PLACE Conferences

Exploring Yorkshire's Folk Heroes and Legends

2009-11-22T17:36:00.002Z

'Fables..... When reason borrowed fancy's painted wings': Exploring Yorkshire's Folk Heroes and Legends.
Our spring conference 2010 will be held on Saturday 27th March 2010 in King James' School, Knaresborough. It will explore the folklore and traditions attached to people, landscape and the cultural environment in Yorkshire. Speakers will include:
Prof. Jim Sharpe - on Dick Turpin
Prof. Barrie Dobson - on Robin Hood
Dr Peter Hogarth - dragon legends
Dr Peter Addyman - folk stories of secret passages and tunnels
Dr James Gregory - folk heroes and legends: a 21st century perspective.

The cost of the conference will be �15.00 per head (�10.00 for retired/unwaged). This includes coffee and tea but not lunch. To reserve your place, please send a cheque, payable to 'PLACE', to:
Dr Margaret Atherden
PLACE Office
York St John University
Lord Mayor's Walk
York
YO31 7EX
E-mail: place@yorksj.ac.uk
Tel: 01904 766291.

Prehistory of the Yorkshire Dales

2009-05-08T20:03:00.004+01:00

Our autumn conference 2009 was held in the Devonshire Institute (Town Hall) in Grassington on Saturday 31st October 2009. It was organised jointly with the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Yorkshire Dales Landscape Research Trust. 184 people attended the event. The theme was:
The Prehistory of the Yorkshire Dales.

Programme of talks:

Terry O'Connor: The changing environment of the Dales during the late- and post-glacial periods.
Roger Jacobi and tom Lord: The earliest humans in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Tom Lord: The Early Neolithic skeletons from Elbolton Cave, Wharfedale: Europe's oldest mummies?
Tim Taylor: Caves in context: research agendas for the underground environment.
Tim Laurie: Coaxial field systems in Swaledale: a reassessment in the light of further fieldwork.
Roger Martlew: Upper Wharfedale in Late Prehistory: problems, prospects and progress.
Alan King and Mark Simpson: The Prehistoric and Romano-British field evidence on the Ingleborough massif: a new survey.
Robert White: The archaeology of the Yorkshire Dales: an overview.

A Walk in the Park

2009-01-19T12:22:00.003Z

Our spring conference 2009 was held on Saturday 21st March and entitled:
A Walk in the Park: Heritage and Conservation in York's open spaces.
In the morning we had presentations from John Oxley (City of York Council Archaeologist), Bob Missin (City of York Council Ecologist) and Sarah West (OPAL Project, University of York).
Michael Hopkinson gave a short report on the PLACE survey of the York Green Belt.

In the afternoon, delegates were taken on 'behind the scenes' tours of the Museum Gardens and Rowntree Park, where historical, conservation and management issues were discussed. We were blessed with warm sunshine for both visits. The conference was attended by 30 people. A conference proceedings will be published later in the year.

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness

2008-04-07T11:55:00.007+01:00

Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness.

The PLACE autumn conference 2008 was held on 4th October at Ampleforth, in conjunction with the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, and supported by the Howardian Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund. It was attended by over 60 people.

Presentations during the morning:

Barry Potter (independent orchard specialist): Old orchards - new opportunities
Simon Clark (Northern Fruit Group): Orchards today and tomorrow
Phil Lyth (FWAG): Orchards for wildlife
Dave Chesmore (YNU and Royal Entomological Society): Moths in old orchards
Pat Wilson (Historic Parks & Gardens Study Group): The lost orchards of Nidderdale
Laura Mason (Slow Food): Slow Food and the orchard heritage.

In the afternoon, the party visited the orchard at Ampleforth College, led by Fr Rainer, where we heard about the history and current management of the Ampleforth orchards, the varieties of fruit grown and their uses, and looked at the cider-making enterprise.

Yorkshire's Green & Healthy Land?

2008-01-13T14:27:00.003Z

Yorkshire's Green & Healthy Land? Connecting urban and rural greenspace.

This conference took place on Saturday 5th April 2008 in the School of Geography, University of Leeds, in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society and the University of Leeds. It was attended by about 40 people. Professor Sir John Lawton gave the keynote address, on 'Urban green space and human health: the view of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution'. It was followed by other presentations:

Professor Joseph Holden and colleagues: Sustainable uplands for sustainable lowlands
Simon Warwick: A new future for Yorkshire's wetland past?
Dr Alan Simson: Trees in the Post-Industrial Landscape and the Writing of the 'Third Poetry'
Chris Marshall: Greening the Green Belt
Professor Andy Smith: Does the environment determine health enhancing physical activity or is it all in the genes?
Dr Rachael Unsworth: Liveable, sustainable cities.

We intend to publish summaries of the presentations later this year.

