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Recent Comments

Archives

The Sheaves are Stooked

It was hard work stooking those sheaves and there was a skill to get them to stop where they were put without them falling down. Low Cragg Hall Farm (then the farm of Robert Hoggarth and presently Mick Bulmer),  features in the background.

Image courtesy of Eric Johnson and thanks to Mick Bulmer for identifying the farm.

Harvest Time

A different farm this is Low Cragg Hall Farm (Robert Hoggarth’s), notice the combined harvester a little different to what we see today. At the left of the view is the high roof of Atkinson and Thompson’s welding shop, later Widowhood woodworking and now is the housing estate of Carlin Park.

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson, thanks to Derick Pearson for the update.

We Plough The Fields And Scatter

What a lovely picture, a farmer working hard cultivating ready for a crop. What a view with the cliffs in the background; also visible beyond the tractor are the buildings of Warren Cottage, a perfect setting. Alan Wood advised the Archive: “Tom Hart of Hummersea Farm.” Karen Lyons adds: “My father and grandparents used to spend their annual holiday camping on this farm in the 1930s. The Harts were very hospitable.”

Image courtesy of Eric Johnson, thanks to Alan Wood for the name of the farmer. Also to Karen Lyons for the update.

Heavy Horses

Pictured are members of the Codling family with two horses from Boulby Barns look to have been groomed ready for the show.  Their coats are clean and shiny, their manes have been dressed up and their harnesses have been decorated with brasses. I wonder which one?

Image courtesy of Mrs. J. Wilson.

Loading Corn

Harvesting  in the old-fashioned way no combined harvesters here! Derick Pearson advises: “Jack Collinson standing on top of the hay and Stan Bowman one of the other men in the photograph, taken about 1958; taken in a field at the right hand side of Kilton Bank, overlooking lower Kilton Lane Gardens and in the distance is bank top and Cowscote  in Loftus.” When loading this image the editor was unsure as to whether these were sheaves or forkfuls of hay; with closer inspection it appears that it is sheaves of corn being loaded, so our commentary and title have been amended.

Image courtesy of Kath Wardell from a collection compiled by Derick Pearson, thanks to Derick Pearson, G. Baxter and A. Etherington for the updates.

Captain the Clydesdale, Hummersea Farm, Loftus

In the days before tractors heavy horse-power worked the farm and traditionally the heavy horses had their ”lads”, the best horse had the ”best lad” and the oldest working horse the ”least lad”.  This picture of Captain the Clydesdale at Hummersea Farm shows such an animal in the peak of condition. The image dates from c.1936 and shows Mr Tom Hart, with Nell the sheep dog and Mr Coates in the background, at that time four or five Clydesdales were kept at Hummersea Farm to do the heavy work. Carly Chapman tells us: ” Our family lived on the next farm above “Hummersea Farm” (on the farm which I thought was Hummersea Farm!) from the 1950s to the mid 1980s; my great-grandfather John Dale bought the farm of 16 acres when he started a family. My grandad and his brothers then inherited the dairy farm with my grandad Frank Dale running it until they moved onto the newly built “Arlington Estate” in the late 1980s. My Grandad’s brother John Dale was a Cleveland bay breeder and sent Cleveland Bays to the Queen (and was invited to the Queens garden party), however I don’t know of any lasting photographs. He also judged Cleveland Bays at the annual shows where my Mam said she got front row seats in the judging ring when she was little.”

Many thanks to Carly Chapman for that update.