🧵The Battle of Marston Moor, fought near York on this day 2 July, 1644, was a pivotal clash in the English Civil War. The Parliamentarian and Scottish Covenanter forces, led by the Earl of Manchester, Lord Fairfax, and Alexander Leslie, faced the Royalists under Prince Rupert of

Today, Lloyds Banking Group officially announced that the historic 173-year-old Halifax brand will be retired. marking the end of an era that began in 1853 when the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building and Investment Society was founded at the Old Cock Inn in Halifax (below)

This seems appropriate for ta summer's day and also for the Somme anniversary. Poppies at Raskelf near Easingwold. Image Chris Combe CC BY 2.0

And she has just said it again at PMQ's. How the hell does she expect genuinely sick and disabled people to live. They are only just existing now. It is both expensive and debilitating living with chronic illness.

🧵Pioneering aviator Amy Johnson was born on 1 July 1903 in the family home on St Georges Road in Hull. After a little bit of a rebellious period at Hull's Boulevard Secondary School and earning an Economics B.A. from the University of Sheffield, she briefly worked as a secretary. Driven by

🧵One hundred and ten years ago today on 1 July 1916, Yorkshire bore a devastating share of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, making up nearly twenty percent of the British force. Spurred by Kitchener’s 1914 call to arms, communities had formed close-knit "Pals" battalions from places like

Westgate House, Huddersfield has to be one of my favourite examples of modern commercial architecture. It was originally constructed in the mid-19th century with its famous street-facing exterior being completely redesigned and rebuilt in 1923 by architect Pascal J. Stienlet.

🧵At What Cost? Part 1: The rapid rise of many West Riding industrial towns came with many social costs, poor health was one of them and it was often the youngest in the towns who paid the highest price. A case in point is Castleford. The town's rapid transformation from an agricultural settlement

🧵Kemi Badenoch acts like a cord-pull doll repeating the same old phrases. If she says "Cut Benefits" one more time! I worked for nearly forty years before developing chronic health conditions right before retirement in October last year. Those two years before cost me thousands in potential

🧵Surprising as it might sound, St Wilfrid’s Church holds the unique distinction of being the historic town of Harrogate’s only Grade I listed building. It is widely considered by architectural historians to be a masterpiece of the late Gothic Revival style. The church was designed

🧵Fought on 30 June 1643 at Drighlington, the Battle of Adwalton Moor was a pivotal clash of the First English Civil War, securing Yorkshire for King Charles I. The Royalist commander, the Earl of Newcastle, was marching a massive force of 10,000 men to crush the Parliamentarian

Once a grand Elizabethan mansion near Batley, Howley Hall became a vital Civil War Parliamentarian stronghold. Its strategic position means Lord Fairfax may well have used it in the days leading up to the Battle of Adwalton Moor on 30 June 1643 as he had done prior to the capture of Wakefield.

If you missed it yesterday my piece on a "sense of place" for @yorkshirebylines.co.uk Yorkshire is very special to me but I suspect that had I been born in another county, another country, or even on another continent, I might have developed real affection for the place as it became familiar to me.

In the mid-19th century Yorkshire emerged as a prominent stronghold of Chartism. Leeds and Bradford, in particular, were hotbeds of activity, hosting numerous lodges and gatherings. Feargus O’Connor, the editor of The Northern Star, a significant Chartist newspaper, was initially based in Leeds.

