Mayor's Diary

Each week, our Mayor writes a brief diary about the previous week. This is available for you to view here in PDF format

M.D. 30 July 2010 (99.1Kb)
31st July 2010
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Memories

The 'Memories' section of the Boroughbridge Community Website is intended to enable individuals' memories of the Town to be recorded for posterity.  If you have a  particular memory of the Town you would like included please contact us on 01423 322 956 at 1 Hall Square, Boroughbridge or send us an email at info@boroughbridge.org.uk
 
 
Memories and collected information of Mr Bernard Porter - Boroughbridge, February 2010.
 
My family go back five generations in the Three Horse Shoes. It was the foresight of George S Porter to move from West Hartlepool to the hostelry in Boroughbridge on the A1 with his daughter Elisabeth Margaret Lillie (known as Lillie) and grandson Horace on the 17th of September 1902 at an ingoing of £67-11s and rent £20 per year. Mrs Severs (Lillie) held the licence from Sept 1933 to 1936, Horace took it over from 1936 to 1956, Gladys (Horace’s wife) held the licence from 1956 to 1963. My father Raymond held it from 1963 to 2000.
 
From 1902 to the early sixties the building was owned by Hepworths Brewery of Ripon and was then bought by Vaux of Sunderland . My father, mother, uncle and aunt helped my grandfather and grandmother manage the hotel from just after the last war and continued to do so after the deaths of my grandparents in 1973. My uncle and aunt retired from the hotel. As Elaine (my wife) and I had worked in the hotel from our teens; we decided to take over their partnership. In 1986 my father and I bought the Three Horse Shoes. Our sons having established their own careers and not wanting to come into the family business we decided to retire in February 2004. In World War 11 the army took over the back half of the hotel for about four years, and billeted Canadian soldiers there.
 
Records show previous landlords of The Three Horse Shoes in the 19th century were 1822 Samuel Morrel, 1828 John Morrel, 1834 Thomas Marston, 1837 Thomas Houseman, 1848 Anne Whincup, 1861 Mary Gray, 1877 Richard Clark, 1897 Charles Bentley, 1900 John Prince.
 
The Hotel was extended in 1932 to how it is today. This extension incorporated the original building next door, which had been owned by the owner of the Old Mill in
Mill Lane.  At the right hand side of the Hotel on Mill Lane there was a garage where now stands the brick built “Flats”.  The symbol of the Hotel was three very distinct horseshoes displayed with the open end of the shoes downwards. This is a display of “Luck Lost” as opposed to the other way around meaning “Luck Gained” The significance of this is explained by the fact that near to the Hotel once stood the “Gallows” where the guilty were taken to be hanged.
 
On the left of the Hotel once stood a café which in 1932 became what is now Barclays Bank. Across the road the building next to the Crown Hotel car park entrance was “The Temperance Hotel” upstairs whilst down stairs there was a double frontage “Café” and “Sweet Shop”. A very agreeable man operated both enterprises by the name of Mr Bert Paul. The Three Horse Shoes Hotel stands in Bridge Street further along going south and it becomes Horsefair. On the same side as the Hotel just into Horsefair stood a blacksmiths shop, always kept busy shoeing the numerous horses both of the area and horses passing through the town. When the smithy closed an iron plate was set into the pavement to cover a recess which had been used by the blacksmith to hold the hub and spokes of cart wheels, the replacement fabricated iron rim being heated and placed on the circumference to cool and form a tight replacement rim. Next time you are in Horsefair try to locate the steel plate.
 
Throughout my time in Boroughbridge I always had a fascination for seeking out information of what happened when. The following are some of my findings. I have also over this time acquired a substantial collection of photos depicting times of yester years of the Town.
 
Interesting facts. Gas came to Boroughbridge in 1860, the company was nationalised in 1946. Electricity came in 1932, and went into public ownership in 1936. The Mill that functioned in Mill Lanehad electrical generators installed motivated by waterpower from the river Ure. The power generated was used in the Mill, and also supplied electricity for public consumption. After many years of operation the Mill caught fire thought to have started from an electrical fault. Once alight the fire became a roaring blaze and much damage was done to the building.
 
The church that once graced St James Square became unsuitable due to it’s building structure. Subsequently it was demolished, and rebuilt in
Church Lane at its present location in 1852 at a costing of £2,420. To mark where the old church stood, a cobble circle enclosing a cross of cobbles marks the spot even today. Look out for this circle when you visit St James Square. The Methodist chapel in Horsefair was built in 1865. Back in 1850 the police set up in Boroughbridge, then they were known as “Parish Armlets” on account of wearing an armband supporting a metal plate signifying who they were. Years later in 1905 the Police set up in New Row and still operate from there. The elaborate architectural fountain in St James Squarebuilt in 1875 has an inscription explaining its heritage.
 
