Pannal notes found

 Last blog I said I had lost my notes. Well they are found so I thought I would include them.

There was the very sad news that Conor Shutt grandson of Allan and June and Martin's son has died. I knew him as a little boy and he used to come on the walks round Pannal that I did with Pannal School. After a walk some of the children would recognise me even in Harrogate and tell their parents. Very kindly the parents would say their children enjoyed the walks and some children even insisted their parents go on the walk and they would tell them what they had been told. Needless to say don't think Conor ever finished a walk. Think we got as far as Mill Lane before he was sent (accompanied) back to school. He was a wild little boy. 

Leading on from this Pannal has been chosen to be in the Heritage Walks nationwide which is in September.I have been asked to lead the walk which I am happy to do to let people know about Pannal. It is strange sometimes on the walks someone will say I pass Pannal quite often going along the Leeds Road and I have often wondered what was down there. 

You will have seen the bungalow next door to me has been sold. It sold in a week and the asking price was over £500,000 and there were two lots of people after it. So |I will be having new neighbours. Shirley Holberry who was a lovely neighbour is now at Hampden House and enjoying her time there. I am the longest householder here having moved in 1966 with just Susan who was born when we lived at 2 Maltkiln Cottages, Kirkby Overblow, and Dusty our dog. Over the years came Michael, James and Richard all born in Pannal and all attended Pannal Primary School and then Harrogate Grammar School,another dog and four cats.  We have lovely neighbours and best wishes to Mary Barr who had a fall and is now in hospital. Hopefully out soon and home. 

Ok that's it until next time. 

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Summer in Pannal

 At last we have summer. How long it will last we do not know but it is lovely to have the sun and warmth. I think my arms have grown longer. Knuckles not yet trailing on the ground due to the fact that I have been watering the plants back and front. I have a lot of plants and a lot of wildlife. Bees, butterflies all be it the white cabbage ones, some blackbirds nesting. I shall soon be like Miss Haversham from Great Expectations as the plants grow over and round me. Crimple Valley looked so beautiful with all the buttercups and mayflower. It is one of my favourite places and we are so lucky to have it on our doorstep.

Now I do not know what happens in the summer but I have a lot of inquiries about relatives that used to live in Pannal in years gone by. Do I know where they lived etc. I normally have the answer as I have a lot of historical papers. I have dealt with a number of these inquiries  and only once have I had some horrible people. They were Americans and were sent to see me by a villager as they said they were related to the Bentley family at Pannal Hall. They came and as it was a lovely day we were in the garden. I made them some coffee and cake and they sat down. I looked up my records and found they were related to the other Bentley family in Pannal. They were amazingly annoyed and just got up and walked out the gate. They had taken photographs of Pannal Hall and I bet they returned to America and said that this was their ancestral home. Who was to contradict them eh!

I am getting back to normal. Notice I said normal as you my readers are nice people. When I told my "friends" my blood test was normal  they ALL said yes your blood test may be but you never have been!! I would like to say thank you for Alan's kind comments. I still have not got my sense of smell back nor my walking many miles ability as my sense of balance is not good but I am getting there. When I first got Covid my oldest son Michael came over and Susan had said to him take a photograph of mum and send it to me. He did and she came up the next day. So I must have looked really poorly. Have not seen the photo nor do I want to. 

I make notes of what I am going to write in my blog.. Well I did but I have lost it. Had to leave there and rescue my little blind cat as a magpie was going for her. A worry as I cannot be there all the time. Would Tigs go to her rescue no she would probably join the magpie.

Pannal Update

 Bit of an update. Still not right but getting there. Long Covid is not good. I am out and about but still not 100% and still not golfing. Just doing reasonable walks. One of my very favourite places is the Crimple Valley. I can spend nearly all day wandering round it. It is so pretty at the moment. The buttercups are amazing. So lovely to see them and the hawthorn in bloom. Area was all churned up years ago when the cows were on there then the sheep when it was a working farm. We came to live here in 1965 after living in Kirkby Overblow and have always loved Pannal. Our four children were all born here. Well no, Susan was born when we lived at Kirkby |Overblow. Wonder if we still hold the record at Pannal School of all four children attending Pannal School from when they started until they left and all attended Harrogate Grammar School or as we were informed by the Education Authority Otley Road Comprehensive!!!

