Latest news with #DavidArmitage
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'It's a magnificent way to reconnect with my old school' - boss in job news
A WELL-KNOWN local manufacturer returned to his old school to secure one of the most prestigious contracts in the company's 37-year history. The chairman of the York Handmade Brick Company, David Armitage, whose firm is based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, is providing 350,000 high-quality bricks for two new boarding houses for girls at Winchester College in Hampshire. Recommended reading: David said: 'When I was a teenage schoolboy at Winchester College in 1955, I had little idea that I would ever become a brickmaker, despite the fact that my family had all been in the trade for four generations. In time, I became the fifth. 'I am sure no-one had any idea then that the all-boys Winchester College would one day admit girls. However, the scene moves on 70 years and two new boarding houses for sixth-form girls are opening in September next year. And, to my pride and delight, we are providing the bricks for this historic development. 'It is obviously a great honour for me personally to be supplying bricks to the college and even more so because I made the original contact with architects Stanton Williams to secure the contract. The college wanted a very special brick for a very special building and we were very pleased to be able to fit that bill and help to create this splendid structure. 'This has been a magnificent way to reconnect with my old school. It has brought back many happy memories of a formative part of my life.' David Armitage The value of this contract is £540,000. The main contractors are Gilbert Ash. The project began several years ago when Winchester College decided to welcome girls into the Sixth Form as boarders. The college hopes that the two new boarding houses, and the introduction of girls will increase its involvement with, and contribution to, the city of Winchester. Luke O'Bray, associate with London-based architects Stanton Williams, said: 'Drawing on the character and materiality of the existing stock of boarding houses at Winchester College, brick is used as the primary external material finish for the new buildings. 'Our project at Winchester College called for a brick that could provide warmth, depth, variation and a sense of permanence that complemented the neighbouring buildings. York Handmade's bricks provide a handmade quality, rich textural quality and tonal variation, which help us to achieve our ambition of creating high-quality architecture, rooted in place. 'Being the most dominant façade material, the bricks play a crucial role in grounding the new boarding houses within their historic setting. Brick is a material inherently associated with longevity, and its use in this project reinforces the idea of building that is designed to endure. The robust masonry construction ensures a timeless quality, aligning with Stanton Williams' ethos of creating architecture that is both contemporary and enduring. 'The York Handmade bricks play a crucial role in mediating between the timber, metal, and precast stone façade elements, establishing a cohesive material dialogue that enhances the architectural language. The handmade quality of the bricks serves as a unifying element, allowing the more precise and engineered materials to be framed within a richly textured and contextually sensitive backdrop. 'We're very pleased with the bricks provided to date. Beyond their visual impact, the bricks contribute to the sensory experience of the spaces. Their rough, textural quality invites touch, reinforcing a sense of material honesty and durability. This tactility plays a crucial role in spaces designed for students, making the boarding houses feel grounded, welcoming, and enduring. The brick's robustness and durability ensure that the buildings will age gracefully, further embedding them within the historic fabric of Winchester College.' Meanwhile Raymond Gilroy, Construction Director at Gilbert Ash said: 'We pride ourselves on close collaboration with our clients and delivering outstanding quality. "We look forward to providing Winchester College with world class buildings future generations of pupils can be proud of.' The York Handmade Brick Company has a tremendous track record when it comes to the education sector, having provided high-quality handmade bricks for many establishments, including Chethams' School of Music, Highgate School, Pocklington School, Magdalene College Library, Cambridge and Christchurch College, Oxford. Winchester College old boys include former prime minister Rishi Sunak, senior Tory politician Willie Whitelaw, art historian Kenneth Clark, poet Matthew Arnold and cricketer Douglas Jardine.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Yahoo
Husband David Armitage of notorious 'Lady of the Hills' Yorkshire cold case victim is detained
Police have detained the husband of a Thai woman whose body was found in the Yorkshire Dales more than 20 years ago. Lamduan Armitage's body was found by walkers in a stream near Pen-y-ghent on September 20, 2004. Lamduan was dubbed 'The Lady of the Hills' before her identity was eventually found out in 2019. Her husband David Armitage, who did not report his late wife missing, has been living in Thailand ever since but so far authorities have never managed to interview him about his wife's death. READ MORE: 'Feared' man flees after smashing victims head in with a shovel READ MORE: 'Brash' Millie Jones thought she 'ran this town' - she was wrong He has now been detained in relation to his visa status. North Yorkshire Police has said if he plans to come back to the UK, they will 'make every effort' to speak to him about the case. A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said:'We are aware of the detention in Thailand of David Armitage, the husband of Lamduan Armitage. We understand it relates to his visa status and residence in Thailand and is entirely a matter for the Immigration Service of the Royal Thai Police. 'Should Mr Armitage be deported, we understand that he will have a choice as to where he goes, which will include return to the UK. Should that occur, we will again make every effort to speak to him about the investigation." The discovery of her body in the Yorkshire Dales in 2004 left police officers baffled for 15 years. A group of five hikers walking near the peak of Pen-y-ghent, near Horton-in-Ribblesdale, made the discovery on September 20 in a stream called Sell Gill Beck. Found face down in the stream, her body was half-naked and was found in a location more than one mile from the nearest road. She was wearing only green jeans, socks and a gold wedding band. A ripped bra was found hanging from her arm and a T-shirt was found nearby. Her shoes were never found. The cause of her death could not be established and there were no signs of violence. She became known as the 'Lady of the Hills' because, despite multiple appeals and an artist's impression of what she might have looked like, police were unable to identify her. She was buried in Horton-in-Ribblesdale graveyard, not far from where she was found, with a gravestone that reads: "The Lady of the Hills. Found September 20, 2004. Name not Known. Rest in Peace." It wasn't until 15 years had passed that she could finally be identified. Cold case detectives had reopened the case in 2016. And in 2019 it was revealed that officers now believed the still anonymous woman had been killed and then dumped in the stream. It was thought that the victim had been killed and her body transported to the remote location where it was found. It was believed that she had been killed up to three weeks before her body was found. In March 2019, the Force confirmed it had finally identified the woman following extensive inquiries and DNA testing. A Thai family had come forward after reading a BBC story about the cold case. The victim was named as Lamduan Armitage, nee Seekanya, who was married with three children and originally from the Udon Thai province of northeast Thailand. She was 36 when she went missing. Get all the latest and breaking news in Yorkshire by signing up to our newsletter here.
