Bowcliffe Hall and “new eyes”!

Yesterday I had the amazing experience of laser eye surgery. Having been short sighted since the age of 13, like many others I have just had to get used to using glasses/contact lenses for distance and more recently, also close vision. I always wanted to get laser surgery done, but it’s only now thanks to a legacy from my dear godmother, Margaret. that I have been able to do this. So this post is a little about that as well as a hidden corner of Yorkshire.

I chose to use Custom Vision Clinic at the historic Bowcliffe Hall near Wetherby. I looked at other options, but CV stood out for me because it didn’t have a single bad review, unlike some of the larger companies, and the price was no more expensive than those. And although it’s early days, I am really impressed with James (surgeon), Gurpal (optometrist) and their staff. The whole focus there seems to be about seeing their patients as individuals rather than pound signs, working out the best plan for each individual, and providing a great, caring service. I am 28 hours post surgery, my eyes are a little dry but not too bad, and my vision is about 80% of full vision (already far better than it was!) and improving as the eye dryness is reduced and my brain learns to get used to the new vision.

To go on to Bowcliffe Hall, it’s private so you can only visit if you’re attending the clinic or one of the other businesses based there, but it is a lovely place. The Hall was begun in 1805 by a Manchester cotton-mill owner, William Robinson, who bought the land and completed the west wing before he went bankrupt. The next owner completed the hall and gardens in 1825 and in the 1840s the house was bought by George Lane-Fox whose family owned nearby Branham Park (which had burnt down in 1828) and his family remained there until moving back to the newly restored Bramham Park in 1906. (Their family still own it and host LeedsFest there!)

Bowcliffe was sold to a Mr Jackson, director of a local coal mining company, and he in turn sold it to Robert Blackburn, an aircraft pioneer, in 1917. When Robert died in 1955, his company. which owned the hall, sold it to a business, and since then it has been a home to a number of different businesses. You can even get married in the tiny chapel there; despite only seating 12, it is grandly called “St Michael of the Mount”.