Nicholas Size
Encyclopedia
John Nicholas Size was a British hotelier and tourism promoter, but is best known for his novels about Norse
settlers in the English Lake District.
, Lancashire
in the last quarter of 1866, Nicholas Size followed his father Henry into railway administration. For many years he was goods manager at Exchange Station in Bradford
, Yorkshire
, but having developed a fondness for the Lake District, around 1920 he reopened the long-derelict Victoria Hotel in Buttermere
, Cumberland
. Initially he pursued his plan of investing in the hotel in tandem with his railway career, but about 1927 he moved in.
". This was so successful that in 1929 he wrote an expanded and illustrated novella version, "The Secret Valley". This too was a great success, and in 1930 Frederick Warne, publisher of the Beatrix Potter
books produced a new edition.
Encouraged by Sir Hugh Walpole
, whose own Lakeland historical novels were very popular at the time, in 1932 Size tackled another local Norse story, the supposed origin of the elegant cross at Gosforth
. This had first appeared in the novella "The Story of Shelagh, Olaf Cuaran's Daughter", by local historian C.A. Parker, but Size's book "Shelagh of Eskdale" expanded on what Parker had written, to produce a short novel uniform with the second edition of "Secret Valley," again published by Warne. Finally, about a year later, Warne published "Ola the Russian", a longer novel in which the setting was broadened to include the whole Norse world, fictionalising the life of Olaf Trygvesson.
Size did write one other book, "The Haunted Moor," which recounted the legendary stories of the various strange features on Ilkley Moor
near Bradford. This was only available in the local area (but it did contain an advertisement for the Victoria Hotel).
"), in the 1930s he bought two pieces of land himself, the first being in the relatively flat area leading down to Crummock Water
, which he developed as a 9-hole golf course. This facility was available free to guests at the hotel, which was subsequently promoted as the "Victoria Golf Hotel". For the less sports-minded, about 1937 he acquired the pretty piece of woodland along the stream opposite the hotel, and opened it to the public under the title of "The Fairy Glen". Local opposition and the Second World War prevented him from bringing his grandest ideas to fruition: a Bavarian-style beer garden at the hotel, complete with brass band; a fully equipped service station for the growing number of cars visiting the valley; and even a chair-lift to the summit of High Crag
, at the south end of the lake. Plagued with illness in his last years, he was cared for by his wife at the Buttermere Hotel, which the couple had acquired some years after the Victoria.
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
settlers in the English Lake District.
Background
Born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in the last quarter of 1866, Nicholas Size followed his father Henry into railway administration. For many years he was goods manager at Exchange Station in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, but having developed a fondness for the Lake District, around 1920 he reopened the long-derelict Victoria Hotel in Buttermere
Buttermere
Buttermere is a lake in the English Lake District in North West England. The adjacent village of Buttermere takes its name from the lake. Historically within the former county of Cumberland, the lake is now within the county of Cumbria. It is owned by the National Trust, forming part of their...
, Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
. Initially he pursued his plan of investing in the hotel in tandem with his railway career, but about 1927 he moved in.
Books
Interested in the heritage of the area, Nicholas joined the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society in 1927. Intrigued by the possible connection between Buttermere and the Norse landowner Bueth, mentioned in official documents relating to Cumberland at the time of the Norman conquest in the early 12th century, he produced a booklet, "The Epic of Buttermere" portraying the secluded valley as a stronghold of resistance to the invaders, and site of a supposed "Battle of Rannerdale KnottsRannerdale Knotts
Rannerdale Knotts is a fell in the Lake District of Cumbria, England. Rising from the Buttermere valley, it is one of the smaller Cumbrian hills and is overlooked by a number of surrounding fells, such as Grasmoor, Whiteless Pike and, across Crummock Water, Mellbreak and the High Stile ridge...
". This was so successful that in 1929 he wrote an expanded and illustrated novella version, "The Secret Valley". This too was a great success, and in 1930 Frederick Warne, publisher of the Beatrix Potter
Beatrix Potter
Helen Beatrix Potter was an English author, illustrator, natural scientist and conservationist best known for her imaginative children’s books featuring animals such as those in The Tale of Peter Rabbit which celebrated the British landscape and country life.Born into a privileged Unitarian...
books produced a new edition.
Encouraged by Sir Hugh Walpole
Hugh Walpole
Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, CBE was an English novelist. A prolific writer, he published thirty-six novels, five volumes of short stories, two plays and three volumes of memoirs. His skill at scene-setting, his vivid plots, his high profile as a lecturer and his driving ambition brought him a large...
