(Lead image: Harrogate Civic Society and Alex Goldstein)

London, Milan, New York – and Harrogate?

It might not be mentioned amongst the so-called style capitals of the world, but Harrogate certainly has sartorial credentials of its own. Just a brief wander around the central shopping district offers independent boutiques and designer brands, as well as the usual high street favourites.

However, it’s when looking back into the past that Harrogate’s reputation as a fashion-forward town really comes to the fore. In fact, it was once the home of a famous female fashion emporium, that considered members of the royal family as part of its clientele.

The shop belonged to Louis Copé (pronounced co-pay), a Jewish refugee whose family fled to the UK from Poland to pursue a better life. He was a major player in the fast-paced fashion world of the time, and while his shop closed in the 1970s, his influence in town remains to this day.

Early life

Copé’s distinctive moniker wasn’t actually his family name or birth name – he was officially christened Ulik Bidenkopf. His birth date is believed to be October 7, 1877.

Parliament Street in the 1900s (Image: Walker-Neesam Archive)

Copé was a later adaption of his surname, transitioning from Bidenkopf to Bidencope and then to Copé – a surname most commonly found in Europe – to sound more ‘sophisticated’.

His family first arrived in the UK in the early 20th century, having fled their home in Poland. In that time period, Poland was split between Prussia, the Habsburg monarchy, and Russia, with its Jewish citizens heavily persecuted.

Copé suffered from asthma, and the oppressive industrial smog of London wasn’t helping his health. In 1914, he made the move to Harrogate in search of the purer air that many believed the spa town, and the Yorkshire countryside, could offer.

Clothing Harrogate’s high society

While he may have first worked as a barber when he arrived in the UK – although this is unconfirmed – he made his first career change when arriving in Yorkshire, to become a jeweller. He was always a purveyor of the finer things in life, and in 1918 he opened the store which occupied numbers 52-58 on the corner of Parliament Street, facing the Royal Baths.

Copé’s shop rivalled that iconic building as an architectural talking point; the single pane of glass that wrapped around the main façade must have been an expensive installation, and indicated that customers could expect class when they stepped over the threshold.

The store sold a vast array of luxury couture such as dresses, fur coats, hats, and bags, as well as offering repairs to jewellery and clothing. The clientele was just as prestigious as the attire; the wealthy residents of Harrogate and beyond soon became loyal customers.

A fashion show organised by Louis Copé (Image: Alex Goldstein)

Copé’s reputation quickly grew, and ladies’ maids from across the country were soon contacting his shop to ask his advice on what latest accessory or style their mistress should be wearing.

The mid-1920s was a busy and prosperous time; not only did Copé get married and become a ‘naturalised British citizen’ in 1926, but he even had a brush with royalty. He received a request to dress Queen Mary, whose daughter Princess Mary was Countess of Harewood, the sprawling country estate near Leeds.

Later, the introduction of Freda – his only daughter out of three children – to a William Goldstein, a member of famed fashion house of its day Ellis & Goldstein of London, resulted in a marriage and the union of the two powerful families in society.

Fortune and philanthropy 

A good indication of the dizzying heights of success and fortune Copé reached would be the time he came into possession of the ‘Tenant Diamond’, a gemstone valued at around £10,000 – a vast amount for the era.

Despite his lavish lifestyle, he still remained an active member of the Harrogate community and was just as well-known for his philanthropic endeavours. This included supporting several local charities, and throwing fundraising evenings for Harrogate Infirmary.

His legacy

Copé passed away on June 30 1957 at the age of 79. He is buried in Leeds, in the New Farnley Jewish cemetery. His store was taken over by his son Harry and enjoyed many more successful years trading, before eventually being sold in the late 1970s.

Copé’s great-great grandson Alex Goldstein is a property consultant and still calls Harrogate home. In 2022, alongside the late historian Malcom Neesam, he successfully petitioned for a brown plaque to be installed outside of the former premise – now home to Rhodes Menswear.

