Thursday, July 26, 2007
Richmond. Yorkshire England- plans for a sister city
John Robinson, the Mayor of Richmond met with me on a Sunday morning in the town's hall. Built in the 1750's when Richmond was in it's heyday as an important and fashionable town. The hall is similar indesign to Annapolis City Hall and built about the same time.
Both halls feature a Common Hall or Assembly Room used for a variety of public interests. On this Sunday the room was being used for a church service. The Council Chamber originally described in our CityHall plan is separate from the Common Room. It is small in comparison with only one row of benches for the public.
The mayor is chosen by the 12 Alderman for 1 year. At all official functions he wears a beautiful gold chain of office made in 1872 by a Richmond goldsmith and paid for by subscription. The chain includes the Richmond Coat of Arms, Tudor roses, oak leaves and badges of the towns 13 medieval guilds. A gold torque, an iron age piece of jewelry discovered in Scorton Beck, was presented to Richmond by Bridgit Talbot of Kiplin Hall. An original portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is in the Council Chambers.
Richmond self-government goes back to at least 1304. As a court town recognised in town charters in 1441, 1576 and 1668 it is logical that the Calverts at Kiplin 5 miles distance would have done business in Richmond. Under the charter granted in 1668 its constitution provided for 12 Aldersmen and a Mayor later altered to include 24 Common Councilmen. Annapolis' own charter in 1708 provided for a board of Aldermen (appointed) who selected the mayor for 1 or 2 year terms and a common council re-elected by the populous. The history of Georgian Richmond and Annapolis parallel in government structure and when horse racing, fairs and market days made both towns social centres of culture.
The two cities share another important patron; Frances Nicholson. A brochure on Richmond's ancient customs-and there are many still observed today-states "another occasional event is the granting of the Honourary Freedom of Richmond to an individual or body held in high esteem." The first recorded granting of the freedom to an individual was in 1725 to Francis Nicholson, who had been born in Downholme and became a very important figure in the early history of America and laid out the town plan on Maryland's capital Annapolis."
The brochure does not state however why Francis Nicholson was so esteemed in Richmond in 1725.
Richmond, the "mother" of all Richmonds throughout the world is an historical town with a magnificent castle built by Alan Rufus in 1071-Count Alan of Brittany-who owned the land of Kiplin Hall. It sits high above the River Swale and houses the oldest Norman Great Hall in England.
Much of today's town radiates out from the cobblestone market square with hidden alleys and gardens around Georgian town houses. Millgate house built in 1720 has a Royal Horticultural Society award winning garden.
The town boasts one of Englands oldest extant theatres-Theatre Royal, 1788. The Kings Head on Market Place continues a long hotel tradition but it is the French gate restaurant and hotel a newly refurbished Georgian townhouse that heralds a new revitalisation taking place in the most ancient of Englands towns.
Richmond and Annapolis share much in common- the Calverts, Kiplin Hall , Francis Nicolson, great Georgian Architecture, a city hall similarly designed in the 1760's, a town of culture and fashion and now destination visitor centres-in many ways, we are sister cities.
A formal ceremony- what the English calls twinning- await us.
Both halls feature a Common Hall or Assembly Room used for a variety of public interests. On this Sunday the room was being used for a church service. The Council Chamber originally described in our CityHall plan is separate from the Common Room. It is small in comparison with only one row of benches for the public.
The mayor is chosen by the 12 Alderman for 1 year. At all official functions he wears a beautiful gold chain of office made in 1872 by a Richmond goldsmith and paid for by subscription. The chain includes the Richmond Coat of Arms, Tudor roses, oak leaves and badges of the towns 13 medieval guilds. A gold torque, an iron age piece of jewelry discovered in Scorton Beck, was presented to Richmond by Bridgit Talbot of Kiplin Hall. An original portrait of Queen Elizabeth I is in the Council Chambers.
Richmond self-government goes back to at least 1304. As a court town recognised in town charters in 1441, 1576 and 1668 it is logical that the Calverts at Kiplin 5 miles distance would have done business in Richmond. Under the charter granted in 1668 its constitution provided for 12 Aldersmen and a Mayor later altered to include 24 Common Councilmen. Annapolis' own charter in 1708 provided for a board of Aldermen (appointed) who selected the mayor for 1 or 2 year terms and a common council re-elected by the populous. The history of Georgian Richmond and Annapolis parallel in government structure and when horse racing, fairs and market days made both towns social centres of culture.
The two cities share another important patron; Frances Nicholson. A brochure on Richmond's ancient customs-and there are many still observed today-states "another occasional event is the granting of the Honourary Freedom of Richmond to an individual or body held in high esteem." The first recorded granting of the freedom to an individual was in 1725 to Francis Nicholson, who had been born in Downholme and became a very important figure in the early history of America and laid out the town plan on Maryland's capital Annapolis."
The brochure does not state however why Francis Nicholson was so esteemed in Richmond in 1725.
Richmond, the "mother" of all Richmonds throughout the world is an historical town with a magnificent castle built by Alan Rufus in 1071-Count Alan of Brittany-who owned the land of Kiplin Hall. It sits high above the River Swale and houses the oldest Norman Great Hall in England.
Much of today's town radiates out from the cobblestone market square with hidden alleys and gardens around Georgian town houses. Millgate house built in 1720 has a Royal Horticultural Society award winning garden.
The town boasts one of Englands oldest extant theatres-Theatre Royal, 1788. The Kings Head on Market Place continues a long hotel tradition but it is the French gate restaurant and hotel a newly refurbished Georgian townhouse that heralds a new revitalisation taking place in the most ancient of Englands towns.
Richmond and Annapolis share much in common- the Calverts, Kiplin Hall , Francis Nicolson, great Georgian Architecture, a city hall similarly designed in the 1760's, a town of culture and fashion and now destination visitor centres-in many ways, we are sister cities.
A formal ceremony- what the English calls twinning- await us.
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