Harper CROMPTON

With the closing of Messrs Crompton Bros Contractors this traditional family career was no longer available to Harper. However, his chosen career encompassed his grandfather's trade. Harper's son John and daughter Gwynneth, known as Wendy, wrote, that Harper 'wanted to be an architect when he left school, but being the eldest son with several siblings, he could not go to university as it was too expensive. So he did it the hard way at night school, and did engineering instead'. Harper 'moved south, at the time of the Great Depression, to work as an engineering draughtsman [at Vickers in Crawford] living in Bexley Heath, Kent. More than an engineering draughtsman, his aesthetic talents spread beyond the drawing board to Morris Dancing, painting with gouache, pen and ink 'cartoons' and photography; talents fostered and passed to later generations. Through his life he creates an image of an intriguing 'man of the sixties' born to an earlier generation and personifies the successful professional who did not go to university. Right: Harper CROMPTON in 1953 Source: Wendy EVANS née CROMPTON

Harper CROMPTON, the first child of Whyrill, was born 26 March 1906.
He was named after his great grandmother Fanny HARPER of Holderness' 'lost village' of Auburn in the East Riding of Yorkshire

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On 28 February 1931, at the age of 24 years Harper CROMPTON returned to Hyde to marry Florence (Flo) BOOTE, his childhood friend, at Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist Chapel (GRO ref: Stockport 8a 133). The North Cheshire Herald of March 1931 reported:
Many friends attended the wedding on Saturday at the Hoviley Brow PM Church (sic), of Miss Florence Boote, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Boote of 16 Higher Henry-street, Hyde and Mr. Harper Crompton, eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Wyril (sic) of Silverhill, Stockport-road, Hyde. [...] The bridegroom has for some time held a position as draughtsman at Messrs. Vickers Armstrong, Kent, and the bride has been on the staff of Jacobsen and Welch, Hyde, since leaving school.
Right: Harper CROMPTON and Florence BOOTE's wedding 28 February 1931 Source: Wendy EVANS

The article continues to develop the life of Harper and Flo

Both have a life-long connection with the Hoviley Brow Church (sic) and School, where they were members of the choir. Both keen musicians, they have assisted with many special efforts, and were members of the Hyde Choral and Orchestra Union and later of the Stockport Vocal Union. Mr. Crompton, late Scout of the 5th Hyde group, now runs a pack of Wolf Cubs at Bexley Heath.

The paper records that Miss Nellie Crompton and Miss Edith Mary Boote (aged about 4) were the bridesmaids. The best man was Mr. Earnest Dobb of Hyde. The groomsmen and ushers were Mr Charles Crompton and Messer Fred and William Boote. The reception was held at 16 High Henry Street and the honeymoon in Llandudno with the bride leaving in a tweed costume and matching hat.

Click on the headline above to open a 381kB A4 image of the full report, including a list of wedding presents, in a new window.

Source: Manchester City Archives: Hoviley Brow Primitive Methodist Marriage Record - 1909-1953 Ref: Box C22/5 C22/24 (Accessed: 29 February 2020)

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Florence BOOTE Florence was born on 23 June1906.
Right: Florence BOOTE, possibly at the time of the 1911 census Source: Wendy EVANS

1911 Census:      Sun/Mon 2nd April/3rd April 1911
Source:   TNA Ref:        Rg14 Pn21338  
          Reg. Gen. Ref:  Rg78 Pn1269; En.Dist: 14; Sched: 
          RegDist: Stockport SubDist: Hyde
Dwelling: 16 Higher Henry Street             
Place:    Hyde, Cheshire              
Rooms in dwelling, other than scullery, landing, lobby, closet, bathroom: 4
Years married: 10         
Children:       3 alive, dead none 

Name             Rel  Mar Age  Occupation   Status  Birthplace 
Joseph Boote     Head  M  39   Hat Dyer     Worker  Derby, Ludworth
Mary Jane Boote  Wife  M  39                        Cheshire Hyde
William Boote     Son     10   School               Cheshire Hyde
Florence Boote    Dau      4                        Cheshire Hyde
Edith Boote       Dau      2                        Cheshire Hyde

