North East Nooks and Crannies

By Mark Abel

From Scarborough to Newcastle, North East Nooks and Crannies picks out the unexpected treasures tucked away or often overlooked in the historic towns and villages of the region.
It provides locations and details of forgotten or half seen attractions in an easy to use guide and is ideal to refer to when out and about. Whilst intentionally avoiding the usual tourist haunts, it concentrates instead on the more obscure items, all of which are free to see.
All of the places featured in the book can be accessed without crossing muddy fields and aim to provide an enjoyable form of exercise, with hopefully, a little mental stimulation.
No expensive clothing is required, though suitable footwear is advisable and a copy of the relevant street map may be useful.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Abel
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005464431

Mark Abel

I'm lucky enough to live beside the river close to the city of Chester which is handy as I am of the general opinion that outdoors beats indoors for most activities.Hopefully you have enjoyed some of my writing and may do so again.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

From Scarborough to Newcastle, North East Nooks and Crannies picks out the unexpected treasures tucked away or often overlooked in the historic towns and villages of the region.

It provides locations and details of forgotten or half seen attractions in an easy to use guide and is ideal to refer to when out and about. Whilst intentionally avoiding the usual tourist haunts, it concentrates instead on the more obscure items, all of which are free to see.

All of the places featured in the book can be accessed without crossing muddy fields and aim to provide an enjoyable form of exercise, with hopefully, a little mental stimulation.

No expensive clothing is required, though suitable footwear is advisable and a copy of the relevant street map may be useful.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: NORTHALLERTON

CHAPTER TWO: BEDALE

CHAPTER THREE: INGLEBY ARNCLIFFE

CHAPTER FOUR: SALTBURN

CHAPTER FIVE: HUTTON RUDBY, STOKESLEY & GREAT AYTON

CHAPTER SIX: RICHMOND

CHAPTER SEVEN: RIPON & BOROUGHBRIDGE

CHAPTER EIGHT: WHITBY

CHAPTER NINE: KNARESBOROUGH & HARROGATE

CHAPTER TEN: SKIPTON

CHAPTER ELEVEN: SCARBOROUGH

CHAPTER TWELVE: YARM

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: HART, HEADLAND & HARTLEPOOL

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: COCKFIELD

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SEAHAM

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: CONSETT

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: WYNYARD WOODLAND PARK

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: WESTERTON

CHAPTER NINETEEN: NORTON

CHAPTER TWENTY: NEWTON AYCLIFFE

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: DARLINGTON

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: HURWORTH

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: KIRKLEATHAM & REDCAR

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: SEDGEFIELD

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: MIDDLESBROUGH

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: SHILDON & BRUSSELTON

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: STANHOPE

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT: CHESTER LE STREET & BOURNMOOR

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: PETERLEE

CHAPTER THIRTY: SUNDERLAND

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: NEWCASTLE

CHAPTER ONE

NORTHALLERTON

Northallerton is the county town of North Yorkshire situated on the route between London and Edinburgh and if you like your buildings adorned with information plaques this makes an ideal destination.

I would recommend starting out from the northern end of the High Street and walk towards the town centre. On the left-hand side just past Quaker Lane is an elongated U-shaped building. Today this curved-fronted structure is the Baptist Church but used to be the Lyric Cinema that showed films from 1939 until it finally closed in 1995.

Continue on to reach Porch House, the oldest building in Northallerton, dating from 1584 this Elizabethan home can claim to have entertained royal guests. King Charles 1st stayed there in 1640 and must have liked it so much that he returned for a second visit, this time as a prisoner in 1647.

Carrying on will bring you to the Fleece Inn, where, according to the sign, Charles Dickens wrote Nicholas Nickleby. This was his third novel, partly set in Yorkshire but as it was published in 19 monthly instalments between March 1838 and October 1839 it is very unlikely that the full 900 odd pages were written here.

Many stories were originally issued in this way, a couple of chapters at a time, to keep the prices low and hence attract more customers. Finishing each instalment with a cliff hanger had readers thirsting for more whilst it had the extra benefit of allowing the author to start selling the early chapters before the full tale was composed.

Follow on a little further along the A167 to see the imposing exterior of the Station Hotel building that originally provided accommodation for visitors to the long-gone racecourse over the road where County Hall now stands.

CHAPTER TWO

BEDALE AND CRAKEHALL

Bedale lies to the west of Northallerton, it is a pleasant market town well worth a walk around, being sure to reach St Gregory’s Church at the far end of the town where you can find the old Grammar School dating from 1674 just inside the churchyard.

The real gem here however is to be found on the Bedale Road to the east of the town, on the Aiskew side of the beck.

Head down the hill towards the train station and cross over to the follow the road beside the beck (Bedale Beck) and you will find the steps on the right leading down