33 Yorkshire Sites Listed in 2020
In the past 12 months, 33 sites have been listed across Yorkshire. Highlights include a public shelter in Scarborough, a 200-year-old lamp post in Richmond, a drinking fountain commemorating a Crimean War hero from Bridlington and an early-20th-century concrete water tower.
Gawthorpe Water Tower, West Yorkshire – listed Grade II
Gawthorpe Water Tower is a distinctive concrete structure in West Yorkshire that can be seen for miles around. Built between 1922 and 1928 as part of the nearby Pildacre Waterworks (now demolished), the tower stored drinking water for the expanding village of Gawthorpe, and was used as a water storage unit until 2006. The tower is now used to host telecommunications equipment. Its design is far more interesting than a typical water tower, with smart panelling and its rotunda shape making it aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.
Scarborough Seaside Shelter, Southcliff Gardens, Scarborough – listed Grade II
The Scarborough seaside shelter, which sits within the Grade II registered Valley Gardens and South Cliff Gardens, was built from 1897-1909. Shelters like these were very popular during the Victorian and Edwardian eras and would have been designed to enhance the experience of visitors to the seaside. The decorative blue and white structure captures the spirit of Scarborough’s colourful history as an important seaside resort, which is still the largest holiday destination on the Yorkshire coast today.
Wall incorporating an 18th-century water supply point and a lamp standard from around 1800, Richmond, North Yorkshire – listed Grade II
This 220-year-old lamp post is an elegant wrought iron structure positioned on a wall at the junction of Bargate and Cornforth, near Richmond town centre. Originally, its lamp (which is no longer present) was fuelled by oil but in 1830 it was converted to gas following the establishment of the Richmond Gasworks in 1821.
Public street lighting in the Georgian and Victorian eras was sparse by modern-day standards. The lamp post in Richmond would probably have been one of only a few in the town as widespread street lighting did not appear until the 20th century.
See the list entry: Richmond wall, lamp post and water point
Bullnose Building, former Coal Manager’s office and house, York - listed Grade II
In the 19th century the transportation of coal and other minerals mined in North East England was a lucrative business for the North Eastern Railway. When the company decided to build a new goods station complex in the 1870s, architect Thomas Prosser incorporated a new coal depot into the plans, together with a building to accommodate an office and housing for the coal manager. Designed by Benjamin Burleigh, who took over from Prosser, the Bullnose Building is a two-storey structure, notable for its elegant rounded corner. The interior of the office retains many of its original fixtures and fittings including the staircase and fireplace.
The Bullnose Building sits at the gateway to one of the largest city centre brownfield regeneration projects in the country, and is part of the National Railway Museum’s ambitious journey to become the cultural heart of the York Central development.
Sandwith Memorial Drinking Fountain, Bridlington – listed Grade II
Born in Bridlington in 1822, Humphry Sandwith was the chief military medical officer for the British and Turkish forces, at the siege of Kars, during the Crimean War. After the fall of Kars in 1855, he was the only British prisoner of war to be released immediately by the Russians, in recognition of his medical services to both allied and Russian soldiers. On his return to England in 1856, he was greeted as a war hero, and became a well-known author and political activist.
In 1883, Sandwith’s family erected a drinking fountain in Bridlington to preserve the memory of his life. This public utility served as a water supply for horses and dogs until it was removed in 1964 to make way for a roundabout. In 1970, the fountain was re-erected in the town and, in 2019, it was restored with the installation of a new memorial tablet.
Every year, we work to identify the most significant historic sites across the country. Despite the challenges that we have all faced this year, 2020 has seen many brilliant additions to the List in Yorkshire and beyond. We want to ensure the region’s rich and varied cultural past is recognised so that the public can continue to enjoy the heritage that makes their local places so important.
