Looking back into The Keswick Reminder’s archives from 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago.
20 years ago
Manhunt after three flee into the hills
Police launched a manhunt in the early hours of Tuesday after three men who had broken into an electrical goods shop in St John’s Street in Keswick rammed a pursuing vehicle then made off into the fells after assaulting police officers and being sprayed with CS gas.
The stolen Range Rover was followed over Honister Pass and rammed a police car at Buttermere following the raid on the shop shortly after 1 am. The vehicle, containing the three suspects, was finally brought to a halt at Lanthwaite Green between Buttermere and Lorton.
A Cumbria Police spokesman said that two officers who attempted to detain the men were assaulted, but managed to spray CS gas into the car. The three men made off on to the fellside and made their escape although the police say the effects of the CS spray would have been obvious.
Words by the water
Lord Melvyn Bragg, who is president of the Words by the Water literature festival at Theatre by the Lake, believes that Keswick is about to become “an institution on the increasingly impressive British Festival map.”
A star-studded cast is being assembled for the town’s second literary festival which takes place from March 18 to 23. The list of speakers includes politicians Ann Widdecombe and Lord Hattersley, theatrical experts Sheridan Morley and George Baker, Tipping the Velvet author Sarah Waters and TV adaptor Andrew Davies plus leading broadcasters such as Kate Adie, Libby Purves and Sue MacGregor.
Words by the Water organiser Kay Dunbar said: “The first festival proved a huge success and judging by the range of prestigious speakers this one should follow suit. Even supermodel Sophie Dahl, who has written a novel, will be speaking at the festival following in the footsteps of her famous grandfather Roald Dahl”.
Kay Dunbar and Stephen Bristow already organise long running Literature Festivals at Dartington and Southwold, and Lord Bragg believes the Keswick festival can establish itself in that same field.
“Two centuries ago the Wordsworths, the Southeys, the Coleridges, Charles Lamb and others walked and talked of literature as many continued to do over the last two hundred years. That tradition is now formally and, I hope, indefinitely re-established,” he said.
“Keswick and literature are made for each other. The only puzzle is that the Words by the Water Festival took so long to get there.”
30 years ago
Storm damage
Severe storms affected many residents of Keswick and the surrounding rural area last Friday. More than five hundred homes were without electricity following storm damage to power lines.
The high winds brought trees down on to an overhead line at Thornthwaite and the A66 between Braithwaite and Thornthwaite was closed for some time on Friday afternoon to enable Norweb to bring in new power lines.
A spokesman for Norweb said at one stage there were some 1,200 customers without electricity in an area stretching from West Cumbria to the East Fellside. Incidents were “wide-spread but scattered”, he said.
A large number of trees were blown down throughout the district including one across the northbound carriageway of the A591 at Thirlmere.
Traffic management
Keswick Chamber of Trade is again asking Cumbria County Council’s Highways Department to look at traffic flow plans drawn up by hotelier Peter Williams of the town’s Queen’s Hotel.
The scheme was revealed at a public meeting in the autumn to discuss the proposed traffic management scheme for Keswick. Traders also say they would prefer a roundabout to traffic lights at the busy Tithebarn Street junction. The roundabout could be put in on a trial basis.
40 years ago
Calling all cooks!
All cooks, both professional and amateur, living in Cumbria are invited to take part in the “1983 Great Cumbria Cookery Competition.”
Entrants will be asked to devise a suitable menu for a Cumbrian-style “Farmhouse Tea,” using local Cumbrian produce and likely to appeal to visitors to the area. Six finalists will be invited to prepare their own menus at a grand ‘cook-off’ at Cumbria College of Agriculture and Forestry, Newton Rigg, Penrith, on Wednesday, March 9th.
Judges will include Catherine Brown, Editor of the ‘Taste of Scotland’ Cookery Manual, John Ely, radio’s own ‘Galloping Gourmet,’ and Bronwen Nixon, proprietor of the Rothay Manor Country House Hotel and winner of the ‘Stop for Tea’ award in 1981.
50 years ago
Death of Mr F. Scott
Residents of Portinscale heard with regret of the sudden death on Saturday night of Mr. Frank Scott, Low Portinscale, who was found dead at his home. He was 63.
Born in the village, Mr. Scott was apprenticed to a Keswick joinery firm until he was called up during the last-war. After a while in the Army he was attached to a special unit operating from London under the direction of the Foreign Office, and after the war he was invited to remain as a Civil Servant, serving with a similar unit until he retired because of injury sustained in his earlier days.
He returned to Portinscale about eight years ago and lived with his sister, Miss Ida Scott, who predeceased him about three years ago.
Mrs. D. Bardgett – an appreciation
The whole town was shocked by the tragic accident in Keswick last Friday, resulting in the death of Mrs. Dorothy Bardgett.
Her late husband Tom Bardgett died twenty-seven years ago, and since then she gave many years of devoted service to the nursing of her father and mother.
She was kind, considerate for others, and had wonderful patience with older people, and used these special gifts to help many who were in need of help and comfort.
From the foundation of Abbeyfield she has been closely associated with its development and administration, and the committee, of which she was a member, relied implicitly on her advice and judgement, and always her services were available.
The resident ladies of Abbeyfield greatly enjoyed her warm friendship, cheerfulness and good humour, as well as the excellence of her cooking.
She will be greatly missed by her many friends, all of whom would wish to extend their sympathy to her only son David, and his wife and family.
The following week: When Keswick said goodbye to Herdwick shepherd Wilson Bainbridge
