Events and Activities

Further events will be publicised below when details are finalised.

  • Annual General Meeting and talk

    Saturday 18 March 2023

    The AGM was held by Zoom and included a talk by David Cant on 50 years of the YVBSG (available on YouTube: 50 years a'measuring).

  • Annual Recording Conference

    Friday 9 to Sunday 11 June 2023

    Based again in Doncaster, we recorded more of the fascinating seventeenth century vernacular buildings in the adjacent districts as well. Most are rubble-walled in magnesian limestone with dressed window and door surrounds, but brick becomes the main building material by 1700 with clay pantile roofs. A mix of plans, including linear, L- and T-shaped, with some cruck buildings as well. On Sunday afternoon we visited Conisbrough for a guided tour of the castle and church. The buildings recorded will be described at our Conference Review Day on 30 September 2023.

  • Vernacular Buildings of the Todmorden Countryside part three

    Saturday 8 July 2023

    A third walk led by Kevin Illingworth to see more of the fascinating buildings in this part of the county. A short video showing some of the highlights of the walk can be watched here:

  • Team Leaders' Meeting

    Tuesday 12 September 2023

    A chance for team leaders to get together by Zoom to compare and contrast their respective buildings recorded during the annual conference held in Doncaster in June 2023.

  • South Yorkshire Vernacular: review day of Buildings of Doncaster, Hooton Pagnell and Sheffield

    Saturday 30 September 2023

    A review of our building recording in the Doncaster and Sheffield area which was a great success, supported by enthusiastic recording teams and ably guided by team leaders. The buildings represent a wide range of building types from timber framing to early brick and stone built dwellings. One house is a prime example of a 'highland' dwelling, typified by king post roof trusses. Two buildings are in the 'lowland' areas. We also have two examples from estate villages. In view of the rail strike scheduled for this day, we held the event online.

  • The Yorkshire/Lancashire Borderlands

    Saturday 21 October 2023

    An excursion into Lancashire led by Kevin Illingworth to see buildings in and around the historic village of Barrowford. A short video showing some of the highlights of the walk can be watched here:

  • Annual Day School

    Spring 2024

    We hope to resume our live day schools with an event next spring.

  • Annual Recording Conference

    Friday 10 to Sunday 12 May 2024

    The next recording conference will take place in Bridlington on the east coast. Details to follow.

Third Thursday Talks

We are continuing to offer a series of 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

  • None scheduled at present, but do keep an eye on this page for details of future talks.

Previous talks

Please visit our YouTube channel to watch recordings of many of these previous talks:

  • Yorkshire's Medieval Aisled Houses by Colum Giles. Thursday 19 October 2023.
  • The Farm That Moved by David Cant. Thursday 21 September 2023.
  • Oval windows 1650s-1730s: their vernacular context with variants including circular and vesica, mostly located in parts of Lancashire and West Yorkshire by Malcolm Birdsall. Thursday 15 June 2023.
  • The Vernacular Buildings of the Doncaster Area by Peter Thornborrow. Thursday 20 April 2023.
  • The development of Calverley Old Hall by Caroline Stanford of the Landmark Trust. Thursday 16 February 2022.
  • Vernacular Houses of Wensleydale by David Cook. Thursday 17 November 2022. This talk was not recorded.
  • The ogee: its historic use by Malcolm Birdsall. Thursday 15 September 2022. This talk was not recorded.
  • The South Yorkshire Buildings Survey: part two by Peter Thornborrow. Thursday 18 August 2022.
  • The South Yorkshire Buildings Survey: an introduction by Peter Thornborrow. Thursday 19 May 2022.
  • Traditional farm buildings around Ingleborough: a summary of recent work by David Johnson. Thursday 20 January 2022.
  • Looking closely at windows: what can they tell us? by Colum Giles. Thursday 18 November 2021.
  • Vernacular architectural features in parts of Upper Wharfedale and nearby (part 2) by Malcolm Birdsall. Thursday 21 October 2021. This talk was not recorded.
  • Mediaeval Buildings Myths The Folklore and Archaeology of Historic Buildings by James Wright. Thursday 15 July 2021. This talk was not recorded.
  • Bricks and Mortar - rural industry and the supply of building materials 1700-1900 by George Sheeran. Thursday 17 June 2021.
  • Three Carleton Buildings by Sue Wrathmell. Thursday 20 May 2021.
  • Revising Pevsner in the North Riding by Jane Grenville. Thursday 15 April 2021.
  • From Maypole to Daisy Bank: rebuilding a timber-frame at the end of the nineteenth century by David Cant. Saturday 27 March 2021.
  • Vernacular architectural features in Upper Wharfedale (part 1) - the complex of buildings at Kilnsey by Malcolm Birdsall. Thursday 18 March 2021. This talk was not recorded.
  • A farmer-miner landscape: cowhouses and the practice of smallholdings in Castle Bolton (lower Wensleydale) by Hannah Kingsbury. Thursday 18 February 2021.
  • Ships timbers ahoy! Ways to convince it s not part of the Armada by David Cant. Thursday 21 January 2021.