The brickyard up at Roecliffe was established in 1890. Bricks made here had blue markings, which identified them as local bricks. When you noticed the blue marking you knew you would have difficulty drilling holes into them, as they were extremely hard. As you walk around Boroughbridge look at old buildings to see if you can identify this type of brick. Opposite the Three Horse Shoes Hotel stood the Blinking Owl (now a care home), overlooking the river. The Owl was a licensed restaurant in 1985. Here was where the Riverside Wharf operated in 1853. Goods were shipped in and out from the wharf. Lead came from Nidderdale, wine from York , linen from Knaresborough to name but a few of the goods. To this day if you are fortunate to visit the building and go down to the cellars you will see the arched entrance where boats would moor to load and unload their cargo. The Town Bridge was constructed in 1115, and rebuilt with a more robust structure in 1562; its present structure was achieved in 1944/45. The weir straddling the river Ure together with its salmon ladder adjacent to the present picnic area was started in 1767 and completed in 1769.
 
Hostelries were in abundance in and around Boroughbridge. Passing trade and travel in those days provided ready customers. It is believed there were about 40 of such places providing food/drink and accommodation to those that stayed or travelled through the Town. Up at Kirby Hill stands the Bluebell, which is 200 years old. Down in its cellars there were 2 cells designated to hold villains. They were kept there for short periods for onward shipment south to York and other places, or north to Newcastle . There was the White Horse that became the White Swan. In Milby we have the Grantham Arms named after Lord Grantham of Newby Hall, and the 4 Alls now a private house. The 4 Alls so named: -
 

King----I rule for All     Priest-----I pray for All     Soldier----I fight for All     Everyman----I pay for All.

In Langthorpe there was Waricks Brewery, The Free Masons that became Oddfellows then renamed Steam Mill, which later became the Anchor. Other pubs were The Railway Tavern, the Old Red Lion, and The Fox & Hounds. In Boroughbridge there were several hostelries to name a few there was The Crown, The Three Horse Shoes, The Three Grey Hounds, The Royal Oak, The Green Tree, The Blinking Owl (previously mentioned being a licensed restaurant). Many of these establishments have long gone or have changed names.
 
 
In times past there were a number of working Mills. On Mill Lane adjacent to the river stood a corn mill (previously mentioned) in St Helena the mill was water powered from the river Tut, this mill was used to drive machinery in Foundry Yard one of its function was to “Mash Up” old clothing to make “Scrim”. Another mill stood where Charltons Garage is today.
 
 
The Railway came to the town in 1848 as a branch line from Pilmoor. The line was extended in 1875 onwards to Knaresborough. Eventually the advent of access by railway spelt the death knell to the Canal trade. In Langthorpe there was a sweet factory. In 1890 The York City & County Bank became known as The Midlands Bank. Directly opposite across the road there was another Bank known as Fletcher Bank, now long gone (1870) now a solicitor’s office known as Fitzgerald-Hart. The Post Office started in Chatsworth House in 1854, it then moved in 1890 to where it is today. Coaching reached it’s height in 1789 at that time horses being used to haul coaches over 20 – 30 miles before resting or being changed. There was a candle factory in the
High St
near where Pybus stands today; tallow to make the candles was supplied from the town butchers.
 
 
There were several “Friendly Societies” in the Town to name a few there was the Oddfellows who met at the Black Swan which used to be by what is now the “Spar”, there was the Forresters who met at the Queens Head by Hall Square, the Druids met at the Windmill, the Free Gardeners, and the Rechabites, these societies in the main provided a social function helping those in need particularly in sickness, and death.
 
On the left of the Hotel once stood a café which in 1932 became what is now Barclays Bank. Across the road the building next to the Crown Hotel car park entrance was “The Temperance Hotel” upstairs whilst down stairs there was a double frontage “Café” and “Sweet Shop”. A very agreeable man operated both enterprises by the name of Mr Bert Paul. The Three Horse Shoes Hotel stands in Bridge Street further along going south and it becomes Horsefair. On the same side as the Hotel just into Horsefair stood a blacksmiths shop, always kept busy shoeing the numerous horses both of the area and horses passing through the town. When the smithy closed an iron plate was set into the pavement to cover a recess which had been used by the blacksmith to hold the hub and spokes of cart wheels, the replacement fabricated iron rim being heated and placed on the circumference to cool and form a tight replacement rim. Next time you are in Horsefair try to locate the steel plate. Throughout my time in Boroughbridge I always had a fascination for seeking out information of what happened when. The following are some of my findings. I have also over this time acquired a substantial collection of photos depicting times of yester years of the Town. Interesting facts. Gas came to Boroughbridge in 1860, the company was nationalised in 1946. Electricity came in 1932, and went into public ownership in 1936. The Mill that functioned in Mill Lanehad electrical generators installed motivated by waterpower from the river Ure. The power generated was used in the Mill, and also supplied electricity for public consumption. After many years of operation the Mill caught fire thought to have started from an electrical fault. Once alight the fire became a roaring blaze and much damage was done to the building. The church that once graced St James Square became unsuitable due to it’s building structure. Subsequently it was demolished, and rebuilt in In times past there were a number of working Mills. On Mill Lane adjacent to the river stood a corn mill (previously mentioned) in St Helena the mill was water powered from the river Tut, this mill was used to drive machinery in Foundry Yard one of its function was to “Mash Up” old clothing to make “Scrim”. Another mill stood where Charltons Garage is today. The Railway came to the town in 1848 as a branch line from Pilmoor. The line was extended in 1875 onwards to Knaresborough. Eventually the advent of access by railway spelt the death knell to the Canal trade. In Langthorpe there was a sweet factory. In 1890 The York City & County Bank became known as The Midlands Bank. Directly opposite across the road there was another Bank known as Fletcher Bank, now long gone (1870) now a solicitor’s office known as Fitzgerald-Hart. The Post Office started in Chatsworth House in 1854, it then moved in 1890 to where it is today. Coaching reached it’s height in 1789 at that time horses being used to haul coaches over 20 – 30 miles before resting or being changed. There was a candle factory in the near where Pybus stands today; tallow to make the candles was supplied from the town butchers. There were several “Friendly Societies” in the Town to name a few there was the Oddfellows who met at the Black Swan which used to be by what is now the “Spar”, there was the Forresters who met at the Queens Head by Hall Square, the Druids met at the Windmill, the Free Gardeners, and the Rechabites, these societies in the main provided a social function helping those in need particularly in sickness, and death.
 
