IN 1948, Skipton Girls’ High School’s drama group decided to produce ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’, a play based on the life of renowned Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
This picture of the cast was submitted by Rosamund Mitchell, of Oakworth, who started at the school in the previous year.
Mrs Mitchell recalls that it was produced by English teacher Miss Sanderson, who had to perform in it herself at very short notice when one of the girls fell ill.
The play, written by Rudolf Besier, was first staged in 1930 and told the story of the love match and subsequent marriage of Elizabeth Barrett and fellow poet Robert Browning. Elizabeth’s father was very much against the marriage and later disinherited her.
There were film versions of ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’ in 1934 and 1957 - the latter version a staple of TV schedules well into the 1970s!
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