A Quick Reminder: Looking back through the archives of The Keswick Reminder from around this week 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Pedestrianisation set for completion
Funding has been secured to enable the completion of Keswick’s controversial town centre pedestrianisation scheme in the next financial year — a £30,000 grant from the Lake District National Park Authority released other large sums such as £450,000 from the Rural Action Development Fund, £240,000 from the North West Development Agency and another £230,000 from Cumbria County Council.
By Easter all the pavement sections should be finished and the additional £950,000 will mean the work on the two market areas either side of the Moot Hall and the roads can be completed. Also there are now High hopes that the scheme will be linked up with Lower Lake Road in 2005-06.
The Lake District National Park has always backed the scheme but, because of a shortfall, it was not thought they would be able to provide financial help this year.
However, a £200,000 grant from Defra has enabled the NPA to pledge money for the pedestrian scheme as well as other projects in the National Park including the Osprey Project at Whinlatter.
Local County Councillor Stand Hinde said: “This brings the amount of the scheme to £2m, a lot of money for a small town. It is only made possible because it was earmarked as a traffic calming measure.”
Royal visitor returns
While on a visit to Cumbria this week Prince Charles again stayed at his favourite bed and breakfast in Borrowdale, the home of Joe and Hazel Relph in Rosthwaite, where he has stayed a couple of times in the past few years.
The Prince visited Hesket Newmarket brewery and village pub on Wednesday before moving on to Melmerby to open the village hall and, finally, to stop off at an M6 motorway service station near Tebay.
30 years ago
Outweighed but not outplayed!
The Keswick Reminder can not find a better way of describing the all-out effort made by Keswick Rugby Club’s 1st XV than this slogan, suggested by a Keswickian who watched the game [Keswick 17, Kidderminster Carolians 27 (after extra time), Pilkington Shield Quarter Final] on Saturday afternoon.
The Keswick team’s back division were unable to show their superiority as they did not receive much good ball, while their lighter but faster pack were prevented from opening to their full potential by sheer weight of their heavier opponents.
However, one of the most positive results of Saturday’s quarter final was the wealth of support given to the Keswick team and club by everyone in the town. Lead by the Mayor, Sean Crawford, and the Deputy Mayor, Mrs. Maysie McCambridge, the supporters included members of the local Football Club whose own game had been cancelled, former rugby players, a past president of the R.F.U., members of the Cumbria RFU committee and hundreds of Keswickians both old and young. It was a supreme example of support from the local community.
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor, – May I take this opportunity through your columns to thank the people of Keswick for their marvellous support last Saturday. Unfortunately the result was not the one we had all hoped for, but I am sure that it did not spoil the enjoyment too much!
To play in front of such a magnificent crowd is something that will stay with the players for the rest of their lives. So once again on behalf of the First XV squad I thank you all for your support on Saturday and hope that we can do it again next season.
Rick Smith
Captain, K.R.U.F.C.
Services to sport award
Last autumn, one of the Northern Region of the Sport Council’s 1993 awards for Services to Sport was made to Major Phil Davidson of Keswick, for his service to Rugby Union. Unfortunately, Mr. Davidson was unwell and his award was received on his behalf by Archie Evans, President of Keswick R.U.F.C.
On Tuesday evening the Director of the Northern Region of the Sports Council, Dacre Dunlop, attended a special gathering at Davidson Park to present Phil Davidson with his ward. Mr. Dunlop paid tribute to Mr. Davidson’s seventy years of service to rugby which include being captain, chairman and secretary of the Keswick Club in addition to being a former past president of Cumbria Rugby Union; and he was the county’s representative on the English Rugby Football Union committee for many years.
In fact, Mr. Davidson was one of four holders of the Sport Council Service to Sport Award present at the function on Tuesday evening, and all four were past presidents of the County, while three of the four were from Keswick – Phil Davidson, Archie Evans and Angus Broatch, a former Keswickian who now lives at Carlisle where he is President of the Carlisle Club. The fourth is also from Carlisle, Mr. Tom Scott.
40 years ago
“Rock of Names” to be restored
Fragments of the famous “Rock of Names” containing the initials of poet William Wordsworth, his family and his friend Samuel Taylor Coleridge were moved on Tuesday from Thirlmere to Windermere stonemason Brian Johnson for restoration, When the unique job is completed the new “Rock of Names” will be set into the rock face at the rear of the Wordsworth Museum at Dove Cottage in Grasmere, where the public can see it.
The initials were originally carved in 1802 on a much bigger rock where Wordsworth used to meet Coleridge who lived at Greta Hall in Keswick. The rock survived intact until about 1890 when Thirlmere reservoir was built. There were many pleas to keep the “Rock of Names”, but when that proved impossible and it was scheduled for demolition, Canon Rawnsley, Vicar of Crosthwaite and Founder of the National Trust, collected the important bits with initials on and cemented them together on the face of a smaller rock above the road. Since then the rock has been eroded and even vandalised by the addition of another name.
Mr. Michael Berry, Managing Director of English Lakes Hotels Ltd. and Chairman of the Associate Members of the Cumbria Tourist Board, decided something should be done to preserve the initialled stones and offered to finance their restoration and move to the museum.
Support for Keswick coalmen
Keswick coal merchants Mick Taylor and George Dover have had considerable public support for their bid to stay on the railway station site in the face of possible eviction.
Mr. Taylor said yesterday that they had already collected more than 600 signatures for a petition and had high hopes that eventually the figure would top the 1,000 mark. “We have been getting signatures on our delivery rounds, but lots of people have also been ringing up expressing their concern about the future of the coal business if we have to move,” he said.
The coalmen have warned that if they are forced to leave the station they could go out of business, but the site owners, the Lake District Planning Board, feel the continuance of the coal business would be incompatible with development plans for housing and leisure facilities.
Market Square grocers close
Although it was announced before Christmas that J. & J. Graham Ltd., the Penrith grocery firm, intended closing their Keswick Market Square branch on the retirement of the manager, the staff were notified only on Wednesday morning this week that their final day of trading would be Saturday next, March 10th.
The Manager, Mr. Wilf Pridmore, retires the following Saturday after nearly twenty-seven years of duty (second time round!) with the firm. He first began with J. & J. Graham Ltd. as an errand boy when he was only twelve years old, and in 1931 the wage for working all day Saturday and every evening after school was 2/6d. Per week (12½). He later served his apprenticeship with the firm before joining up in the forces at the beginning of the war.
On demobilisation, Wilf went to work for Sealby’s at Cockermouth where he also delivered and travelled the county districts for them. He returned to J. & J. Graham at their request in 1957, becoming manager of the Keswick branch a year or so later.
His assistant, Mr. Jim Stark, has working for the firm for twenty years; he previously worked at the Co-operative, going there on demobilisation from the Royal Navy.
50 years ago
Council matters
The Town Council, which succeeds the Urban Council on April 1st, was due to meet last night after the meeting of the U.D.C., and amongst the recommendations of the Steering Committee, noted in the minutes of the meeting to come before the Council, was the decision that the Charter Markets and public conveniences be transferred to Allerdale District Council for the purposes of administration and management.
The minutes also recorded that the Planning Committee appointed comprises Messrs. S. T. Hogarther, N. Beanland, M. B. Turner and the Town Mayor (Mr. J. Rhodes) with Mrs. C. Braithwaite.
The Council had agreed to meet on a six week cycle on Monday evenings and agreed to ask the Allerdale Authority to consider granting the Council the right to appoint two of its members as Governors of Keswick School.
To be considered last night were tenders for letting of the Hope Park kiosk which was left to the Council as part of the bequest under the will of the late Sir Percy M. Hope.