Mr D Styan…Memories of Kirby Hill & Boroughbridge 1920’s onwards
 
My father being a bricklayer/stonemason, it was natural for me to follow in his footsteps, although I didn’t necessarily agree that that’s what I wanted to do. Throughout my working life I saw many changes in the character of buildings in and around Boroughbridge. I recall the many old cobbled stone one-bedroom houses inhabited in those days by poor farm labourers often with families of nine or more children. Can you imagine raising a family in such circumstances? These old houses were gradually replaced by modern-type dwellings, many of which I helped to construct or convert. As a workman I recall the old Brick Works up towards Roecliffe.  The operation was a hive of activity employing a number of local men. Clay was dug out nearby, transported to the works to be fired into Bricks, Tiles, Drainage Pipes, and Chimney Pots. The clay was of a fine quality a testimony to those buildings we see today in and around Boroughbridge. I understand many products went further a field, and were even exported. Now a distant memory the legacy left is in the name of “
Clay Pit Lane
” and “
Brickyard Lane
”. Will future citizens of Boroughbridge make the connection?
The old railway is another institution long gone, but brings back happy memories. Running through Boroughbridge via Starbeck, Knaresborough and on to Harrogate , mighty steam trains pulling carriages steaming along rattling iron tracks. Many’s the time I journeyed to Harrogate for a day out to enjoy its splendour and sample its wares. In those days you had the option of paying 1s 9d by bus or 1s 8d by train. By using the train it left me with an extra 1d (a penny in old money) in my pocket that gave me extra purchasing power on a day out. In those days 1 penny went a long way.
 
Another fond memory of the railways many years ago was of the iron rail bridge (long demolished) that spanned the river Ure just above the weir As young boys in summertime we would jump off this bridge into the river and swim to one side or the other. This was very daring as the bridge was some way above the river and the drop was considerable. What thought of Health & Safety, and Risk Assessment in those days?
In past times I recall watching very long logs (tree trunks) being transported through the town on a set of wheels front and rear joined down the middle by a long plank. The carriage was drawn by a number of large horses. The logs were destined for John Boddy’s wood yard. When the carriage driver came to negotiate the sharp left bend at the bottom of High Street, and with sometimes-skittish horses many a time things went wrong putting out the windows at what is now the Tourist Information Point. Similarly when turning from Horsefair into Valuation Lanethe manoeuvring occasionally went awry and did the same to buildings nearby.
 
Long ago as far as my mind can stretch I recall a service being run by a lady from Kirby Hill who had a horse drawn charabanc. It operated to and from Ripon at a cost of 1 old shilling.  I remember the Bluebell Inn at the top of Kirby Hill housed a prisoners cell. This was used as an overnight stop to keep a prisoner being taken from northern climes (even Edinburgh it is said) to courts further south such as York , and even London , for trial. No doubt the officers accompanying the prisoner enjoyed their stay at the Bluebell whereby no doubt they downed a glass or two of local ale brewed by the old Boroughbridge Brewery. I too have supped many a glass of this excellent brew. A story I was told in my younger days was that of a man found dead in the well opposite the Bluebell. Search as they may the police could not trace the perpetrator(s). It was decided that something had caused the poor man’s death so a decision was made to arrest the bucket. The said bucket was subsequently charged and taken to be incarcerated at Knaresborough Castle where it was hung on a wall for perpetuity. It is said records at Knaresborough substantiate this although I have not sort out these records.
 
Again in my youth I was told of how travelling folk, whom we called gipsies, used to park their horse-drawn caravans and carriages on land adjacent to the Bluebell Inn. One morning it is said a man was found dead between the Church and the Inn . The cause of death was said to be a result of being kicked to death. Prior to that time it was not usual to hold a coroner’s court to legally establish the cause of death. It is said that the first coroner’s court in the land was held on this occasion to legally determine the cause of his demise.   
 
