Recent articles

  • Kids Can Do It

    Kids Can Do It a crafting in cardboard and stripwood practical actvity day. 'standard' materials provided or bring your own. pre-printed designs and patterns available to prepare at home first. adults and teens welcome if accompanied by Under Year 7's they're helping cafe open for teas, coffee and biscuits

  • Child's Chair by Peter Barker

    From a website comment by Mr Derek Barker:""My father Jim Walker formerly a gas meter reader was born in a cottage adjacent to the church gates. Unfortunately I do not know which one of the pair he was born in. As a child he used the chair shown in the photographs. My father who passed away in 2004 told me that it was made from oak taken from Hampsthwaite Church. I make no claims as to its provenance but there is just a chance that it was made by Peter. The Teddy which gives scale to the chair is over 100 years old and belonged to my father in law Arthur Myers of Stubhouse Farm (Emmerdale site) in Harewood Park."

  • 22 Platoon from Army Foundation College

    THIS COMING WEEKEND 21st and 22nd JUNE!I am delighted to announce that 38 young soldiers from22 Platoon at the Army Foundation College will be hosted here todo 'good works' around the village towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award.Please welcome them, thank them, and if you wish, join them!They will be working 1030hrs - 1530hrs around Feast Field on Saturday,followed by Memorial Hall then Village Centreand ending at the churchyard on Sunday.Our Community PayBack Team have kindly loaned several gardening tools,we have sourced others, but if you are able to loan any, especially clippers,trimmers, shears, forks or half moons etc. that would be very helpful.Please label them bring along to leave in the Memorial Hall Foyer 

  • Hampsthwaite Housing

    Local planning authorities need to regularly identify and update their supply of sites for housing development as part of their adopted local plan. North Yorkshire Council is currently drawing up a new county wide local plan and a new consultation (Issues and Options) is about to begin.

  • VE-Day80 8 - 10 May 2025

    Our Memorial Hall was built to honour the fallen in two world wars and give thanks to those who returned. It is appropriate therefore that we play our full part in the national celebrations and village activities are planned for May 8th VE-Day and Saturday May 10th 2025

  • Blind Peter Barker

    Remembering Hampsthwaite’s Blind Joiner - an article by Shaun WilsonLike the market town of Knaresborough, who had ‘Blind Jack’ – John Metcalf, the road builder of Yorkshire in the eighteenth century, the small rural village of Hampsthwaite had it’s blind hero also, almost a century later – Peter Barker who became known as ‘The Blind Joiner of Hampsthwaite.’ Though there are some similarities between John Metcalf and Peter Barker’s lives, these are purely co-incidental and each fulfilled a life, character and career in their own right.

  • The Execution of Hannah Whitley

    Arsenic Poisoning in Hampsthwaite - The Execution of Hannah Whitley In 1789, Hannah Whitley of Hampsthwaite used a pie as the delivery medium for a fatal dose of arsenic, with the poison concentrated in the crust. She claimed She had been coerced into the act of poisoning by her employer, a local linen weaver named Horseman, who was involved in an on-going feud with the intended victim.

  • Jane Ridsdale

    JANE RIDSDALEAged 33 years, born at Hampsthwaite, near Harrogate, Yorkshire, her height is 31 ½ inches.She is remarkably chearfull & enjoys very good health.Published July 1st 1807 by Jane Ridstale, at Harrogate where purchasers of this Print will have the opportunity of seeing and conversing with her

  • Joshua Tetley

    Joshua Tetley was the founder of Tetley’s Brewery in Leeds, and he retired with his wife Hannah to Hollins Hall on the outskirts of Hampsthwaite (Hollins Hall Retirement Village).

  • Scrubbers and Stones

    SCRUBBERS & STONES - Sat 29th June 10.30am - 2.30pm - Entry FREE! Explore the Memorials at St Thomas a'Becket Memorials Treasure Trail - for children if all ages Self-Service / Self-Checkout BBQ from 12 noon (inc. veg option) Food £2, Drink £1, Donations? - yes please! Hot & Cold Drinks Laptop & Screen to show Mapping Hampsthwaite’s Past Use a Bucket & Brush to help reveal Inscriptions on the older memorials . . . or just Sit & Enjoy CORPUS CHRISTI BRASS BAND . . . from 11.30am . . . followed by Afternoon Tea & Cakes at the Memorial Hall!
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Amy Woodforde-Finden Centenary Events (2)

Amy Woodforde-Finden : 'An Evening with Amy'
A centenary concert to celebrate the life and works of Amy was held in Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall on April 21st 2023

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Amy Woodforde-Finden Centenary Programme - 21st April 2023

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Step right up and prepare to be transported to another era with an enchanting evening of music and history! Come join us in commemorating the centenary of Amy Woodforde-Finden's memorial in an Edwardian Hampsthwaite setting.

Imagine yourself seated at candle-lit tables, savouring delicious canapes and wine whilst immersing yourself in an exhibition showcasing the captivating history of Hampsthwaite Village during Amy's era.

Get ready to be amazed by a mesmerising musical performance featuring a talented mezzo-soprano and other skilled musicians and singers. Amy's incredible story will come to life through stunning visuals and stirring music, leaving you captivated and inspired.

This is no ordinary night out - it's an unforgettable experience that promises to entertain, enlighten, and transport you to another time. So gather your friends and grab your tickets before they're all gone! Take advantage of this rare opportunity to immerse yourself in the magic of Amy Woodforde-Finden's music and the rich history of Hampsthwaite Village. Get ready for a night to remember!

The Pagoda of Flowers


The Pagoda of Flowers was performed and recorded in the village Memorial Hall, featuring the duets: https://youtu.be/2JzoONCZyo0.

100 years previously, during April 1923, her impressive marble monument, created by the renowned sculptor George Edward Wade, was unveiled in the Hampsthwaite Parish Church of St Thomas a'Becket.

The Pagoda of Flower and its dedicatee

In 2026 Thomas Flessenkaemper writes as follows:

"Having examined the original score of The Pagoda of Flowers, I discovered that Amy Woodforde-Finden dedicated the work to Her Highness Princess Louise Augusta of Schleswig-Holstein. After further research, it appears that this was, in fact, Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, whose full baptismal name included Louise Augusta. Contemporary evidence shows that "Louise Augusta" was an early appellation used for her.

I also came across this short video about her, which I can only recommend to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8s0-7Xsx8c&t=88s

What struck me is the contrast between the fairy tale atmosphere of The Pagoda of Flowers and Princess Marie Louise's own life. Her marriage ended in scandal and annulment, and she never remarried. One cannot help wondering whether the opera's themes of romance, beauty, and idealised happiness may have held a particular appeal for her, or perhaps even served as a substitute for aspects of happiness denied to her in her own life (her husband having decided to opt out of heterosexuality).

Amy must surely have enjoyed more than a merely formal acquaintance with the Princess, for The Pagoda of Flowers was one of her most ambitious works, and such a dedication is seldom bestowed without thought and personal regard. Whether the connection reflected friendship, admiration, patronage, or some other association remains an open question".

The Exhibition

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Amy Woodforde-Finden Centenary Events (2)
Amy Woodforde-Finden : 'An Evening with Amy'
A centenary concert to celebrate the life and works of Amy was held in Hampsthwaite Memorial Hall on April 21st 2023

Click on images to open full-size in new window and use the Browser back arrow to return to here.