Marjorie England grew up in Crow Lane and when she found her dad’s old photos of the streets she called home, along with his newspaper cuttings about local events, the memories came flooding back. What started as a chance discovery turned into a passionate hunt to find out more secrets of those streets and endless hours of research revealed some fascinating stories. She gathered a huge collection of newspaper cuttings, references to books and census details. Marjorie acknowledges the assistance of local historian Paul Wood who answered questions – one chat with Paul included his recollection of the fire that destroyed Barker’s leather works which led her to gain permission to reproduce a 1985 interview in Yorkshire Life Magazine with one of the Barker brothers. The leather works were important in the town but for Marjorie and her friends, the stone steps of the entrance to the factory were just another place to sit and chat. Paul’s kind assistance also provided an introduction to the team at the Otley Museum who proved to be most helpful, despite the difficulties of starting to write the book during lockdown.
Marjorie says Crow Lane, Otley is not a ‘family history’ that tells the story of her ancestors though some get a mention and neither is it a local history book. Dip in and along with the old photos, newspaper cuttings, maps, census details and sources, you’ll find all sorts of stories from the schools, trades, people and general life dating back to the 19th century. The book records the life of a small part of Otley from the big things like festivals, school days and holidays, buildings and trades that have passed into history and the little everyday things many of us have in common. And you might find the answer to the question of why Crow Lane residents lived in one house but had two addresses.
And, of course, when it comes to reminiscences of local life, where better to gather a team of people to bring the book to life than from the streets of Otley?
Marjorie contacted Dr Jason Knowles of Otley Town Council to ask for advice from his experience publishing a book about Otley in the Second World War. His recommendations led her to a local editor Jo Allen of LastWord, Rhiannon Hughes, a local graphic designer who created lively pages sprinkled with crows, and Simon Raybould of Print Crew who finished the lengthy process, delivering a little book full of life.
Crow Lane, Otley is available from The Bookshop on the Square in Otley. And, as bookseller Sara Elliott says: “So much history in one little corner of Otley … well worth a read.”
