The Round House, Howden

Now we are in September and are eating and enjoying tomatoes, green beans and courgettes. The potatoes this year are not great but the fig tree has done well - although the riper ones are too high to reach. Pleased too to eat a few plums from my small Victoria tree which was newly planted last year.

I have been picking up windfalls this afternoon from one of our cooking apple trees. Not sure of the variety but like a Codlin - large, green and fluffy when cooked. Next step is to make pies!

On the history front lots happening. I am talking about Frances Hutchinson, local artist on Wednesday evening [4th September] and then this weekend I am helping set up a display of photos concentrating on  local communications in the Minster for heritage week eg roads, rail, airships etc. It will be on view all week and then on Saturday 14th we will be there to talk to visitors and take tours around the town. These will be at 11am and 2pm and you need to book. For further information and booking contact philipmepham7@btinternet.com.

 A couple of weeks ago I was intrigued by a discussion on a Howden facebook page about the house known as the Round House on Knedlington Road in Howden.

It now stands back behind a hedge but it is an intriguing structure.  It is listed grade 2 and many people believe that it was once a type of grandstand giving all round views of the countryside and perhaps horse races.

But although Howden did for a brief time have horse races this building was built many years earlier. It dates from probably the late 1700s and is substantially built of brick. It is octagonal and the listing describes it as having,

A hipped roof with central octagonal stack. On the first floor the room, now divided, retains its original Adamesque decoration. There are 2 round-arched windows, panelled with reeded round-arched alcoves with a radial pattern to the tympana  [a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, door or window, which is bounded by a lintel and an arch] with the exception of the fireplace wall which has an eared panel. The room has an Anthemion and urn cornice. This type of cornice was popular in Georgian times.

It was a summer house but who built it? It is definitely an expensive structure and in censuses was part of Knedlington. There were plenty of well-off families in the area but it is difficult - without the deeds - to identify who built it and why.

I did find that in  the mid nineteenth century a family named Gray lived there. Mr Gray died suddenly in February 1882 as reported in the York Herald newspaper

SUDDEN DEATH. —On Saturday man named Richard Gray, residing at the Summer House, Knedlington-lane, near Howden, died very suddenly. He was at work on Friday, and died on Saturday morning.

He was a farm labourer originally from Bishop Wilton and was living there at the 'Summer House' with his family in 1851. His three year old son George was born there. George was later a wheelwright in Wressle.

Exactly when it became known as the Round House again is not known but it has long been the home of the Leetham family.

This picture, taken in the 1930s, shows Albert Henry Atkinson and his wife Alice [formerly Crow] outside the Round House. He worked on the railway and had kept poultry in Grimsby - which might explain the turkey! By 1939 they were living in Blackpool.

I have been also  looking at the history of Eastrington church as the churchwarden there is hoping to encourage more people to get involved with looking after it - as it is my home church I shall write more of its history here soon.

 Eastrington church

Other queries this week have been about the Ives family from Old Goole who emigrated to New Zealand in 1926 and about the history of Goole Town football club. 

There is always something new to find out - but now its time to peel apples