	The Boote family, living round the corner from Thornley Street, were family friends of the Cromptons. John CROMPTON, Harper's son records that 'Harper and Flo[rence] were always good friends from childhood.' The photograph on the left shows how close the two families were. Left: The Crompton and Boote family in 1915 or 1916 Source: Val CROMPTON
Back row, left to right: Flo's Aunt Lizzie BOOTE, ? CROMPTON, Aunt Lily CROMPTON?, Harper's Grandma Sarah Jane CROMPTON with baby cousin Dick (Richard, son of Henry John CROMPTON and Lily BIRCHENOUGH), Flo's mother Mary Jane BOOTE, Flo's brother Fred BOOTE, John Harper CROMPTON Front row, left to right: Harper CROMPTON, Flo BOOTE, Frank, Wyrill and Nellie CROMPTON

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At the time of her marriage Florence BOOTE was a typist living at 16 Higher Henry Street, just round the corner from Thornley Street. 'Harper used to visit my grandma [Maggie BOOTE, at 213 Dowson Road, Hyde,] as he was both her brother-in-law and nephew.' Source: Alison WARNER - Maggie BOOTE's granddaughter Alison Warner comments: 'If it is Flo it would be have been most likely taken by her father and printed at home. She has a family look to her a little like Grandpa Boote.' Right: Florence BOOTE in 1927 aged 21

	Above left: 16 Higher Henry Street, Hyde in 2009 Above: A map locating Higher Henry Street in relationship to Harper's home in Thornley Street

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Left: Harper CROMPTON's bible presented by his grandfather, John Harper CROMPTON, on the day of his marriage Source: Val CROMPTON

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Children, jobs and moves

The newly married couple returned to the south where, in 1931, Harper worked for Kelsey Hayes and Fords of Dagenham.1 In 1932, Harper moved to Briggs Bodies also in Dagenham and still within the motor trade. In 1933 there was another move to Arnott and Harrison, who were based in Willesden. During this time the couple lived at 36 Windsor Drive, Dartford. (Right)

Their first child, John, was born on 07 June 1933

Harper's saving book then records him living at 2A Cardiff Road, Luton. In 1934 Harper and Florence moved to Lea Road, Harpenden, conveniently half way between Harper's work in Luton at the Vauxhall Motor Company and St Albans where he danced with the St Albans Morris Men. Here their second child was born and registered as Gwynneth, but was always known as Wendy. Left: A typical view of the older homes in Lea Road, Harpenden 2013

Wendy was registered in the third quarter of 1935

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Harper the Morris Dancer

Harper danced with the St Albans Morris Men in 1935 when he was recorded as a 'de facto member of the first General Meeting'. In the reports of events and activities of 1935 he is mentioned as a member of the display team dancing in Croxley Green on 15 March 1935. There is another mention of him dancing at the Hertfordshire branch of the English Folk Dance Societies Festival in July 6 1935. They danced Black Joke (Adderbury) with two sides and also a sword dance from Earsdon; H CROMPTON was given as a member of the sword team as well as in one of the Black Joke sides. Harper attended the St Albans Morris Men AGM and Dinner on 4 April 1935, and sent his apologies for the AGM in April 1936, but there was no mention of him after that.'

He appears to be on a photo of the sword team (in the St Albans Morris Men's log book), but there is too much camera shake for it to be usable.

Source: St Albans Morris Men, through Keith Ashman, The Manchester Morris Men

That there is no mentions of him after 1936 fits in perfectly with the fact that Harper was living in Sowerby Bridge by late 1935 and had joined the Manchester Morris Men, based at Stretford.

