Thursday 13 November 2014

Remembrance Sunday

 
Remembrance Sunday, Keld - Sunday 9th November 2014
 
There are four names on the Keld War Memorial;  Richard Alderson, Thomas Clarkson,
Wm Waller Hutchinson and Robert Rukin.  The four fallen soldiers all came from the head of the dale; Keld, Angram and Skeugh Head.
 
At the Remembrance Day Service, in this the centenary year of the outbreak of WWI, representatives from each family were present. John Rukin of Keld, great nephew of Robert Rukin, laid a poppy wreath in remembrance of the four who lost their lives during the Great War and for all those who have suffered as a result of war and conflict.
 
left to right: Bill Hutchinson (nephew of William Hutchinson), Marina Whitehead & Margaret Fawcett (nieces of Richard Alderson), Dorothy Brown (neice of Thomas Clarkson), John Rukin & James Cooper (great nephews of Robert Rukin).



As a result of research into the lives of the four men (undertaken by friends of the Keld Resource Centre) photographs, information, transcribed letters and telegrams are on display in the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre.  

Marina Whitehead is a niece of Richard Alderson who was killed in France whilst taking part in a reconnaissance raid.  His body was never found.  He is remembered on the Menin Gate.

Bill Hutchinson is a nephew of Wm Waller Hutchinson.  Waller died of pneumonia, aged 19, in an army hospital in France on Armistice Day.  He is buried in France.  News of Waller's death was received by his mother at the Cat Hole Inn, Keld where the Hutchinson family lived.  The sensitively written letter from the Army Chaplain bearing the sad news can be seen in the centre.  He wrote "He passed away this morning (11/11/1914) just before 2 o'clock.  We laid his body to rest this afternoon in the hospital cemetery not far away, and he was borne to the grave beneath the Union Jack."
 
Dorothy Brown and Elizabeth Alderson both descendants of Thomas Clarkson who is buried in Muker churchyard.  Thomas Clarkson was seriously wounded in the head and was transported back to England where he died in a London hospital.  He is the only one of the four men to be buried on home soil.

The soldiers's medals, memorial plaque, dog tag plus poignant letters and photographs can be viewed in the centre's display cabinet.  

James Cooper, great nephew of Robert Rukin, looking at the display that includes the last letter Robert's mother letter wrote to him.  It was eventually returned to her marked 'Return to Sender'.  When she wrote the letter her son was already dead.  Robert Rukin died in one of the last battles of the First World War.  He is buried in France.

The Keld Resource Centre wishes to express their thanks to all who gave their time and shared their knowledge during this research project.  Also grateful thanks to those who loaned photographs, personal letters and documents which form an invaluable part of the exhibition.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Poppy Workshop at Gunnerside & Reeth Primary School

 
A new display is being prepared in the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre in honour of the four men named on the Keld War Memorial, who gave their lives during WWI. 
 
Photographs, service records and letters will form the main part of the display. 
 
A field of poppies to decorate the centre has been made by the KS2 pupils from
Gunnerside & Reeth Primary School.
 
 
 


 
 

Friday 3 October 2014

Harvest Festival

Fruit, vegetables, flowers, home baking, hay and fleece form the Harvest Festival display in Keld Church. 
It was a shame when the bale of hay went back to the farm, the scent was heavenly! 

The following evening, in Keld Lodge, the sale of goods raised funds for the church. 

Thursday 18 September 2014

Keld Remembered

The most popular Keld Countryside & Heritage event this year was the talk given in July by Mrs Joan Moody entitled Keld Remembered. 
 
Joan, daughter of Rev. Arnold & Mrs Jeannie Mee, lived in The Manse at Keld from 1935 - 1942 when her father came to be minister of the three dales churches, Keld, Thwaite and Reeth.  Her memories of her childhood days in Keld are vivid, colourful and a fascinating glimpse into daily life in the dales before and during WW11. 
Here an abridged version of her talk.
 