 
 
A Brief Description and History of the Old Foundry in Boroughbridge - From Ray Horner
 
The foundry was established by Charltons c1790.  The foundry was on the left hand side of St Helena in Boroughbridge, and extended from the new veterinary surgery in New Row down to the River Tutt. The site comprised of a long narrow yard with buildings along each side, the foundry building was on the right and at the bottom of the yard and butted on to the river.
 
Immediately opposite was another building, which was used as a machine shop.  This had an engine house on the end of it, in which was housed a gas engine, and the fan which blew the furnace.  There were two furnaces against the foundry building wall with launders1 through the wall into the foundry itself.  Molten iron was collected here and then distributed around the foundry where requested.
 
At the bottom of the yard was a large open fronted building where coke was stored undercover.  At the back of this building was a doorway which led out across a footbridge, into a building on the other side of the river Tutt.  This was once used as a machine shop but latterly was used as a pattern store.  There were two turbines side by side in what was an early, undershot water wheel pit.
 
The water wheel had been used for driving a bone mill many years ago, which ground bone into bone meal, for fertilizer prior to 1800.  One of the turbines can still be seen in the form of a large bevel gear.  The second turbine was smaller and was moved across the river to the foundry side in about 1928.  It was relocated to drive the machine shop, which it did until after the last war.  It developed about 10HP.
 
The foundry was started by a Mr Charlton who was a millright2  and came from Reeth in Swaledale in about 1800.  Prior to that the premises were used as a tan yard.  Charlton settled here and proceeded to make lead mining machines and agricultural implements on the site.  Somewhere about 1840?  My Grandfather who was a millright came from Kirby Moorside to work for Charlton as a Journeyman.
 
He ultimately married a local woman, Jane Gatenby, after buying the business from Charlton’s widow, (date no known), and settled in the house at the top of the yard, which is now the vet's surgery.  They brought up three children there, the youngest being Fank, who was my father.  Six months after Frank was born Grandfather Charles crushed his thumb in some machinery at Boroughbridge Station and died of Tetanus three days later.
 
The foundry was then sold to a Mr William Walker who was a blacksmith in Langthorpe somewhere about 1869.  He had two sons who were brought up at the foundry.  The result was that in 1916 John Walker, the remaining son, went into bankruptcy.  Meanwhile my Father, Frank Boddy, had been away and served an apprenticeship as a blacksmith.  He worked at an engineering works in Yorkshire.  He eventually returned home and set up a business in Boroughbridge somewhere about late 1880s.  After Walker went bankrupt Frank Boddy returned to the foundry and started it up again in 1917.  It ran well until 1924 when all of Boroughbridge suffered a severe blow; Boroughbridge belonged in total to the Lawsons who owned the Aldborough estate.  In 1917 Andrew Lawson Senior died and in 1924 the Boroughbridge part of the estate was sold to pay the death duty.  This then put them all in trouble because all of the tenants had to buy their properties, which were sold at public auction.  The result was that Boroughbridge belonged to Midland Bank for years. The years between the wars was a struggle for all, particularly with the general strike in 1925, followed by the greatest depression in living memory, and as a result a lot of the businesses were in debt up to and even after the 1939 war.  At the outbreak of the war I personally was called up and spent the war in the RAF as an engine fitter.  In 1945 I was recalled by the Ministry of Supply to run the foundry.  My father, Frank Boddy, died in 1942 after a series of strokes.  His executors, an accountant and a schoolmaster, then took on the running of the business on behalf of Frank’s wife to provide her with a living. This had to be done because she did not have a pension, since Frank did not believe in National Insurance Stamps.  It struggled on until 1945 when I was sent home to run it.
 
During the war if you wanted castings you had to go to an area office of the Ministry of Supply, in Leeds, who then sent you to a foundry who had a capacity for this.  This was controlled through a monthly return system.  A weighting machine maker in Batley received an export order from Persia.  He went to the Leeds office to be sent out here.  On his way back through Leeds he called back at the Ministry of Supply office and said tha the person who should be running the place was in the RAF in Germany, I was immediately sent home.
 
This was August 1945, after which things took a turn, whether for better or worse, one will never know.  For one thing money was very tight, the executors had let the place and equipment run down badly.  Some money was found to install a new furnace, which was obtained second hand from West Yorkshire Foundries, a subsidiary of British Leyland.  This reduced melting costs dramatically.  A second hand moulding machine was obtained and installed.
 
In 1950 a contract was obtained through an agent to make small flywheels for Petter Engines in Staines.  The order was for 10,000; we thought we had won the Lottery!  When we had got going on this I looked out one morning and saw three lorry loads of flywheel castings in New Row.  They were part machined, and rejected as too hard, even though they were in specification.  We really hadn’t got a leg to stand on.  One foundry in Newcastle went to court and got a farthing a wheel after 12 months litigation.  The problem was that India and Australia put an import ban on Petter’s Engines.
 
