well as the main one. The Project Committee raised funds for the Properties in the area so they could acquire extra items. This was to help make places more pleasurable for people to visit. Items such as picnic tables, notice boards and seating were added as well as Children’s activities areas, which give interest to future generations. The Programme Committee was set up to arrange talks and outings for YANT members. The Walks Committee arranged half day and full

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Finally I should mention the task of Chairman, something that many members seem to feel is too onerous, in my years it wasn’t, but unless more people volunteer it will become so. Our present Chairman also edits the newsletter. This is a plea to you to join in.

Elizabeth Hjort July 2020

Social and Fundraising Activities

We are really sorry that we have had to cancel our social activities this year but planned events will be rebooked for 2021 as soon as Covid-19 rules allow. In the meantime we wanted to ask for your suggestions for enjoyable social activities, which will also help to raise funds for the National Trust. Last year the committee had a presentation from NT Fund raisers with lots of suggestions; although we all felt a bit weak at the knees with the suggestion of a sponsored abseiling session! Other suggestions were an adult Treasure Hunt, i.e. around York or one of the NT Gardens with a small fee for each couple/mini team and of course refreshments and prizes. Wine tasting or a Pet show or Pooch Party was amongst other examples. As soon as possible we will organising a coffee morning and perhaps these could include a plant sale or plant swop. Would you enjoy a musical afternoon with refreshments? Complete the enclosed questionnaire or let myself, or any committee member know. On page 11 are details of the “Wish List” from properties we fund raised for in 2019.

Christine Truman Projects Group Chair

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day walks across the area. All of which aimed to be social gatherings to gain friendship as well as exercise. My first holiday with the Trust was to Kent, visting Chartwell, Ightham Mote, Batemans and Sissinghurst Gardens. Whilst on this holiday I met Cherry Cummings and discovered that we lived in the same street in York. In fact we had been neighbours for over three years and had never met. Cherry organized the monthly Coffee Evenings at the Treasurer’s House. I would go and help (Denby Cups and Saucers); this was a nice way to meet other members including Marguerite Spence, Fiona Frost, Rose Goldbury, Ruth and Geoffrey Sheath as well as Margaret and George Hepworth. Tom Daffern organised the holidays and we would meet at his house prior to the holiday and were told which Properties we would visit. There would be two, three or four properties each day. As well as Kent our destinations included Devon (where we put on weight due to the Devonhire cream teas each day). Another holiday was to Edinburgh, staying at Pollock Halls of Residence near Arthur’s Seat. A university group from Japan was visiting Edinburgh University at the time. They gave evening entertainment including the “Tea Ceremony”, Calligraphy and Martial Arts. Mrs Daffern organised the seating arrangements on the coach. She would appear each day with a bag of marbles, each one numbered. We would draw out a marble and this would allocate us the seat on the coach. In this way we would have a different member of the tour for company each day, and so get to meet everyone. On each of the holidays we met members of local centres, with the result that committee members of the York Group would play host to visiting centres at Treasurer’s House. Fund raising activities such as the Summer Fair and Christmas Coffee Morning were also originally held at Treasurer’s House and then moved to St Sampson’s. For a while shift changes at work meant that I didn’t have an opportunity to join in with the holidays until I saw a weekend visit to Derby advertised, which included visits to Lyme Park and Sudbury Hall. This was at the time of the TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. So I

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A YANT Tour leader remembers

My involvement with YANT has mainly been with the day trips, the holidays under the guidance of Brian Knowlman, and the Mystery Tours with Kath Carr. Daytrips were and still are a popular part of the programme; headaches for the organiser are cancellations either by members or by venues, unforeseen traffic diversions and timekeeping. One late arrival at each stop can end up with a 30 minute delay, on arrival in York, with the resultant complaints about missed buses. My first experience as a holiday leader (this was before we used Brightwater) was to Madrid and Barcelona. Unfortunately one member had a nasty fall during our first visit and was bleeding a lot. Joan Letty, an invaluable companion on such occasions, quickly reassured us that nothing serious had happened. Joan and I went to the nearest pharmacy where my Spanish was tested to the limit. On a holiday to Wales, I had a bee sting the evening before we left. I felt it would calm down and, as I was leading, set off to meet the group. My arm was throbbing so I mentioned the problem to Joan, who found something suitable in a motorway shop and told me not to worry that I was above the age recommended on the pack!! Mystery Tours are fun to organise but involve a minimum of two full days checking out routes. We try to use minor roads but have to check that all sharp corners and small bridges are passable for a large coach. Even after the coach company has agreed this, we can be badly thrown by a diversion on the day. On one narrow lane we met a large tractor and the driver shouted at our driver ‘Where are you going?’ He replied ‘I don’t know, it’s a mystery’. One of our worst experiences was when the hotel chosen for lunch had changed hands and, when we went to check again it proved unsuitable, we found a different venue, fortunately free on the same date. We feel our route has proved a success when very few people have guessed the destination, until we have almost arrived at our lunch time stop. -

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booked the tour and met up with old friends. This was my first holiday of many arranged by Brian Knowlman. Committee members of the Centre, including Michael and Mrs Potter, Lance and Brenda Gilling, Jim and Joy Wilson as well as Anita and Don Dormer, led some of the holidays. Following retirement I became a volunteer at Nunnington Hall as well as Treasurer’s House. By this time the York Centre had become the York Association of the National Trust and I joined the Projects Committee and with Mrs Potter and Pauline Walker I helped to organize events. These included Garden Parties, Antique Evenings, Musical events and talks with cream teas. For one of these, in Northallerton, Margaret Bailey and myself made five dozen scones. At this event I met a gentleman who I though I knew so chatted away until I realized he was the speaker and passed him on to Michael Potter. Our speaker was none other than William Hague who spoke about walking in the Dales. It was very humorous and he did not charge us anything as we held the event in his constituency. These fund raising activities continue now under the guidance of Christine Truman and with the help of committee members. Elizabeth Hjort and myself still enjoy arranging the Mystery Tours. The next one will be my twelfth. I drive and Elizabeth makes notes. A good time is had by both of us! We get lost and have to make detours to make sure a fifty two seater coach can get through the country roads. I still go to Nunnington, which I enjoy, each fortnight; and keep in touch with old and new friends in the Trust.

Kathie Carr,

February 2020