Bargate Publications » Talks
Talks on local history, architecture and the history of gardens, fully illustrated.
I have been giving illustrated talks on various subjects since I lived in Guisborough in the 1980s. The talks include the history of gardens, architecture and local history: some are of scenic interest, others more educational, and where appropriate with a little humour. I am pleased that I am regularly invited back for further talks.
I am happy to speak to both small and large groups within the area of Durham to Ripon, east of the Pennines.
For small groups of less than 15 people, and within a few miles of Richmond, my minimum fee is £25 including travel.
For larger groups, and those outside Swaledale, the cost is usually between £40 and £60, subject to the size of the group and distance involved, and I am happy to negotiate an affordable price.
I provide a digital projector with a high light output so that blackout is not essential unless it is a very bright summer’s day together with computer and if required a screen.
To book a talk, please contact me. or telephone 01748 821534
Talks offered in 2011/2012
Click the thumbnails to enlarge photos
Swaledale from top to toe
An illustrated journey following the course of the River Swale, its legends and stunning views. This is the result of a series of walks taken during 2008-9 as far as possible following the course of the river from the meeting of Birkdale and Great Sleddale Becks to the point where it joins the River Ure, near Boroughbridge.
The Secret of Life - The story of the northern spas
Learn the secrets of taking the waters and how you could be cured of (almost) any ailment known to man. From drinking and bathing to hydrotherapy, some of the 'cures' seem more like water torture than treatment. From Harrogate to Hartlepool by way of Hovingham and Dinsdale etc. etc. From Buxton & Matlock to Croft and Durham, there were spas throughout the north and yet today almost all have long ago, so to speak 'dried up' !!! Not a talk for the queasy - but fun all the same.
Secrets of the Grave
The converse of my talk “The Secret of Life”, this talk looks how death has been commemorated down the ages, together with some of the, often comical, stories and legends to be found in graveyards and cemeteries. The talk includes several epitaphs which are extremely funny. Surprisingly, I feel this is the funniest talk I do.
Life & Tradition in Historic Richmond
This talk looks at some of the traditions that have been built up over the years in Richmond and contribute to what Country Life has described as the best place to live in Yorkshire
Come into the Garden Maud
The sometimes humorous story of the English Garden from medieval times to the end of the 19th century. Many great gardens are illustrated, a few well known such as Stourhead or Stowe, while others including Westbury Court and Rousham are perhaps less well known but equally important in the development of the garden as we know it today.
The Golden Age of the Edwardian Garden
The sequel to “Come into the Garden Maud”, this talk looks at a period in garden history when nothing was too large, too costly nor too exotic to achieve. Sadly many of these gardens have been lost or are in decline. This talk illustrates many of those that have survived and tries to recapture the spirit of a period which is unlikely ever to be repeated.
The Italian Garden in Tuscany & England
A comparison with the historic gardens of Tuscany and their counterparts in England. Lovely slides, both of the gardens around Florence and Italian style gardens in England, including some of my all time favourite English garden, at Iford.
Arts & Craft Buildings and Gardens
The period from about 1860 when the Arts & Craft movement flourished produced some beautiful buildings and gardens - this talk traces some of the history and illustrates some of the best, particularly those in Yorkshire and the North-East.
Of practically no value
The story of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the architect and furniture designer was one of the pioneers of modern design. In little more than a decade, he moved design from Victorian clutter to clean modem lines. At the start of the first World War he fell into obscurity as his work became unfashionable. At his death his possessions were described as “of practically no value” yet today a single chair may sell for over £300,000!
A fascinating story with pictures of some his furniture and buildings and surprisingly including a ghost story.
Richmond at the start of the 21st Century
Based on my book of the same title, this is a celebration of the buildings of Richmond and the stories associated with them. Learn about Lady Zetland and the Cocoa Rooms, the school building on which nearly all post war schools are based, pioneering post office motor deliveries and much, much more.
The Pennyman Family of Ormesby & America
A trilogy
The fascinating story of a family who in Elizabethan times were of national importance and how their wealth was frittered away and how they became important once again during the 20th century.
Part I “From Rebellion to Riches”
1500-circa 1700”
Part II “Not quite clogs to clogs!
The Pennyman saga from 1700
Part III “Enter Stage Left”
The story of Lt. Col James and Ruth Pennyman”
Speaker finders generally spread these talks over a 3 year period.
ABOUT the SPEAKER:
Mark Whyman has lived most of his life in the North, a retired Personnel Director, he was a volunteer for the National Trust from the mid 1980s, he undertook much of the initial research for the Guide to Ormesby Hall, and has developed this long term interest in local history and architecture through study at the Leeds University Adult Education Centre, in Middlesbrough. In 1997, he became the first person from the centre to be awarded the new Accredited Continuing Education Certificate in Local Historical Studies.
He has taught W.E.A. evening classes in such diverse subjects as the history of gardens and Regency and Victorian architecture as well as local history. For many years he was Honorary Archivist to the Company of Cordwainers of the City of York, one of the seven guilds of that city.
Publiications include Richmond at the start of the 21st Century, an architectural history of the town, 2nd edition in 2006 The Last Pennymans of Ormesby a biography of Jim & Ruth Pennyman of Ormesby Hall published 2008 and Volume II, 2009. Previous publications include ‘Echoes of the Past’ - the architectural heritage of Middlesbrough, the world’s first railway town..
He was a major contributor to the Cleveland and Teesside Local History Society’s Millennium publication, Historic Reflections across the Tees.