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 19 October 2024. 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 2024 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.

Shandy Hall bread ovens and Coxwold walkabout

Thursday 28 March 2024
Join us on a visit to look at the newly discovered bread oven at Shandy Hall, Coxwold, followed by a walkabout in Coxwold. There is much of interest in this attractive village located eight miles south-east of Thirsk. The Group has recorded one building here: report 911, The Old School or Old Hall.
- 10.00-10.30 - Arrive at Coxwold. Parking is at the Village Hall, YO61 4BB, where there are also toilets. Allow at least five minutes for the walk to Shandy Hall at the top of the hill. There is also village street parking for a shorter walk to Shandy Hall up Thirsk Bank. Unfortunately the Coxwold Tea Rooms do not open until 11.00.
- 10.30 - Shandy Hall. Chris Pearson will give a guided tour round the outside of the building to explain what is known of its development (the recently revealed oven is on the outside too) before going inside to look at the bread ovens. She will also show us the wall painting in the parlour downstairs and a picture of the one upstairs.
- 12.00 - Lunch. Members are advised to book a table at The Fauconberg, or try the Tea Rooms or bring a packed lunch.
- 13.30 - Gather at St Michael's church for walkabout of Coxwold village with Moira Fulton.
- 15.30 - Moira has kindly offered tea at her Coxwold home for those wishing to have refreshments before departing. Closing time around 16.00.
Numbers are limited to 10 members. Please contact David Cook on archivist@yvbsg.org.uk or call 07810 668975 to book a place, first come, first served.
Marks, Graffiti, Wall Paintings and Decoration in Yorkshire Buildings

Saturday 27 April 2024
We're pleased to resume our annual day schools with an event to be held at York St John University from 9.30am to 5.45pm. The programme comprises:
- Markings on timber and stone (David Cant)
- Farm graffiti of the Yorkshire Wolds (Professor Kate Giles and Professor Mel Giles)
- A farmer's daybook carved in oak: beam carvings at Manor Farm, Upper Midhope (Andrew Bower and Andy Bentham)
- The painted chamber at Calverley Old Hall (Caroline Stanford)
- The wall paintings of Pickering Church: their discovery, restoration and meaning (Professor Kate Giles)
- Painted decoration on plasterwork, carved oak and panelling, and stained glass in West Yorkshire's mid sixteenth and seventeenth vernacular houses (Peter Thornborrow)
For more information and to book a place, please see the full details. The booking form on its own is also available in Word format. The booking deadline is 14 April 2024 and the day school is open to all.
The Group's AGM will be held immediately after the talks.
Vernacular Buildings of Bridlington

Friday 10 to Sunday 12 May 2024
This year's annual recording conference will be held in the seaside town of Bridlington, and we'll be recording buildings in the area including nearby villages. In the evening lectures, David Neave and Richard Myerscough will introduce us to the local architecture and building stones. On the Sunday afternoon we'll have a tour of Bridlington's very interesting Old Town, which has one of the best preserved Georgian streets in the county.
For full details and to book a place, please see the attached conference leaflet and booking form - the booking deadline is 15 April 2024 and the conference is open to all. Two bursaries are available; for more information and to apply, please see the Bursary Application Form.
A walk around Easingwold

Monday 8 July 2024
A guided walk looking at vernacular buildings in Easingwold on Monday 8 July. The group has recorded more than a dozen varied buildings in the town, ranging from the timber-framed Tudor House and Cottage in Uppleby to a brick-built dovecote off Long Street. Our leader will be local historian Valerie Taylor. Meet at 11am in the Market Place, and bring a picnic or have lunch in one of several cafes. Maximum number 18. Please book your place by mailing Gunhildwilcock@icloud.com.
A visit to Croft Farm near Todmorden, and nearby buildings

Date to be confirmed
Kevin Illingworth is planning another visit to the Todmorden area, primarily to view Croft Farm which we were only able to see from a distance on our last walk. The day will comprise short walks along contours and will include a look at other nearby buildings, still to be confirmed. It might include Horsfall House of 1777 with chamfered mullion windows and some classical features. Higher Stoodley Farmhouse of c1770 has similar features. Haugh House has 'DAIRY' on a lintel. In the Stoodley area is Causeway East Farmhouse, part seventeenth century, also with a dairy lintel at the rear. Full details will be published when the date is finalised.

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

No talks scheduled at present, but any future talks will be advertised here when details are finalised.

yvbsg

Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group

Resources

Our events

Next committee meeting

Events and Activities

Shandy Hall bread ovens and Coxwold walkabout

Marks, Graffiti, Wall Paintings and Decoration in Yorkshire Buildings

Vernacular Buildings of Bridlington

A walk around Easingwold

A visit to Croft Farm near Todmorden, and nearby buildings

Third Thursday Talks

Future talks