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Great Ayton, Waterfall Terrace c1965 (ref. G112028) | The bridge in the
foreground of this
photograph leads over
the River Leven to a
car park designated
for the use of patrons
of Suggitts ice cream
parlour, something of
an institution in the
village, which remains
as popular today as
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Guisborough, Parish Church and Cenotaph c1955 (ref. G66006) | Here we have the same scene again, 23
years on. The wrought iron railings and
gates were removed during the Second
World War. As we see here, the large stone
gateposts were left standing for a number of
years before being removed to give the area
in front of the church a more open look.
Additional plaques have been added to the
war memorial to commemorate those men
of the town who fell in the Second World
War. The raised area to the left of the church
houses the Jackson vault, the resting place
of the forebears of the late Adrian Ward
Jackson, well known through his friendship
with the late Diana, Princess of Wales. The
bench in front of it has provided a sunny
place for rest and conversation or simply
watching the world go by for generations of
Gisborians. The gateway on the extreme
right leads to the priory ruins.
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Guisborough, the Priory c1885 (ref. 18153) | In Victorian times the priory
was often incorrectly referred
to as 'the abbey', and this led to
considerable confusion. Many
souvenirs and postcards of the
late 19th and early 20th
centuries bear the legend 'the
abbey'. This unusual view
shows the priory arch from the
south; in the foreground are
gardens which became a
formal rose garden laid out for
Margaret, later the first Lady
Gisborough (see photograph
54863). The clump of trees to
the right of the picture are the
Monks' Walk, and above the
paling fence is the wall of the
Long Terrace. A flight of steps
from this terrace led up to the
priory ruins and was flanked by
two carved demi-sea wolves,
the crest of the Chaloner
family. Gisborians mistakenly
thought that these creatures
were dragons, and hence the
steps became known as the
Dragon Steps.
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Guisborough, Monk's Walk c1885 (ref. 18155) | This oval-shaped double
avenue of lime trees was
laid out by the Chaloner
family in the 18th
century. In the centre was
a manicured lawn that in
latter years was often the
venue for musical and
theatrical productions.
Although now overgrown,
the Monks' Walk still
exists, and those of a
more superstitious
nature perpetuate the
legend of the walk being
haunted by the ghost of a
monk from the days of
the nearby priory.
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Guisborough, Priory Gardens 1899 (ref. 44761) | Here we see the priory ruins viewed
from the south as in the view of
1885; but by the time of this
photograph, Margaret, later first
Lady Gisborough, along with her
head gardener, Kew-trained James
Bourne, have begun laying out a
series of formal gardens. Flanked by
elaborate (and labour intensive!)
bedding schemes, typical of the late
Victorian and Edwardian period, a
gravelled path led to the Monks'
Walk and the old chestnut tree (in
the clump of trees to the right of the
priory arch, and see 44769). The path
also led to the Dragon Steps (just
visible on the left) and on to the
Long Terrace and thence into the
priory ruins themselves.
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Guisborough, the Priory 1891 (ref. 29213) | Again we still see the old font in
front of the priory arch and a gravel
path to the right, long since
disappeared, which presumably led
to the greenhouse shown in the view
of 1885. Visible here are the two
stone coffins which for many years
have stood at the base of the arch,
and also the entrances to the two
stone spiral staircases which lead up
to the window at the very top of the
arch, across which many an intrepid
Gisborian claims to have walked
before the bottoms of the staircases
were removed for reasons of safety.
The high stone wall to the left has
always afforded the priory grounds
with privacy and protection; the
grounds have a 'secret garden'
quality, and their tranquillity and
peace are in sharp contrast to the
hustle and bustle of the nearby town
centre. There is a panoramic view
from the arch across the adjoining
farmland and Applegarth towards
Gisborough Hall. This view was
enhanced as part of the Chaloners'
landscaping in the 18th century
when the tracery of the former east
window was removed to afford this
fine prospect.
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Guisborough, Priory and Lake 1932 (ref. 85330) | The Monks' Pond (or lake) lies to the south east
of the priory ruins on Whitby Lane. Screened
from the road by rhododendrons, the Monks'
Pond creates a very dramatic appearance as it
reflects the priory arch - a frequent inspiration
over the years for artists and photographers,
including Francis Frith and Co. Twenty-four
years earlier, in 1908, the Monks' Pond was the
scene of an elaborate water tableau held to
raise money for the Temple Moore restoration
of the parish church. Organised by Margaret
Chaloner, later first Lady Gisborough, the story
of the tableau is recounted in a privately
published account by one of her daughters,
entitled 'My Mother's Dream'; it describes
vividly the scenes from Greek mythology and
the Arthurian legends which were acted out to
great effect on the lake.
