Time-travel to Edwardian Forge Valley

By Yasmin Stefanov-King

It may be difficult to believe now, but from the 13th to the 16th century, Scarborough was the fourth largest town in Yorkshire, after York, Beverley and Hull [1]. The first two, with their minsters, are more expected, and Hull with its large port is again not a surprise, but we don’t always think of Scarborough as such an important feature. However, Scarborough was an important trade route, with merchants exporting goods such as wool, barley, malt and fish. From the 17th to the 19th century the town was a major ship building port [2]. And then, in 1626 Elizabeth Farrow discovered acidic water running down the cliff, which heralded the change from a shipping town, to somewhere where the rich and elegant would travel to ‘take the waters’ [3]. The fact that they were experiencing bracing sea air may have had as much to do with their return to health as anything else! Whatever the reason, Dr Wittie’s book, published in 1660 helped to make Scarborough the first seaside resort in Britain [4], 50 years before Brighton was recognised in the same way [5]. The opening of the railway on July 7th 1845 stimulated growth, and also opened up the possibility of travel to a whole section of the society who had been excluded until now [6].

Anyone arriving at Scarborough station during Harrison’s time of the late 1800s early 1900s would have been met by a town which looked remarkably similar in many ways. The inside of the station itself is clearly recognisable in this photo.

When they came out of the station they would be met by charabancs like the picture below, which would then drive them to areas of interest. One of these excursion places which was not accessible by train was Forge Valley.

Entering the valley from East Ayton they travelled along Low Road where refreshment sellers and chocolate sellers would be able to help.

The road stretched along down the hill to the bend near the old quarry.

And if they turned around in the charabanc and looked back, they would see the hill stretching up behind them, and the path following the line of the stream round to what is now the biggest chestnut tree in England.

They could take a walk to see the tree, and the weir as it bubbles over the rocks.

Of course, the main thing was arriving at Forge Cottages, all that was left of the iron forge that gave the valley its name. Here they would sit in the gardens and have afternoon tea, and maybe throw sticks over the small bridge that ran across the river.

The charabanc may then go back to the station, or continue through the forest up as far as the toll gates at Green Gate and the start of Lady Edith’s drive – named after Lord Londesborough’s wife.

Here it may be that they alighted again, to take a stroll through the woods at Cunsey Gate, which is a deep hollow on the hillside made by herders long ago driving their cows up and over the ridge. ‘ku’ means ‘cow’ in local dialect [8] and ‘sti’, which has migrated to ‘sey’ means ‘steep path’ – so “steep cow path gate” then is now “Cunsey Gate”. They could also spot the flattened areas cut into the hillside where the charcoal burners used to have their fires, sheltered from the wind [9].

Of course, the big question is - do you recognise any of these places, and can you spot the new photos amongst the originals?

With grateful thanks to Pollyanna Robinson, a Scarborough based photographer with over 12 years experience in all areas of photography. As a photographer she loves the weird & wonderful and the opportunity to tell a story, and did a wonderful job in recreating the past in these photos.

Thanks too to Rob Peacock and Raincliffe Woods Community Enterprise for access to the photos and taking us to the different points along the route.

References

1. Scarborough Maritime Heritage Museum.

2. ibid

3. Scarborough Travel Tips - The Guardian

4. Visit Scarborough - History

5. Scarborough Maritime Heritage Museum.

6. Britannica - Scarborough, England

7. Forge Valley Railway

8. Cowling, G. H. (1915) The Dialect of Hackness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

9. An Archaeological Survey of Forge Valley, Raincliffe and Row Brow Woods Scarborough North Yorkshire

10. Polly Robinson photographer