Uncovering the hidden history of Otley Chevin

The Friends of Chevin Forest Park have been putting together a digital photo archive, as part of the £48,600 Chevin Through Time project, to show how the landscape has changed since prehistoric times.

Many of the photos chosen were stored at the Chevin’s iconic White House but the Friends group is struggling to find older images of the house itself.

Friends member Chris Tomkins said: “The view of the White House from Otley is one of the finest sights in lower Wharfedale. We have been researching the history of the house and have found out the names and occupations of many people who lived there, but help is needed to fill in some missing information.

“In the 1950s there were a number of wooden chalets and tents dotted around but little is known about how they came to be built, who owned them or when they were demolished.

“Old maps also show possible hut-type structures near Surprise View that no longer exist and there were a small number of dwellings in a field about 400 metres west of the White House, called Dibb Wood Cottages, demolished to make way for a pig farm.

“There are very few photos of the White House area before the 1980s, but it is possible someone has some in their own old photo albums.

“We would be interested to hear from anyone who has old photos of the Chevin that may be a bit unusual, of particular interest would be images of the White House before 1980, or of Dibb Cottages.”

l A two-year project, backed by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, charting the different aspects of Chevin Through Time – which includes a timeline sculpture trail created by local artist Shane Green – is being put up on chevinforest. co.uk/chevin-through-time. To con-tact the Friends send an e-mail to admin@ chevinforest.co.uk or call 01943 465023. Any original photos can be scanned to add to the archives, and returned. The group is working with West Yorkshire Geology Trust and Leeds City Council’s parks and countryside service on the scheme.