Petters hadn’t any money and couldn’t pay for the flywheels, so they did the obvious thing and shipped all their casting stock back onto the suppliers as unsuitable.
 
This left things in a very poor state with bankruptcy staring us in the face.  The agent came forward and offered us a place in a joint company, which we formed.  I was made a director, which I did for about six months, after which, due to a disagreement I resigned from the company.  They brought a man in to run it, but he had no idea of the type of work we did.  The company and foundry closed in 1956.
 
In order to provide for Frank’s widow, the property was then let to Tithersleys, a company who washed and cut cotton rags.  They then packed them in cardboard boxes and sold them to people like garages for rags.  They ultimately bought the property on Frank’s widows death.  Later on due to the death of Tithersleys owner the laundry closed and Mr Raymond Horner bought the site.
 
The reason Tithersleys came was the water in the river.  They were paying £100 per day for mains water in Blackburn.
 
1 Launder – a long, sand lined, trough to run molten iron from one place to another.
2 Millright – an early name for an engineer
 
 
The Nautical Training Corps - From Ian Hick
 
Moving “up” to King James’ Grammar School in 1949 I found myself in a class with a couple of boys from Boroughbridge  (Alastair Burkes and John “Chucky” Reynard) who were members of The Nautical Training Corps. This was a sort of “independent” Sea Scouts run by “Skipper”, who (if my memory serves me correctly) had been captain of HMS Sheffield during World War II. They met on Monday evenings when Skip travelled over from Pool in Wharfdale and learnt basic seamanship skills  -  knots, chart reading, weather signs, use of a sextant and compass, etc. During the winter meetings were usually held in members’ homes   -  the Tasker’s (Michael) in New Row or the Sadler’s (Ernest) in High Street.
 
I was persuaded to join and each Monday evening caught the bus to Boroughbridge from my home in Knaresborough, proudly wearing my navy serge shorts (nobody under fourteen ever wore long trousers) and pullover, but carrying my carefully blancoed beribboned sailor’s hat.
 
In the summer time we met on the river bank at the bottom of Boddy’s woodyard, where our two boats were stored alongside the ramp where boats built there had been launched in times past. The Corps had a small clinker built dinghy, complete with mast and single sail, and an ex-Royal Navy twenty foot lifeboat, open to the weather but with long oars and a very small outboard motor that could be attached to the stern to save our arms.  Many happy hours were spent rowing, and sailing, up and down the river learning how to tack and gibe, row without splashing or “catching a crab”, avoid Dick Potter’s barges, splice ropes, and, to work as a team.
 
Each year the Corps went away to camp and, as there were not many of us in the Corps, Skip invited some Sea Scouts from Wembley to join us. This meant that, once all the tents, cooking equipment, food, and personal gear had been loaded there wasn’t room for all of us in the boat so it was agreed that each day two of us would cycle to the next planned stop. Of course, this tested our map reading skills as we followed the route drawn up by Skip. The very small outboard motor had to work hard to keep a steady three knots and progress was quite “steady”. However, Skip had planned for us to reach the tidal waters below Naburn as the tide was ebbing and provided useful assistance as we made for Blacktoft for an overnight stop. As this was my first camp I was dutifully “christened” on the dockside with a large, full, bottle of lemonade, leaving my pullover quite tasty but very sticky for the rest of the week.
 
Next morning we had to time our journey from Blacktoft so that we could aim for the mouth of the river Trent just as the tide was turning so that our tiny engine could manage to get us across the Humber before we were swept back in the direction of Naburn. There was a slight panic at one stage when the water seemed to be rushing past but the boat didn’t appear to be actually moving towards the opposite bank. It quickly became apparent that we were resting on a sandbank and so it was a matter of three or four of us leaping over the side, to lessen the draft, and pushing the boat into deeper water. Down through Gainsborough and Lincoln we eventually arrived at out destination  -  Boston  -  and set up camp. There wasn’t sufficient tentage to accommodate all of us so, each night, four people slept on the boat, with a large tarpaulin covering everything. A lot of very tired bodies slept solidly and the overnight rain didn’t wake anyone. Next morning the occupants of one tent discovered a small stream running diagonally through the tent wetting half of them, and their gear. Skip sent a couple down to the boat to check on its occupants and they found the tarpaulin seemed to contain a number of large pools of water. Keen to awaken the sleeping sailors the enthusiastic volunteers jumped on to one end of the boat and watched, in horror, as the water on the tarpaulin rushed towards them like a tidal wave before pouring into their end of the boat, soaking the poor souls underneath.
 
Nothing ever seemed to bother Skip and he soon had us squeezing as much water out of the wet clothing and blankets before draping over the nearby fence where they quickly dried out in the warm sun.
 
