Shortly after visiting Gargrave, I returned to the area with my class, Philosophical Approaches to Conservation. We were invited to go to Hellifield Peel, which is a recently restored "castle". The site has been occupied for 800+ years as an ancestral home, but in the last 50 years fell into ruin. It was last used as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian soldiers during World War Two.
Two years ago a local architect purchased Hellifield Peel (http://www.peelcastle.co.uk/) and embarked on a restoration project that involved English Heritage and was also featured on a British Television show called "Grand Designs". It was somewhat controversial, but had magnificent results. Due to the high cost of the project, the property is now being run as a bed and breakfast. We were there to view and discuss the various treatments given to the historic fabric of the building.
The best part of the day was going into the "Old Bedroom", where the centerpiece of the room is a huge, oak Tester bed, supplied by....my Uncle Hugh and his company Dickinson Antiques! I was on the lookout for it, since Uncle Hugh had told me about it the weekend before. You can see it on their website if you follow this link: http://www.peelcastle.co.uk/rooms/oldbedroom/oldbedroom.html. I admit I did a fair bit of boasting about my family that day.
What I didn't realize at the time is that I have another family connection to Hellifield Peel. My great Aunt and Uncle live in Hellifield about 1/4 mile from Hellifield Peel. We drove past their house on the way in and out of town. My father and Uncle David used to spend summers there, and even had jobs delivering the newspaper, which would be flung off the train as it flew past the village. Unfortunately for me, I don't really know them, but it is amazing that they are still living there.