Walking across Pannal Green I was reminded that I made an appeal when I was part of Pannal and Burn Bridge Village Society for a "Christmas" tree and wouldn't it be lovely to have lights. Both appeals were granted and we now have the lovely display at Christmas. Lights were added on the trees at the entrance to Pannal Green when the three boys from Pannal Green were tragically killed together with another innocent car driver..These lights were given when Yasmin past owner of Harrogate News contacted me as the boys delivered papers and their customers donated the money. Still thinking about Pannal as I walked I am most proud of all I have achieved for Pannal - The very first Tree Preservation Order, in the whole district, TPO 1 Pannal 1969, the saving of Spacey Houses Farm buildings (unfortunately could not save Spacey Houses Public House as the owners were "smart" and took the roof off in the early hours of the morning before I could have it listed. Saving of Dr Kellner's house The Horst on Westminster Drive. He was headmaster of Horst College now called Fieldhurst on the Leeds Road at the top of Pannal.. Writing the very first book ever written on Pannal then writing three more. Not finished yet as I would like to have a Country Park in the Crimple Valley. Do you know that before the housing came on the Dunlopillo site we had over 400 houses built starting in the mid 1960s. We were Pannal Village I like to think we still are. Also in the 1960s there were so many different types of birds Pied wagtail, thrush, starlings,many blackbirds and sparrows, goldfinch, tree creepers, woodpeckers and without fail every spring for about fifteen years we heard the cuckoo in Sandybank Quarry. Now we have predominately rooks and magpies and mentioning magpies. My poor little blind cat was lying full stretch in the sunshine in the garden when a magpie landed on her and pecked her. I was in the garden and saw this happening. She got such a fright and not only her I may add.   

Pannal and Me

 Here I am. I have had Covid and it knocked me for six. I was so ill and very very dizzy and it lasted nearly a month. My lovely children came and looked after me and I am  recovering but feeling quite weak. I will not burden you with all the side effects just say I am hopefully on the mend. No golf as yet first the rain and then me..

Where is summer as some days are quite cold especially when there is a wind. Noticed that a big tree has fallen down on Church Lane. Was that the wind or the extreme wet weather? All the plants in the garden have shot up and one blessing is that they are now so high and so close together that the weeds do not have space to grow. So I shall have a wildlife garden. Suits me.

I did not miss the Coronation as I saw it on tv. Such a shame that Pannal's Event on Crimple Meadows was a wash out due to the recreation ground being flooded. The organisers did well on the switch to Pannal Green and St Robert's car park. After the rain on Coronation day the Coronation Event on Pannal Green and car park turned out to be a beautiful warm sunny day. I had a very slow walk down but could not stay long so came back as I felt weak. It certainly looked very busy and I hope they did well under very difficult circumstances. The Coronation went well. We do know how to put on "a good show".King Charles looked very nervous. In fact they both did and I could not toast them as I could not taste anything. No beer, no Prosecco. Will I make up for it oh I do hope so.

I have managed to stagger out and feed the cats and were they sympathetic - not a jot. 

 

Snow time in Pannal

 I love snow . Yesterday was miserable and I thought we are not going to get any but lo and behold today snow and sunshine. I will make a snowman in my garden. Not at the front as we have done in years past as my children are artistic and the snowman looked great. I am not artistic at all so he will remain hidden. I made a penguin once and put it on Facebook as I was quite proud of it. Probably unjustifiably but no one said it was not a penguin or were unkind. Don't think I said it was a penguin so that is probably the reason no one was unkind.

Who remembers going to school in the deep (much deeper than this)  snow? I have all the Pannal Primary School Log Books and it states in there on many an occasion that the snow in Pannal was 8 to 10 feet deep. Pannal Primary School was on Woodcock Hill in those far off days only moving to Pannal Green in 1965.Some times there was no heating so the children and teachers who AUTOMATICALLY came to school wore their coats. I remember when I was about seven going to school in very deep snow and it came over the top of my wellies but we all went to school. Remember the bottles of milk that we had to drink with the ice sticking out of the top and we had to put them on the radiators. 

Pannal Post Office has the last 4 books on Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories and as they say when they are gone they are gone.I enjoyed writing it and I enjoyed people's reaction to it. This was my fourth book on Pannal. A History of Pannal, Postcards from Pannal, A Centerary History of Pannal Golf Club and this last one. All out of print now but occasionally Amazon has them at a higher price than when they were first published. When I started to collect information on Pannal there was only the Library as a source and I found there was hardly anything on Pannal. No one had ever written about it before. There were occasional references but no book. Now there are four and I feel proud at having put Pannal on the Map. I put on the very first Tree Preservation Order 1969 No 1 Pannal the very first in the whole of Harrogate. I went on to do more and spent a lot of time at the Planning Office. I also saved buildings that were in danger of being demolished in Pannal and Harrogate. It has all been so worthwhile and I am not finished yet "preserving" Pannal. Great place to live.

Saw there is a cherry tree down on Pannal Green. Amazed really as it looked stable but presumably because it had so many branches the wind took it. It is still there.

Oh Tigs and Marble are now 17 and this morning they looked at the snow then looked at me and "said" "and this is" wish I could tell you they pointed but no. Anyway out they went and they loved it. Life in the old cats yet. 