On the way home Skip decided that we should take a different route from Goole along the Selby Canal but, as it was now very little used and full of weed, our tiny outboard quickly became clogged and, after freeing it a number of times, he decided that it was time to get out the oars.  Taking it in turns to row I am sure we travelled much faster  -  until it started to rain, quite heavily.  By the time we reached Selby everyone was literally soaked to the skin and it was decided that we would make the rest of the journey by service bus. Now blue is not a particularly colour fast dye and, now that all the excitement had passed, we began to notice each other and realised that we were giving a pretty good impression of woad decorated Ancient Brits  -  we were blue from head to toe, although the bus conductors were very good about it and never said a word!
 
In 1951 the passenger carrying service of the railway was discontinued and Skip arranged for us to us the redundant waiting room on Boroughbridge Station as our Headquarters.  He also came across an RNLI lifeboat that had been released from service and this was duly parked up in the canal, alongside Canal Garage. However, other members of my class were now members of 1953 Squadron Air Training Corps, in Knaresborough, and, as I could walk from home to their HQ in Jockey Lane, I decided to transfer my allegiance from the Navy to the RAF.
 
Both Alastair and John went on to serve in the Royal Navy I understand but I have never seen them since I left school in 1954. I went on to work for ICI Fibres Division, alongside Michael Tasker, and we still bump into each other from time to time.
 
 
Councillor Rob Young's Memories - collected September 2009
 
My first encounter with Boroughbridge in 1963 was as a young boy. My family having moved to the area to take over the Public House known then as the Three Greyhounds Hotel (now the Musketeers). The left hand side of the premises looking from the front had previously been a garage with sliding doors. Inside the left hand side of the pub the floor is set at a lower level with steps leading down to what was the original garage floor. Prior to being a hotel the building had been a shop. At one time there had been an overhead walkway to the right hand side over the “lane” into Muleverer House. The “lane” is now used as an access route to the pub car park and several houses behind the pub. At the top end of the lane is a house known as “Snow Cottage” which was originally, two cottages. The two cottages at that time were derelict. My brother eventually purchased these old buildings and renovated them making them into one property.
 
 A company owned the Three Greyhound Hotel, The Three Horse Shoes, The Crown, and The Grantham Arms by the name of “Jacksons of Sunderland”. They also owned other properties and land known as the Jacksons Estate in Boroughbridge. As years passed by the estate was sold off, and all the public houses became privately owned. Muleverer House (now flats) mentioned previously housed the many staff that were employed at The Crown Hotel with management occupying the front accommodation, and other employees the back. On the front of Muleverer House there is a blue circular plaque that commemorates Captain Archie Cecil Thomas White VC MC (1890 – 1971) who had a very distinguished career through WW1 and beyond. He was born in Boroughbridge where his parents owned a tailors shop where the plaque is displayed.
 
 Opposite the Three Greyhounds Hotel where “Annes” news paper/sweets/crafts shop, and “Mims” are currently was a garage owned by Nicholson & Slater. They also owned Charltons garage. Alongside Charltons up until recently was a “prefabricated” building, which had been used as a café. This has now been demolished to make way for other uses.
Returning to my time at the Three Greyhounds Hotel I recall a picture hanging above the bar. It depicted a ceremony of giving out WW1medals. I was told the event took place in Knaresborough Forest , and the person handing out the medals was none other than the King. Some years later having an interest in sign writing I was asked by the owner of the Three Horse Shoes if I could produce a sign for the “Tote”. Having produced the sign I was looking for a suitable frame to mount it in. I remembered the old picture of the medal ceremony, which no longer hung in the bar. I discovered it in the back cellar and removed the picture from the frame. To my surprise I discovered behind the picture lay another picture of a group of airmen from the Second World War. During this period the Hotel was a regular drinking haunt for airman from the nearby Dishforth Airfield. I believe I still have this picture in my possession.
 
 Further along towards the bridge I recall a shoe shop known as “Fosters Shoe Shop” over time this has now become a local fishing tackle shop, which also issues local fishing licences. I also remember the Post Office run by Mr Topham, which had a printing shop down in the cellar. They could and did print anything you could ask for. Eventually the Post Office was taken over by Mr Topham’s son Ian.
 
 
WARTIME IN BOROUGHBRIDGE.    (March 2010)
 
Through the eyes of a small boy.
 
I was 7 years old when wars broke out in 1939, and vividly remember exactly what I was doing when my Dad came and told me. He had heard the news on the wireless (not called “radio” then!), and came out into the garden where I was sitting on my Triang pedal car, which I had outgrown but would not part with, to say that war had broken out and he would be going to fight the Germans.
My Dad had been in the Territorial Army in the early 30s, but was invalided out with rheumatic fever apparently; this did not stop him being passed “A1” in 1939, and he was in fact 34 years old and because he worked for West Riding County Council as a gang foreman on road building, he could have been exempted from military service.  However, the Royal Engineers needed skilled road men  and recruited round all County Councils; my Dad volunteered along with many other WRCC employees, went to Pontefract Barracks for enlistment, and they all went out as part of the British Expeditionary Force to France as 116th. Road Construction Company in late 1939.
 
