80 Years in the Dales

W. R. Mitchell

ISBN 10: 1905080417 / ISBN 13: 9781905080410

Published by Great Northern Books Ltd, United Kingdom, Ilkley, 2008

About this Item

There is renewed interest in Hannah Hauxwell, the remarkable lady who thirty-five years ago captured the hearts of the nation when she was the subject of an extraordinary television documentary. "Too Long a Winter" portrayed Hannah's constant struggle on a remote Pennine farm with no electricity and no running water. Battling against poverty and hardship in sub-zero temperatures, she somehow survived on an income of less than GBP 280 per year. Two decades later, she finally gave up the unequal struggle and moved down to easier conditions in a Teesdale village. By now she was a national celebrity, ultimately featured in fifteen television programmes and a whole series of best-selling books. She went on memorable tours of Europe and America, shook hands with the Pope and played the piano on the famous Orient Express. This first major book on Hannah for eight years traces the extraordinary life of a delightful personality who has never lost her links with the Dales countryside. It includes many hitherto unpublished photographs. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Seller Inventory # GOR001268748

Bibliographic Details

• Title: 80 Years in the Dales
• Publisher: Great Northern Books Ltd, United Kingdom, Ilkley
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1905080417
• ISBN 13: 9781905080410
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 739 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Hannah Hauxwell
80 Years in the Dales

by W R Mitchell

Who has not heard of Hannah Hauxwell? For years, she lived quietly, austerely, with only a dog and a few cows for company, at a little farm in an obscure North Pennine dale. Her income and her wants were negligible.
Hannah’s life changed dramatically when she was ‘discovered’ by the press, then by Yorkshire Television. A film, Too Long a Winter, which on first showing gave five million people an insight into her hard life, led to instant celebrity. This was a status she was to retain through her last few years of farming and into quiet retirement in a village not many miles from Low Birk Hatt, where her solitary – but never lonely – farming life unfolded.
This book updates and puts into perspective the Hannah Hauxwell story. It has been written by one who regularly visited her on the farm. He has also sat beside her on the platform at public appearances when she invited questions. Some of her homely answers, with a touch of wit, are recorded. Read also about her last years in farming, about the circumstances of the sale that took place when she retired and of some of her activities and friendships in various parts of her beloved north-country.
Hannah, through television, toured Europe and the New World and attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace. She also rejoiced, in later years, when she was introduced to the Lake District and when Cedric Robinson, the official Guide, accompanied her on a jaunt across the Sands of Morecambe Bay.
Through all the changing scenes of life – as one of her favourite old hymns has it -–Hannah has retained her faith, her modesty and her charm...


Reviews
“Hannah Hauxwell should be an inspiration to us all.” Daily Mail

“Beautifully written and illustrated with striking photographs of Hannah and the Dales landscapes, it’s a fascinating insight into her story and north country life, as brutal as it is glorious.” Bradford Telegraph and Argus