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
Surprise Lunchtime Visitor
Staff at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake had a surprise when a well-known ‘TV personality dropped in on them on Monday lunchtime to ask where to park in order to access the lake.
David Dimbleby, one of the BBC’s most distinguished presenters, and his crew then parked their blue Transit van in the car park next to the lakeside Theatre and ate fish and chips, after shooting scenes for the forthcoming BBC1 six part series art programme A Picture of Britain – about the landscapes of the country and how they have inspired writers, poets and artists down the ages.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
The Melbreak Hunt supporters held a coffee morning at Gatesgarth last Saturday. Like many similar events throughout the winter, the farm provided tea and coffee, together with home made cakes, sandwiches and traditional fayre plus the obligatory raffle, cockerel naming competition and sheep weight guessing. A tradition enshrined in the culture of the Lake District valleys. The hounds were present, ten of them, to be walked on leads back to the kennels in respect of the hunting ban imposed one day earlier.
The mood was sombre and as the hounds came out of the van to be collared by their owners, one felt a lump in the throat and the odd tear was shed at the thought of these fit athletic animals being fettered and possibly culled. True to his word the huntsman walked his small pack back to the kennels, under the watchful eye of the police and camera toting anti-hunt campaigners. If only they understood.
In four to six weeks time lambing starts on the valley farms and hundreds of lambs will be lost without an effective deterrent against the fox, which is a ruthless killer. This is not a lowland city fox, but a lean, mean, killing machine, swift of foot with an innate ability to evade any gun sight and hide in the smallest crag.
The national news on television on Saturday night showed scenes of dead foxes being thrown to hounds and dragged behind horses. Such is the power of television that the general public will regard this as the norm. Nothing could be further from the truth with regard to the Lake District fell packs. The primary job of a fell foot pack is to control something classed as vermin. At lambing time they start work at 5 am protecting the lambing locks and usually finish about 8 or 9 am. Lamb is exported from Cumbria all over Europe and is a valuable contributor to the national economy. These fell packs should be licensed to continue their job.
The Melbreak supporters acted on Saturday morning with pride and much dignity under extreme emotion. There was much anger and frustration in the hearts and minds of those who attended and it is to their credit that they maintained self-discipline of the highest order.
Speaking to an older gentleman who served his country well in the Second World War, he simply said “What is wrong with our country?” The answer may well be that it is not our heritage and country any more.
John Tyson
High Lorton
Dear Editor,
After reading your article “The Final Hunt” in last week’s Keswick Reminder I would like to add my comments.
Your article stated “In excess of 200 hunt supporters joined the huntsman for their final hunt”, I would like to point out that this number was an assumption made by your reporter. I agree there were well over 200 people but they were not all hunt supporters. Many of the people, like myself, were standing in the background quietly celebrating the end of this awful barbaric event.
The comment that stated “Supporters from out of the county will not find it easy to visit the Lake District without the lure of the packs” – well, what does this tell you about the type of people they are? Do they come to the Lake District for the beauty of the place or the friendliness of the people? No, they come to watch a pack of dogs that pursue an animal to its death. If they feel the lure of the Lake District is a pack of dogs hunting and killing then I don’t think these people will be missed.
The talk on the day was that the hunt could not be stopped, the dogs still had to be walked and if a few people just happened to be walking the same way and the dogs killed a fox then so be it. To these people I say we are not stupid, we are locals too and we will be watching.
Your reporter was right, it was a sad day, it was sad to see people showing a side of themselves most of us hope never to see again.
(Name and address supplied)
30 years ago
Island of dreams
BBC Radio Cumbria continues its occasional series of programmes to mark the centenary year of the National Trust by visiting its most unusual Lake District house.
Just over two hundred years ago Joseph Pocklington had sufficient materials taken across the frozen Derwentwater to Derwent Island to build a mansion now thought to be worth £2.5 million.
Within the last year the new tenants, Peter and Vanessa Sorton, have spent £70,000 of their own money in the first phase of restoration. They moved from their farmhouse at Great Orton, near Carlisle, after being selected from a hundred people who applied to the National Trust. Peter travels the country to give evidence in courts as a forensic scientist. During the recent flood he found himself marooned on his island and so missed a sitting of the High Court in Edinburgh.
He invited Nigel Holmes, Senior Producer for BBC Radio Cumbria, to visit the island which was first settled by the Vikings but which came to life socially in the last two centuries with visits from Russian Archdukes and, in recent decades, the Duke of Edinburgh.
1995 Carnival Queen chosen
Thirteen year old Hazel Dover is this year’s Carnival Queen. Hazel is a pupil of Keswick School and she lives at Trinity Way.
The Carnival Queen, Miss Keswick – Christina Bell – and the other queens were chosen at a disco held last Friday evening at the Conservative Club. Also chosen was this year’s Herald, nine year old Tony Paskett of The Headlands, who attends Braithwaite School.
40 years ago
School of Art makes £82,500
The premises of the Keswick School of Industrial Arts at Greta Bridge was sold by auction on Wednesday afternoon, — realising £82,500.
There was a good gathering of local people at the sale which was conducted by Mr. Alan Hully on behalf of R. J. Smeaton Ltd. The Chairman of the Trustees, Mr. Geoffrey Simpson, and a long-serving Trustee, Mr. Phil Davidson, were present also Mr. Frank Oglethorpe of Messrs. Oglethorpe & Hough, solicitors, representing the Trustees and the Charity Commissioners.
Bidding began at £55,000 and was slow at first, being between a local man and the Italian manager of the Allerdale Court Hotel at Cockermouth. However, the local bidder dropped out and Mr. Lister Gardiner of Broatch & Son, solicitors, entered the bidding. Mr. Gardiner eventually bought the premises for £82,500 for a client.
And the client, Mr. Guiseppe Guarracino, who is the licensee of the Sun Inn at Bassenthwaite, hopes to obtain the necessary planning permission to convert the former School of Art building into a high class restaurant. He and his wife, Pam, have built up a reputation at the Sun Inn for the excellent quality and variety of their cooking and they have been looking for larger premises where they could expand the restaurant side of their business.
50 years ago
Blencathra Hunt
The Blencathra Foxhounds lost two of their most valuable dog hounds on Friday in an accident on Gate Crag in Borrowdale in which they fell some 250ft. But members of the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team managed to rescue five other hounds which were stranded on ledges high up on the crag.
The hunt had begun from Swinside. Hounds pursued a fox by Catbells and Black Crag and after running the road between Manesty and Grange they went along the fell bottom at The Hollows and through the woods to Gate Crag. It was here as they were led up the crag that the fatal falls occurred.
Huntsman Johnnie Richardson said he thought they may have trodden on some heather and lost their foothold. The crag at this point is precipitous.
The rescue team, led by Mr. George Fisher, climbed down about 30ft. to reach the trapped hounds. Four were trapped on one ledge and another was further down.
The four were taken off quite easily by rope — but the other needed a bit of gentle persuasion as rescuer Mr. Mike Nixon explained: “He growled a bit, but after I had given him a biscuit he came quietly.” Darkness was closing fast as the rescuers completed their task and descended the fellside by torchlight.
The huntsman said later that the two hounds which died, Mountain and Monarch, were both valuable to the pack.