'It is believed that Harper CROMPTON is in the white shirt dancing with the Manchester Morris Men on [12] June 1937. The occasion was an instructional of the Godley Hill Morris Dance, in the yard of the George Hotel in Tideswell [near Buxton?]. Harper was a Morris man in the mid 1930s, and was involved in collecting Morris dances in the area. In our club archives on the local dances, there is a typed transcript of a letter HC wrote on 9 March 1937 which says :- "Here is an account of our meeting last Sat. I am enclosing 1 copy only of the dance as I got it, because I want to get the opinion of the other men who saw it as to whether they agree with my version." Harper belonged to the St. Albans Morris Men in 1935.' Source: With thanks to: Keith Ashman - Bagman (Secretary) The Manchester Morris Men home page (Accessed 29 February 2020)

'In the spring of 1937, the notation for the Godley Hill danced was obtained from old Godley Hill MM dancers in the Hyde area. And three months later, a Manchester MM team, lead by Harper Crompton performed the dance at the Tideswell Ring Meeting. In the photo, Harper Crompton (who was born in Hyde and was the prime collector of the dance) is dressed in kit similar to that of the Godley Hill MM.' Left: In 1937, Harper Crompton leads the Godley Hill, the first time a North- west dance is shown Source: The Manchester Morris Men (Accessed 29 February 2020)

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Above: An example of the Morris dances collected by Harper CROMPTON - the original (or duplicated copy) of the last page of the three page description of the Godley Hill dance. Source: Keith Ashman, The Manchester Morris Men

When Wendy was six weeks old, the family moved to 3 Park Gardens, Sowerby Bridge, in Yorkshire where Harper worked, for a short spell, at Asquith Machine Tools ¹ in Halifax. Park Gardens is no longer listed on maps or in post code finders, so may have been redeveloped.

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Life in Leeds

In 1937, the family moved to Leeds where their second daughter Kathleen, who was always known as Kate,

was born in the third quarter of 1939

1939 England and Wales Register 29 September 1939
ED Area code:     KGE
ED District code: B
Sched no:         219
Dwelling:         22 Oakwell Oval
Borough,UD,RD:    Leeds, West Yorkshire

Names             Sex   D of B   Status  Personal Occupation   Others
Crompton Harper    M   26mar1906    M    Section Leader Jig and Tool Draughtsman
Crompton Florence  F   23jun1906    F    Unpaid domestic duties
Crompton John      M   07jun1933    M    At school
Redacted
Redacted

Names are redacted because of the 100 years rule.
The National Identity Number devised from this Registration would have been: Enumeration Area code+Emuneration District code+Schedule number+position in house

Between 1937 and 1939 Harper was Chief Draughtsman at Blackburn Aircraft's Olympia Works in Oakwood, Leeds, close to his home, Blackburn's manufactured aircraft for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. However Blackburn's had a longer life in Leeds.

Above: Blackburn Olympia crest from Leeds Civic Trust	Above: Harper CROMPTON and his wife Florence BOOTE in 1937 Source: Val CROMPTON

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Between 1939 and 1946 Harper was the chief draughtsman for John Fowler Co. of Hunslet, Leeds. Fowler's were world famous for their agricultural steam engine. There is evidence to suggest that, at this time, the company was manufacturing variants of the Fowler standard gauge diesel shunter locomotives of the 1933 Osram 2 type. It is possible that Harper was involved in the design of later models. Left: A Fowler standard gauge diesel shunter 1935

After the war, 2 in 1946, Harper decided to go it alone and set up an office at home. After a few years he opened, 'Crompton Designs', a drawing office employing five draughtsmen, near home. They specialised in jig and tool design or machine tool for aircraft companies and engineering firms in Yorkshire, such as Thackrays and Blackburns at Brough. Circa 1955 he was involved in the production of the Buccaneer jet naval strike aircraft known as the BNA (Blackburn Naval Aircraft) or BANA (Blackburn Advanced Naval Aircraft) Right: Blackburn Buccaneer

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He relocated in the 50s to a larger office in Leeds where he worked until he retired in 1971. He became a Member of the Institute of Production Engineers and served on their committee. In his retirement he pursued a keen interest in photography and fine art. In the latter he preferred to concentrate on unconventional lines of his own invention. Source: John CROMPTON, Harper's son

Above: Harper and Flo CROMPTON's golden wedding in 1981 with their grand children Back row, left to right: Jamie, Rob, Stuart, Zoe, Huw, Miles Front row, left to right: Hardy, Heidi, Flo, Harper, Jonathan

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From 1948 until their death, Harper and Flo lived at 22 Oakwell Oval, Leeds 8, now the home of his granddaughter. The 1949 telephone directory for

Lincoln/Sheffield/York/Hull/Middlesbrough/ Newcastle/Leeds/ Bradford records

Harper died on 18 June 1983 at 22 Oakwell Oval, Leeds and left a sum not exceeding £25000.

