Looking back through The Keswick Reminder’s archives from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Bobby on the beat needed!
Although Keswick has the lowest crime rate in West Cumbria, offences, when they do happen tend to be somewhat ‘spectacular’, receiving high profile police coverage.
With the aim of creating more high visibility policing the town is to get a policeman dedicated to the area of the town centre. PC John Shaw is due to take up this post shortly and police chiefs are hoping this decision will reassure local people.
Recently the Town Council wrote to the Chief Constable expressing concern about the temporary secondment of Sergeant Alan Weightman to Workington where he was a member of a team investigating a number of burglaries. Sergeant Weightman, who has considerable local knowledge as a member of a local family and who was brought up in Keswick, is now back in Keswick.
Superintendent Steve Turnbull attended last week’s meeting of Keswick Town Council, and said that a permanent inspector, Inspector lan Poultney, – is being allocated to the Keswick area. However, the town will be losing Sergeant Craig Smith in a few weeks time as he is moving to lead the anti-terrorist unit at Carlisle Airport.
The Town Council meeting was assured that Sergeant Smith will be replaced with an officer with local knowledge and an understanding of the area.
Mrs Jan Scott, 1943-2003
Many people will be saddened to hear of the death of Mrs Jan Scott, a primary teacher in Keswick for many years, on 22 January 2003.
Jan and her family moved to Hesket Newmarket, near Caldbeck in the late 1980s and she was appointed to teach at Crosthwaite CE First School.
When St Kentigern’s CE School opened its doors in September 1993 Jan was appointed to teach there, a post she sustained until her early retirement in July 2001.
The Head Teacher of St Kentigern’s School, Mrs Sara Miller, writes: “Jan Scott’s specific areas of interest in the educational world were principally the teaching of Science and that of Special Educational Needs. She was passionate about both! Jan introduced many children to Science through imaginative teaching which encouraged a real enjoyment in the subject. Children with special needs were given sensitive understanding and Jan became involved with the families of the children she taught. She enjoyed challenging the very able children in her care and would take time to plan for individual children.
“Jan enjoyed the friendship of many, both in Keswick and in her ‘home’ village, and she was a loyal and dignified colleague. She was respected by pupils and adults alike. Sadly she endured a long battle with cancer during the last few years – one which she finally lost, sleeping peacefully, at her sister’s home in Cornwall, surrounded by family and close friends.”
30 years ago
Walker Park
The long-running controversy over Walker Park, its ownership and its future, seems to be almost over.
Some years ago the Town Council drew up plans for a caravan site, but the footballers, who have played at Walker Park since the early 1920s, decided they did not want to move their ground and dug their heels in to stay at their traditional football ground.
The actual ownership of the ground seemed to be shrouded in mystery, but Allerdale Borough Council’s Head of Central Services, Andrew Wallbank, has written to Keswick Town Council stating that Allerdale own Walker Park. In his letter Mr Wallbank said he is at a loss to understand why there continues to be a dispute about ownership and why that remains relevant to what they want to do about the football club.
At last week’s Town Council meeting the letter from Mr. Wallbank was received. Allerdale had granted user rights to the Town Council because it appeared to be the provision of a purely local city — largely for the football club, And Mr. Wallbank told the Council in the letter that if they wished to utilise Walker Park for another purpose they would require Allerdale’s consent as owners.
If the footballers were to be satisfactorily rehoused elsewhere, and the Town Council wished to develop Walker Park into a permanent caravan site, “amicable arrangements” could be made between the respective councils, said Mr. Wallbank.
40 years ago
Foxhounds rescued from mine
Three foxhounds which fell into a mine shaft near Braithwaite are recovering from their ordeal.
The hounds, all belonging to the Blencathra Foxhounds, ran into a tunnel at Force Crag Mine. Two of them fell 20 feet and the other tumbled about 100 feet. Hunt followers were quickly on the scene, but they did not have the necessary equipment to haul the dogs clear.
Eventually the rescue was completed by members of the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
A hunt official said later that one of the dogs was shaken, but otherwise they were none the worse for their tumble. Unfortunately the terrier belonging to Whip Barry Todhunter, which helped locate the missing dogs and had also to be rescued from the tunnel, died two days later presumably as a result of the fall.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,—Your report of a compulsory purchase order in connection with the development of Tithebarn Street appears quite disturbing. In this case it would seem that an elderly householder is to be forced to give up her land to benefit private commercial interests.
The commercial development of the area may or may not benefit the town visually; but this would only be an indirect benefit even if it did, it does not appear to be the prime object of the proposed development as described elsewhere. Apart from which the land in question is a large self contained piece of land, and why its visual, or commercial development even, should require the acquisition of an adjoining piece of land seems something of a mystery.
Surely a compulsory purchase order should only be used when it benefits the public directly, not when its principle is to benefit ‘a consortium of business people’, more so when any benefits the public might obtain, could just as easily be obtained without a compulsory purchase order.
Yours faithfully,
Paul Buttle
Brewery Lane,
Keswick.
31st January, 1983.
50 years ago
Piano
On Tuesday a group of students from Harris College, Preston, dragged an upright piano to the top of Skiddaw as part of their rag week endeavours. They were hoping to raise about £200, to add to the total money raised for charity during the week, as a result of being sponsored for each foot of the ascent.
They made the trip to the 3,054ft summit by the normal tourist route, pulling the piano on metal skids with a brake at the rear to prevent it running away, and took three-and-a-half hours to get to the top.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Sir,—It was interesting to note that the producers of the television documentary on the artist Fielding, shown recently, chose to include a sequence on Poplar Street as being typical of the period. They were lucky to find it still standing!
The temptation for planners and developers to demolish, then rebuild, is an ever increasing worry in a small town such as Keswick which depends for its very livelihood on character and charm.
Nobody would wish to preserve cottages unfit for habitation; that is too high a price to pay to satisfy the tourist or the antiquarian.
You do not have to look too far afield, however, to find buildings where careful modernisation has resulted in buildings of character. Most important of all, these buildings fit in, they belong, they look right. Compare these with the slab-fronted frontages of an emporium, the cedar boarded porch of an 18th century cottage, the monolithic pump shelter, the decaying courts and yards on the north side of Main Street.
What chance have the latter of seeing white paint again, in a time of encroaching tarmac and tyrolean finish?
The change in our town is now so rapid that the Survey of Keswick 1971 — mentioned in your columns recently is already an historical document. Obviously many people see what is happening, witness the frequent letters in columns. The questions remain:
Who cares enough to do something?
What can be done?
Yours sincerely,
S. Crawford.
Lairthwaite School,
Keswick
29th Jan., 1973.
The previous week: When Keswick said goodbye to Herdwick shepherd Wilson Bainbridge
