Brian Triffitt, John Whittiker’s Farm – 2013

‘Have just been looking at photos of Guiseley Wells and it got me thinking back to when I was about 11 years old, along with my pal George Rice we used to go up to John Whittiker’s farm at the top of Kelcliffe Lane.
Now George lived at Flatfield House which was at the top of Kelcliffe lane as far as the road took you.
But if you went from the road up the side of Flatfield House Kelcliffe Lane carried on as a rough track right onto the top by Parkinson’s Park (and still dose), but at the top of the lane stood John Whittiker farm, George and I used to help out a bit, mucking out and feeding the stock it was only a small place, but George even at that early age wanted to be a farmer, and has been all his life.
John was a very tall thin man, and when he got dressed up to go down to town gate post office for his bread he looked like one of those preacher type of guys that you saw in the cowboy films.
Very tall, long black coat, black hat, white shirt with wing like collars, and a large cane basket over his arm for his bread.
Anyway above Johns front door was a stone canopy on which laid a large stone lion.
Now John used to tell George and I that when it was a full moon the lion would jump down, take himself off down to Guiseley Wells for a drink of water, have his fill and then take off back home.
I’ve been past the house a few times, but of course it’s been converted into a home now.
Haven’t seen the lion though, just wondered if after all these years he might just have got a bit too old to jump back up onto his resting place.

Ah what memories.’

Brian Triffitt.
2013.