Sydney Thornbury
New York-born and LA-raised, Sydney Thornbury is the CEO and artistic director of Wakefield’s Art House, the home to more than 50 studios for creative artists and firms. Sydney lives nearby, and her partner is Neil, a copywriter.
What’s your first Yorkshire memory? It’s not of the actual place, but of hearing someone talk about it with such passion and she was a lady called Tracey, who worked for the singer Rod Stewart. It was in the 90s and we were good friends – she’d talk about her home county as if it were almost mythical. I knew that I’d come here one day, and that happened – but it only took me 25 years. When I got here I was blown away and I fell in love instantly. Mind you when I arrived, and for several months afterwards, I could hardly understand a word that anyone said, and to fully comprehend a conversation took quite a while. One of the first places I went to was The Dales, and I was completely dumbfounded by how beautiful it all was.
What’s your favourite part of the county – and why? That area around Skipton, which is rugged and at times extremely hard, but which is also wrapped in those green rolling hills. The light is quite extraordinary.
What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire? I lived on a narrowboat (she was called The Hive) for many years, before I moved to my apartment in Wakefield, and my partner Neil still has her. I love puttering along the canals, the ducks, the picnics that one can have, the slower pace of life and the strong community spirit of the people whose homes are on the water.
Do you have a favourite walk – or view? It’s Stanley Marsh Nature Reserve, which is here in Wakefield, where I go with my lurcher dog, Benny, who has owned me for nearly five years now. It has ponds, woodland and lots of wildlife.
Which Yorkshire sportsperson, past or present, would you like to take for lunch? Brian Clough, who was born on the borders of North Yorkshire, and who was a hugely controversial manager of Leeds United for all of 44 days. But I admire him for his no-nonsense approach, and his sheer bloody-minded tenacity. I saw a great documentary on him not so long ago, and he was just inspirational, and he could create such loyalty around him. Not always, of course.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star, or past or present, would you like to take for dinner? The new Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracey Brabin. What a lady she is – TV actress, MP, and now the first elected female mayor for an area that covers nearly two and a half million people in Wakefield, Bradford and Leeds.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?
The Neon Workshop, in George Street, Wakefield. It’s a mind-blowing place where they make all sorts of neon products, and they have established themselves as the premiere fabricators in their field.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity? The inseparable bond between the landscape and the people. It’s a strange blend of the very rough, the solid, and the very gentle. A haven (as is California) for dreamers, adventurers and creatives. And the cakes that you make here are very special as well. I am a total pushover for a slice of cake.
Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub? Quite by chance, I discovered Corarima, which is in the centre of
Wakey, and it serves the most wonderful Ethiopian and Eritrean food. It’s run by an incredible family, who are immigrants to the UK, and who are now loved by all for their skills and their enterprise. What you find on your plates is nothing short of divine.
Do you have a favourite food shop? There’s Keelham Farm Shop, near Skipton and, closer to home, Wakefield’s own Manchester Superstore in Park Lodge Lane, which is a foodie version of wonderland. It has the lot, every spice in
the world, fruit, veg, halal meat…..you name it, it’s all here.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it? Well, it’s got good coffee now, and that’s a start. There’s certainly more diversity, and a feeling that investment is finally being put in place to kick-start so many initiatives. And people are,
I think, starting to realise that art and culture are completely immersive, and for all, and that they are the glue that holds communities both large and small
together.
Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire? Linda Fielding, who is one of the founders of the Wakefield City of Sanctuary, the organisation that helps refugees and asylum seekers. She is indefatigable, a ferocious dynamo, and she never ever stops. She just keeps her head down, and never gets the credit that she should. Linda is totally committed, one of those people who fully deserves all the praise she gets.
Has Yorkshire influenced your work? Oh, absolutely, if for nothing else that it instantly broadened my horizons and also opened my eyes. I suddenly realised that it was so important to live beyond the gilded cage that is London. I’m hoping that The Art House will have a huge impact on people’s lives, and that we can help to address the chronic lack of aspiration in some of our youngsters, and to unlock their full potential.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/ performer? Barbara Hepworth, who was multi-talented in her art, as well as being a multi-layered (and no-nonsense) character in her own right. She was, back then, a woman in what was perceived to be very much a man’s world, and she dared to be different.
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be? Wakefield itself, which is developing in leaps and bounds. A really good food scene, some beautiful architecture, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Hepworth, some stunning natural walks, and of course Frank Matcham’s bijou gem that is the
Theatre Royal.