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
Cumbrian garden strikes gold
The “Cumbrian Fellside Garden,” designed by former pop star Kim Wilde and Richard Lucas, of the Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge, has been awarded a prestigious Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2005, and was also voted ‘Best In Show’ in the Courtyard Garden category.
Kim, who has a great affection for the Lake District, and Richard decided to incorporate obvious local touches in their design and decided to use green slate from the Honister Slate Mine in Borrowdale for the final touches to their garden, designed to look as if it had been carved out of the sloping plot of an overgrown farmhouse yard, with wild flowers growing in the long grass and from the dry stone walls. The green slate was used as flagstones and also to retain the wild flower bank.
Kim said: “This is genuinely as thrilling as any hit record – for our work to be recognised in this way by our peers is as good as it gets. Richard and I are just delighted.”
New pie venture
The Mill Inn at Mungrisdale has launched a new pie business, a week after its chef was crowned a national champion. The pub has gained a reputation for its pies over the last four years since the Hodge family took over the running of this popular Lakeland hostelry and people travel from all over the country to attend the family’s annual Pie-Fest, and sold over 15,000 pies last year.
And now this increasing demand has led to the creation of “The Pie Mill” – a new venture for the Hodge family who now sell their pies over the internet and in quality farm shops throughout Cumbria. The family has secured a new bakehouse at the Blencathra Business Centre – as the kitchen at the pub can no longer cope with the volume of orders – creating five jobs for local people, and the business is the first of its kind in Cumbria to deliver pies direct to people’s doors.
30 years ago
Royal visit
HRH The Prince of Wales spent Monday in the Lake District visiting various projects of interest, two of which were in the Keswick area.
The Prince literally dropped in on Watendlath, arriving by helicopter to visit this remote but beautiful hamlet. One of the official National Trust party meeting him was Dick Richardson of Fold Head Farm who has farmed at Watendlath for 22 years. The visit of the Prince was part of the National Trust’s centenary celebrations in the Lake District.
Dick introduced his wife Margaret to Prince Charles, and his son Shaun who farms with him at Fold Head and then, in an unrehearsed move, the Prince asked if he could meet the younger generation of the Richardson family grandchildren Mark, aged 11, Anna, 9, and 3 year old Joe and Shaun’s wife, Christine.
It was typical of a relaxed royal visit where dozens of fell walkers unwittingly found themselves stepping into the middle of the Prince’s walkabout. The Prince showed interest in a pen of mainly Herdwick sheep which Dick has been ear-marking ready to return them to the open fells which form a large part of the 3,000 acre holding. The National Trust owns all the buildings in Watendlath and much of the surrounding land.
The Prince was shown many of the features associated with the work of the Trust in the Lake District countryside, including footpath repair work on Armboth Fell, the work of the regional landscape team and forestry, wardening and estate teams.
At the well known 400 year old pack horse bridge he spoke to Alan Dean and Maurice Huddart about the strengthening and repair work they are carrying out. The Prince joined the bridge repair team in laying a cobble stone to mark his visit.
The Prince then visited the Blencathra Centre about Threlkeld where he saw the new Field Study Centre recent;y created from the former sanatorium. He showed great interest in the mosaic produced by nine of the senior children of Threlkeld School and talked to some of the youngsters who had worked on it before unveiling the commemoration plaque and congratulating the children on their “splendid mosaic”.
The Prince spoke to one of the nine children, ten year old Joanne Bell, who told him the legend of the Keswick Bogart, half fox and half badger, which is said to roam the local fells.
Retirement of headmaster
The Headmaster of Keswick School, Mr. H. W. ALlen, is to retire in January 1996. He announced his retirement at last Friday’s meeting of the Governors, who received the news with great regret.
Howard Allen was appointed as Headmaster of Keswick Grammar School in 1976, taking up the appointment of the retirement of Mr. J. E. Thompson. He came from Dauntsey’s School in Wiltshire where he had been a senior Housemaster.
He said this week that he understood his brief from the governors was to create one secondary school for Keswick from Keswick School and Lairthwaite Secondary Modern School, and in April 1979 he was appointed Headmaster of the new Keswick School which opened in September 1980.
Mr. Allen pointed out that it was always intended that the school should be on one site but it has taken fifteen years for the rebuilding scheme to get underway. Now he feels the time has come for a new Head to be appointed , one who will bring fresh vision and leadership skills. “The new Head will need lots of energy and stamina to see the School through the next phase of its development,” he says. “I consider it has been an extraordinary privilege to have been Head of Keswick School. I have been very proud of the School, and I have had the good fortune to have had the support of so many members of this community.
“I shall always be interested in Keswick School and its progress, particularly in this next phase of development,” he concluded.
Throughout his nineteen years at Keswick School Mr. Allen has had the support of his wife, Jill. Mrs. Allen is a talented artist and has always been ready to take part in the dramatic presentations and the staging of exhibitions of work in addition to her teaching skills in the Art Department, especially in textiles and embroidery. She has been a member of the Cumbria Guild of Embroiderers and enjoys relaxation on the golf course having been Lady Captain of Keswick Golf Club last year.