Alex Goldstein with the brown plaque

Speaking to the Stray Ferret in 2022 about the unveiling of the plaque, Mr Goldstein said:

“I am so pleased to have been able to mark the history and story of my great grandfather, whose fashion house spanned decades and formed important memories for so many people in and around Harrogate.”

Sources for this article include a biographical timeline on the Harrogate Civic Society website, Regional Couture: The Inter-war British Couture Fashion House Isobel (London & Harrogate) Ltd in the academic journal Costume, by Hannah Wroe, Edinburgh University Press, an article on Harrogate Spa Stories website and a profile on Geni.com.

Read more:

• Local history spotlight: Blind Jack of Knaresborough
• Local history spotlight: Dr Laura Veale
• Local history spotlight: Naomi Jacob
• Exploring North Yorkshire’s plaques and the history behind them

(Lead image: Pixabay and Ripon Civic Society)

North Yorkshire boasts numerous connections to the literary world across the centuries; the Brontë family immortalised Haworth and the dramatic scenery of the moors, Whitby Abbey famously inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and both the television show and book series All Creatures Great and Small captured life in the Dales.

Someone who has not retained the same level of recognition – yet undoubtedly played a significant role in arts and culture at the time – is Naomi Jacob.

A prolific writer, actor, broadcaster, and political figure, she published around 50 books in her lifetime, and was known as a larger-than-life character in the circles she moved in.

Labelled ‘eccentric’ at the time, Jacob rarely used her given name, instead opting for her surname, Jake, or Mickie to introduce herself. She also preferred to wear what would have been deemed masculine attire, commenting: ‘I just find that men’s clothes are more practical and more economical’.

It was also a well-known secret that she had female partners throughout her lifetime, although this was never addressed either by her personally, or through her literary work.

Viewed through a modern lens, Jacob would have been considered part of the LGBTQIA+ community. However, because she didn’t speak about her experience, or have access to the updated language and knowledge surrounding gender identity and use of pronouns we have today, we cannot presume to know how she would have chosen to define herself.

For this reason, in the article she’ll be referred to by her surname, with she/her pronouns.

Early life

Jacob was born on July 1, 1884, in Ripon, the first daughter to Samuel Jacob and Selina Sara Ellington Collinson.

Ripon (Image: Pixabay)

Her family were fairly prominent in the town; her father was the headmaster of Ripon Grammar School, where her mother also taught, and her grandfather and great-grandfather were the mayor and chief police officer of Ripon respectively.

While her mother’s lineage had roots firmly in Yorkshire, Jacob’s father was the son of a Jewish refugee from the area formerly known as Prussia. Jacob’s paternal grandfather, whom she was very fond of, still spoke Yiddish and was a great influence in Jacob exploring her dual heritage.

Her upbringing was comfortable but her parents’ marriage was an unhappy one; when they eventually separated, Jacob moved to Middlesborough at the age of 14 to complete her education, following in her family’s footsteps to become a teacher.

While in the North East, Jacob contracted tuberculosis, and would suffer with it to varying degrees throughout the rest of her life.

A diverse and lengthy career

It also appeared that teaching wasn’t the right fit for Jacob either; the lure of the glittering lights and creative freedom that the theatre offered was tempting, and by 18 she was frequenting music halls in Leeds.

Jacob soon successfully introduced herself to some of the time period’s notable theatre alumni, including Henry Irving, Sarah Bernhardt, and Marie Lloyd. She also made a name for herself as a character actor, performing at the West End and in several touring productions.

The childhood home of the Jacob family (Image: Ripon Civic Society)

It wasn’t until the mid-1920s that her lengthy career as a writer really began in earnest. Her first novel Jacob Usher was first published in 1925 and was a prolific author during the rest of her life, able to complete two books a year at the height of her productivity.

Jacob had a deep love for Yorkshire, and this passion, and her astute observations on the region’s idiosyncrasies, were often a key feature of her novels. While she produced a vast quantity of work, sometimes under the pen name Ellington Gray, the ones she was best known for – and garnered critical acclaim – were her series about the Gollantz family, and her 1935 novel Honour Come Back.

