Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

This trip is now fully booked

The coach will depart from Memorial Gardens, Leeman Road, York, at 8.45am. for travel to Oldroyd Rhubarb farm at Carlton just north of Wakefield, where we shall have a 2 hour tour and be told all about the history, medicinal properties, types, and growing of rhubarb and have a candlelit visit to the large darkened forcing sheds to see and hear (yes!) rhubarb growing. There will be a shopping opportunity. We shall be visiting at the start of the busy annual Wakefield Food, Drink & Rhubarb Festival week-end when normal catering arrangements at the farm are unfortunately suspended, so if you want a morning drink you will have to bring your own. Wakefield was at one time the centre of the rhubarb growing industry with over 200 farms involved, and there were daily “rhubarb special” delivery trains to London markets before rhubarb fell out of fashion and exotic fruits became widely available in Britain. Today, only 3 or 4 farms remain.

We then take a short drive to Wakefield to the café and small museum at the relatively new Wakefield One library building where lunch may be purchased. The museum is devoted to the interesting history of Wakefield.

A member of Wakefield Civic Society will then lead a conducted walking tour (about 1 hour) round some of the more notable central buildings dating from Wakefield’s prosperous times and explain their history and significance. There will be a special Rhubarb Fair in the centre by the Cathedral, and both Fair and Cathedral can be visited before we re-join the coach for the short journey to the award winning Hepworth Gallery on the outskirts. There will be various artworks and ceramics on display and tea may be purchased in the café. We then return to York, arriving about 6.00p.m.

Please complete and return the form below as soon as possible if you intend joining the visit, as we need to confirm our intentions in order to secure our provisional booking at the farm. The outing includes transport, gratuities, farm visit, guided walking tour and entry to Museum and to the Hepworth Gallery. No refreshments are included.

Alan Owen

Tour Organiser

To : –  Alan Owen,  Yorkshire Philosophical Society, The Lodge, Museum Gardens, York  YO1  7DR

A Rhubarb trip to Wakefield !  – Friday 21 February  2014

Please reserve  …………. place(s) for me on this visit. To receive confirmation of booking, please provide email address (preferred) or SAE

A cheque for  £ ……….. (£29/person) is enclosed, (cheques to Yorkshire Philosophical Society please)

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