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Been out for my traditional* annual New Year #yarmmicrohistory walk. Be braced for inconsequential personal trivia, possibly slightly inaccurate local history, and gratuitous dog pictures. #badlywornboy (*ie second)
On Sunday 15th April 1984, my friend Doug and I walked past this little muddy track, snaking away from the main road. Despite living in the town for several years, neither of us had ever seen it before. To be fair, it was a lot more overgrown in those days. #yarmmicrohistory
Nevertheless, we jumped to the only logical conclusion: that it had NEVER been there before, and was a freshly-arrived portal to another dimension, or a different time zone. Tentatively, we ventured up it on our bikes... #yarmmicrohistory
It was NOT a portal to another dimension. It was a portal to Snaiths Field, a little park that became our base of operations from then on. We sat on these swings, plotting. Mine was always the one nearest to the camera, Doug's the second one along. #yarmmicrohistory
There was also a cracking tarzie on a tree that's since been cut down - you can see the stump in this picture. And the fence wasn't there either, so we sometimes ventured to the railwayman's hut over the lip of that hill, beside the busy Trans-Pennine line. #yarmmicrohistory
Snaiths Field celebrated its centenary in 2020, to zero fanfare. I'm convinced that, decades ago, there was a blue plaque on this wall - but I can't remember why, and I'm assuming it might be underneath the ivy now! I put my best investigator on the case. #yarmmicrohistory
Being taken to West Street and asked "Can you see Yarm Castle? It's there! THERE!" is a rite-of-passage for Yarm kids. It's a model on a garage roof. The couple who own the house appeared while I was there, and proudly pointed out the toy soldiers they'd added. #yarmmicrohistory
Yarm's bridge over the Tees. With the odd alteration, it's been there since the 1400s, and - on 1 Feb 1643 - was the site of a Civil War Battle. In the 1970s, you could still find the odd musket ball in the mud below. Full details here: http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/civil-war/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=93 #yarmmicrohistory
In 1805, the medieval stone bridge was considered old hat and an iron bridge was built to replace it. But it collapsed after three months of use and was never rebuilt. "A blue plaque telling the story? Go on then, but under the ivy. It's a bit embarrassing..." #yarmmicrohistory
St John the Baptist Church in Egglescliffe village. Somewhere in this churchyard is the unmarked grave of a Civil War soldier killed during the 1643 battle, but no-one knows who... or exactly where it is. #yarmmicrohistory
Yarm's viaduct, opened in 1852. I've walked up to this spot at the end of each year for decades, as the view takes in almost the whole town and it feels like a nice spot to reflect. My home now for 45 years, and its layers of history still fascinate. #yarmmicrohistory
A little intrigue to finish. Railway bridge on Worsall Road. In the 1980s, you could see the faded remains of huge, white graffiti: "USA OUT OF VIETNAM NOW". In 2001, a new slogan appeared: "9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB". Convinced it was the same handwriting. #yarmmicrohistory
