Beth and I woke to a dreary rainy day. We were going to be on the trail of Lavinia Wood King this morning. We drove from Leeds to the village of Hipperholme about 30 minutes away.
Hipperholme was were Lavinia appears for the first time in the 1851 census. Our first stop was the local library. A very informative librarian told us to go to the nearby Brighouse Library. That very afternoon the Calderdale Family History Society was having a meeting at the library and experienced local family historians would be on hand to advice and help! How lucky were we? It was 10:00 am and the meeting was being held at 1:30pm! So off we went to National Museum of Media Museum in nearby Bradford until we needed to head back to Brighouse.
And well worth the visit it was. We toured the museum tracing the history of media, playing various games and Beth had a go reading the evening news. 
We saw two current exhibits: Celebrating Indian Cinema (mainly movie posters!) and the excellent The Auto chromes of Henry Essenhigh Corke. Photography appeals to both Beth and I so we were intrigued. I learned that colour photography has been around for about 100 years. Auto chromes was the principal color photography process available until the advent of color film in the 1930s. I am not sure I understand the
process but it has something to do with glass plates and potato starch. For me it was not so much about the technique but a chance to peer into the lives of people living 100 years ago. Also, in the museum is an IMAX theatre. We were too late for that day’s showing but thought we would return the next day to see a movie.
We returned to Brighouse for the afternoon session of the family history society to hopefully find some information on Lavinia. 
I have been unable to find her birth certificate here in London and thought maybe I would have some luck in the north. The library was packed with people doing research. When I finally got to the computer and some advice I discovered that I have been on the trail of the wrong Lavinia. I left very frustrated and disappointed. I would have to go back to the drawing board on this one in London. Oh well!
With disappointment in Brighouse, Beth and I decided to drive to the seaside resort of Whitby. Along the way there was the incident of the exploding bird. This was an event we would talk about all week because it was so shocking and we felt awful about the whole thing. 
As we drove toward Whitby a car driving in the opposite direction (yes, it was a Chelsea tractor!) struck a bird trying to get out of the car’s way. It just didn’t fly fast enough. We were dumbfounded. We had both seen footage on TV of Randy Johnson hitting a bird while pitching for the Diamondbacks. That was something and here we were in slow motion watching this black and white bird explode off a car grill in a spectacular manner. There was a snow storm of black and white feathers. A very very sad end for that bird. The image will stay with me for a long time.
Anyway, we drove quietly onto Whitby while listening to Bill Bryson’s new book, The Thunderbolt Kid on CD. Whitby is an attractive and interesting little town. The residents are rather proud that James Cook started his naval career from Whitby. 
There is also a Dracula Experience (we passed on that one!). Bram Stoker wrote the story of Dracula in 1897 while staying in Whitby. I have never read the book but apparently it is much different from the Hollywood Film version. I won’t bore you with the other historical claims to fame of Whitby. But we did see the first of the four ruined abbeys we would visit on this trip. Whitby Abbey stands dramatically on a headland on the North Sea. There has been a monastery here since 657. The original was destroyed around 867 and rebuilt after the Norman invasion of 1066. The rebuilt abbey was ruined after the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VII in 1538. What we saw was the last remains of a magnificent building.
Hipperholme was were Lavinia appears for the first time in the 1851 census. Our first stop was the local library. A very informative librarian told us to go to the nearby Brighouse Library. That very afternoon the Calderdale Family History Society was having a meeting at the library and experienced local family historians would be on hand to advice and help! How lucky were we? It was 
We saw two current exhibits: Celebrating Indian Cinema (mainly movie posters!) and the excellent The Auto chromes of Henry Essenhigh Corke. Photography appeals to both Beth and I so we were intrigued. I learned that colour photography has been around for about 100 years. Auto chromes was the principal color photography process available until the advent of color film in the 1930s. I am not sure I understand the
process but it has something to do with glass plates and potato starch. For me it was not so much about the technique but a chance to peer into the lives of people living 100 years ago. Also, in the museum is an IMAX theatre. We were too late for that day’s showing but thought we would return the next day to see a movie. 
I have been unable to find her birth certificate here in 
As we drove toward 
There is also a Dracula Experience (we passed on that one!). Bram Stoker wrote the story of Dracula in 1897 while staying in 
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