In 1973 Yorkshire Television broadcast the documentary, Too Long a Winter. It became one of the best-loved documentaries of all time, chronicling the almost unendurable conditions of farmers in the High Pennines during winter. The film also introduced the world to Hannah Hauxwell, a spinster living alone on her 80 acre farm and surviving on an income of £280.00 a year.

The film was broadcast again sometime later that decade and caught the imagination of a young boy who was now sat in the modern council accommodation after moving from the farm cottage where damp and cold had drivenfamily out.

The DVD of Too Long a Winter and the follow up documentary, A Winter too Many, has now sat on my shelf for the last couple of years. It still catches my imagination and I’ve watched the films on a number of occasions and revelled in the nostalgia whilst constantly being mesmerised by the dramatic aerial filming and the rich assortment of local characters.

In April 2009, I finally took the opportunity to visit Baldersdale and the once home of Hannah, Low Birk Hatt Farm. Leaving Romaldskirk, the sandy cottages soon give way to vast open moorland where abandoned barns dot the fields that edge lonely roads.

Both Hannah’s Meadow and Just Passing were created following this visit. It felt as though I was travelling back in time, with the commentary of Too Long a Winter accompanying me. The land was deserted and after travelling some miles I decided to stop to check the map and get my bearings. Concentrating on the map I suddenly heard a curious bleating. I was parked opposite a derelict barn and in the doorway stood the sheep bleating out at me. Obviously confused by the unfamiliar traffic I begged my pardon and moved on.

On arrival at Low Birk Hatt farm I became aware that the spell of the documentaries had now been broken. Occupied by a family, the farm now hides behind maturing trees. No longer do you see the mysterious outline of the isolated house and barn, only a glimpse of a memorythe wood.

Leaving the house to head back towards the road you walk through Hannah’s Meadow. This field is now owned by a trust to preserve the mix of wild flowers that flourish as a result of Hannah’s organic farming methods. The field is overlooked by Hannah’s barn. The meadow and barn is a lasting testament to Hannah and is the one place where her spirit remains. As I stood there taking in this strange place, the wind began to blow and sleet covered me. It had been one of the hottest April’s on record and here I was, walking through wet snow in Baldersdale.  I shivered and retreated back to the car, thankfully.