, whose own Lakeland historical novels were very popular at the time, in 1932 Size tackled another local Norse story, the supposed origin of the elegant cross at Gosforth
Gosforth, Cumbria
Gosforth is a village and civil parish in the Lake District, in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England. It is situated on the A595 road between Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness. It has a population of 1,230....
. This had first appeared in the novella "The Story of Shelagh, Olaf Cuaran's Daughter", by local historian C.A. Parker, but Size's book "Shelagh of Eskdale" expanded on what Parker had written, to produce a short novel uniform with the second edition of "Secret Valley," again published by Warne. Finally, about a year later, Warne published "Ola the Russian", a longer novel in which the setting was broadened to include the whole Norse world, fictionalising the life of Olaf Trygvesson.
Size did write one other book, "The Haunted Moor," which recounted the legendary stories of the various strange features on Ilkley Moor
Ilkley Moor
Ilkley Moor is part of Rombalds Moor, the moorland between Ilkley and Keighley in West Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. The peat bogs rise to 402 m above sea level...
near Bradford. This was only available in the local area (but it did contain an advertisement for the Victoria Hotel).
Tourism
In addition to expressing his genuine interest (he also wrote a learned paper on the remains of a Norse mill at Buttermere), the books were a means to promote the business; as a local resident later recalled "He'd do anything to make money." Nicholas had problems with some of the local landowners and farmers, who festooned their boundaries with "No Trespassing" signs, even on wild sheep-pasture. In addition to arguing with such people (earning for himself the name "Old NickOld Nick
Old Nick can mean:* an English appellation of Christian teaching about the Devil* Old Nick , from Young's Brewery...
"), in the 1930s he bought two pieces of land himself, the first being in the relatively flat area leading down to Crummock Water
Crummock Water
Crummock Water is a lake in the Lake District in Cumbria, North West England situated between Buttermere to the south and Loweswater to the north. Crummock Water is two and a half miles long, three quarters of a mile wide and 140ft deep. The River Cocker is considered to start at the north of the...
, which he developed as a 9-hole golf course. This facility was available free to guests at the hotel, which was subsequently promoted as the "Victoria Golf Hotel". For the less sports-minded, about 1937 he acquired the pretty piece of woodland along the stream opposite the hotel, and opened it to the public under the title of "The Fairy Glen". Local opposition and the Second World War prevented him from bringing his grandest ideas to fruition: a Bavarian-style beer garden at the hotel, complete with brass band; a fully equipped service station for the growing number of cars visiting the valley; and even a chair-lift to the summit of High Crag
High Crag
High Crag stands at the southern end of the High Stile ridge which divides the valleys of Ennerdale and Buttermere in the west of the English Lake District. It is often climbed as part of a popular ridge walk, from Black Sail youth hostel, or from Buttermere via Scarth Gap...
, at the south end of the lake. Plagued with illness in his last years, he was cared for by his wife at the Buttermere Hotel, which the couple had acquired some years after the Victoria.
In memoriam
Nicholas Size did win one very personal battle against the local authorities. His body does not lie in a graveyard, but in a plot of his own choosing on the fellside above the "Fairy Glen", in a hole blasted from the solid rock. His two Lakeland novels, reprinted numerous times by Warnes, continued to be available for years after his death. In 1977 they were reissued together by local bookseller and publisher Michael Moon. That edition also sold out, and in 1996 a paperback edition of "The Secret Valley" was published (also sold out). The Victoria Hotel (rechristened the Bridge Hotel) remains in business in 2008.Sources
- Sheila Richardson, "Tales of a Lakeland Valley: Buttermere", Workington, Mill Field Publishing (1995) ISBN 0952666502
- Obituary in the Cumberland News (18 Apr 1953)
Works
- "The Epic of Buttermere. Historical picture of the great events in Lakeland during Norman times" Buttermere, Size (circa 1928)
- "The Secret Valley. A picture of the great events which took place in unconquered Lakeland during Norman times", Kendal, Titus Wilson, 1929
- "The Secret Valley: the Real Romance of Unconquered Lakeland", London, Warne (1930)
- "Shelagh of Eskdale", London, Warne (1932)
- "Ola the Russian", London, Warne (circa 1933)
- "The Haunted Moor", Otley, William Walker (1934)
- "Click Mill at Buttermere", in Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, second series vol. 36 (1936)