Bingley St Ives
Encyclopedia
Bingley St. Ives, or St. Ives is a 550 acres (2.2 km²) country park
and former estate between Bingley
and Harden
in West Yorkshire
, England
now owned by Bradford Council.
The park has Grade II listing in the English Heritage
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
of Special Interest.
As well as being a public country park the property is also used by Bingley St Ives Golf Club, the Sports Turf Research Institute
, Bradford Independent Care Group, Bingley Angling Club, and Aire Valley Archers.
Some 300,000 people per year visit the country park.
Up until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1540 the land was divided between the monks of Rievaulx Abbey
and Drax Priory.
In 1540 the land was purchased by a Walter Paslew and was subsequently owned by the Laycock and Milner families and the St. Ives mansion house was built in 1616.
In 1635 the Ferrands purchased St. Ives at the time known as Harden Grange, and it was in 1858 that the names of Harden Grange and the local St. Ives were interchanged.
There are stories of a local connection with General Fairfax and the Civil War
, regrettably little is known with certainty.
Sarah Busfeild inherited St. Ives from her uncle and she and her son William changed their family name to Ferrand and, when she died in 1854 her son William Busfeild Ferrand inherited the property.
The estate and mansion were bought by Bingley Urban District Council in 1929.
(1809–89), a Member of Parliament
, magistrate
and one time owner of St. Ives Estate.
Coppice Pond was built as a feed water supply for what is thought originally to be a fulling mill
, later landscaped by the Ferrands and used for boating.
Today it is stocked with a variety of fish for angling
and has a bird hide
and duck feeding pier.
On the north side of the pond is the archery
club while east of Coppice Pond is the mill.
A mill has been recorded on this site since the early 14th century and it is probably the oldest building on the estate, although modified since then.
To the south of Coppice Pond near Cuckoo Nest Cottages is the restored (2003) Baxter's Pond, fed by both Coppice Pond and the mill.
East of the mill is Home Farm with its cafe, coach house and stables, and to the rear a dutch barn* and car park.
Just north of the dutch barn on Cross Gates Lane opposite an ice house* by the golf club's clubhouse is a kidney shaped ornamental pond known as Crayfish Pond.
This feeds water southwards to the ornamental Round Pond and its non-functioning fountain on St. Ives Mansion garden lawns.
The Round Pond feeds the Upper Pond in Cuckoo Nest Wood in which water cascades down a millstone grit crag into a shallow lenticular pool.
The Upper Pond and Baxter's Pond both feed the much larger and more easily accessible Lower Pond.
St. Ives Mansion House* is now a nursing home
for young disabled and north of the mill has been created an indoor and outdoor equestrian riding centre for use by the disabled and the general public.
Just east of the mansion house is the children's play area and toilets.
To the north of this are the main offices of the Sports Turf Research Institute
.
On the road leading eastwards out of the estate is Betty's Lodge.*
Around the estate and the woods in particular, there is a sculpture trail of chainsaw carving
s and these are particularly numerous in Bell Bank Wood by the car park at the east entrance.
This car park has space for 56 cars and four horse boxes.
The golf club was formed and opened in 1931.
The course was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie
and Bobby Jones and initially had nine holes, but was extended to 18 in 1935.
*listed building
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
and former estate between Bingley
Bingley
Bingley is a market town in the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford, in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal...
and Harden
Harden, West Yorkshire
Harden is a civil parish and village within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England, west of Bingley. It has a population of 1,615.-Facilities:...
in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
now owned by Bradford Council.
The park has Grade II listing in the English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
of Special Interest.
As well as being a public country park the property is also used by Bingley St Ives Golf Club, the Sports Turf Research Institute
Sports Turf Research Institute
The Sports Turf Research Institute is a consultancy and research organisation based in Bingley St Ives, near Bradford, West Yorkshire, that studies sports surfaces and turfs for golf, soccer, rugby, cricket, racing, bowling, and tennis....
, Bradford Independent Care Group, Bingley Angling Club, and Aire Valley Archers.
Some 300,000 people per year visit the country park.
History
The St. Ives area is known to have been inhabited from at least the neolithic or bronze age from artifacts left behind.Up until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1540 the land was divided between the monks of Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey headed by the Abbot of Rievaulx. It is located in Rievaulx , near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, England.It was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England and was dissolved by Henry VIII of England in 1538...
and Drax Priory.
In 1540 the land was purchased by a Walter Paslew and was subsequently owned by the Laycock and Milner families and the St. Ives mansion house was built in 1616.