I have a comments column on my Blog would be pleased to hear from you any queries or anything I can help anyone with or your comments about Pannal or just to say hello. 

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Just Pannal Village

 I have looked after the patio area beside St Robert's Church where the information Board, that I gave all the information for, is. I have looked after this little area for so many years and I have many chats with people that pass ranging from where does the path behind that Church go to or is there anywhere I can get some coffee? I have even helped a lady who was picking up dog poo from the fields. She was just tidying up as she thought is disgraceful that some people were not picking up after their dogs.I even had a man and woman sit on the seat eating their lunch and just lifted their feet for me to sweep up. They were not there when I started I must just say they came later. 

Now with all the rain and high winds we have had I have not been tidying up but yesterday calm and sunny day off I went down to do so. Now my gardening jacket is black with yellow bits and there I was sweeping up leaves, and there was a lot of them, then this gentleman walking past said to me " about time you did that and are you going all the way along the pavements they are a disgrace".he then walk on.  He obviously thought I was a road sweeper. Did make me smile but today when I went down to clear the little flower beds I wore a bright red jacket and no I was not mistaken for the postman. 

I am still hoping that we shall have a Country Park to honour the Queen. The part I want is one entrance through Sandy Bank Quarry onto the Crimple Valley across the fields and up towards Stone Rings and All Saints. My request has now gone to NYCC who take over in April from HBC. Funny I never looked to see if it was April the 1st.  I am not easily deterred as I had a battle to fight when I was Chairman of the Harrogate Society and formed Friends of the Valley Gardens to fight to save the Sun Pavilion and Colonnades from demolition and I won. So watch this space. I shall with the help of David Wilby KC give it our best shot.  

I have now recovered from falling off the ladder and back to normal. Well as my friends say as normal as I will ever be and I do not think that is a compliment. 

A gentleman- in a magazine I was reading - got in touch with me to say he was putting in the book he was writing about what teachers wrote on school reports what I had written on my report - Empty vessels make the most sound - which I thought for years was a compliment. 

My poor little nearly blind cat Marble follows me wherever I go and I have to be very careful she does not get under my feet as she has a tendency to do. Vet said she is fine and as she has been in the garden and in the house for about fifteen years she knows her way around. Cannot say Tigs looks out for her she does not and will steal her food if I am not looking. .

Frozen Pannal

 I am probably mad as I went out to do some tidying up in the garden. Did manage a bit mainly leaves as ground very very hard. Worst part is how frozen the cars are in the morning. I had an extremely early appointment so I defrosted the windscreens and came back in to get ready. Then I had to defrost all over again as it had frozen up in the short time I was in the house.  We have had no snow and I say as yet s we have had snow at half term in February before this. I have lived here well over fifty years and have seen all weathers. Very heavy snow and we had to take sledges down to get the bread order in the shop on the bridge. Much easier than carrying bags. My eldest son and his wife skied into Harrogate one year and my youngest son and his wife used their canoe up at All Saints Court instead of a sledge and were awarded a voucher for the most unusual mode of transport on the slope. There was an extremely heavy fall of snow one year in April and the tents used for the Spring Flower Show which used to be held in the Valley Gardens collapsed because of the weight of the snow. Fortunately there were empty at the time. 

Well the last of my books  on Pannal and Burn Bridge Their Stories only a few now in the Post Office. I have kept a few but not many. I enjoyed writing this my fourth book on this area. The others being A History of Pannal, Postcards from Pannal and A Centenary History of Pannal Golf  Club. When I think of what was not here when we came to live here. We lived in Kirkby Overblow and our daughter Susan was born there and was just months old when we came to live in Pannal. I have detailed all the shops and businesses in my book. There were no houses at Dunlopillo as the factory was going strong making latex foam. Incidentally my husband's great great grandfather John Smith was Curator of Kew Gardens 1864-66 during the period when the first rubber seedlings were grown at Kew. He sent one of the young Kew gardeners to Ceylon with the seedlings were they formed the basis of the first of the great rubber plantations. GG Grandfather was mentioned in a book by Vikky Baum called the Weeping Woods.

There was no Pannal Green, no Crimple Meadows. The land (Crimple Meadows) belonged to Mr Bentley of Pannal Hall and we used to picnic there, fish in the Crimple and pick teasle.  Pannal Primary School was on Woodcock Hill. no Rosedale or Rosedale Close no through road to Burn Bridge, one had to go up Woodcock Hill. No Woodcock Close there was a lovely barn in the fields there now the recreation grounds. Land behind St Roberts Church  - Crimple Meadows - was a working Farm. No Walton Park. 

Not wishing our lives away but it will be nice to have some warm weather. Back to playing golf and walking.Cats are not all that happy, Spending a lot of time sleeping on chairs and they take great exception to being put out of the lounge at night.