The story of Ingleborough and its people is told in photographs for a new exhibition
Photographic portraits have been taken capturing local characters living and working around Ingleborough as part of a community and heritage project. The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) commissioned photographer Hilary Fenten to create a ‘snapshot in time’ of Ingleborough’s social history, as part of the Stories in Stone scheme.
For the project, Hilary met and photographed local people involved in a variety of jobs, trades and events around Ingleborough, leading to a collection of portraits which depict the area’s diverse residents and their special place in the landscape throughout the seasons. She said: ‘People, in their own environment, are fascinating. They deserve particular attention, rather than anonymity.’
The portrait exhibition opened at The Folly in Settle together with a series of historical portraits and images taken from the Dales Community Archives, the result of another Stories in Stone project ‘Capturing the Past’, and from Back in Settle, a Facebook group for people who ‘enjoy a blast from the past’.
‘The exhibition shows how people connect to the Ingleborough landscape and the communities around it be they local residents or more transitional visitors,’ said Debbie Boswell, Stories in Stone ‘Discover Ingleborough’ officer at YDMT. ‘There are lots of local faces people will recognise and some lovely stories to go with the photos. It is particularly interesting to compare Hilary’s recent photographs with the older images. We look forward to working with our local community to continue to capture this time in history in our very special part of the world.’
A commemorative book inspired by the exhibition will be produced. As well as featuring portraits taken by Hilary Fenten over the last two years, YDMT would like to invite others to take part in this final stage. If you have photographs which capture the Ingleborough area and its people, YDMT would love to hear from you. Contact the Stories in Stone team on 015242 51002 or email info@storiesinstone.org.uk.
The exhibition is touring the area:
• Ribblehead Station October 2nd-16th
• Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station October 17th-30th
• St Mary’s Church, Ingleton November 2nd-23rd
• Ingleborough Community Centre November 2nd- 23rd
• Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes December 4th-30th
• Gallery on the Green, Settle December 10th-January 13th
The Stories in Stone is a four-year programme of community and heritage projects developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership, which is led by YDMT and mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The YDMT is also funding a range of conservation projects in the Ingleborough area as part of Stories in Stone. There are two grant schemes on offer: Heritage Grants are for projects that restore, celebrate or increase understanding of the natural or historical features of the Ingleborough area, while Limestone Pavement Flora Grants are for landowners and tenants who want to make areas of limestone pavement stock-proof.
Heritage Grants of up to £5,000 are available for projects that restore, celebrate or increase understanding of Ingleborough’s natural or historical features such as the restoration of a historical hearse house in Clapham, interpretation panels about Ingleton’s railway heritage, and white-clawed crayfish conservation.
Chris Lodge, project officer at YDMT, said: ‘The grant schemes provide the opportunity for residents to help protect the rich historical and natural heritage of the Ingleborough area. If you have an idea for a local heritage project then please do apply for a grant. We expect competition to be high and we’ll need to prioritise the projects that we can fund, but we’ll support as many as we can so that the schemes have a big impact on the area.’
The deadline for all applications is 10am on October 23rd 2018. For more information, email chris.lodge@ydmt.org or call 015242 51002. Guidance and application forms can be downloaded from storiesinstone.org.uk.
Stories in Stone, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will deliver 27 projects, some of which have several sub-projects, making a total of around 90 individual projects. This includes restoring field barns and wildlife habitats, involving people in archaeological digs, digitising archives, providing a range of training opportunities, offering new learning opportunities for local school children, improving physical and intellectual access, and delivering events and activities.
