History is never far away in twin villages (From Gazette & Herald)

History is never far away in twin villages

AFTER Christmas, for about three weeks, the late Dr Eric Waud could hardly eat lunch or supper at home. "You will just try a piece of my cake, Doctor?" How rude it would have been to refuse.

This is just one of many memories of a well-loved local doctor who has been commemorated in a new village hall built to celebrate the Millennium.

Part of Helperby village hall has been dedicated to Dr Waud, who served the village of Helperby and Brafferton from 1938 for 36 years and continued to live there until his death in 1998.

The dedication of the smaller hall, used as a meeting room by local organisations, was carried out by his daughter, Lady Charlotte Whalen, wife of Sir Geoffrey Whalen, the former managing director of Peugeot.

Lady Whalen contributed the above story and many other reminiscences of her father to a recent publication by Brafferton Parish Council, "Brafferton & Helperby - A Millennium Miscellany."

She recalled how she and her brother, George, would often walk up to the two o'clock bus to York with a basket of beautifully wrapped and addressed bottles and little round boxes of pills or ointments.

Dr Waud used 'the druggist's wrap' and each packet had a pleat down the middle with sixpence for the fare tucked into it. These would be picked up in Myton, Tholthorpe or Flawith as the bus went by. Other prescriptions, named and wrapped, would be left in the waiting room which wasn't usually locked at all.

How times have changed!

As well as the dedication of the smaller hall, a separate ceremony was held in the foyer of the hall where a large mural painting of the local villagers was unveiled.

The mural, painted by Dr Waud's son, George, who is a professional artist, features 250-300 recognisable local faces.

One face it doesn't contain is his own. "When people say to me 'you haven't included me', I can answer that I haven't included myself either," he smiled. "I have tried to get a representative of every family that has lived here over the past 100 years and people who will be living here for the next 100 years."

It was unveiled by Eddie Brown, the founder of the nationally-known Helperby-based coach company, Eddie Brown tours.

When I visited the village, I was kindly shown around by David Bottomley, chairman of Brafferton Parish Council and a member of the Helperby Hall committee. I was fortunate enough to time my visit to coincide with a village lunch which meets in the village hall on the first Wednesday of every month and was able to enjoy a delicious bowl of home-made soup whilst chatting to residents.

Geoffrey Hockliffe, of Main Street, Helperby, was born in the Golden Lion pub and has lived in the village all his life. His grandfather moved to the village in 1900 as landlord of the pub. "When he died, my mum and dad took it over. My mother had a brother who was badly wounded in the First World War and he couldn't take a job so he ran the pub for us. My mum and dad gave it up when my uncle was killed on the road."

A school governor for 43 years, Mr Hockliffe worked in a bank in Boroughbridge until he retired in 1983. "My early memories of the village was all oil lamps. There was no electricity," he said. "There were maybe a couple of cars in the village but not as many as now. When I got my first car, I think there were only four in the village."

The Rev John Cole was also at the lunch. He has lived in nearby Alne for two-and-a-half years. He looks after six parishes and eight villages. "I try to go to each church twice a month," he explained. "Here in Brafferton, we have a weekday service on Wednesday."

At his side was Miss Linda Ludkin, a popular lay-reader, who has been doing pastoral work in the village for six years. "I came for three months and I'm still here," she laughed.

To the unsuspecting visitor, Helperby and Brafferton appear to be one village. It is only upon closer inspection that the invisible dividing line between the two becomes clearer.

When approaching the village from the Raskelf direction, Brafferton is on the right-hand side of the road and Helperby on the left. Both villages are mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

Brafferton is the older of the two communities having been an important crossing point on the River Swale since Roman times. The village grew up in Saxon times.

Helperby, on the other hand, is a Danish settlement, though both have strong links with St Paulinus who, before becoming the first Archbishop of York, chose this point on the Swale to baptise converts in AD 642.

Legend has it that the name Helperby comes from the River Swale providing St Paulinus with 'help hard by' or 'helper-by' when he needed water for baptisms.

St Peter's Church dates back to the 15th century. The tower and chancel are medieval. The nave was rebuilt around 1830 by York architect J P Pritchett. It is unusual in that it is wider than it is long which makes it very airy and spacious.

At the back entrance is a 'Mousey Thompson' gate with the famous carved mouse tucked away on it. On the other side is a lych gate to celebrate 50 years of ministry of the blind vicar, the Rev Norman McNeile.

There are two village shops known as Henry's and Nancy's, a school and four pubs - three in Helperby and one in Brafferton - as well as an antique and collectibles shop, a butcher's and a post office.

Both villages have a hall. Helperby Hall, the home of the Milnes Coates family, dates back to the beginning of the 18th century while the original Brafferton Hall was built around 1760, although this building was demolished and replaced about 150 years ago.

There are three public clocks - on the almshouses, the school and the church.

A prominent feature of Helperby's attractive main street is what is known locally as the Fountain, which is in fact an artesian well with an ornate cupola, put in place to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria by James Coates.

Margaret and David Reed moved to Brafferton in 1995 from Northumberland. "It's a very friendly village," said Margaret. "They have gone out of their way to make us very welcome.

"I think the new village hall is absolutely marvellous. It's a great asset. I come to the WI and gardening club."

David added: "There's a good mix of people who were born here and who have moved here. You can't say the village is run by old families or incomers. There's a good mix."

Ken and Sarah Cleverley moved to the village last March from Thornthwaite, Nidderdale. "We were living in a really remote place so we thought we would come here where the amenities are better," said Sarah. "There's a very nice community life here, a lovely new hall and plenty going on. It's a friendly place."

Built on the site of the old village hall and opened last year, the Helperby village hall is one of the newest halls in the York area with a magnificent glass-roofed entrance lobby, practical kitchens and serving areas and a large main hall with good proportions and acoustics. Built with £181,000 lottery money which was matched by village fund raising, it is situated in the heart of the Conservation Area and has a Grade II listed Dove Cote adjoining it.

Sally Johnson, who has lived in the village for 12 years, is booking secretary of the village hall. "It's very busy," she said. "But people can hire it for parties and conferences and so forth. Children's parties in particular are very popular. Last year, it hosted the Yorkshire village halls' conference." Her telephone number is (01423) 360368.

"I am very pleased with the new village hall. I was treasurer at the time so I wrote out all the cheques. The best thing is it's central in the village." Her husband, Ken, was project manager for the building of the new hall.

Following the dedication and unveiling ceremonies the hall hosted a Valentines' dance which was attended by a large number of local villagers.

Among them was Professor Sir Anthony Milnes Coates, of Helperby Hall, who opened the hall in November 1999, and Sir Kenneth Morrison, of nearby Myton, owner of the William Morrison chain of supermarkets, who both contributed money to the millennium village hall fund.

Updated: 17:13 Friday, February 23, 2001