A PORTRAIT OF INGLEBOROUGH

A PORTRAIT OF INGLEBOROUGH

Thanks to National Lottery players, a collection of portraits capturing many of the local characters living and working around Ingleborough will be on public display at The Folly in Settle.

 

Local photographer Hilary Fenten was commissioned by charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) to create a ‘snapshot in time’ of Ingleborough’s social history, as part of the Stories in Stone scheme.

Having lived for over 30 years in Selside near Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Hilary has a keen interest in Ingleborough’s unique landscape and local characters, commenting that ‘people, in their own environment, are fascinating. They deserve particular attention, rather than anonymity.’

For the project, Hilary met and photographed local people involved in a variety of jobs, trades and events around Ingleborough, leading to a collection of portraits which depict the area’s diverse residents and their special place in the landscape throughout the seasons.

Also on display will be a series of historical portraits and images taken from the Dales Community Archives, the result of another Stories in Stone project ‘Capturing the Past’, and from Back in Settle, a Facebook group for people who ‘enjoy a blast from the past’.

Debbie Boswell, Stories in Stone ‘Discover Ingleborough’ officer at YDMT, said: “The exhibition shows how people connect to the Ingleborough landscape and the communities around it, be they local residents or more transitional visitors. There are lots of local faces people will recognise and some lovely stories to go with the photos. It is particularly interesting to compare Hilary’s recent photographs with the older images. We look forward to working with our local community to continue to capture this time in history in our very special part of the world.”

A commemorative book inspired by the exhibition will be produced. As well as featuring portraits taken by Hilary Fenten over the last 2 years, YDMT would like to invite others to participate in this final stage. If you have photographs which capture the Ingleborough area and its people, YDMT would love to hear from you. Please call the Stories in Stone team on 015242 51002 or email info@storiesinstone.org.uk.

The exhibition opens at The Folly in Settle on 7^th September with a gathering of contributors to the project and will be on display here until 30^th September. After this time the exhibition will tour around the local area:

• Ribblehead Station 2^nd – 16^th October
• Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station 17^th – 30^th October
• St Mary’s Church, Ingleton 2^nd – 23^rd November
• Ingleborough Community Centre 2^nd – 23^rd November
• Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes 4^th – 30^th December
• Gallery on the Green, Settle 10^th December – 13^th January

 

This exhibition is part of Stories in Stone, a four-year programme of community and heritage projects developed by the Ingleborough Dales Landscape Partnership, which is led by YDMT and mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.