Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group
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yvbsg.bsky.social
Yorkshire Vernacular Buildings Study Group
@yvbsg.bsky.social
The YVBSG was formed in 1972 to study and record the traditional architecture of Yorkshire. We survey buildings; organise conferences, day schools and visits; and produce newsletters and an annual journal. https://www.yvbsg.org.uk
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'Vernacular Architecture of the Yorkshire Dales' - YVBSG day school held in conjunction with Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group on 28 Feb 2026 in Skipton Town Hall. Do join us for an excellent programme of talks exploring the wonderful traditional buildings of the Dales! www.yvbsg.org.uk/events.html
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I started this sketch of the @merchantshallyork.org during a visit seven years ago today, found it, and realized I should probably finish and scan it, so here we go!
February 6, 2026 at 4:44 AM
'Reflections on Wibsey and Low Moor' - a talk by David Cant on the varied buildings of these #Bradford suburbs is now available to watch on our YouTube channel at youtu.be/W46qSnMpqrs?....
February 3, 2026 at 6:19 PM
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The next Triskele Heritage online talk is Reinterpreting Listed Buildings. It looks at why buildings were listed, what conditions were like for listing investigators, why many listings were short & inaccurate, plus how new research is pushing back dating.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reinterpre...
February 3, 2026 at 10:05 AM
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Yorkshire North Riding 1673: I’ve just counted the total of large houses (20 hearths and over), and it’s only a dozen, in such a large area. Two of them were in Whitby, including the largest, Sir Hugh Cholmley’s 39-er, presumably a manor house.
January 28, 2026 at 5:27 PM
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News!

After a spit* and polish we are open once again!

Join us for history, the most beautiful roof in the world and to top it off...homemade cake!

*Before anyone comes for us we didn't actually spit on the Hall - that is not a technique in the museum cleaning handbook.
January 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM
BBC News - From Sexhow to Crackpot: North Yorkshire's place name origins - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
From Sexhow to Crackpot: North Yorkshire's place name origins
Archivist Alexandra Medcalf explains North Yorkshire's plethora of peculiar place names.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 12:40 PM
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The Bay Horse pub, 55 Blossom Street, York dates back to the 17th century when it belonged to Joseph Denton when it was possibly a small farmhouse. By 1727 it was described as having a kiln, barn & stable. In 1748 it belonged to innholder Matthew Spence. Originally a 2 storey house with attics it /1
January 23, 2026 at 9:50 PM
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A more colourful offering for #ADoorableThursday. 5 Colliergate, York is a 15th century timber framed building with a fine carved door head.

#ArchitecturalIllustration
#drawing #sketchbook
#ArtYear
January 22, 2026 at 6:35 PM
'Vernacular Architecture of the Yorkshire Dales' - YVBSG day school held in conjunction with Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group on 28 Feb 2026 in Skipton Town Hall. Do join us for an excellent programme of talks exploring the wonderful traditional buildings of the Dales! www.yvbsg.org.uk/events.html
January 20, 2026 at 6:22 PM
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This timber framed house in Tadcaster was built in the late 15th century. It was altered in the early 17th century and much work was undertaken in the 1960s using original timbers. It has carvings of two heads on the front of the building, thought to represent the heads 1/3
January 17, 2026 at 10:02 PM
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Do you have a research project that would benefit from extra funding? The VAG offers grants for the study and presentation of vernacular architecture and there's still time to submit an application for the current round of Research Grants! Closing date: 28 February. See www.vag.org.uk/grants.htm.
January 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM
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Advance notice on this #OnePlaceWednesday of a Northumberland Archives #HouseHistory Workshop, Researching the History of your House. This will take place on Wednesday March 18th from 9.30am to 11.30am GMT, at County Hall, Morpeth. Follow the link for more info and to book a free place.
Workshop: Researching the History of your House
A hands-on workshop led by Northumberland Archives staff which will introduce the type of documents used in researching house history.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 14, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Easington Tithe Barn is a complicated building surveyed by the YVBSG in 1997, thought to have been constructed from two completely different timber frames from unknown locations!
An early 20th century image of the old Tithe Barn at Easington, a threshing barn with a horse mill adjoining. The thatched barn dates back to the 16th century although the walls are later. The 19th century circular building housed the horse mill where the horse would walk round in a circle turning
January 12, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Historical maps of Yorkshire towns and cities already published include Hull, Beverley, Ripon and Bradford, with a reprint of York hot off the press. Maps of Scarborough, Leeds and Whitby are in the pipeline. Wonderful resource!
January 11, 2026 at 8:46 PM
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Described as the finest example of a 14th century manor house in the country the present Markenfield (Markingfield) Hall near Ripon dates to around 1310. The estate was bought by John de Markenfield Image: Gordon Hatton / Markenfield Hall / CC BY-SA 2.0
January 10, 2026 at 7:14 AM
'Reflections on Wibsey and Low Moor' - an online talk by David Cant on Thu 22 Jan at 7.30pm, looking at buildings in these suburbs of #Bradford. The bad news - attendance is restricted to YVBSG members. The good news - membership costs just £12 a year! www.yvbsg.org.uk/membership.h....
January 7, 2026 at 6:50 PM
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From longhouses to modern houses, shown in a sequence of reconstruction drawings showing 2 buildings becoming cottages between the 16th & late 18th/19th century. Based on houses in Helmsley, North Yorkshire.

@yvbsg.bsky.social @anamca.bsky.social
#ArchitecturalIllustration
#drawing #ArtShare
January 7, 2026 at 3:39 PM
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Wakefield Historical Society meeting Wed 14 January:
'Everyday Life in Seventeenth Century Calderdale' - talk by Peter Brears.
Wakefield Town Hall 7pm.

There will be a live stream of the talk.

Information and booking via Wakefield Civic Society's Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/everyday-l...
Everyday Life in Seventeenth-Century Calderdale.
A talk by historian and author Peter Brear, hosted by Wakefield Historical Society as the annual joint meeting with Wakefield Civic Society
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 7, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Are you a student with an interest in historic buildings? We now offer a reduced membership fee for students - for just £8 a year, you get a copy of our annual journal, discount on events, online access to building reports, practical recording experience and more! www.yvbsg.org.uk/membership.h...
January 6, 2026 at 7:44 PM
Wishing everybody a very Happy Christmas and a new year full of fascinating buildings! Why not join us and explore some of them?
December 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Our interactive map showing all buildings recorded by the YVBSG has just been updated! The latest version includes this intriguing little outbuilding at Woodsome Hall. If you're a member, the map also gives you access to the full online reports. Browse at www.yvbsg.org.uk/reports.html.
December 22, 2025 at 8:17 PM
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The algorithms are making it a lot harder to spread the word about these online talks. Although numbers are still reasonable, it would be a great help if folk were able to give the 30 December event a quick share 🙂

Booking available here:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...
December 11, 2025 at 8:03 PM
#WindowsOnWednesday Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire.
December 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM
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🕰️ Join us online on Tues, 24 Feb 2026, from 6–7 pm for a talk with Chris Skidmore on Quaker meeting house architecture. Discover how these seemingly simple buildings feature unique elements and evolving styles as Friends adopted mainstream designs.

🔗 Register: hbap.org.uk/online-talk-...
December 5, 2025 at 5:41 PM
#AdoorableThursday Customer: 'But it was supposed to say 'GATES' not 'GATE'. Stonemason: 'No problem - easily fixed!'. Old Edge, Colden, Heptonstall.
December 4, 2025 at 2:39 PM