🧵The Siege of Caerlaverock in July 1300 is one of the most famous episodes of the First War of Scottish Independence, pitting the might of the English crown against a tiny, stubborn Scottish garrison. This conflict is uniquely preserved in "The Roll of Caerlaverock," a rhyming 1/7

I’m not patriotic, in the normal sense of the word, but I do feel a deep connection to Yorkshire. This attachment stems not from national pride, but from a lifetime of familiarity with its unique landscapes, history, and people. My piece for Yorkshire Bylines. #Yorkshire #SenseofPlace

No not painted this last week this has long been one of my favourite summer paintings and ideal for the recent weather. Frederick William Elwell's (1870-1958) 'Brick Bridge, Swinemoor' at Beverley. It was once a very popular spot for

For most of my life I have had views across to Emley Moor from wherever I have lived. This one is from Clayton West just a stones throw from Skelmanthorpe where I lived for several years. We are blessed in many parts of West Yorkshire to be only minutes from views like this. #Yorkshire #landscape

🧵4 posts The Knaresborough Castle Yard Riot is a story of Victorian resistance against the land grabbing wealthy. By 1865, the ruined castle grounds had been used by townsfolk as a public common for generations. However, a wealthy neighbour, Sir John Simpson of Castle Lodge, erected 1/4

The life and legacy of Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan is being explored in an exhibition in Leeds. "Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World" opened at the Royal Armouries on 26 June and runs until November. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I must have passed this c.1710 door many thousands of times over the forty years I lived in Horbury. The Kidcote (Lock-up) is located on Tithe Barn Street next to the Old Town School and across from where the barn once stood. its ground floor originally served as a village prison,

🧵Before fast fashion, there was the "shoddy" industry in towns like Batley, Dewsbury and Ossett in the Heavy Woollen District. Beginning around 1834 innovators in these towns began grinding up old rags, torn woollens, and tailors' scraps, weaving them back into new cloth. It was the world's

Crackpot Hall, situated near Keld are the ruins of an 18th century farmstead, possibly built on the site of a 16th century hunting lodge which was kept for Thomas, the first Baron Wharton. The name comes from the Norse for crow and cave (or deep hole). The hall was

Sunday 12 July, 10am–4pm - Pontefract Town Centre Celebrate Pontefract's famous liquorice heritage with a colourful parade, live music, food and drink, heritage talks, and free family activities at Pontefract Castle. A fun-filled day of history, entertainment and sweet treats for all ages.

"What is all this rubbish about there not being climate change? I’m wearing a permanent fur coat and my air conditioning (this tongue) is working at 200% capacity. Please pass the doggy ice cream." 🍦🐾

The nine graves tablets in Kirkthorpe (Wakefield) churchyard memorials of "some of a contingent of Benedictine Nuns who left France on the 17th October, 1792 before residing at Heath Old Hall from 1811 to 1821. There were approximately 42 Nuns besides novices, pupils, servants

🧵Although Flamborough was for centuries a fishing village, its inhabitants also depended on farming for their livelihood and food. Extensive areas of medieval ridge-and-furrow earthworks and cropmarks, indicative of cultivation in open field systems are still visible on aerial photographs and

"All the language of the Northumbrians, and specially at York, is so sharp, slitting, and frotting, and unshape, that we southern men may scarcely understand that language." The observation appears in Trevisa's 1387 translation of Ranulf Higden's Polychronicon and is one of the most famous

Sadly the church is in the news as it struggles to stay open. Parishioners are rallying round in a bid to save St Mary's Church at Cowlam which can only be accessed by via a large working farm www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

York railway station, the superb curved structure passengers still use today was officially opened OTD, 25 June 1877. Boasting 13 platforms and a stunning, sweeping iron and glass roof the original architects were Thomas Prosser, Benjamin Burley and William Peachey. #York #Railway

This early Victorian illustration by Francis Bedford captures the architectural transformation of York Castle Yard combining medieval survival with 19th-century penal reform. During the 18th century, the site expanded rapidly with new civic and penal architecture. The County Gaol

🧵They turn their backs on truth to chase a lie, And swear the earth is flat beneath the sky; They call the rising seas a grand deceit, And claim life-saving cures are threats to meet. 1/2

John Speed’s 1610 map of The West Ridinge of Yorkeshyre is a true masterpiece of early British mapmaking. Originally created for his famous atlas, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, this particular version was published in London in 1676 by Thomas Bassett and

Don't forget your flowery sun hats and parasols whilst promenading in front of the spa in Scarborough. It was definitely the place to be seen 😂

