Skipton: Where Even the Buildings Refuse to Age!

23rd February 2025

If you’ve ever wandered down Skipton High Street and thought, Wow, this place hasn’t changed in centuries!—well, you’d be absolutely right. Mick Harrison’s fascinating black-and-white photographic collection confirms that Skipton’s buildings have a better skincare routine than most of us.

Take Skipton Town Hall, for example. Built in 1862, it still stands proudly in all its neo-Palladian glory, like a Victorian gentleman refusing to swap his top hat for a baseball cap. The grand entrance, the stately columns—it’s practically unchanged. A bit like that one pub regular who’s had the same seat since the 1800s.

And then there’s the High Street. Sure, the signage has changed (farewell, Ye Olde Butcher, hello Greggs), but squint at an old photo, and you’ll see that the buildings are still standing tall, as if they’re stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the passage of time. Thanks to the Skipton High Street Heritage Action Zone, they’ve had a little TLC to stay looking their best—think of it as a facelift, but for architecture.

Now, let’s talk ginnels (for those unfamiliar, a ginnel is a Yorkshire alleyway, not a new fitness craze). Skipton’s maze of historic passageways remains delightfully unchanged, perfect for dodging the rain or pretending you’re in a period drama. Some of these ginnels have barely altered since the 18th century—living proof that if something ain’t broke, we Yorkshire folk certainly won’t fix it.

Mick Harrison’s photographic archive is basically a time machine, proving that Skipton’s buildings are playing the long game. So next time you stroll through town, take a moment to appreciate its stubbornly unchanged charm. After all, in an era of constant change, isn’t it nice to know that some things—like cobbled streets and a good Yorkshire brew—will always stay the same?