Above: Harper CROMPTON's 1983 death certificate Right above: Florence CROMPTON's 1993 death certificate

After Harper died, Flo, who had difficulty walking and increasing health problems, needed Val as a carer. Florence died of myocardial infarction and congestive cardiac failure in St James's University Hospital on 01 December1993 (GRO ref: Leeds 0921D 135) having recently lived with John and Val at 27 Wayland Drive, Leeds.

End notes

1. Harper's employment record has been supplied by Wendy EVANS, Harper's daughter, from his old savings book in to which he recorded and dated all the firms he worked for.
2. The restored Osram can be seen at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton (Accessed 29 February 2020)

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Harper and Flo's children

John

In the first quarter of 1959 John married Valerie BUCKLEY,

After gaining an engineering degree from Leeds, in 1954, John moved to Manchester to do a graduate apprenticeship and subsequently worked as Divisional Production Engineer making power station plant at the gigantic factory of Metropolitan-Vickers in Trafford Park, Manchester. He married Val whilst living in Manchester, where their three children were born.

Above: The wedding of John CROMPTON and Valerie BUCKLEY 03 January 1959 A: David CROMPTON B: Charlie CROMPTON C: Roy PICKLES D: Nellie SHAW E: Ian SHAW F: Kenneth CROMPTON G: Flo CROMPTON H: Wendy PICKLES I: Derek SHAW J: Harper CROMPTON K: Jean BUCKLEY L: Robert PICKLES M: Frances CROMPTON (Charlie's wife) N: Kate CROMPTONO: Roger CROMPTON Letters are placed above the persons head except for letters I and L See John Harper CROMPTON's tree Source: Val CROMPTON

Having left school at 16, Val was one of the first girls to do an engineering apprenticeship, also at Metro-Vicks, and evening classes for good Ordinary National Certificates in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and an Higher National Certificate in Maths. After ten years, working full-time in industry, Miles was born in 1962.

In 1965 John and Val returned to Leeds to join Crompton Designs, taking it over as a limited company when Harper retired. Val did some part time work as Company Secretary. In 1990, due to the depression and engineering recession Crompton Designs Ltd was struggling to keep going. 'We only got paid, very belatedly, for part of the work that was done during the recession - as firms that we worked for went into liquidation.' John closed the office and worked on his own account for a number of years. Source: John and Val CROMPTON

Val’s ‘children grew up with [her] 'doing OU homework in the early hours’. Continuing her firsts, Val was one of the first Open University (OU) Honours students, taking eleven of the limited choice of courses. Maths and technology foundation courses not only influenced further courses but a future career change.

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Following a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at Leeds University, Val taught full time to bring in a regular income, as there were three children at

high school. She started teaching maths at High School together with BASIC programming with punch cards. Later, with the school’s network of BBC computers, word processing, dot-matrix printers, Val produced school magazines, play scripts etc and was in the team setting up Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) courses for 16-18 year olds. When there was an opportunity, Val took early retirement. More recently she has been helping other pensioners with their computers and has written 'History of Adel, Yorkshire'. Right: John and Val CROMPTON Christmas 2012/NewYear 2013

	Left: Hew and Miles CROMPTON Below: Zoe CROMPTON

Hew's artistic work is illustrated below.

Zoe loved drawing, maths and science but at 17 wasn't sure of a career. School advised her to apply for architecture and she did well, completing the 1st year BA at Sheffield. Aged 18 she decided to teach science, rather than spend the rest of her life in an architect's office, switching courses to a first degree in Science, and a PGCE at Bath University.

She taught in Leeds and York for ten years. this time she gained her MA and as science consultant supported science in schools and provided whole school training on assessment for learning, coaching and subject leadership. In September 2011, Zoe became a lecturer in Primary Science Education at the Leeds University School of Education. She is now studying for a doctorate, investigating what makes young children to be motivated to learn science.

