Looking back through the archives of The Keswick Reminder from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Keswick’s hospital
The recent improvements at the Mary Hewetson Hospital in Keswick are much appreciated by the local community and also by visitors to the town who attend the clinics run by the local doctors and the hospital staff.
So often the Matron is told how lucky Keswick people are to have the Hospital and such a caring staff of nurses — not to mention the catering staff who provide nourishing and tasty meals to the patients.
There can be few families who have not had the comfort of knowing that their children can be treated in the outpatients department by friendly nurses and doctors from the time they are born, throughout their childhood and, later, as adults, while many families have cause to be grateful for the care given to the elderly members of the community.
Illegally parked car
Mrs Margaret Purkiss, a Keswick businesswoman, is asking motorists to respect the double yellow lines in Station Street after a driver who tried to avoid a car which was parked in the street caused damage costing hundreds of pounds to her shop property.
Mrs Purkiss says she heard a crunching sound as a delivery van attempted to turn from Standish Street into Station Street; it had caught the side of her property.
Traffic in Station Street has increased since work began on the pedestrianisation of the Market Square, and the question of parking in the whole of Keswick is being considered. But incidents such as this one, caused by inconsiderate parking, are not helpful to local business people who have to continue trading in spite of all the inconveniences.
30 years ago
Bomb found on farm
A builder found a rusted mortar bomb on the farm where he was working and took it into Keswick Police Station.
The bomb was found during renovation work being carried out on a building at Burns Farm near Keswick; it is thought to have been a wartime relic.
Inspector Bob Fell said it had obviously been lying there for many years and it was in a very corroded state. “It’s amazing that it turned up while work was taking place at the farm,” he said.
He added: “It was brought to the police station by the man who found it. We contacted the Army bomb disposal team and described it to them and they came the following day to collect it and take it away.”
There was no suggestion that the mortar bomb was dangerous, said Inspector Fell. “If it had been I am sure the disposal team from Didcot would have come the same day,” he stressed.
Borrowdale’s ‘minor miracle’
Borrowdale Parish Councillors talked of a ‘minor miracle’ as they viewed the start of building five houses for rent at Rosthwaite by North Housing Association.
“It has taken fifteen years to bring the project under way after lengthened discussions with the Lake District Special Planning Board and the National Trust,” said Bill Hind, Clerk to the Parish Council.
Mr. Hind and parish councillors were met at the site by Brian Wilson, vice chairman of North Housing, to launch the £200,000 scheme.
The development of three three-bedroom houses and two two-bed-room houses are for the local community with tenants having no right to buy. The last time North Housing built any new homes for rent in Rosthwaite was in 1953.
As in many parts of the Lake District, many former homes in Borrowdale valley are now holiday cottages and there has been an acute shortage of houses for local, young people.
40 years ago
Tithebarn Street re-development
A trio of local traders have joined protests about a proposed compulsory purchase order on a seventy-eight year old Keswick woman’s garden at the rear of Main Street. They claim that if the developers were to settle for one less building on the Tithebarn Street re-development site, it would not be necessary to make the controversial access round the back of the library.
Mr. Mike Newton, who has a shop on Main Street, said that it Miss Ethel Young’s garden were to be compulsory purchased, the land could end up being used for parking for holiday flats. He has written to the Planning Board protesting about the access plan and newsagent Peter Youdale and Mr. Peter Thorburn, who has a fishing and country pursuits shop in Main Street, are supporting him.
The planners say the land has been derelict for many years and it is in the best interests of the town that re-development should take place as soon as possible.
Two local businesses own sections of the site, and the main section is owned by Twinames, the West Cumberland firm of builders who proposed to build shops and flats.
Mr. Newton said: “If one less shop were to be built, access could be gained on to Heads Road. I understand that the planners passed an access on to this site some time ago, and that the County Council Highways Authority had no objections in principle.” A small service road would be adequate, he said, because no delivery people were going to drive round the back of shops when the law allowed them to deliver at the front.
Keswick leisure pool plans approved
Keswick Town Council’s application for a leisure pool on the former Keswick station yard was approved on Tuesday by the Planning Board’s Development Control Committee. The application had been deferred at earlier meetings to enable the preparation of a comprehensive plan for the redevelopment of the station site to accommodate not only the leisure pool but also a housing development and the new theatre, necessary access roads and parking area.
The proposed leisure pool is designed with the ground floor incorporating a main pool, toddlers lagoon, wave machine, sitting and sun bed area, solaria, saunas, changing area and plant housing; the first floor contains a restaurant, bar, terraced area and administrative facilities; and the access to the building is at first floor level.
Justices to visit local disco
The Keswick Restaurant is taking steps to remedy concern about noise from discos.
The Justices recently adjourned the question of renewing the restaurant’s drinks licence because of concern about noise.
Licensee Joseph Robinson told Keswick Licensing Justices on Friday that the real problem was people opening windows because of heat in the premises. Remedial action was being explored and five estimates were being sought for air conditioning.
It was proposed to put in darkened shutters and he was looking at electronic gadgets to reduce the noise from the disco amplification.
The police raised no objection to the renewal of the licence and the justices granted on the undertaking that the work would be carried out.
Mr. Brian Davies (presiding) said the Bench would like to visit the premises by the end of June.
50 years ago
Commendation for Keswick Man
Warrant Officer Dennis Gould (48), whose mother, Mrs. M. V. Gould, lives at 57 Latrigg Close, Keswick, has been commended for his valuable services by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, R.A.F. Strike Command.
Warrant Officer Gould, who received the award for his work during a tour of duty in England, received the certificate outlining his award from Wing Commander D. R. George, officer commanding R.A.F. Rheindahlen, in Germany, where Warrant Officer Gould is now serving as the Station Warrant Officer.
Warrant Officer Gould joined the Royal Air- Force Volunteer Reserve in 1941 after leaving Keswick School and saw war service as a flight engineer/air gunner in Catalina flying boats and Liberator bombers. At the end of the war he served on the German Aircraft Squadron at Farnborough, formed to fly and evaluate captured German aircraft. He has seen service in Britain, Ceylon,
Singapore and Germany and while working with the R.A.F. Royal Tournament Display Team toured Europe and Iceland.
Commanders-in-Chief Commendations are only awarded to individual servicemen who show outstanding achievement in the performance of their duties.
New Keswick library
Keswick’s new County Branch Library in Head’s Lane will be opening to the public on Friday, 16th March, at 10 a.m. As with other aspects of the County Library Service the story of Keswick Library has been one of growth and expansion. Twenty years ago it occupied a small shop site and issued 35,000 books a year. In 1958 the Branch amalgamated with the St. John’s Library, a subscription library with a long history and tradition, and moved into its premises. The library now issues 110,000 books a year in accommodation bursting at the seams.
The new library designed by the County Architect’s Department is mainly a single storey building with a smaller first floor and balcony overlooking the main lending area. The ground floor consists of an entrance into the main area which is divided into two sections, children’s and adults’, by a partition which will normally be open. When the partition is closed the children’s area may be used by groups, i.e. school classes, lectures, etc. A large workroom is placed between the main area and the garage for the travelling library van. Leading from the main area are the stairs to the balcony which houses the reference and local collections, two study carrels and the Librarian’s office.
The previous week: When a Keswick ex-pat was catering for a Rolling Stone with Cumbrian produce