As soon as war was declared, Boroughbridge had a good number of evacuees sent from Leeds to live with local families; Leeds was regarded as a target for German bombers. I remember we had two boys come to stay with us at Stump Cross; they had no socks, plimsolls, ragged jumpers and…NITS!; they shared the nits with all of us at Boroughbridge Primary School, which was generous. That was my first encounter with a fine tooth comb, and-I think- theirs with a bath and hair wash.
 
Because the school was now overcrowded, (and in those days the present Primary School housed both Primary and Secondary Modern children), Class 2 (Miss Brown’s class) and I think Miss Byers’ Class 3, moved to the old school up Church Lane (more or less on the site of the Health Centre), and had a great time, away from the rest of the school. In passing, it is one of Boroughbridge’s great “what ifs” that the then Parish Council in the late 60s (?) did not buy this building, which was used for a great number of local activities- including the library.  The only drawback was that we had to go out to the rudimentary toilets!  I remember the Leeds evacuees went home after only a few weeks, but by then other evacuees came in from as far away as London, but we could move back to the “new” school.
 
My Dad had gone to France by then, and we had letters from him, but I was at home with my stepmother; I remember she had to go out to work, at Miss Mudd’s Dairy, Aldborough, where she had worked before marrying Dad (my own Mother had died in 1935), and she had to work very hard, delivering milk with Tom Archer.
We also had to take lodgers, as a lot of civilian engineers had come to work at RAF Dishforth, and of course the Army had come to Boroughbridge.  The first lodgers we had were a Mr. and Mrs. Ingram, from Coventry; he was an engineer for Armstrong Whitworth, and worked on the engines of the Whitley bombers at Dishforth. I remember he had a Riley 9 car, which impressed me, as we had never had a car! Whilst they were with us, their house in Coventry was destroyed in the blitz, and they went back to Coventry (this must have been around 1942/3).
 
To “us kids”, all that was happening around us was a big adventure; Army regiments coming and going- looking back over almost 70 years, it is hard to remember what regiments actually came to the town; I have checked with those contemporaries who were around at the time, and we all have the same problem! I know we had Scottish, Yorkshire regiments, the Pioneer Corps and Royal Engineers, but how many and when…it’s all gone.  I know that officers were living in Boroughbridge Hall, Aldborough Hall; “other ranks” were in Bacon’s shop (now Peter Greenwood’s building), and in Nissen huts where the houses are on Aldborough Road, between there and the Hall, and in the fields on York Road which became Springfield Drive.
 
As a child, it WAS all very exciting, with soldiers and airmen everywhere, some ATS girls, Army and RAF lorries whizzing around (we even had 60 foot long lorries carrying bits of aeroplanes about parked up in Fishergate and on Horsefair to marvel at). Planes flying about, night and day-mainly Whitley and Wellington bombers, but a few Spitfires, and one Sunday (possibly in 1940) I was biking to Stump Cross from my Granny’s in Aldborough when I definitely saw a Messerschmitt go over, followed by a Spitfire…HONESTLY!
 
In 1940 my life was changed. Dad had come home for Christmas 1939, and gave me an Army knife, which I still have; he went back to France after 7 days leave, and Mum and I never saw him again.  In June 1940, after the Dunkirk evacuation, he, the rest of his Company and up to 9,000 other British, French, Canadian personnel, plus nurses, French civilians were on the “Lancastria” when she was bombed and sank with the loss of 1000s of lives, including my Father. For the rest of the War he was officially “missing, presumed killed”, with a pittance by way of pension to my Mum. The whole “Lancastria” business is still a closed file. For an 8 year old boy, devastation; the fact that Dad was “missing” was the great hope that kept Mum and I going- he might turn up as a prisoner. Of course, this didn’t’t happen but after a couple of years, hope went, but we had learnt to live with it and-coped.  Looking back, people were kind and supportive to us, and life as a small boy still went on.
 
Coal was rationed, and I used to have a “bogey” which I made with the help of my Grandad; I used to take it to the Gas House on a Saturday morning for a sack of (un-rationed) coke, which I hauled back to Stump Cross to keep the fire going. Although we lived in a new house, it still had only a fire range for cooking, though we did have a small gas ring for boiling the kettle. My bike and my “Bogey” were my real treasures; I’d bike all over, mainly with my best pal Bill Rennison- as far afield as Studley Deer Park and Fountains- this when we were 10 years old, and no one had any concerns about this- dark days for the nations, but still golden days for children.
 
Another adventure, incredible to think of now, was that on what is now the A168 but what was then the A1, which went through Boroughbridge, South through Stump Cross up Gibbet Hill and Ornhams, we used to choose our times between the infrequent lorries, and hurtle down Gibbet Hill, past Stump Cross, Kelly’s café and nearly to the “Rec”! In winter, before the gritting lorries came round, you could do the same thing on a sledge (also down Aldborough Hill, though you had to sneak past Grandad’s house on Hill Top!  Don’t try it now.
 
