The view from the garden of Yoad House in Bransdale, where the emergence of snowdrops signals the impending arrival of spring. The tranquillity of the snow-clad fields extending down to the beck is lost in the mist veiling the opposite bank, and by the stark silhouettes of skeletal trees and precarious dry-stone walls, lend a rustic allure.
Yoad House, formerly known as Yoad Hurst and Loft Hill, was among the smaller farms in the dale. Initially part of the Duncombe estate in 1782 under the tenancy of Isaac Scarth, it transitioned to John Knaggs by 1796 and later to William Hugill by 1828, albeit with a significant reduction in land size to a mere nine acres, most of which had been transferred to Spout House. The 1851 census records Hugill, then 70 years old and described as an agricultural labourer, still living there with his wife Mary (68 years old) and one daughter. In 1910, George Acar and Amelia Garbutt occupied Yoad House1‘Yoad House, Bransdale | MNA145137 | National Trust Heritage Records’. 2015. <https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA145137> [accessed 8 February 2024].
The delicate snow covering now transforms the view once enjoyed by Knaggs, Hugill, and Acar into a mesmerising winter scene, showcasing nature’s beauty and power while also serving as a warning of the potential deeper snow awaiting us on Blakey Ridge on the way home.
- 1‘Yoad House, Bransdale | MNA145137 | National Trust Heritage Records’. 2015. <https://heritagerecords.nationaltrust.org.uk/HBSMR/MonRecord.aspx?uid=MNA145137> [accessed 8 February 2024]
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