The latter was recognised with an Eichelberger International Humane Award but Jacob refused to accept it when she discovered Adolf Hitler had also been recognised with the prize for Mein Kampf.

She penned an impassioned letter to The Sydney Morning Herald in 1936, which explained her reasons why. In an address to the editor, she explained:

“With a sense of great disappointment, I was obliged again to write to the committee, and respectfully refuse to accept the award… because of the terrible persecution, the monstrous injustices and the abominable cruelties which are even now being laid upon the Jewish race in Germany.

“To have accepted it would have been to almost betray those people to whose race I partly belong, and who have been my good and loyal friends all my life.

“I have talked with refugees, listened to stories of oppression and wickedness, which have roused me to indignation and fury, and as a result of what I know it was impossible for me to accept this award under the circumstances under which it was given.”

While Jacob relocated to Lake Garda, Italy, in 1930 in order to alleviate some of the symptoms of her tuberculosis, she moved back to the UK during the Second World War to help with the war effort.

(L) the plaque in Sirmione (R) Sirmione (Image: Ripon Civic Society and Pixabay)

This included tapping into her acting credentials as part of the Entertainments National Service Association, to entertain the troops and keep morale high. She became well-known for wearing a Women’s Legion uniform, monocle, and sporting a cropped hairstyle.

Later in life she was a contributor to the Radio 4 programme Woman’s Hour, as well as a writing articles and opinion pieces for local and national newspapers.

Political activism

Politics was a major part of Jacob’s life, and alongside her impressive output of work she managed to be an active participant on the political stage.

A fierce proponent for women receiving the vote, she was part of the suffragette movement before World War One and joined the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1912.

According to an article published in The New York Times in 1964, she once recalled that she was frequently ‘flung down steps and into horse ponds’ when out campaigning. She once stood, unsuccessfully, as a Labour PPC (Prospective Parliamentary Candidate) in East Ham, London, and was a devoted Labour party member for over 35 years.

However, she actually switched sides and joined the Conservative party after 1947, citing her disappointment in what she perceived to be Labour’s more radical brand of socialism.

Later life and legacy

Jacob moved back to Italy, and to the town of Sirmione where her villa was, after the Second World War. Also known as Casa Mickie, after one of her chosen names, she enjoyed hosting friends and family there – but she regularly returned to visit England, and Yorkshire in particular.

Although she had been married to a man for a brief time – so brief in fact, that they divorced within two weeks – she had several long-term partners that she lived with in open but unspoken relationships, including the actor and singer Marguerite Broadfoote.

After she passed away in 1964 age 80, a plaque was installed in Sirmione in her honour. Jacob’s vast amount of work fell out of the general public consciousness after her death, but in recent years there has been renewed efforts to preserve her legacy.

Later generations of the Jacob family at the plaque’s unveiling (Image: Ripon Civic Society)

In 2019, the Ripon Civic Society recognised Jacob’s impact on not only the town but wider society, with a green plaque outside her childhood home at 20 High St Agnesgate.

Inaugurating the plaque, Christopher Hughes, Chairman of Ripon Civic Society, welcomed Jacob’s two generations of her family, Tony Atcheson and Thomas Atcheson, to the event.

He commented:

“We are delighted to be able to mark the life and work of one of Ripon’s brightest literary stars with this plaque.  We hope it may stimulate interest in Naomi Jacob’s life and work, and inspire others to follow her example.”

Tony Atcheson, who lived in Sirmione with Naomi Jacob and his mother as a young child, added:

“Mickie had a great affection for Ripon throughout her life and this shaped her achievements. Very much ahead of her time, she was a strong character who forged her own success with little support in an era when women were not afforded the same opportunities.”

Sources for this article include an article in The New York Times, an article by Jocelynne Scutt for the Women’s History Network website, the Ripon Civic Society website, a biography on LibraryThing.com, Naomi Jacob’s original 1936 letter to The Sydney Morning Herald from the National Library of Australia archive and Orlando – a University of Cambridge online anthology.

