A new venture in libraries across North Yorkshire is giving people the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane by selling bespoke calendars for 2025.
Staff and volunteers have sifted through their favourite archive images from an extensive collection housed by North Yorkshire Council’s library service.
There are five calendars to choose from, with well-known landmarks in areas around Harrogate, Ripon, Great Ayton, Skipton, Pickering and Malton.
The photos, which date from the late 19th century to the 1970s, demonstrate how these places have changed over the years, and how elements remain the same.
The Harrogate calendar features the Royal Pump Rooms from 1900, Montpellier Gardens and a Davies Cup tennis match in the Royal Gardens dating from the 1920s.
Ripon’s edition has archive images of the city’s cathedral, Jubilee and Coronation celebrations from 1897 and 1953 along with streets and shops.
The Great Ayton calendar features some of the village’s best remembered shops and businesses including Atkinson’s, Harbottle’s and Sons, and Dixon Bros.
For Skipton, the archive images include the Grade I listed medieval castle, the town hall, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal that goes through the town, and a bustling market day.
Pickering and Malton libraries clubbed together to include images from Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Thornton Dale.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Simon Myers, said:
With Christmas on the horizon, these calendars are the perfect gift. The images will evoke great memories that people can share with friends, neighbours and loved ones.
They are sure to be of interest to residents as well as those from further afield, as they showcase familiar landmarks and detail our rich history.
I’d like to thank the dedicated staff and volunteers who pulled them together. Projects like this are key to remembering our past and sharing photographs of local interest.
The calendars for Harrogate, Ripon, and Pickering and Malton are £5, with Skipton and Great Ayton costing £6.
They are on sale at the individual libraries, with all proceeds invested into maintaining the service.
For opening times and contact details, visit North Yorkshire Council’s website at www.northyorks.gov.uk/local-libraries