'Even in the days between the two wars Keld was well loved and cherished and there were already a number of appreciative books and articles in circulation.  Enthusiastic walkers and campers, even then, came up regularly and so did fishermen, writers, broadcasters, artists and professional families looking for holidays and recreation.  They would generally stay at the Cathole Inn, sometimes at Butt House, then also the village shop and Post Office, or at Park Lodge Farm where Mrs Rukin presided.  One of these appreciative visitors was Richard (Dick) Sharp, a BBC correspondent who worked with Northern Radio.  He often stayed with us at the Manse and in 1939 involved my mother and other local people in some broadcasts about living in and around Keld in the past and the then present times.'
 
'Farming was the main occupation but one man who managed to do two jobs was Jack Rukin, son of old Grandpa Rukin.  Jack not only ran the farm at Park Lodge but was also the local postman and he made daily deliveries on foot or by bicycle to Tan Hill, the highest inn in England, a distance of four and a half miles.'
 
'One powerful influence upon us all was Keld School, the building which stands at right angles to the Manse and was part of the Congregational complex, and its formidable headmistress, Miss Marshall who reigned with a strong personality, a small cane and firm discipline.  This was an Elementary School where all ages were then taught in the same room, the older children at one end and the younger at the other.  There was a piano, and we all sang hymns and the full range of songs from the National Song Book.  There was a big basket where material and tools for needlework were kept and a hug Tortoise stove with a big iron-railed guard around it.  In winter the children who came down from the farms walked in with wet gloves and socks as well as coats and scarves and these were all hung over the iron fire guard so that the smell of drying wool hung around all day mixed with that of the coke fired stove.  Clogs were left in the cloakroom and exchanged for plimsolls.  There are, of course, no games fields in Keld and no playground.  Our PT took place on the road leading into the village and was seldom disturbed by any traffic.'
 
'On the 3rd September 1939, my chief memory is of my father carrying our very heavy wireless set from his study in the Manse through the doorway (now closed) that connected the Manse to the Chapel and placing it with the volume turned up to maximum so that the congregation could hear Mr Chamberlain's announcement of the Declaration of War.  This took place in deep silence and most eyes must have looked at the tablet on the wall commemorating the four lives lost so recently in the Great War.'
 
'My father was appointed as Air Raid Warden for Upper Swaledale and was also appointed as Billeting Officer for when the evacuees arrived.  As Air Raid Warden a telephone message would come to the Post Office on Keld 1, and Chrissie would come down to the Manse with the message.  My father would mount his dimly lit bicycle and alert anyone he considered should be told.  The evacuees came from the dockland areas & industrial cities of Tyneside and my father had to find homes for them.  Most of the farms were willing to take these unfamiliar children but not all wished to keep them once they arrived, their hygiene, manners & behaviour not easy to accept.  And by no means were all the Tyneside children happy to when they realised how remote the area is with the nearest cinema 23 miles away and the nearest fish & chip shop over the Buttertubs in Wensleydale! Most stayed and learned to love this place and the people who had taken them into their homes and there were at least a couple of boys who wanted to stay when war ended and to go on working on the farms.  My new 'best friend' Cicely was a Gateshead girl, billeted at the Post Office with the Waggetts at Butt House.  We became a pair, helping with the hens, roaming the woods and the hills together and sharing secrets.'
 
'The sudden and sizeable influx of children changed the school but at least one new professional teacher came with the evacuees.  At different times Miss Robinson, Miss Audus and Miss Penny stayed with us at the Manse and each of them attempted to enlarge my education although none of them succeeded in giving me an interest in knitting!  There was an immediate need for extra space in which to teach and so the Public Hall came into daytime use for education.'
 
'When it came to the War Effort I don't think that our contributions were of much value although we rallied to the call.  The iron railings at the front of both Miss Marshall's house (School House) and that of the Manse were never removed for scrap iron, and the collection of aluminium saucepans and other metal household goods remained for many years where they had been patriotically deposited in the angle of the lanes above Starling Castle, gradually disappearing beneath weeds until long after the war was over!' 
 
