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
Market Square concerns – fluorescent kerbs
Cumbria County Council’s Chief Executive Peter Stybelski has said that painting kerbs orange or fluorescent green in Keswick’s Market Square would be a “last resort’ to prevent pedestrians tripping over.
Mr Stybelski told the Keswick Town Council that, quite apart from the drainage implications, the cost and disruption involved in lowering kerb levels or raising the road would be prohibitive – he has asked Council members what they thought about painting kerbs, a scheme which would, he said, attract considerable criticism.
Keswick Town Council recently wrote to the County Council expressing concern about the number of injuries to pedestrians on the uneven kerbs. Since then there have been a number of further incidents including one run of five in three days; and Town Clerk Kate Turner said that although there been a reasonable number of complaints received, the Council would be unaware of other incidents not reported.
Wainwright anniversary challenge
Over 170 people have already registered to climb a favourite fell to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Alfred Wainwright’s first guide book, and they have now been joined by two well known Cumbrians, one a Knight and the other a Lord, who are ready to take part in The Great Lakeland Challenge in May.
Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington and author and broadcaster Lord Melvyn Bragg will join the other walkers, some of whom have chosen to scale Scafell Pike, Skiddaw, Coniston Old Man, Helvellyn or Blencathra, and others who have opted for the smaller, but equally impressive fells, such as Loughrigg, Hallin Fell, Melbreak or Latrigg.
In May 1955 AW, as Wainwright has been known to generations of fellwalkers, published the first of his Pictorial Guides to the Lake District and since then the series has sold almost 2 million copies – Wainwright is still the undisputed master of the mountains.
The Wainwright Society is planning to mark this 50th anniversary by organising a unique event to record the ascent of all 214 fells in the Pictorial Guides and the 56 in the Outlying Fells in one week in May. Between 14 and 21 May inclusive, the Society is asking walkers to ascend one of these 270 fells and record the achievement with a small report about the walk. These reports, along with photographs or Wainwright drawings will then be compiled into a book that the society is hoping to publish later in the year.
30 years ago
Keswick School proposal wins parents’ approval
The parents of pupils of Keswick School have given their overwhelming support to the Governors and Staff in the first ballot on the question of applying for Grant Maintained Status.
The Electoral Reform Society gave the result of the ballot earlier this week. They had sent out 1352 ballot papers and 71% of these were returned. A total of 83% of these papers were in favour of the proposal; 17% were against.
The Chairman of the Governors, Sam Hicks, said he was delighted at the result and he thanked parents for their vote of confidence in the Governors, Head Master, and Staff of the School.
A formal submission to the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Shepherd, has now been made, with the proposed date of implementation of the proposals (subject to Mrs. Shepherd’s approval) being 1st June 1995.
Return of hunting horn
This weekend John Peel’s hunting horn officially returns to Cumbria. It will be brought back to the Blencathra Foxhounds by American Holly Houghton, a former Master of Foxhounds in South Carolina.
She has come to Britain for a holiday and with an additional purpose of returning John Peel’s hunting horn to the Blencathra pack which has historical associations with John Peel. It has been kept in latter years at a museum of hunting in the United States.
The horn was sold at Sotheby’s in London for £500 in 1951, and in 1988 it was sold again, this time for £5,500, to Holly Houghton’s father.
During a hound judging trip to the States the Blencathra huntsman, Barry Todhunter, was shown the horn and discussions began about the possibility of its return to Cumbria. The secretary of the Blencathra pack, Michael Thompson, describes it as “an important part of the county’s heritage”.
The owner will be handing over the John Peel horn at a Blencathra Foxhounds coffee morning on Saturday at the kennels above Threlkeld. No firm decision has been made about where it should be kept in future but Mr. Thompson thinks it will probably go into a collection or museum where it can be seen by members of the public.
40 years ago
Keswick’s B.M.X. success story
Keswick families are going to have to get used to a whole new jargon shortly with words such as berm, table top and double whoops taking their place in the language of the young B.M.X, cycle enthusiasts.
The dream of just over seven months ago of building Keswick’s months ago of building Keswick’s own B.M.X. track has taken on a tangible form as work has proceeded laying out the facility in the lower Fitz Park. And a spokesman for the B.M.X. steering committee said this week that work on the track was expected to reach completion by Easter although the track would not be open to the public at that time.
The building of the B.M.X. track, in response to a craze which has been sweeping the country, is a success story for Keswick with the concept and the fund raising having both emanated locally.
A key factor in enabling the scheme to move ahead was a generous other by Keswick contractor Mr. John Wilson to do the work at a loss-making price of £1,700.
Youngsters played their part in the fund raising by participating in a sponsored cycle ride around Derwentwater. This brought in approximately £600.
The first turf was lifted in the lower park in October. The design and lay out of the track is now complete and the great majority of hard core laid. Only about one more day’s hard core laying is needed and then it will be a matter of finishing off the job.
Keswick people are often accused of having big ideas and rarely getting round to back them up with action. The imminent completion of work on the B.M.X. track has proved that in one instance at least the town has been as good as its word.
Thanks are due to: Fitz Park, Town Council, Round Table, 41 Club Wishing Well, George Hotel (Theakston), Licensed Victuallers’, Rugby Club, Brysons, Caterite, Derwent Club, Greta Motor Bodyworks, Ron Thwaites, Eric Impey, Robert Welsh, Robert Dewhurst, Ernie Thwaites, Joyce Martin, Jimmy Moffat, Helen Brooks, Keswick Ladies Darts League, Ladies Circle, Labour Club, Open All Hours, Keith Price, Denis Marrs, Les Peeks, Sir John Randell Trust, Robert Smeaton, Bill Taylor, Mary Thompson, The Keswick Reminder, John Turnbull, A. Stone, D. Booth, G. Wilson, K. Ormandy, T. Howarth, A. Gardiner, S. Hardman, D. Martin, C. Thwaites, S. Richardson, D. Brown, K. Atack, C. Bannister, G. Larcombe, M. Walker, C. Wilson, E. Paxon, S. Douglas, P. England, C. Clark, N. Painton, T. Welsh, C. Taylor, I. Vasquez, G. Birkett.
50 years ago
Letter to the Editor
Dear Sir,–I was shocked upon picking up a copy of the “Reminder” to find that the ‘Exorcist’ will be shown in Keswick this coming week.
Why a film such as this, which is promoting evil, is not censored, I cannot understand. Isn’t there enough violence, bad language and evil abroad in the world without showing it on the ‘silver screen’?
‘The devil is alive and well on planet earth’ – but there is no need to show his films!
Yours faithfully,
(Miss) A. P. Norton
High Hill
Keswick