When not studying, Zoe is a keen mountain biker and climber and is in training to do the Welsh 3000 feet mountains. Perhaps from John’s camping experiences on Harper’s ‘expeditions’ she was taken on mountain ridge walks and was introduced to rock-climbing from an early age.

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After a long illness requiring 24 hour home care, John died peacefully at home, on 5 November 2021 and was cremated at Lawnswood Crematorium, Leeds on 10 December 2021 at 16.00. John was one of the few remaining male Cromptons from the line of Thomas Crompton, born 1783. Right: John Crompton c.2020

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Wendy

Above: Family gathering at 113 Knott Lane, Hyde in1936 Left to right: Whyrill, Charlie, Wendy, Esther CROMPTON nee BARLOW Whyrill's wife, Nellie SHAW nee CROMPTON, John and Flo CROMPTON née BOOTE Source: Wendy EVANS née CROMPTON

On 06 October 1951, aged 16 years, Wendy CROMPTON joined the inaugural 26 day course for girls at the Outward Bound School 3 in Eskdale, Cumbria as the youngest girl. This 'experiment' caused quite a stir in the national press. She writes: "I was sporty at school and had a love for the Lake District from many family holidays there - so when my Headmistress asked whether I would like to go to Eskdale as a 'guinea pig' I was thrilled. What I didn't realise was that that the amazing bunch of girls who came from all walks of life would very quickly become friends and supporters. The staff members were fantastic and very inspiring, giving us all self confidence to conquer anything."

All for £20.

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Left: Wendy CROMPTON, aged 16 years in November 1951, when the Yorkshire Post took her photograph in the woods behind 22 Oakwell Oval, Leeds for a front page feature entitled 'A Life-strengthening Experience' In a Manchester Guardian article of 31 October 1951 entitled 'End of first "Outward Bound" Course For Girls' - Experiment that was Plainly Justified', the special correspondent described: 'This kind of rather bewildering activity was going on this morning at the Mountain School of the Outward Bound Trust, in Eskdale, where an experimental course for girls ends tomorrow after 26 days. Fifty-four girls have attended it, 42 from various firms in different parts of England, the rest sent by education authorities. [...] Whilst evening discussions on Christianity and communism fell flat, a girl who had, in the first week, sat petrified for five minutes in a canoe with her eyes shut was paddling about the tarn below the school with a good deal of confidence."

Above: OS map locating the Outward Bound Centre, Eskdale Grid reference: NY143 002

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Joan Clark, a fellow course member, described the activities she and Wendy were involved in.

"Most mornings started by limbering up on the front lawn of the house overlooking the tarn. Then on to lectures on various subjects - map reading, first aid and rock climbing. After lunch it was time to put theory into practice. After the day's activities we had more talks, discussions and rehearsals for the play 'Hiawatha'. [...] As the course progressed, events took place away from the school including a two day expedition camping out over night. Towards the end of the course everyone took part in a three day event, some walking, some out on canoeing expeditions and others off climbing."

Wendy concluded her article in Outward Bounds Generations eNewletter of November 2010 by writing:

"I am now enjoying the pleasure of treating all my grandchildren to a week at Outward Bound after their GCSEs and hearing how much the experience has meant to them [...] I'm proud of them all."

After school Wendy went to catering college and after qualifying worked as a chef at Foxhill Country Club in Weetwood, Leeds. The owner was Michael Smith who later became one of the first TV Chefs.

In the second quarter of 1955 Wendy married Roy PICKLES.

Roy was born in Leeds on the 16 August 1930 (GRO ref: Leeds North 9b 449). After he met Wendy he decided he wanted to be christened so that they could be married in St. Edmond Church Roundhay Leeds, where Wendy was involved. On the 13 February 1953, he decided to change his name to Royston . At the time of their marriage Roy was a salesman with Parker Knowles fabrics. Later he worked for HK Furniture before opening his own retail furnishing store in St. Albans.

