Today I had a roam around Malton. It was a beautiful, crisp December day and most of the shops were still closed so it was a very peaceful walk. Below are a few photos I took whilst I was wandering.
Today, as the weather was bright, I tripped out to Scarborough for a few hours. Whilst I was there I took the time to photograph this classic building that stands proud of the town spa. The glass wings provide perfect panoramas across the dramatic North East coastline, it’s an inspiring and atmospheric venue.
Anyone subscribed to my mailing list will receive a piece specially written about the bandstand tomorrow. Until then, I hope you enjoy the photographs below.
Ruswarp Iron Bridge, North Yorkshire
Yesterday I walked from Ruswarp to Whitby in order to photograph the various viaducts and bridges in between, obviously when I got to the coast my treat was the usual sausage, chips and scraps. Above is Ruswarp Iron Bridge (opened in 1935, the third bridge to be built on this spot) and crossing the photo is the railway bridge. Ruswarp is a little village that is dominated by bridges, meaning of course that I was quite within my element.
Ruswarp Iron Bridge, railway crossing.
Ruswarp church, through the bridge.
A close up of Ruswarp Iron Bridge
Larpool Viaduct, Esk Valley.
Larpool Viaduct in profile.
High Level Road Bridge, Whitby.
Spital Bridge and Grade II Listed bridge, Whitby.
Whitby Swing Bridge
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Newport Bridge, Tees River.
Today I walked the river Tees, visiting all of the bridges between Yarm and Middlesbrough. I tweeted these updates as I travelled so you can follow my journey.
Anyone who has read my Windmill Hunting post, or understands me to be a bit zany, will know that I am cuckoo about windmills. Imagine my delight, then, when I learn from an ex-lecturer of mine (Oz Hardwick) that York has restored a windmill of its very own.
This now means that York officially my dream place to live when I move back up north. River? Check. Independent cinemas? Check. Windmill? Check. I really fail to see what else anybody could need in their life.
Thomas Page designed this bridge. He was a 19th century civil engineer with a penchant for Gothic architecture and in addition to designing the Lendal and Skeldergate bridges of York he also worked on Westminster bridge and the original Chelsea bridge in London. Lendal Bridge replaced a ferry service and a less stable bridge, one that killed 5 men when it collapsed, in 1863 and is book-ended by two beautiful stone towers from the 14th century. The bridge itself may not be that old but the medieval towers, originally used to control river traffic, and documented evidence of the prior ferry service suggests that this stretch of the river has been an important crossing point for hundreds of years. When it first opened there was a toll for crossing the bridge in order to pay for its construction but York City Council have finally missed a trick as the last toll was charged back in 1894 (take a look at the parking rates for York city centre and you’ll swiftly understand what I mean by this).
In the 21st century Lendal Bridge acts as a courseway between the railway station and the town. It connects tourists to coffee shops (mostly the supremely over-priced Betty’s), students to campuses and shabby-chic bars and locals to the train station so that they can escape the tourists and students by eloping to the heady new horizons of Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle. To the community I suppose more than anything this bridge means trade but to me this bridge symbolises freedom, quietude and good old-fashioned Yorkshire pride.
The lions of England were added to the parapet to demonstrate the patriotism of the Yorkshire people.
The crossed keys represent the Diocese of York: a family of churches and schools in the york area.
The White Rose of York dates back, as far as its emblematic use goes, to the original Duke of York: Edmund of Langley. Although its origins are rooted in religious significance most people from the North Yorkshire riding now consider this a symbol of their love for York and the surrounding area. Merchandise is available from all good tourist information shops.
Growing up in the small market town of Thirsk, some 20 miles outside York city centre, Saturday trips out to York with my friends were an exhiliarating taste of independence. As soon as we passed over Lendal I felt far away from the narrow-minded gossips and doomed wannabe-teen-mums of my home town, and, as you may be able to tell from my tone, this made me very happy. Lendal transported me to new and exciting places such as Cappacino’s, a cafe that did awesome milkshakes, and the Warner Brothers cinema. Well, actually we had to get another bus out of town to get to the 
Warner Brothers cinema at Clifton Moor but we couldn’t have got on the bus if we hadn’t passed over Lendal Bridge. Lendal Bridge is the reason that all of my pocket money was spent on rough records cut by practically unknown Mancunian indie bands of the mid-1990s as it (cripplingly) connected me to HMV. It’s difficult to tell, in retrospect, whether that is a good or a bad thing.