40 years ago
Rescue team’s ambulance appeal
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team launched their appeal for funds to replace their fourteen-year-old Ford Transit Ambulance at the George Hotel. A new 4 W.D. with full specifications to meet the needs of the team will cost around £13,000.
The George Hotel was packed with team members, friends and well wishers. Local celebrities Chris Bonington and Bob Langley were among the company, along with the Town Mayor, the Chairman of the Keswick Publicity Association, and the Chairman of Keswick Round Table.
Carlisle schoolboy Davig Chapman was recently a contestant in a Granada T.V. quiz show (Connections) where he won £210 which he chose to give to the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team. David was delighted to be invited to the gathering and his worry about where to stay the night was overcome by the George Hotel who kindly gave him bed and breakfast for the night. The prize money is now in the team’s bank but we have to wait until early June to see him on Border T.V.
The first donation for the appeal was sent from Singapore by the family of the late “Rusty” Westmorland in whose memory the appeal was launched. Over £400 was raised on Monday night from the sale of a barrel of beer, donations, the emptying of a few of the collecting boxes, and from the increasingly popular bucket of eggs on the bar counter.
Forthcoming events are to include an Italian Night at the Loose Box Pizzeria, and the organiser of Threlkeld’s annual B.B.Q. has offered to donate this year’s profit to the appeal. Chris Boninington kindly gave one of the sweaters he wore on Everest and this will be put up for public auction through Radio Cumbria.|
Retirement after fifty years
Keswick builder Leslie Swainson is retiring today after fifty years with the same firm.
The second youngest of a large family — he had four sisters and five brothers — Leslie left school fifty-one years ago this summer and first went to work for Mr. Bainbridge at Shu-le-Crow gardens. But after a few months he decided he would like to be in the building trade and in early April fifty years ago he joined the firm of Isaac & Robin Hodgson Ltd. as an apprentice under the late Mr. Robin Hodgson and Mr. Harold Hodgson. Apart from the war years, when he served with the Tank Corps, Leslie has been with I. & R. Hodgson Ltd. for all his working life.
For the last part of his career Leslie has been a foreman for the firm and well respected for his craft.
Unfortunately he has been on the sick list for the past few weeks and will retire without being able to go back to work as he would have wished.
Leslie and his wife, Pat, live in Otley Road. Their only son Ralph is in business in the town as a plumber.
Mountain champions
Keswick runners Ken Stuart and Pauline Haworth won the “King and Queen of the Mountains” trophies in the International Mountain Challenge series which ended at Rydal on Sunday.
And it was England all the way in the overall results of the first ever international event in the Lake District with the home nation running out clear winners of the team prize.
Stuart wound up the week with an easy win in the nine mile Fairfield Horseshoe, three minutes ahead of Jack Maitland, the Scot who was runner up in the series overall.
The ladies race went to Pauline Haworth in 92mins. 16secs.
Highlight of the entire week’s programme was undoubtedly Ken Stuart’s record breaking performance on Thursday night in the 1½ mile Grasmere Dash over the famous course of the guides race, probably the best known fell race course in the country. Ken ran the course in 12mins. 1sec. To clip 36 seconds off his own amateur record and 20 seconds off the professional record held by Fred Reeves.
In Thursday’s race Pauline Haworth set a course record for ladies of 16mins. 13secs. And there was a tremendous tussle for the veterans prize with Peter Hall (Barrow) outsprinting Dave Spedding (Keswick) by just one second
50 years ago
Dunkirk pilgrimage
For the 35th anniversary of the Dunkirk evacuation, when thousands of British and Allied servicemen were brought from the area by vessels of all kinds, the Dunkirk Veterans’ Association is planning its 20th annual pilgrimage. This will take place from tomorrow, May 24th to Tuesday, May 27th.
Dunkirk veteran Mr. Alex Davidson is joining this pilgrimage, and will lay a wreath at the Dunkirk Memorial on behalf of the Keswick Branch of the Royal British Legion.
It is expected that a number of the original “Little Ships” of Dunkirk – house boats and longshore boats to mention just two kinds – will make the crossing.
Fish
It was a fishy story to end all fishy stories . . . the day 16-year-old Peter Hampson and his 21-year-old chum Harry Standing lassoed a whopper.
Peter, of the Swan Hotel, Thornthwaite, and Harry, from Ladstock, took a boat out on to Bassenthwaite on Sunday when they spotted a giant pike basking in the water. Neither are expert fishermen, and the way they went about landing their fish would have made many anglers turn in their watery graves.
Using a rope, the two young men lassoed the pike by the tail. What a surprise they got when they hauled it in – it was 3ft. 8ins long and weighed 28lb. And the stranded pike? Well, a few hours later he was reported to be feeling pretty cut about the whole business!
