A MUSEUM which started because of the enthusiasm of six men is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month.

Upper Wharfedale Museum Society began in the early 1970s when six men decided to build a model of Grassington as it was at the time of the Tithe Awards in 1844.

The men spent two nights a week meeting in the Black Horse as members of the Yesteryear Club. Out of this the Upper Wharfedale Museum Society was formed.

The founder members were Jack Heseltine (chairman), George Younger (secretary), David Dean (treasurer), Herbert Dean, Barry Hodkinson and Max Geldard.

The museum was initially set up to collect, preserve and maintain relics of industrial, agricultural and domestic history and to ensure the accessibility to the general public.

Members were keen to ensure that the rich cultural heritage of the Upper Wharfedale area could be recorded and a museum in Grassington would provide a central focus for such efforts.

The first artefact housed in the museum was the scale plan of Grassington completed by the founder members.

It was originally situated in a back room at the Black Horse, but quickly outgrew its premises due to the large number of artefacts that it soon came to own.

This, combined with the large number of visitors that it attracted, meant that it was necessary to find a new location.

The society was able to raise enough funds to move to its current location on the square in 1979 and restoration began on the building.

There it was opened by Robert Crowther, the grandson of John Crowther, a chemist and historian who had set up a museum in Grassington at the turn of the century. Mr Crowther travelled from California for the event.

Speaking at a celebration of the museum's anniversary, the current chairman Elaine Clare thanked the many volunteers who worked in the museum and had helped to keep it operating for the past 25 years.

She also spoke of the enjoyment that volunteers gained from speaking to members of the public about things within the museum.

"We ourselves learn a lot by listening and talking to them - from the smallest children who sometimes ask the most difficult to answer questions to the senior citizens whose memories may be stimulated and who take such pleasure in remembering the old days."

The museum building is itself an example of the village's history as it dates back to around 1728. It is thought to have been two miners' cottages.

New artefacts are being brought in all the time either by donation or bequest.

The museum houses tools, household items and artefacts which help to explain the life of many generations of Upper Wharfedale who have shaped the area into what it is today. Over 25 years the museum has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors.

However, due to a shortage of volunteers - there are currently 35 - it is only able to operate between 2pm and 4.30pm each day.

The society is always looking for extra helpers. If anyone is interested contact Angela Astell-Burt on 01756 752801.