On the afternoon of Sunday 6th April, twelve delegates visited the Water Haigh Country Park area, to hear about the challenges and potential of managing greenspace in the Lower Aire Valley. The fieldtrip was led by Glenn Gorner of Leeds City Council, who is responsible for forestry in the area.

Great Estates of Yorkshire

2007-08-17T15:58:00.000+01:00

The PLACE autumn conference took place on Saturday 13 October 2007 at York St John University in York, attended by 34 people. The theme was the Great Estates of Yorkshire, and there were talks on the following topics:

Yorkshire Estates: an introduction - Jonathan Finch
Monastic Estates in Yorkshire: an overview - Robert Wright
Landscapes of Political Rivalry: Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth Castle - George Sheeran
Rise and Fall, Rise and Fall: Two past estates at Sheriff Hutton - Tony Wright
The Trees of Sheriff Hutton Park - Barbara Hickman
Grousing on Shooting Estates and the historic landscape of the Yorkshire Dales - Miles Johnson
'A place of public resort': public access to the Studley Royal estate - Mark Newman
Sir Christopher Sykes and the Development of Sledmere estate - George Sheeran.

The conference was followed by a field visit to Sheriff Hutton Park on the Sunday.
The proceedings of the conference will be published in 2008.

Digging for Brass: the impact of the Extractive Industries on the Yorkshire Landscape

2007-01-19T15:47:00.000Z

Digging for Brass: the impact of the Extractive Industries on the Yorkshire Landscape.
Saturday 3rd March 2007. Phoenix Building SW, University of Bradford.

This day school, was held jointly with the Division of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bradford, and focused on recent research into the effects of mining and quarrying on the people, landscape and cultural environment of Yorkshire. Eight speakers gave fascinating presentations on geology, limestone, coal, alum, stone and ironstone mining. The proceedings will be published in summer 2007.

Climate Change and Insects: past, present and future

2007-01-19T15:40:00.000Z

This day school, held on Saturday 10 February 2007 at York St John University, was in memory of Stephen Warburton - one of Yorkshire's most outstanding conservationists and environmental campaigners. It was organised jointly by PLACE and the Thorne & Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum, with support from the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, the Yorkshire Archaeological Society, the Council for British Archaeology and the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Speakers were:

Professor Paul Buckland
Dr Peter Skidmore
Dr Brian Eversham
Dr Robert Stoneman

We intend to publish a summary of the proceedings of the day later in the year.

City Walls: their conservation and use

2006-10-06T17:01:00.000+01:00

Saturday 14th October 2006, York St John University College, York
City Walls: their conservation and use

This major conference, was opened by the Lord Mayor of York, and brought together academics, city planners and the general public, to consider the future of York�s city walls.

Conference Speakers were:
Michael Hopkinson - on the adaptive re-use of city walls
John Oxley, Rory McCarthy and Mike Tavener (City of York Council) � York city walls � where next?
Barbara Wilson (York Archaeological Trust) - on the pictorial evidence for York walls
Eric Branse-Instone (English Heritage) - on the role of English Heritage in the protection of built structures
John Price (Chester) - on the Walled Towns Friendship Circle
David Kincaid (Canterbury City Council) - on conservation of Canterbury�s walls.

The afternoon session included an open panel discussion on the future use of York�s walls. There were also be displays, bookstalls and a photographic competition.

Wildlife & Conservation in the Bradford Area

2006-04-10T22:18:00.000+01:00

The 2006 Bradford conference was on the theme of 'Wildlife & Conservation in the Bradford Area'. It was well attended by an enthusiastic audience. There were talks on biodiversity planning, habitats, nature reserves, garden wildlife, birds, butterflies and mammals. There was also a video presentation on butterflies of the Bradford area, and posters and displays on a wide variety of themes. The PLACE AGM took place during the conference. The proceedings will be published in autumn 2006.

Monasteries andthe Yorkshire Landscape

2005-10-25T21:49:00.000+01:00

A short course led by Dr Robert Wright, January to March 2006.

Followed by a fieldtrip to Rievaulx Abbey led by Jane Wheeler.

YORKSHIRE NAMES AND DIALECTS.

2005-10-01T19:00:00.000+01:00

Venue: York St John College, York.
Date: Saturday 1st October 2005

This conference included presentations about place-names, family names and Yorkshire dialects.

Speakers were:

Gillian Fellows-Jensen: The Vikings in Yorkshire: the place-name evidence
Margaret Gelling: The landscape of place-names
Arnold Kellett: The origin and variety of Yorkshire dialect and Yorkshire dialect humour
George Redmonds: Family names and the landscape
Paul Cavill: The last word? After the Yorkshire place-name survey
Mel Jones: A sense of place and a way of speech: West Riding dialect words and expressions in the children's stories of Juliana Horatio Ewing (1841-1885)
Jonathan Robinson: Sounds familiar! A web-based archive of Yorkshire voices past and present

There was also a performance of the dialect play, The Second Shepherd's Play from the Townley Cycle (Wakefield), given by the Lords of Misrule.

