Ryedale (Images of England)

This outstanding collection of nearly 250 images complements the author’s previous book on Pickering in this series. This time he has widened his scope to include the whole district of Ryedale, from Helmsley and beyond in the west to Ebberston in the east, and from Malton in the south to Rosedale and Fylingdales in the north. Once again, the majority of the photographs come from the enormous number taken by Sidney Smith in the first half of the twentieth century. Smith was renowned for the meticulous preparation of his subjects, sometimes requiring the ‘human interest’ to perform the same task several times or hold a heavy burden for many minutes! Smith’s photographs are complemented by further images from other local photographers. Every aspect of life in bygone Ryedale is covered here, including long-forgotten village scenes, agriculture, blacksmiths, traders, farmers and others at work and the leisure activities of a gentler age. The two world wars have a chapter devoted to them, as do the various local forms of transport. The book ends with a look at some of the more extreme weather to have hit the area, from snowdrifts to floods and June hailstorms.