Above: Harper's family at Wendy CROMPTON's wedding 1955 Left to right: Harper CROMPTON, Florence, Kathleen, Wendy, John

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Their first home (above) was at 38 Peplins Way, Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire, where their three sons were born. Ten years later the family moved to a larger house in Harpenden. It was here that Roy died on 16 December 1986. Right: Wendy CROMPTON and Roy PICKLES on their wedding day in 1955

Left: Wendy PICKLE's marriage to Rodney EVANS, an industrial economist, with Flo CROMPTON on 04 September 1993

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Kate

Their second daughter Kathleen, who was always known as Kate,

was born in the third quarter of 1939

After working as a nurse in Leeds General Infirmary, Kate joined Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service. During a posting to Aden she met John C WILMOT, known as Jerry, who was an RAF Controller. Jerry was born in Bristol in the first quarter of 1942 (GRO ref: Bristol 6a 50). Right: Kathleen CROMPTON's wedding in 1965 Source: Wendy EVANS

Kate married Jerry in the fourth quarter of 1965.

Two of their children, Heidi and Hardy are teachers. Left: Hardy Wilmot's wedding Left to right: Leoni, Jonathan, Kate, Hardy, Sian, Jerry, Alex, Heidi Source: Wendy EVANS

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Right: Kate WILMOT, on the right, with sister Wendy Source: Wendy EVANS

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The artistic Harper CROMPTON

'[Harper] was a jig and tool draughtsman and an amateur artist. Every year he designed and printed his own linocut Christmas card.' Source: Alison WARNER - Maggie BOOTE's granddaughter Peter K. Sharpen, having found Harper on the web, wrote: I am intrigued about a picture that I found in an op-shop [Australian for charity shop] in Clowne, Derbyshire. It is, I believe, an original work using pen and ink measuring 14 x 14 cm of some heads. It is presently framed in a green (two sides) and gold (the other two sides) frame. The drawing was a little crinkley which was what led us to believe it was an original. It shows up, of course, in the larger black areas. It is signed Harper CROMPTON.

This was the first intriguing introduction to Harper CROMPTON was explained by his family. Wendy EVANS explained that Harper, '... did not get into his art work until he retired.' Harper experimented with linocuts, woodcuts and silkscreen pictures. These strange creatures were small cards. Some were sent to friends and others done to amuse his grandchildren. His granddaughter Zoe writes 'I remember him explaining to me how he saw strange creatures and people looming out of the rubbings that he took and this was how he composed his drawings.'

Source: Val and Zoe CROMPTON

His daughter-in-law, Val CROMPTON, writes

'Harper was a member of Leeds Fine Arts and exhibited these strange (nightmarish) pictures at Leeds Art Gallery. They were often based on a rubbing of an interesting piece of wood or stone - on a large sheet of paper. Then with a black pen, he developed the marks into faces, caves, bodies, creatures, bare, twisted trees (he had a vivid imagination!) He sold quite a number and had an exhibition at the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull in the 1970s. ... He also experimented with linocuts and woodcuts, and silkscreen pictures.'

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Harper's first Humberside exhibition, at The Gallery, Market Weighton, was in his grandmother's home town and close to his birthplace at Holme-upon-Spalding Moor.

In an interview reported by Pru Clark's article in the Hull Daily Mail of 06 April 1979, Harper explained his 'concepts' and inspirations.
Click on The Daily Mail banner to open a 646kB A4 image of the full article in a new window.

She begins:

'Harper Crompton began his career as an artist later than most. He was 60 before he allowed his hand free range after a lifetime of discipline as a trained draughtsman and consultant engineer. But during the past few years his work has received critical acclaim at exhibitions in Yorkshire and Lancashire. [...] His work is original and highly personal. The words "fantastic", "grotesque" and "bizarre" are regularly applied as descriptions of the images which emerge from Harper Crompton's distinctive method of working. [...] Many of the earlier works have a wistful, dreamlike or agonised quality often linked to social comment .[...].'