In 1635 the Ferrands purchased St. Ives at the time known as Harden Grange, and it was in 1858 that the names of Harden Grange and the local St. Ives were interchanged.
There are stories of a local connection with General Fairfax and the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, regrettably little is known with certainty.
Sarah Busfeild inherited St. Ives from her uncle and she and her son William changed their family name to Ferrand and, when she died in 1854 her son William Busfeild Ferrand inherited the property.
The estate and mansion were bought by Bingley Urban District Council in 1929.
Landmarks
A granite obelisk close to Lady Blantyre's Rock north west of Coppice Pond commemorates the career of William Busfeild FerrandWilliam Ferrand
- External links :...
(1809–89), a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and one time owner of St. Ives Estate.
Coppice Pond was built as a feed water supply for what is thought originally to be a fulling mill
Fulling
Fulling or tucking or walking is a step in woolen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. The worker who does the job is a fuller, tucker, or walker...
, later landscaped by the Ferrands and used for boating.
Today it is stocked with a variety of fish for angling
Angling
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an "angle" . The hook is usually attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are usually fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself...
and has a bird hide
Bird hide
A bird hide is a shelter, often camouflaged, that is used to observe wildlife, especially birds, at close quarters. Although hides were once built chiefly as hunting aids, they are now commonly found in parks and wetlands for the use of bird watchers, ornithologists and other observers who do not...
and duck feeding pier.
On the north side of the pond is the archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
club while east of Coppice Pond is the mill.
A mill has been recorded on this site since the early 14th century and it is probably the oldest building on the estate, although modified since then.
To the south of Coppice Pond near Cuckoo Nest Cottages is the restored (2003) Baxter's Pond, fed by both Coppice Pond and the mill.
East of the mill is Home Farm with its cafe, coach house and stables, and to the rear a dutch barn* and car park.
Just north of the dutch barn on Cross Gates Lane opposite an ice house* by the golf club's clubhouse is a kidney shaped ornamental pond known as Crayfish Pond.
This feeds water southwards to the ornamental Round Pond and its non-functioning fountain on St. Ives Mansion garden lawns.
The Round Pond feeds the Upper Pond in Cuckoo Nest Wood in which water cascades down a millstone grit crag into a shallow lenticular pool.
The Upper Pond and Baxter's Pond both feed the much larger and more easily accessible Lower Pond.
St. Ives Mansion House* is now a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
for young disabled and north of the mill has been created an indoor and outdoor equestrian riding centre for use by the disabled and the general public.
Just east of the mansion house is the children's play area and toilets.
To the north of this are the main offices of the Sports Turf Research Institute
Sports Turf Research Institute
The Sports Turf Research Institute is a consultancy and research organisation based in Bingley St Ives, near Bradford, West Yorkshire, that studies sports surfaces and turfs for golf, soccer, rugby, cricket, racing, bowling, and tennis....
.
On the road leading eastwards out of the estate is Betty's Lodge.*
Around the estate and the woods in particular, there is a sculpture trail of chainsaw carving
Chainsaw Carving
The art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving.- The beginning of the art form :...
s and these are particularly numerous in Bell Bank Wood by the car park at the east entrance.
This car park has space for 56 cars and four horse boxes.
The golf club was formed and opened in 1931.
The course was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie
Alister MacKenzie
Dr. Alister MacKenzie was an internationally renowned, British golf course architect whose course designs, on three different continents, are consistently ranked among the finest golf courses in the world...
and Bobby Jones and initially had nine holes, but was extended to 18 in 1935.
*listed building
External links
- Websites: Friends of St. Ives, Sports Turf Research Institute, Bingley St. Ives Golf Club, Bingley Angling Club
- Webpages: Bradford Parks and Landscapes Service, Facebook
- Listed buildings: Betty's Lodge, Cuckoo Nest Cottages, outbuilding, steps, gates and walls, Dutch Barn, Entrance Gate Piers, Icehouse, 'Pack Horse' Bridge, Stable Block, and St. Ive's Mansion
- Leaflets: Around St Ives Estate, Ponds and Water Gardens of St Ives Estate Harden, Walks in Parks and Woodlands
- Images: Bronte Country, Flickr
- Maps: City of Bradford Metropolital District Council, Streetmap, Wikimapia satellite
- Walks: The AA, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Lancashire Evening Post, MapmyWALK, Walks for All, Yorkshire Life.