We may not have seen the back of winter yet, but the mornings and evenings are getting lighter, bringing the promise of spring, so we are taking the opportunity to look forward by looking back and revisiting images of springs past in North Yorkshire.
The images on this page have been plucked for the extensive archives of North Yorkshire’s County Record Office.
Styles may change, but the signs of spring and the activities as we emerge from winter remain the same, from daffodils, primroses and blossom to families enjoying the fresh air, such as the one here in Farndale, feeding new-born lambs, here in Oswaldkirk, or freshening up the home, like the occupants of the cottage at Garside adding a new coat of whitewash.
Harrogate Spring Flower Show was a mainstay of the calendar, as these photos from 1959 and 1960 show, and the event is still going strong, with this year’s taking place from 20 to 23 April.
The documents on this page provide an interesting insight. The seed catalogue from Telford’s of York offers a selection to rival any garden centre, though the advice in the “Observations of March” should perhaps be taken with a pinch of salt, or rather not, since the advice includes “forbear all things salt” and “purge the blood by potions and blood-letting”.
These archive images are among more than 6,500 views of North Yorkshire available at the County Record Office. Browse the collection or buy photos.