In reply to webbo:
Just a thought...
Perhaps the story of Wall of Horrors belongs to four climbers, most of all:
Arthur Dolphin, who, according to Dennis Gray, named and top-roped it. Outrageous for the day!
Allan Austin, who soloed the first ascent, albeit with combined tactics on the boulder problem start. Even more outrageous for the day. The commitment required to go past the crux break must have been horrendous.
Tony Nicholls, doing the second ascent, before climbing magazines as we now know them really got going and therefore getting no credit, beyond the climbing grapevine.
John Syrett, with John Stainforth's fantastic photograph of the third ascent propelling him to instant fame, courtesy of a then newly-emerged climbing journalism.
Yorkshire digressions aside, this is a wonderful historical article. I too can remember the excitement of discovering that there were actually climbing guidebooks to routes. Today we're spoiled, with so many guidebooks to popular places. Back then, if a new guidebook came out each decade, you counted yourself lucky. Young climbers pored over guidebooks endlessly. There were so many dreams...
And some dreams were realised. 'One day in 1963, the Rimmon put up fifty-two new routes on Ravenstones – as the 1988 guide said, "Beat that".' Well, you can't! Let it remain a record forever.
Mick