Harper explained the origins of his pen and ink work, shown above, as beginning

"[...] rubbings taken from stone, wood or some other natural surface. Shapes and marks suggest theme which the artist then gradually "interprets" until the final image is achieved. [...] I went on a painting holiday in Greece and the tutor there introduced me to the idea of texture obtained by taking rubbings. It all really developed from there." At first he used charcoal or black crayon, but later transferred the rubbing as a monoprint using black ink.

Harper reflected on his three sales at Hull's Fernes Gallery and concluded the interview by saying:

"Normally, people admire my work, but they don't seem to want to put them on their walls. At least someone in Hull likes me."

With this in mind, I do wonder why the first image ended up in a Clowne charity shop?

'Harper was on a painting holiday [in Corfu] and briefly experimented with gouache. There are only a few of these colourful pictures [remaining].'

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	Above: Corfu Street (Gouache 28cm x 34cm 1965) Top: Somewhere in Corfu
Above: Corfu Priest (Gouache 37cm x 54cm 1965),	Source: Val CROMPTON, Harper's daughter-in-law

Right: Bolton Abbey black and white photograph - undated

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Above: Iona 1966 (Gouache)

Harper painted the Iona picture for Margaret Skelton who lived with Harper and family during the war. Val Crompton writes that 'She was like an elder sister to John'. In 2012, when she left her own home she gave the picture to John. Margaret is to be seen between the letters N and B on John's wedding photograph.

The inspiration for this painting may have been the family holidays spent camping on Iona, on wind swept coastline in what appeared to be canvas Niger tents. Perhaps this experience contributed to Wendy's love of the outdoors.

In addition to Iona and Corfu, Harper took holidays in Sweden and Bulgaria - Bulgaria at a time of communist rule!

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Harper's artistic legacy

Left: In 2012 Harper's daughter, Wendy EVANS, created this cross-stitch with metallic thread and hundreds of beads Source: Wendy EVANS

	Val CROMPTON wrote '... Harper encouraged me and his grandson Huw with art work generally, and pen and ink drawings'. Left: Abbey Mills, Leeds Above: Adel Church Leeds both by Val CROMPTON. With permission

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Right: John CROMPTON, Huw CROMPTON and the baobab tree All source: Val CROMPTON

: a man who influenced two generations.

Sources: With thanks to Val, John and Zoe CROMPTON and Wendy EVANS, for the detailed family information, photographs and art work.

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Asquith Machine Tools Asquith was founded around 1865 by William Asquith a native of Halifax who had spent time in the gold fields of Canada and California. Based in the Highroad Well area of Halifax, the company became specialist manufacturers of bespoke radial and horizontal drilling machines to suit customers increasing requirements. One claim to fame was that they supplied 40 drilling machines used during the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1924. This site expanded to service several branches of the Asquith business, which included a foundry. The company is now part of Asquith Butler. Although no longer operating from the Highroad Well site, there is still plenty of evidence of over 100 years of engineering by Asquith on this site.

The post-war Blackburn Aircraft Company In 1914 Blackburn Aircraft converted the Olympia Skating Ring on Roundhay Road, Leeds to an aircraft factory. During World War 2 Blackburn's manufactured Fleet Air Arm aircraft, as shown in the images above.Wh en aircraft construction ended in 1945 the site was in the hands of Hudswell Clarke Co Ltd, who designed and manufactured aviation- related products. These included the aerodynamic casings for Britain's first nuclear weapons and space rockets. Later it became a TV repair depot for Henry Wigfalls TV rentals. When the buildings were demolished Tesco and Homebase bought the site. The working area you see in the photograph would have been below the car park, painted in camouflage, and surrounded with trees. The roofs were rounded off like Nissen Huts. Now, a blue plaque gives the public a brief history. Blackburn continued production at their Brough factory.

Outward Bound (OB) In 1941 Outward Bound grew out of Kurt Hahn's work in the development of the Gordonstoun school and what is now known as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Outward Bound's founding mission was to give young seamen the ability to survive harsh conditions at sea by teaching confidence, tenacity, perseverance and to build experience of harsh conditions. [...] The first Outward Bound program for females was conducted in 1951.

This page was created by Richard Crompton and maintained by Chris Glass			Version A18 Updated 10 June 2023