Read more:

• Local history spotlight: Blind Jack of Knaresborough
• Local history spotlight: Dr Laura Veale
• Exploring North Yorkshire’s plaques and the history behind them

If you’re a Knaresborough resident, you’ll almost certainly have heard about Blind Jack, but his influence can be felt much further than the small Yorkshire town.

A civil engineer, local guide, horse trader, businessman and a musician, Jack can sometimes be overshadowed by Knaresborough’s other famous figure, Mother Shipton, but he lived an extraordinary – and long – life, especially for the time period.

The early years

Born in 1717 in a cottage connected to the churchyard opposite Knaresborough Castle, John – commonly also known as Jack – Metcalf nearly fell foul of the high infant mortality rate of the era when he was struck down with smallpox aged six.

He recovered but the illness left him permanently blind – earning him his moniker, which would be considered insensitive by many today.

By all accounts, Jack took his new life in his stride, and it’s claimed within three years he could find his way to any part of Knaresborough, unassisted. This intrinsic knowledge of the town became an invaluable tool in one his many jobs as a local guide, showing visitors around the area.

John (Jack) Metcalf was born and raised in a cottage opposite Knaresborough Castle

One of his other talents was for music and at 15 years old he made a name for himself as a fiddler, playing in local pubs, one which was the Queen’s Head in Kettlesing, which still operates today.

Scandal and elopement

Touring as a musician could have been where he met Dorothy Benson, the daughter of the landlord at Granby Inn. However, their love story was far from straightforward – in his twenties, Jack found himself at the centre of a scandal involving another woman.

In his own biography, Jack claimed that the woman – the sister of one of his friends – would often ‘propose such whimsical schemes’ that ‘gave him reason to believe to laugh and be merry was the chief business of her life’.

Detailing his version of events in E&R Pick’s The Life of John Metcalf, Commonly Called Blind Jack of Knaresborough he said:

However, the one evening apprised him of her intention to pay him a visit in the night and desired him to leave his door unlocked.

A knowledge of the woman’s mirthful propensity made him at first consider this as a joke; but, on the other hand he though it possible that a real assignation was intended; and being too gallant to disappoint a lady, he told her he would obey her orders.

Too sure for the future peace of Metcalf, the lady was punctual to her appointment, coming at the dead time of night to his mother’s house. It would be impertinent to detain the reader on the subject of the meeting: suffice it to say, that Metcalf too had unfortunately left his scruples at another house.

When the woman came to Jack to tell him of her pregnancy and ask him to marry her to avoid public shame, he instead told Dorothy, and conspired to neither marry the unnamed woman, nor pay her for her troubles.

He left Yorkshire for seven months to let the furore blow over, and when he returned, Dorothy was engaged to another man. However, Jack convinced her to elope with him, and they married in secret, going on to have four children before Dorothy died in 1778.

A storied career

The latter part of the 18th century was a busy period of Jack’s life, and one where his business credentials came to the fore; in the 1740s he worked as a carrier for goods in the local area, expanding into a stagecoach business by 1754.

During the 1745 Jacobite Uprising he even worked as an assistant to the royal recruiting sergeant in the Knaresborough area, travelling to Scotland with the army.

Jack built some of the routes for roads that are still used today, such as the A59

Due to his successful stagecoach business, he had first-hand perspective into the state of the local roads – and wasn’t particularly impressed. So when the opportunity to win a contract to build part of a road between Harrogate to Boroughbridge arose in 1765, he seized the chance.

He went on to build roads across Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire, including between Knaresborough and Wetherby, and Wakefield to Huddersfield.

In 1792 he retired to live with his daughter and her husband in Spofforth – but that wasn’t the end of his adventures. Aged 77, he walked to York to meet with a publisher and discuss his extraordinary life.

He died aged 92 in Spofforth, where he is buried in All Saints churchyard.

A legacy that lives on

The blue plaque dedicated to Blind Jack can be found in Knaresborough, as well as a statue. There’s also a pub named after him in the town, and a section of road bearing his name too.