Farming was a reserved occupation and as the family farms had always managed with the bare minimum of workers few could be spared to go to the war, although there were some volunteers form further down the dale.  Nevertheless the men of Keld wished to serve in this, the Darkest Hour, and joined the local Defence Volunteers (later known as the Home Guard) and Keld has its own platoon.  They met in the gamekeeper's lodge by the track up to Kisdon and spent their nights on guard duty watching the skies and looking out for possible enemy planes and paratroopers.'
 
'Keld Public Hall, as a centre of village and dale life could not have been better and during the war it was indispensable.  It was, as I said, pressed into use as an extra classroom by day but in the evenings all kind of activities went on there.  I remember visiting drama groups, but more often there were dances, very popular, with music provided by a local farmer with his own accordion or occasionally by a small visiting band.  It was my mother, though, who got a small concert party together to present concerts in the Hall.  This party was formed from a collection of local girls and farmers' wives and they called themselves the Blackout Belles (later re-named the Victory Belles when peace was declared GC).  They rehearsed their songs and routines in the Manse with my father playing piano.  Occasionally Laurie Rukin (son of Jack Rukin and grandson of 'Grandpa' Rukin), who had a fine singing voice, might be prevailed to join in and there were short comedy sketches too.  There are still friends who recall their times with the Blackout Belles and reminisce with me, for they had a high old time together and the concerts were always a great success.' 
 
'We eventually and very sorrowfully left Keld in August 1942.  My mother's health was poor and I was due to go away to boarding school which itself had been evacuated to Lynton in North Devon.  For these and other reasons my father had agreed to become minister of a church near Cambridge and so it came that we moved away from Keld.  Although it was difficult to make the journey we returned to Keld whenever we could during holiday times and as chance - or Providence -  arranged we were there on VJ day in August 1945.  Cicely had not yet gone back to Gateshead and the two of us were even allowed to attend the victory dance in the Public Hall that night before the huge bonfire built in anticipation at the bottom of the village was lit, the bright flames soaring skyward in a joyful celebration of peace, a glorious contrast to the hateful fires of the Blitz and the detested blackout.  By another coincidence my father had been booked to take the service in Keld Chapel that Sunday, and so by God's grace where he had so sadly marked the beginning of the war on 3rd September 1939, he was able to lead the congregation in thanksgiving of its end.'
 
 
Grateful thanks to Joan for sharing these very special memories with us.
 


Wednesday 23 July 2014

Keld's Tour de France Story

Over the Tour de France weekend (4th - 6th July 2014) there were hundreds more people camping in Keld than usual.

 
Some of the trustees of the KRC & their families came for the weekend and either self catered ......


 
or camped in the village.




Trustee, Christine Whitehead, beside the KRC banner attached to one of her farm buildings where the hugely successful King of the Mountains festival took place.


Muker was significantly busier because .......




this was where all the action took place! 

 The pelaton speeds down Swaledale.
 
Throughout the weekend a team of volunteers manned the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre to welcome visitors to Keld and to promote the work of the Keld Resource Centre
  
Majorie from Reeth came to demonstrate spinning and Scilla brought her hand weaving loom.

 





Monday 7 July 2014

Tour de France Weekend

There were hundreds of people in Keld over the Tour de France weekend and we unashamedly did everything possible to attract them to the Countryside & Heritage Centre. 
 
A massive banner tells all who pass by what the Keld Resource Centre has to offer and a vintage tractor is always an attraction.  Our chairman, David Figures, couldn't resist getting behind the wheel.
 

Monday 23 June 2014

Wild Flower Walk - A Keld Countryside & Heritage Event in association with Yoredale Natural History Society


 
The Wild Flower Walk takes place this year on Saturday 28th June.
Please meet at the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre at 9.45 a.m.
Booking not essential.  Full details at www.tkrc.org.uk
 
The walk is led by Len Shepherd and his knowledgeable volunteers form the Yoredale Natural History Society.  Last year over 100 different species of wild flowers were identified on the walk between Keld and Muker. 
 