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Guisborough, Priory, the Rose Garden 1906 (ref. 54863) | Part of a series of
gardens laid out by
Margaret, later the
first Lady Gisborough,
the rose garden
afforded picturesque
views of the
neighbouring priory
ruins. In the early 20th
century, the
immaculately kept
Priory Gardens were,
for a small fee, open to
the people of the
town, to whom they
represented a great
amenity. In addition to
the rose garden, there
was a sunken Italian
garden, with an
ornamental pool in its
centre. In the years
before the Second
World War, the Priory
Gardens were entered
by a picturesque
gateway in Bow Street.
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Guisborough, the Grammar School 1891 (ref. 29211) | In 1887 the Board of Governors of the newly reconstituted Guisborough Grammar School commissioned Alfred
Waterhouse, an eminent Victorian architect, most famous for designing the Natural History Museum in London,
to design the new Grammar School buildings and the headmaster's house (right), seen here shortly after their
completion. The Chairman of the Board of Governors was Sir Joseph Whitwell Pease; twenty years earlier, he
had used Alfred Waterhouse to design his mansion, Hutton Hall, and one assumes this connection influenced
the choice of architect for the Grammar School buildings. Built in Waterhouse's characteristic red brick and
terracotta style, the buildings replaced the old almshouses and school buildings that fronted Church Walk. The
plaque over the central archway reads: 'Guisborough Grammar School - founded in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth AD 1561, re-erected in the reign of Queen Victoria AD 1887'.
The
Grammar
School
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Guisborough, Westgate 1899 (ref. 44758) | In this delightful and evocative view, we see the north
or `top' side of Westgate. On the extreme left is the
watchmaker's and jeweller's shop of George Page, a
keen amateur photographer; many of his photographs
of events in the town were taken from his first floor
drawing room window, shown here, with the distinctive
clock below. Like many trades-people in the town, Mr
and Mrs Page lived above the shop. Next to Page's we
find Mr Simpson, a tobacconist, then Brunton's the
pork butchers and Scott's the grain and seed
merchants. The gas lamp denotes the post office at
number 16 Westgate, and next to it at number 14 we
find Mr Franks, a baker's and confectioner's and dining
rooms. In 1910 Mr Franks retired and sold the business
to Mr Tom Pallister, and the business traded until the
early 1960s as simply Pallisters.
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Guisborough, the Grammar School 1932 (ref. 85335) | Now we can see the clock erected in memory of the old boys who had lost their lives in the First World War. At around the
time of this photograph, Guisborough received a visit from Prince George, later Duke of Kent, who lost his life in a
mysterious air crash during the Second World War; he went to the Grammar School, where he planted a tree. In 1994, his
daughter-in-law, the present Duchess of Kent, visited the school, by now the Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College, to open the
new Pursglove Centre. It is a strange coincidence that the only two royal visits to Guisborough were made by the same
branch of our royal family and to the same building in the town.
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Guisborough, Westgate c1955 (ref. G66037) | This is the bottom or western end
of Westgate. The fine double
avenue of trees, principally horse
chestnuts, were originally planted
in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's
Golden Jubilee, then mainly re-
planted in 1910. The planting of
the trees was an imaginative
piece of landscaping, and in their
full maturity in the mid 20th
century they gave tremendous
pleasure to residents of the town.
In recent years many have died,
sad to say, and have been
replaced with young saplings.
The pair of gates on the right lead
to Lower Garth, a significant and
much admired private residence.
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Guisborough, the Grammar School 1899 (ref. 44768) | In 1899 the Board of Governors
of the Grammar School
commissioned the building of a
library at the western end of the
school buildings (left). In the
foreground we see the railings
of both the school and the
churchyard of the parish
church, both of which were
removed during the collection
of wrought iron in the Second
World War. The spire or turret
on the roof of the school was
removed in 1919 and replaced
with a clock in memory of the
old boys of the school who fell
in the First World War.
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Guisborough, Westgate 1913 (ref. 66019) | The wide sweep of cobbles and double avenue of trees defines this characteristic view on
entering the town from the west. It shows Westgate, the main thoroughfare of the town
centre, and leading off to the left is Westgate Road, opened up in 1876 on the site of the
former driveway to Sunnyfield House, a prominent private residence in the town. The view
is flanked on the right by the Primitive Methodist church, built in 1907 at a cost of £4,000 to
replace an earlier chapel in Chapel Street, off Chaloner Street. The private houses on the left
are now commercial premises, and the cottages set back a little further along were
demolished in the late 1960s to make way for two retail units.