His legacy also lives on in the contribution he made to the infrastructure of the North’s roads – many of the routes which survive to this day, such as parts of the A59 and A61.

Blind Jack’s on Market Place, Knaresborough

Sources for the article include Historic UK, Knaresborough Civic Society, The University of Michigan website, EnglishHistory.net and The Life of John Metcalf, Commonly Called Blind Jack of Knaresborough at archive.org.

(Lead image Pixabay and Knaresborough Civic Society)

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Knaresborough’s fascinating past is to be brought to life at the town’s first community archaeology festival this month.

Visitors will see hundreds of local artefacts from prehistoric times to the modern era, including a 4,000-year-old ceremonial hand axe.

They are also invited to bring along any artefacts they have found and a team of experts will answer questions about them.

Knaresborough Museum Association is hosting the free to enter festival over the two half-term weekends of October 28 and 29 and November 4 and 5 from 10am to 4pm at Centre-on-Gracious Street.

Kathy Allday, chair of the association, said:

“It’s a really exciting opportunity for visitors to look at a wide range of archaeological finds from the local area and find out what these tell us about the people who have lived in this area for generations.

“We can learn about the first inhabitants who came to hunt, live and farm in Knaresborough, and see what they left behind.”

“The displays also tell us what the Romans, Vikings and Saxons got up to in Knaresborough, as well as shining a light on the town’s amazing medieval history.”

Association vice-chair Malcolm Hay inspects a find.

A £10,000 National Lottery Heritage Fund grant to the association funded the festival and also paid for a geophysical survey of Priory Cottage Orchards on Abbey Road, where the Trinitarian Priory precinct once stood.

Some of the objects on display will be used in a quiz for adults and a game for children at the festival.

Nun Tabbetha will be making an appearance, writing exquisitely illustrated medieval pardons for anyone who needs forgiveness for being naughty.

Audio visual recordings from conservationist Keith Wilkinson on the archaeology of Nidd Gorge, and mudlarker Steve Mycroft will be available and local history books and Knaresborough Christmas cards will be on sale to raise funds for the association.

The association is commissioning a 3D model of the Gates Hill Iron Age fort.

The association plans to take its displays to outlying villages, libraries and community centres, expanding its outreach work with community groups and schools.

It also had plans to organise more exhibitions, research projects and further archaeological survey work.

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As snooker’s world championship final gets underway in Sheffield tomorrow, all eyes will be on the stars of the modern game.

But fans of the green baize might be less aware of the game’s strong historic link even closer to home.

Masham Snooker Club, which is located above Johnny Baghdad’s Cafe on the Square in Masham, claims to be the oldest snooker club in the country — and the evidence is compelling.

The club is tucked away off the square in Masham.

The club has book-keeping entries showing the delivery of a snooker table in 1871. Records show the table was brought from London by steam train and then completed its journey by horse and cart as Masham didn’t have a train station at the time.

The table, which cost £41, was sent to Masham Subscription Billiard Room, which had nine members.

Billiards is played on the same table as snooker and was the more popular game until snooker’s colour TV boom of the 1970s made famous the likes of Alex Higgins and Ray Reardon.

Club expenditure accounts from 1871 include a billiards table costing £41.

The Masham table pre-dates the 1895 formation of the Lyonsdown Club in New Barnet, Hertfordshire, which used to claim to be the oldest. It is still used today.

John Ellis, the previous chairman of Masham Snooker Club, first stated the club’s claim. Although it has never been officially verified, there is no known documentation of an older club.

The club caters for players of all abilities.

Christopher Tomsett, current chair of Masham Snooker Club, said Lyonsdown Club had accepted Masham’s claim when presented with the evidence.

Mr Tomsett added:

“They contacted us and accepted that we are formed earlier and amended their website accordingly, but asked if they could retain the right to be called the oldest club in London borough, which we agreed to.

“We have no others contesting our claim to date.”

It is no longer clear whether the Hertfordshire club still exists — but the Masham one most definitely does.

