Memorial unveiled to Yorkshire botanist who ‘saw the world in a wildflower’

Ryedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough .©Tony BartholomewRyedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough .©Tony Bartholomew
Ryedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough .©Tony Bartholomew
A memorial to a well-known Yorkshire journalist and botanist who ‘saw the world in a wildflower’ has been unveiled on moorland at Silpho, near Scarborough.

Nan Sykes, who worked on several York newspapers, died in 2020 at the age of 96.

York-based conservation group The Carstairs Countryside Trust commissioned sculptor Peter Coates of Brawby, North Yorkshire, to create a memorial to Nan as a ‘mark in time’ for the significance of her work and her life-long commitment to the environment.

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The memorial was unveiled in front of family and friends, beside a remote meadow owned by the Trust in Silpho, to the north of Scarborough.

Nan Sykes 'saw the world in a wildflower' - Pictures: Ian CarstairsNan Sykes 'saw the world in a wildflower' - Pictures: Ian Carstairs
Nan Sykes 'saw the world in a wildflower' - Pictures: Ian Carstairs

The memorial is a base slab of ragstone, donated from the moorlands of Spaunton Estate, topped by an inscribed limestone slab from Aislaby Quarry, with an inset detail of a carved corn buttercup flower.

The inscription pays moving tribute to Nan: ‘She saw a world in a wildflower’.

Those attending the ceremony were invited to make their own ‘mark in time’ into the base stone of the memorial, using a mallet and chisel provided.

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Nan’s daughter, Rachael Smye, says: “I can’t believe the effort and vision that has gone into this memorial.

Ryedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough . ©Tony BartholomewRyedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough . ©Tony Bartholomew
Ryedale Sculptor Peter Coates who has created a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at the unveiling ceremony with Rachael Smye daughter of Nan at the site of the work at Silpho near Scarborough . ©Tony Bartholomew

“My mother was well before her time. She would have been honoured to be remembered in such an apt and wonderful way.

“She would have loved the way the stone settles gently into the landscape with views of her beloved moors all around.”

Ian Carstairs, OBE, founder of the Carstairs Countryside Trust said: “It is a privilege to be able to site this memorial stone on the Trust’s land.

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“Its unveiling is a mark in time for an exceptional botanist and a message that the conservation of wildlife matters both now and into the future.”

Detail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough. ©Tony BartholomewDetail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough. ©Tony Bartholomew
Detail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough. ©Tony Bartholomew

Sculptor Peter Coates, who created the memorial, said: “This simple arrangement of moor stones serves both as a place to pause and a place to remember.

“The large unhewn blocks hold a small wildflower in the upper part of the cantilevered section of the top stone which, I hope, communicates a sense of the more fragile and hidden life now thriving in this large and sometimes harsh landscape.

“Raising a stone in a remarkable landscape is a very affecting act; all the more poignant to do so in memory of one who has given a lifetime of skill and knowledge to the protection and enhancement of the vulnerable elements of its ecosystem.”

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Nan Sykes (1923-2020) was born and brought up in York. She loved natural history from an early age, often playing at the Backhouse Nursery in Acomb, close to her home.

Detail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough ©Tony BartholomewDetail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough ©Tony Bartholomew
Detail on a memorial to botanist Nan Sykes on behalf of The Carstairs Countryside Trust at Silpho near Scarborough ©Tony Bartholomew

When the second world war interrupted her studies at university, she worked on Wolds farms as a Land Girl, before joining the Ministry of Agriculture recording the introduction of tractors to replace horses – she saw the last set of working horses withdrawn from the Wolds.

Nan became a journalist, firstly in York on the now-defunct Yorkshire Observer and Yorkshire Gazette, then with the Gazette and Herald.

One severe winter she skied from her home in Pickering to Bonfield Ghyll to report on how the farmer was coping after being totally cut off for weeks.

The story appeared in the national papers.

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Nan, a totally self-taught botanist, turned to studying flowers after finding her eyesight couldn’t follow birds fast enough.

She published several books, including Wild Plants and their Habitats in the North York Moors, A Picture Guide to the Wild Flowers of North East Yorkshire and Wild Flower Walks around Ryedale.

She also left a remarkable photographic archive and species records.

She also renovated many local properties, most notably a cottage at Ravenscar where she built the Wildlife Centre which she subsequently sold to the National Trust.

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To visit Nan’s memorial, take the road from East Ayton to Hackness.

In Hackness, turn to the right on the road to Scarborough, then shortly afterwards take a left turn to Silpho.

The memorial lies about 300 metres down the bridleway track on the left, just before the telephone kiosk on the right.

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