 
 
The walk passes through the famous Muker hay meadows which, last year, where granted Coronation status by Prince Charles. 

The Standing Stone

The long awaited Standing Stone in position in the Well Being Garden. 
A stone carver will now be commissioned to inscribe the stone.

The stone being winched in from the path below the garden.



The stone stands over 6 feet above ground level.
Already the stone is becoming a focal point of garden and is particularly striking when viewed from the path that leads from Keld Woods.

Thursday 19 June 2014

Putting the flags out for Tour de France

Residents of Keld pull together to decorate the village in readiness for the hundreds of visitors we expect to come through Keld over the Tour de France weekend.

If you can't do it with aid of a four wheel drive we're not interested.

Health & Safely?  Never heard of it!!


Saturday 14 June 2014

The Sun, Jeremy Clarkson and Keld

 
 
 
 
22 million householders throughout the country have received, this week, a free Sun newspaper supplement called This is Our England.  After a quick glance at the Queen and Mick Jagger my copy was quickly discarded. It is nothing short of a minor miracle that my copy survived as it could so easily have been used to:-
 a) light the fire - perhaps not in June
 b) stuff a pair of bog-ridden, wet, sweaty walking boots belonging to one of my B&B guests - much more likely
 c) been recycled - lucky escape, it was waste collection this week
 
Imagine my surprise when I received an email alerting me to the content on page 17! Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame writes, in the opening paragraph of his column, that Keld (yes, our Keld) is about the most beautiful place on earth. What a gift, what impeccable taste, what recognition! 
 
Thank you, Jeremy Clarkson.  Come back soon and write some more.

 
 


Sunday 1 June 2014

Meadows & Moorland Farm Walk

 
Sunday 8th June
 
Meadows & Moorland Guided Farm Walk
 
 
 
This is the third year that local Upper Swaledale hill farmer, Chris Calvert, has led a walk through his meadows, pastures and moorland. 
 
Meet at the Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre at 10.45 a.m.
 
The walk takes approximately 2 1/2 hours and participants have the opportunity to see a variety of wild flowers and birds.  Chris will happily answer your questions about barns & walls, his sheep and the many aspects of living  and working on a remote hill farm.


Saturday 19 April 2014

Room with a View


 
The view from the window at the back of the Visitor Centre is a picture on a beautiful Good Friday afternoon ...... 
 
and makes an ideal viewing point to watch Mr Rukin's ewes and lambs.

 
The patchwork of fields, dotted with traditional dales barns and divided by a zigzag of stone walls is marred only slightly by the electricity cables.  Will they ever be buried underground?  The steepness of the terrain and the ground rock would make it a difficult process.  On reflection, a few overhead cables is decidedly more preferable than life without electricity!
 

Thursday 10 April 2014

Keld Countryside & Heritage Centre Events 2014

Events Programme for 2014


The new Events Programme for 2014 highlighting all events and activities taking place in Keld can be picked up in the centre.  It can also be found in tourist information centres in Reeth and Hawes as well as most pubs, cafes and tourist centres in the dale.

Full details of all activities can be found at our website www.tkrc.org.uk

In brief:

Friday 18th April - Good Friday Walk
Saturday 10th May - Birds of Upper Swaledale Guided Walk
Sunday 8th June - Meadows & Moorland Guided Farm Walk
Saturday 28th June - Wildflower Walk
Sunday 13th June - Kisdon Classic Circular Guided Walk
Sunday 27th July - Keld Remembered - Talk by Joan Moody of her childhood in Keld
Saturday 23rd August - Storytelling Walk with Rhoda 
Saturday 13th September - The Lead Mines of Keld - Talk by Tony & Margaret Brennan

Tour de France Weekend 4th - 6th July
The centre will be staffed and there will be craft based demonstration over the weekend.