I mentioned we had lodgers; after the Ingrams we had Mr. and Mrs. Jones; he was another civilian worker at Dishforth. Mrs Jones was very good at giving me first aid after my many mishaps with my bike- most memorable being after oiling the chain, turning the chain wheel round at great speed with my index finger, and trapping said digit between chain and sprocket. I still have the scar. What else did we do as wartime kids?  Roamed the fields around, followed the soldiers, hoping to pick up bullet cases (we did, from time to time). Went to the various fund raising events, like “Wings for Victory”; One of the most memorable of these was the sterling performance by the local volunteer firemen one day, when they staged a “rescue” from the top window of what is now Greenwood and Company’s building.  They had a very long ladder, one of them went up it to “rescue” a damsel in distress,(a dummy), and had a terrible time coming back down- chiefly because his “colleagues” were pumping water at him from an old manual pump. This machine lived in Joe Clark’s yard in St. Helena, and was loaned to the York Castle Museum for safe keeping when the volunteer fire service moved from the rear of Greenwood’s butchers. I have tried unsuccessfully to get it back for Boroughbridge, but sadly the York people deny they ever had it.
People often ask “Were there air raid shelters?” there were two in the school grounds, on the grass between the school and the Aldborough /York Road junction; one was for the juniors and one for the seniors. I remember we had to go into the shelter when the siren went (this was on the Police Station, and went off for tests fairly regularly); we had to wear our gas masks, which tasted and smelt of rubber, and which we had to carry everywhere in a cardboard box with string to go round your neck. It was damp, dark and cold down the shelter, and I remember we once had to sit with tear gas in the shelter to see if the masks worked. They did (sort of).
 
Rationing.  Biggest problem for kids was-sweets. We had been used to having a reasonable amount of toffees, chocolate before the war (governed by your pocket money and how indulgent your parents and grandparents were); suddenly that all stopped, and the ration amounted to about a bar of chocolate a week (I think); additionally, whilst you could get apples, pears, plums during the season (either legally or by scrumping), after that - nothing. Once a week there was a small delivery of bananas or oranges to Miss Ellis’s shop in High Street, and if you queued and were lucky you might find yourself with one banana or one orange. However, necessity being the mother of invention, there WERE alternatives.  In 1942 I sat and passed the County Minor scholarship to King James’ Grammar School in Knaresborough, and a whole new world opened up in the form of Mr Lawrence’s Oldest Chymist Shop ( it WAS spelt like that!), and his rich source of liquorice root (advisable to be chewed and swallowed only in small quantities, for obvious reasons), and cinnamon sticks; this diet supplemented by Clarkson’s halfpenny teacakes and- wonder of wonders- half a single block of Lyon’s ice cream ( some of you will remember that these were small cylinders about 2 inches in height and the same in diameter) from Mrs. Woodward’s shop opposite the bus station. This happened only very rarely, and usually when you were “skint”.As far as meat, eggs and other groceries were concerned, I cannot remember a shortage, living in the country; the limit was as to whether we could afford them! I remember that Miss Mudd kept pigs, as she was rightly famous for her ham and egg teas, which were popular with the aircrew from Linton and Dishforth; one pig was called Hitler, and became such a pet that Miss Mudd could not bear to see it killed; commerce prevailed however, and Hitler became bacon, pork and ham.
 
York was heavily bombed, and some relations came to stay with my grandparents when their home was damaged in York; I can remember them as not being very nice people, and my grandparents being glad to see them go home. On many nights I can remember the sirens went, and we sat downstairs under the stairs and listened to the German planes going over, and hearing the bombs falling on York.
In 1944, a Halifax bomber crashed on Howe Hill at Aldborough, two fields from where my grandparents lived, and going across to see the site; tragically all the crew were killed, but the Aldborough policeman Jim Harley, who was a friend of ours, was decorated for trying to save them.
 
What was there to do? Many lads joined the Air Scouts, we met in a loft at the vicarage; the Scouts were run by a Mr. Akers and Mrs. Spencer (the wife of the Head of the Secondary school). We had a great time learning knots (?-the AIR Scouts?) and doing all the other things Scouts do; I think Air Scouts because of clothes rationing; we only needed our school flannels, grey shirts, and a blue beret, plus the neckerchief, as opposed to the harder to obtain regular Scout uniform. Good fun, until Mr. and Mrs. Spencer moved on.
 
There was also the British Legion Silver Band, which some of us joined towards the end of the war; this was led by Mr. Ingledew, Pauline Phillip’s grandfather, and we practiced above what is now the Social Club. Bernard Harcourt, who had been bandmaster of one of the regiments in Boroughbridge, married Joan Davey, and he took over the band, which grew from strength to strength until- sadly- it disbanded in 1955.
One abiding memory is of the Nissen huts off York Road being occupied by squatters at the end of the war by returning servicemen and their families who were homeless, and of “sailing” between the huts in a tin bath when the snow melted ( Springfield did not get that name for nothing!)- again with Bill Rennison and others.
 
More? Much more, but that’s enough for now.
 
Geoff Craggs