Sir, - I write to ask if anyone, through your newspaper, can tell me about the history of a small cottage in Church Row, Hurworth, with a plaque, high on the wall above the front door with the inscription "Teetotal, freeholds AD1715".

My mother, Mabel, was born in this cottage on October 31, 1913. She was the youngest daughter of James William and Lily Tungate. Although I was born at Harewood, near Leeds, my mother and I spent the war years with my maternal grandparents at Hurworth. There is a corner in my heart that will always belong to Hurworth. I would dearly love to learn more about this cottage.

Many years ago, my mother's dear friend Gladys Robson (nee Hodgson) also born at Hurworth, sent me an article from your newspaper entitled "Hurworth at the turn of the century".

Can anyone tell me where I can buy or borrow a copy of this book, Recollections of Hurworth in the 1870s, by Mrs Scrivener, or indeed anything on the history of Hurworth from the eighteenth century to 1950. I would be so very grateful.

BRENDA LAMB

2 Plompton Close,

Harrogate.

Recommended

Sir, - As an aficionado of tea shops, I would like to recommend to your readers a tea shop of which many may not have heard.

It is within the inner hall of Kiplin Hall. Elaine, who organises the tea shop, provides an extremely friendly and helpful service, also selling fresh eggs laid by her hens.

The cakes and scones are homemade and the coffee is excellent.

The curator, Dawn Webster, works tirelessly to encourage visitors, organising events throughout the year.

Both tea shop and hall are well worth a visit.

MRS ELIZABETH DEWAR

7 Haselrigg Close,

School Aycliffe.

Waste not ...

Sir, - Over recent months we have seen Yorwaste grinding down the residents of Brompton on Swale with applications and appeals for a waste transfer station at different sites around the village. Last week you reported the unedifying sight of local councillor Michael Heseltine recommending the solution of transferring the waste transfer station to the Tancred site in his own village of Scorton. Why can't we see councillors standing up to Yorwaste, especially as the acceptable alternative is literally under their noses?

The Environment Minister Michael Meacher recently admitted to Liberal Democrat spokesman Norman Baker that as a nation, the UK buried or dumped 65m tonnes of rubbish last year. That included 6bn disposable nappies, 24m car tyres, 468m batteries, 32m printer cartridges and 972m plastic bottles. As a nation, 72pc of municipal waste goes to landfill and only 12pc is recycled, compared to EU targets of 50pc.

But North Yorkshire recycles only half the national average, just 6pc of household waste.

A concerted effort by Yorwaste to build proper recycling centres in the vast areas of North Yorkshire away from human habitation would mean that not only would Yorwaste not need a waste transfer station, but it would not need Tancred for a landfill site, either. Then Scorton and Brompton on Swale would no longer be treated by Tory-controlled North Yorkshire County Council (and its subsidiary company, Yorwaste) as a rubbish dump.

LESLIE A ROWE

Brompton on Swale Liberal

Democrats,

73 Richmond Road,

Brompton on Swale.