>From Hull Daily Mail web site...Flashback page Interesting reading Victor ON A TRAIL FOR EAST YORKSHIRE'S MICE Hull has its Fish Trail. But what about a Mouse Trail for East Yorkshire? To reassure the squeamish who have no great affection for tiny rodents, I have to stress that I am referring to the wooden mice on work carved by Robert Thompson, the Mouseman of Kilburn, and by the family firm which still flourishes there, now in the hands of his great-grandsons. I can't take credit for the idea. An attractive book I happened to see in an Ilkley bookshop suggests a number of Mouse Trails, though the route for our area covers only a fraction of the interesting places which could be visited. The author, Patricia Lennon, also provides a useful summary of the life and work of this remarkable craftsman, who has left his mark on so many local churches. Born in 1876 in Kilburn, North Yorkshire, when he was 15 he went most reluctantly, at the insistence of his father, a joiner, to take up an engineering apprenticeship in Cleckheaton in the West Riding, a period he later described as "five years of penal servitude". Temporary relief came when he passed through Ripon on his journeys between home and work. Calling in at the Cathedral, he would stand gazing in admiration at the magnificence of its medieval woodcarvings, profound experiences which gave him the inspiration for what became his life's work. When he was 20 his father allowed him to return to Kilburn and help in his joinery business. For a long time the work was mostly mundane, constructing and repairing farm buildings, but the breakthrough came in 1919 when he was commissioned to carve a crucifix for Ampleforth Abbey. At last he had found his vocation. His career took flight. East Yorkshire has fewer examples of Thompson's work than the North - yet a surprisingly large number. Both the Minster and St Mary's in Beverley have Thompson work: in the military chapel at the Minster and at St Mary's in the fine oak door (completed by his grandsons) which acts as a war memorial. Bridlington's Priory Church contains superb Thompson carving, Pocklington church has altar rails and Brantingham "two unusual wooden crosses in the churchyard". All these are highlighted in Patricia Lennon's book but there are many more to be discovered. Holy Trinity, Hull, has a Thompson door, screen and desks, St Mary's, Sculcoates, pews, and whichever direction you take you will sooner or later come across Thompson carving. To the east there are Hornsea and Skeffling, to the north Driffield and Burton Agnes, and, moving west, Kirk Ella, South Cave and North Cave - and many more. One great advantage of following the Mouse Trail is that (like tracing your family tree) it takes you to places you might otherwise have no reason to visit but which it would be a pity to miss. Each church contains far more than a carved mouse. The carvings apparently can be dated by mouse experts. Pieces before c1920 do not have a mouse, and those done 1920-30 have a mouse with front paws. Other styles identify individual craftsmen - but all a fitting tribute to a man whose modest motto was "Industry in quiet places". The Tale of the Mouse by Patricia Lennon is published by Great Northern Books, price £8.99.