Resources

Our events

An Annual Conference is held over a weekend in spring or early summer. On the first evening there is usually a lecture or training seminar, then the following day is spent in survey teams making plans and drawings of buildings, which are used on the following day to produce an interpretative report. A further lecture, a visit and social events complete the weekend.

An Annual Day School concentrating on a particular topic, with speakers from both Yorkshire and other areas, is held usually in March. Previous day schools have covered Features, Fixtures and Fittings; Recording Techniques; Traditional Buildings of Yorkshire; The Roof over Your Head; Yorkshire's Traditional Farm Buildings; Vernacular Houses and Buildings in Towns; Old Mills and Workshops; The House and Family History; Understanding the Buildings of Estate Villages; Vernacular Buildings in the Landscape; Brick and Tile in Yorkshire's Vernacular Buildings; Vernacular Buildings on Yorkshire's Borders; Timber-Framed Vernacular Buildings in Yorkshire; Crucks and Cruck-Framed Buildings; Vernacular Buildings of Market Towns; Markings and Dateable Features on Vernacular Buildings; How Yorkshire became Polite; and Owt Fresh? Advances in our understanding of Yorkshire's Vernacular Buildings. The group's AGM is held immediately after the day school.

Field Recording Days are organised to study buildings in a certain area. Survey teams draw and measure buildings, and the report-writing, drawing-up and interpretation take place at home afterwards.

Walkabout Tours of towns and villages, led by a local expert, introduce members to the architecture of an area.

Training Seminars take place occasionally, with topics ranging from identification and interpretation to measuring and drawing skills.

Please note that some of our events are open to YVBSG members and guests only.

Next committee meeting

The committee currently meets three or four times a year. The next meeting will be held on 17 May 2025. If you'd like to bring any matter to the attention of the Committee, or if you have any suggestions for future activities, please contact the Secretary, Mary Cook.

Events and Activities

Events for 2025 will include those listed below. Other events are being planned and details will be published here when finalised. Do visit our YVBSG YouTube channel where you will find recordings of talks and short videos of previous visits.

Tour of Calverley Old Hall
- NOW FULLY BOOKED

Thursday 13 February 2025
We have arranged a guided tour of the recently restored Calverley Old Hall in West Yorkshire on Thursday 13 February from 1pm to 3pm. There is no charge but donations are welcome. Numbers are restricted to 15; if you'd like to come, please book via email to David Cant, davidjcant@hotmail.com or by post to 3 Middle Hathershelf, Halifax HX2 6JQ, including a phone number for confirmation. You might have seen images of the spectacular wall paintings recently discovered at the Hall, or the splendid hammerbeam roof, but there are also more modest features of interest to be seen. Further information about the Hall can be found on the Landmark Trust website. If you can't make the YVBSG visit, public open days at the Hall are planned for 17 and 18 May 2025 - see the Landmark Trust website for details.
Annual day school

Saturday 15 March 2025
Our next day school will be held in Halifax. The theme will be Vernacular Buildings of the South Pennines, looking at how the landscape, social and economic aspects are reflected in the buildings of the area. Speakers will include Peter Thornborrow and Kevin Illingworth, who are both very knowledgeable about buildings either side of the Pennines; Sue Wrathmell, who will talk about buildings in the Skipton area; and others being arranged. The booking form will be available early in the new year. For now, hold the date!
Annual General Meeting

Date to be confirmed
In response to several requests, the AGM will be held on an alternative day, probably by Zoom, rather than after the day school as in previous years. Details to follow.
Visit to Woodsome Hall, Fenay Bridge

Saturday 12 April 2025
We are arranging a visit to this fine Grade I listed hall near Huddersfield, now a golf club (www.woodsome.co.uk). Details to follow.
Annual Recording Conference

Friday 9 May to Sunday 11 May 2025
We're planning to hold our next conference in the Bradford area, based at Aldersgate Methodist Chapel, Common Road, Low Moor, Bradford BD12 0TW and on Sunday at Calverley Old Hall, 10 Woodhall Road, Calverley, Pudsey LS28 5NL. The conference will follow the usual format of a meal, lecture and introduction to the locality on the Friday; surveying buildings in the Wibsey, Low Moor and Horton areas of Bradford, followed by a lecture at Aldersgate, and a meal at a local venue on Saturday; and concluding with drawing up at Calverley Old Hall Community Room in the morning on Sunday, followed by lunch and a visit in the afternoon. The booking form will be available early in the new year.

Third Thursday Talks

We are continuing to offer a series of occasional online talks which will normally take place by Zoom at 7.30pm on the third Thursday of the month. The talks are open to all (including non-members) and are free of charge. Members are notified by email as soon as booking is open for each talk, and details are also added to this website. When booking for a talk is open, please register by clicking on the 'Book now' button, which will take you to the Eventbrite booking page. Joining instructions with the Zoom link will be sent by email after booking. When possible, the talks will be recorded and published on the YVBSG YouTube channel.

Future talks

Details of future talks will be added here when finalised.

yvbsg

Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group

Resources

Our events

Next committee meeting

Events and Activities

Tour of Calverley Old Hall

Annual day school

Annual General Meeting

Visit to Woodsome Hall, Fenay Bridge

Annual Recording Conference

Third Thursday Talks

Future talks