Geograph - photograph every grid square

SE7295 : Cottages near to Rosedale ChimneySE7295 : Western View of the Former Miners' Cottages

The history of the YHA youth hostel in this location is complex. To the left of the extant cottages seen in both views there was another row of workers' cottages, since demolished. In the middle of this row, at number 8 Bank Top Cottages, the YHA opened a fully-controlled hostel (ie not privately owned) on 1/4/1935. The warden lived at 16 Bank Top Cottages, which, it is thought, is the separate building still standing, to the right of the two Geograph views. Reports and minutes are somewhat haphazard and ambiguous, however, as there is a suggestion of two cottages for the pre-war hostel. This first hostel closed in the summer of 1938, when it moved a few doors along to no 12 Bank Top Cottages. This is the main building in the middle of the extant group, and is now called no 1. The reason for the move was to bring the hostel 'under one roof' - again underlining the ambiguity of the exact layout of the earlier hostel. The new premises managed to operate during the war, but closed at the end of 1945. It reopened, however, somewhat expanded, (from 20 beds to 30) on 1/4/1949, but now as an adopted YH. The warden, Mrs Mewett, terminated the agreement on 1/10/1953. I was always under the impression that these were railway cottages (NER), but they may have been for varied use.