SUSTAINING HISTORIC URBAN ENVIRONMENTS.

2005-03-12T19:34:00.000Z

This conference was our first major event in West Yorkshire and took place on Saturday 12th March 2005.

It was organised jointly with the School of Archaeological Geographical & Environmental Sciences and the School of Lifelong Education & Development at the University of Bradford.

It focused on all aspects of historic urban environments:

the strategies to protect and enhance them
the impact of urban regeneration schemes on them
education and interpretation
public involvement, social inclusion and access

Farming and Conservation at Hopewell House Farm.

2004-11-18T19:35:00.000Z

This day conference, organised jointly by PLACE and the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group, was held on Thursday 18th November 2004.

It was organised to celebrate 25 years of wildlife conservation at Hopewell House Farm, near Knaresborough.

The morning papers session was followed by an afternoon field visit to Hopewell House Farm, led by the owners, Simon and Henry Webster.

Yorkshire Landscapes Past and Future.

2004-10-01T19:36:00.000+01:00

This conference, attended by c.170 people and held in October 2004, was a joint venture with the Society for Landscape Studies.

On the day following the conference, there was a field visit to the Nosterfield Local Nature Reserve and the Thornborough Henges international ly renowned archaeological site

Mapping North Yorkshire's Past: the Historical Atlas of North Yorkshire.

2003-10-01T22:36:00.000+01:00

This conference, jointly sponsored by PLACE, the Yorkshire Philosophical Society and the Royal Geographical Society, was organised to celebrate the publication of the Historical Atlas of North Yorkshire (see Publications page). It was held in October 2003

Behind the Scenes at Jorvik

2002-11-30T22:39:00.000Z

Behind the Scenes at Jorvik - a visit to the new exhibitions at the Jorvik Experience in York, followed by a discussion - November 2002.

A Tour of the Central Science Laboratory

2002-10-30T22:39:00.000Z

A Tour of the Central Science Laboratory, Sand Hutton, York - in October 2002.

Land Use, Ecology and Conservation of the Lower Derwent Valley

2002-05-30T22:42:00.000+01:00

Land Use, Ecology and Conservation of the Lower Derwent Valley was the theme of a conference held in May 2002, jointly hosted by the Central Science Laboratory and PLACE.

A fieldtrip followed the paper sessions. The proceedings will be published in due course.

Global Warming: a regional perspective

2001-11-10T19:44:00.000Z

Global Warming: a regional perspective was held on Saturday 10 November 2001 and attended by c. 100 people.

The keynote speaker was Prof. John Lawton (NERC). Other speakers were Prof. Philip Grime (Sheffield), Dr Pamela Berry (Oxford), Dr Richard Chiverrell (Liverpool), Dr Antony Long (Durham), Prof. Stuart Lane (Leeds) and Lance Saxby (City of York Council).

The proceedings will be published in 2002.

Wetlands 2000

2000-11-11T19:46:00.000Z

Wetlands 2000 was held on Saturday 11 November 2000 and attended by around 80 people.

Prof. John Coles was the keynote speaker and there were nine other speakers, who covered a range of archaeological and ecological topics connected with wetlands. The proceedings were published in autumn 2001.

Old Orchards in the Landscape

1999-11-13T19:50:00.000Z

Old Orchards in the Landscape was organised in collaboration with Common Ground and the Northern Fruit Group.

It was held on 13 November 1999 and attended by 115 people.

There were nine speakers, poster displays, a display of 200 varieties of apples, and an apple tasting session. During the day, the Northern Fruit Group launched their new project to record and map old orchards in Yorkshire, using a computer database.

Agriculture and the Rural Landscape

1999-05-15T22:52:00.000+01:00

Agriculture and the Rural Landscape was the theme of a conference held on 15 May 1999.

There were five speakers in the morning; workshop sessions were held in the afternoon.

Summaries of the papers and workshop sessions were published in 2001.

Town and Country: Contemporary Issues at the Rural/Urban Interface

1998-10-10T22:52:00.000+01:00

A conference, Town and Country: Contemporary Issues at the Rural/Urban Interface, was held on Saturday 10 October 1998 on the Lord Mayor's Walk Campus in York.

There were several poster presentations and seven speakers with Marion Shoard giving the keynote address. The proceedings were published in 1999.

Woodland in the Landscape: Past and Future Perspectives

1997-10-11T19:54:00.000+01:00

A major conference, Woodland in the Landscape: Past and Future Perspectives, was held on 11 October 1997 on the Lord Mayor's Walk Campus in York.

There were ten speakers with Dr. Oliver Rackham giving the keynote address. The proceedings were published in 1998 and are available from PLACE.

Dr. Oliver Rackham