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Guisborough, Applegarth c1955 (ref. G66011) | This view was taken in the same year as G66012 from the opposite end of the Applegarth at Whitby Lane, with the kissing
gates in the foreground. Without doubt, this is one of the loveliest views in Guisborough, beloved of many Gisborians, and
not least the author; the juxtaposition of the priory arch and the parish church is remarkable, with the former literally
framing the latter. The Monks' Pond, scene of the water tableau of 1908, is located just to the left of the view. To the right,
Whitby Lane leads to Gisborough Hall.
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Guisborough, Westgate c1955 (ref. G66024) | Further 'up street' we now meet
the junction of Westgate with
Chaloner Street, which leads off
to the right. Like Westgate Road,
Chaloner Street was opened up
in Victorian times, in this case in
the 1860s to connect the town
centre to the recently opened
railway station, which served the
town until the early 1960s. Mr
Thirkell's butcher's shop with its
corner door stands at the
junction of the two streets (right),
and next to it is Westbrook's
newsagent's shop (apparently
being decorated – note the man
on the ladder). From here a
pedestrian crossing leads over
Westgate to Pallister's baker's
shop and café; behind it was
their bakehouse, the Priory Hall
function room, and the family's
private residence, known in the
town (not surprisingly and with
some affection) as Teacake Villa.
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Guisborough, Gisborough Hall 1907 (ref. 58664) | Following the death of Admiral
Chaloner's widow, Amelia, in 1902,
the Gisborough estate was inherited
by Richard Godolphin Hume
Chaloner, later created First Lord or
Baron Gisborough. In 1904 Richard
Chaloner commissioned an extensive
programme of remodelling and
extension of Long Hull, which was
renamed Gisborough Hall, the name
we know it by today. Comparison of
this view of Gisborough Hall's south
front with that of Long Hull in 1891
shows clearly the extent of the
alterations and extensions, which are
particularly apparent by the areas of
light-coloured stonework. As part of
the same programme of alterations,
two lodges or gatehouses were built,
one at the end of the south drive and
the other at the end of the north
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Guisborough, Sunnyfield House, Westgate c1960 (ref. G66054) | Number 36 Westgate, known since the mid 19th century as
Sunnyfield House, was built in around 1780 as the residence
of John Harrison, agent to the Chaloner estate. The
Sunnyfield Estate originally comprised a large area of
'pleasure grounds and grass land' to the north of Westgate.
After being sold at auction in 1876, the estate was broken
up, and most of the land was developed with private
housing. The house (now a Town Council Community
Centre), the stable block (now the Town Museum) and the
immediate gardens eventually became the home in 1902 of
Dr William Stainthorpe, who extended the house in 1919 to
provide a private nursing home – the birthplace of many
Gisborians from the 1920s through to the early 1950s. The
original carriage driveway of the house preceded the 'new'
Westgate Road, shown in the foreground here, which was
laid out to connect the Victorian streets of Reid Terrace, Gill
Street and Hedley Street to the town centre. The original
screen or fence in front of Sunnyfield House has been a
familiar part of Westgate for over two centuries. Peeping out
to the right of the house is the façade of the Wesleyan
Methodist chapel, which was built in 1811, remodelled in
1886 and demolished in 1963. The site of the chapel now
serves as a car park; pedestrian access to it is still via an
opening between numbers 28 and 30 Westgate, the original
route to the chapel.
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Guisborough, Hall 1907 (ref. 58665) | Another view of the south front
shows the extent of the
alterations and extensions
carried out by Richard
Chaloner and his wife
Margaret, who was also
instrumental in the laying out
of the Priory Gardens and in
organising the water tableau of
1908. The fine lawn in front of
the house was often the venue
for tennis tournaments in the
inter-war period, and the fine
copper beech tree (right) still
stands. On the official
adoption by the Guisborough
Urban District Council of the
spelling of the town's name as
Guisborough, the Chaloner
family elected to retain the old
spelling of Gisborough, which
remains in use for the holder of
the Baronage and anything
appertaining to the
Gisborough estate, including
Gisborough Hall.
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Guisborough, Westgate c1965 (ref. G66072) | Compare this scene with G66053, five years after it but almost identical. By now the impact of the alterations to the
Market Place and Church Street of 1962/63 are clear. The Fine Fare Supermarket (extreme left of the picture) has now
replaced the Co-op Snack Bar, and although Leemings the chemist (next door) remains, Pallister's cake shop beyond has
now become Shipmans, which it remained until the 1990s. On the right, next to the archway is Gray's cycle and pram
shop, and beyond that the Chocolate Box and Hintons, the forerunner of the present day Safeway/Morrisons store.
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