New players and existing members are welcome at Masham Snooker Club, where you can play on this remarkable Victorian table. But beware — the pockets are tighter than most!

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Rare archive footage of the Ripon and Harrogate areas will be shown on a big screen this month.

The event is being jointly staged by Yorkshire Film Archive and Bishop Monkton Local History Group.

A professional film archivist will introduce a series of locally produced films as well as footage from other parts of Yorkshire.

Some were professionally shot, others were amateur home movies but all give an insight into how people lived around here in years gone by.

Work, holidays, leisure, sports, home life, transport and war are among the subjects featured in the films.

Some content was included in four recent sell-out events at the Odeon in Harrogate organised by Yorkshire Film Archive in conjunction with Harrogate’s Civic Society and FIlm Society.

The event will be held at Bishop Monkton Village Hall on April 27 at 7pm.

Clips from some of the films that will be shown can be viewed here.

Tickets are free to Bishop Monkton Local History Group members and £10 to non-members.

They are available from Annabel Alton on 01765 676538 or via email annabel@annabelalton.com

There will be a cash bar selling wine and soft drinks before the event and during the interval.

Read more:

• Odeon packed for 90-minute archive film of Harrogate district
• Knaresborough to host free big screen broadcast of coronation

Two films made by a local history group in a village near Ripon about jubilee celebrations during the late Queen’s reign are now available to view online. 

The first film, called The Village Likes To Party, is a record of the many celebrations held in Bishop Monkton near Ripon during the reign of the late Queen, including the coronation in 1953, the jubilees of 1977, 2002, 2012 and this year’s platinum jubilee.

It contains archive film and interviews with people about their memories. It can be viewed here. 

The second film, called Bishop Monkton Platinum Party Celebrations 2022, is a more detailed record of this year’s platinum jubilee celebrations, including both professionally shot film as well as videos and photos taken by people on their phones during the jubilee weekend. It can be viewed here. 

Both films were funded in part with money from Harrogate Borough Council’s platinum jubilee community grants fund.

They were screened in the village hall in Bishop Monkton this year but the producers wanted to make them available for people everywhere.  

 Colin Philpott, co-producer of the films, said:

“Bishop Monkton Local History Group is delighted to make these films available for anyone, anywhere to enjoy forever.

“They may be about one small village but we believe they are a special record of royal celebrations in a Yorkshire community which will interest people everywhere and provide valuable historical material for future generations.” 

The Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate has been chosen to host the UK’s biggest trade show for holiday homes, caravans and motorhomes next year. 

The Great Holiday Home Show will see major manufacturers launch their latest models to the public as well as to parks, dealers and distributors from across the country. 

The show will be held from Friday, September 8 to Sunday, September 10 for the public, followed by a trade-only show from Tuesday, September 12 to Thursday, September 14. 

The event, which was first held as The Lawns Show in 1976, is organised by the Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire Caravan Manufacturers’ Association. 

The show is moving from Hull, which is the epicentre of the UK caravan industry, to the 250-acre Great Yorkshire Showground to allow more manufacturers to attend than in previous years.  

Richard Jones, chairman of HERCMA, said:

“This is an exciting time for the industry as we bring everyone together to put on a comprehensive show, in a central location for an industry that is constantly evolving. The show will be managed for us by the organisers of the Great Yorkshire Show, one of the UK’s biggest events.”  

Heather Parry, managing director of the Great Yorkshire Showground, said:

“We are delighted to be hosting and managing The Great Holiday Home Show, this is a significant event for the industry, set in the heart of the UK at a venue that boasts acres of outdoor space along quality indoor space too. Happily, David Ritchie, who has managed the event for over 20 years, will continue to work with us as the show adviser as the show moves to its new venue.”  

Event manager David Ritchie said:

“This show is in my blood and it is wonderful to see it develop at a new venue and work with a new team as it continues to expand”. 

According to the National Caravan Council, there are more than a million caravan and motor homes in the UK, and around 50 million nights are spent in them each year. The caravan industry contributes more than £6 billion a year to the UK economy.