Later in life I sat by this bridge to write my journal. When I was weary from washing dishes and mopping floors just so I could study creative writing in the hopes of one day becoming “a real writer” I would find shelter near this bridge and watch the river flow by as I wrote. It was quiet; it was solace; it was a parenthesis from ignorant customers, pushy bosses and cryptic lecturers. The many tourist boats would sail by and I would watch them watching me and then scribble in my notebook to make them think I was writing about them. Always mess with their minds.
All that time, however, that I was in refuge at the base of that bridge I didn’t know one of the most fascinating facts about it. I only discovered this little nugget of kitsch when I started my research for this article, but it was one of the very first things to come up: the bridge was used in some key scenes of the Brookside spin-off Damon and Debbie. Apparently way back in 1987 Damon and Debbie, a soap-bubble 3-parter, rocked the soap opera world by killing off one of Brookside’s most popular and long-running characters: Damon Grant. History, beauty and a so-bad-it’s-good pop culture reference. What more could a girl want in a bridge?
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The majority of people I know view the smoky haze of Middlesbrough with deep disdain. Probably because these days the majority of people I meet are Southerners. They diss Middlesbrough based on whatever snippets they’ve gleaned from the national news over the years but most of them have never been there. Consequently I’m kind of confused about why they feel they are entitled to an opinion on the subject. This down-at-heel, ready-to-peel working class town has a very special place in my heart. It’s not just because my parents come from there or the fact that I enjoyed three drunkenly productive years there at the University of Teesside. There are just so many things about being in the Boro that are homely, quirkly and truly individual (my three favourite qualities in pretty much anything life has to offer). Need proof? Here are my top 5 reasons to ‘Up the Boro!’
Reason Number 1: Dialect. When I go back up north there are few things I love better than sitting in a cafe, listening to the words I never hear said in London. Older family members refer to their younger counterparts as ‘kidda,’ they order their bacon sandwich with red sauce, never ketchup, and when it’s time to leave they say “howay then.’ It may be a little bit over the heads of anybody South of York but to me it’s a comforting reminder that I’m home.
Reason Number 2: Inspirational Industry. I have to admit that there is something about old factories and tall-standing chimneys that is sadly poetic to me. Maybe it’s a result of being raised in the ‘gritty North East’ but even if this is a bit weird I can take heart in the fact that I’m not alone. Ridley Scott, a fellow North Easterner, looked upon the smoke-stacked skyline of Teesside on his route back from Redcar one night and imagined it as a strange, futuristic world that later became the backdrop for his film ‘Blade Runner.’ Claims to fame don’t come much cooler than that.
Reason Number 3: Abstract Cuisine. Southerners like their pesto and their parmesan shavings but we Northerners find this all a bit orthodox. We’d much rather rock up to a take-away and order ourselves a Chicken Parmesan or a ‘Parmo’ as it is locally known: a rather inspired combination of breadcrumbed chicken topped with a thickened Bechamel sauce with a side order of chips. And whilst we’re on the subject of chips you have no idea what a relief it is to be able to order chips and gravy up there without inducing a vacant glare from the counter staff. Chips and gravy seems to have bypassed Southerners who, startlingly, seem to prefer curry sauce (ew!). It’s fair to say we do not have the most linear of culinary tastes (scream if you love crisp sandwiches) but conventional cuisine just isn’t as much fun.
Reason Number 4: The Transporter Bridge. Bridges fascinate me as architectural structures but I know of few others in the world that are as 
pleasing to my eyes as The Tees Transporter. This little geometric beauty was officially opened in 1911 and has ever since been emblematic of Teesside identity. The old girl’s had a few knocks over the years, including the numerous bombings of World War Two, but like the hardiest of Middlesbrough folk she’s taken it all on her steely chin and still stands proud in her blue shroud for drunken student and down-and-out-dole-boy alike to marvel at. Isn’t she a doll?
Reason Number 5: Arts and Culture. Yes I know. Not particularly the first two words that spring to mind when you say the name ‘Middlesbrough’ but times they are a changing with the introduction of MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). In addition to housing collections by some of the most revered modern artists MIMA arrange regular film screenings, offer life drawing classes and host an adorable Valentine’s event called ‘Love Match’ which I’m more than a little bit gutted I won’t make it to. In short: The Tate Modern and the BFI better watch out. Looks like they’ve got competition.
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