I was going to post this yesterday but as I do these days, I totally forgot 😂 Published in Leeds by Robinson & Son, this 1814 colour lithograph titled "Midsummer Eve" is the work of British artist George Walker. Engraved by Robert Havell for the book The Costume of Yorkshire, it is a

🧵St John the Baptist Church, Adel, Leeds is a world-renowned (honestly) Grade I listed parish church located in Leeds. Built between 1150 and 1170, possibly on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church, it stands as one of the finest and most complete examples of Norman Romanesque

Forty five years ago tomorrow the Humber Bridge opened to traffic. When it was completed, this monumental suspension bridge was the longest single-span crossing of its type in the world, a title it held for 17 years.

🧵The forecast for the next few days looks good. This colourful railway poster, created by T. C. Dugdale in 1930 for the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER), depicts three summer scenes from a traditional seaside holiday in Bridlington. #RailwayPoster #Bridlington #Vintage

Because the historical records of Roche Abbey were lost or destroyed, little is known of its daily activities. The only surviving account notes that 14 monks and an unknown number of novices remained when Henry VIII dissolved the monastery OTD 23 June in 1538. Though

🧵The legend of the Slaithwaite "Moonrakers" captures the wit and rebellious spirit of West Yorkshire’s historic canal-weaving communities. Nestled in the rugged Colne Valley, 19th-century Slaithwaite (Slawit) relied on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal for trade and for smuggling

It has definitely seen better days but Bramham Biggin is a Grade II* listed Tudor-period mansion located on the Bramham Park Estate in West Yorkshire. Originally built on the site of a medieval remote monastic cell for Nostell Priory, the house was expanded and remodelled by

When will people understand, the British constitutional system dictates that a change of Prime Minister does not automatically trigger a general election. This is because citizens vote for local Members of Parliament and political parties rather than an individual leader. A Prime Minister's

🧵Today is Windrush Day. Alford Gardner’s journey crossed oceans to reshape the social history of Yorkshire. Born in Jamaica, he first arrived in England in 1944, volunteering for the RAF during World War II and training as a mechanic at RAF Hunmanby Moor, Filey. Returning to Jamaica after the war, a

Linton is crossed by three distinct, ancient footbridges including a packhorse bridge and a stone clapper bridge. The Redmayme Bridge was originally built in the 14th century to carry pedestrian and packhorse trade routes heading towards Burnsall along the River. It was constructed

My piece for @yorkshirebylines.co.uk Older people are not just statistics, stereotypes or problems to be solved, but individuals whose lives remain rich with humour, passion, curiosity and conviction. #CreativeAgeing #AgeOfCreativity #Theatre #RealLives

🧵5 posts: Solstice and Midsummer: Science, Farming, and Folklore. The Summer Solstice, occurring at 9.24am (Leeds) today is a scientific milestone marking the exact moment the Earth’s northern hemisphere tilts closest to the sun, resulting in the longest day of the year. It’s the official

Situated east of Harpham village (near Driffield), is a well dedicated to St John of Beverley. Legend tells that he was born in the village and the well miraculously sprung up when he struck the earth with his staff. The small stone built well house was rebuilt in 1856 and in the late C.20.

🧵There was a post in another place that stated: "if he (Burnham) stops any more HMOs, funds British transport police and has policies which visibly tackle vape shops etc and fly-tipping, he’ll win the majority in seats Labour are presently losing." It caused derisory comments amongst some but

In the watercolour Road and Cornfields, East Yorkshire, part of a series titled Midsummer, celebrated artist David Hockney captured the seasonal beauty of the region's countryside. The artwork features a winding rural road that gracefully cuts through rolling agricultural

Beneath the Foss Bank former Sainsbury’s car park in York lies Jewbury, Cemetery probably Europe’s most extensively researched medieval Jewish cemetery. Established in 1177 after Henry II permitted Jewish burials outside London, it was meticulously organised according to Jewish custom until