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
Ferry journey update
Record low water levels for Derwentwater have meant that Keswick Launch Company’s new addition to its fleet has been left stranded on the foreshore, near the boat landings, partly in the water since its arrival in Keswick last Thursday night.
On Tuesday special air bags were brought in an attempt to get the catamaran into the water, however, this was unsuccessful and the ferry is now stuck in the mud as it is, apparently, heavier than first thought. The intention was to offload the catamaran straight into Derwentwater, but the wheels of the low loader got stuck because of the large amount of silt near the shore.
The steel-bottomed boat, which survived the long sea journey from the River Thames in London to Workington docks and then along the A66 on the low loader to Derwentwater, carries up to 160 passengers and will be of particular use in the winter months enabling the launch operators to take their wooden launches out of the lake earlier.
One of the company’s staff admitted: “We are praying for rain, which is unusual for us as a tourist business. The lake level is the lowest it has been for years. One of our drivers says he hasn’t seen it as low in 30 years.”
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
So, it’s official! Keswick is now the Blackpool of the Lake District! With the arrival of the “Monstrosity-on-the-Lake” all pretence by the “authorities” to preserve the beauty, tranquillity and harmony on Derwentwater is gone. Who in the world has allowed this ugly lump of decaying iron and prefabricated ‘school-room’ to be dumped in to our beautiful lake?
Who is now going to believe any promises made to us that our lakeshore area is to be “enhanced” by future developments? How could anyone be so insensitive as to believe that this hideous “vessel” would be an asset to the town? Of course they didn’t — they just wanted the money from packing tourists like sardines into the box.
I appeal to all visitors and residents alike to boycott this affront to our senses. If no visitors or locals turn up to “grace its decks” perhaps the thoughtless owners will be forced to abandon their schemes?
(But then, who will pay for it to be removed for ever, I wonder!)
Sue Grant
Thornthwaite
30 years ago
St. John’s bid farewell to vicar
The Revd. Nigel Holmes and his wife, Judith, and their son, Francis, left Keswick this week for South Yorkshire where Mr. Holmes will become Vicar of St. John the Baptist, Mexborough.
At last Sunday morning’s Eucharist the chairman of the P.C.C., churchwarden Ray Trickey, presented them with a gift from the parishioners — a Cumbria Crystal claret jug in the ‘Keswick’ design — and a cheque for £300. There was a box of Derwent pencils for Francis.
Mr. Trickey paid tribute to the work done by Father Nigel during the comparatively short time of his ministry in Keswick. During the past three years St. John’s has had the heating system installed, the windows double glazed, and repairs done to the spire and the tower. Many other projects have been begun or are under discussion, and a Stewardship campaign and fund raising for the Restoration Fund have been started.
Keswick Town Council – “Escort Brigade”
Sergeant Jim McMonies of Keswick Police attended the Town Council meeting and gave an assurance that the activities of the local “Escort Brigade” are under close review. He said drivers had been spoken to and a number of prosecutions were pending.
Councillor Ron Munby said young people with cars were “flying up and down the town”, continuing to be a danger.
Sergeant McMonies said the ultimate deterrent was for the police to get traffic department vehicles into the town, and he added that Borrowdale Road has been a particular source of complaints.
40 years ago
Royal Oak, Braithwaite wins the “head waiter” prize
A group of twenty-nine waiters and waitresses from Keswick area hotels and restaurants showed just why they are adept at providing a first class speedy service on Sunday when they raced through the streets in the town centre in the annual Waiters and Waitresses Race organised by the local Licensed Victuallers Association.
The winner was David Russell, catering manager at the Royal Oak, Braithwaite, who only just pipped Mario Perito, restaurant manager of the Cellar in Lake Road, for the title.
David, still managing to look cool despite his high speed dash carrying drinks on his tray and clad in his restaurant uniform of dark jacket and trousers and bow tie, said: “I really took part just to join in the spirit of the occasion. However I was determined to try and win.” He kept most of the contents of his miniature whisky bottle, Perrier water, glass, sponge and beer mats intact for the “measure in” at the finishing line in the Pack Horse Yard – no mean achievement after racing from Lake Road, round the crowded Market Square and through the main streets with a pack of fast moving rivals at his heels.
His closest rival Mario admitted that he trained on a mixture of jogging and plenty of pasta. Third place went to Mark Daniels (Cookie’s Kitchen) with Christine Stephenson, part of the Pheasant Inn bar staff, the first lady finisher.
The team award went to the Rembrandt Restaurant while first veteran was Jim Dunn. licensee of the Swinside Inn, who had a good excuse for bringing up the rear as he ran in fancy dress and also took the collection for local charities.
As if the waiters and waitresses didn’t bring enough colour and chaos to the centre of Keswick, they were followed round by competitors in a fancy dress wheelbarrow race, organised by Keswick Round Table.
First home were John Cook and Kirsty Dunn from Swinside while Sean Gaskell and Graeme Sibson won the junior prize.
Round Table chairman Hilton Gaskell and Keswick and District L.V.A. chairman Marion Wright judged the fancy dress and awarded first prize to the topical Ascot ladies, Judy Price of the Lake Road Vaults and Linda Mattinson. Runners-up were Eric Mattinson and Michael Bryden.
Hot dogs
The man involved in the row over sales of hot dogs and hamburgers from a stall in Keswick’s Market Square claims that he has considerable backing from local customers as well as visitors. Mr. Stan Preece of Maryport said this week that he felt jealousy on the part of a handful of local businesspeople was behind moves to get him out of town.
Keswick Town Council have asked Allerdale to bring in legislation to put an end to the late night sales in the town centre although Mr. Preece says there is a large demand for his services.
“I’m not trying to compete with established traders. The majority of my business is done after the clubs and discos have closed late at night when other premises are shut,” he said. “There is so much money being made in Keswick by local businesspeople that they don’t want to give a penny up. It boils down to plain jealousy.”
Mr. Preece added: “A lot of things have been said about my business which give a totally false impression. I am no cowboy trying to muscle in. My business is properly registered, I have factory premises in West Cumbria and run a fleet of eight sales vans operating throughout the district.
“People tend to think because I have mobile vans that I don’t pay taxes, rent or V.A.T. In fact I have all the expenses of any other business and I am paying nearly £200 a month in rent,” he stated.
Mr. Preece says if he is forced off the streets of Keswick it will have a serious impact on his business. He has eight salesmen and added: “The Government is crying out for individuals to start small businesses, but I am still getting opposition from the Councils and the very people who keep telling folk to go out and do this sort of thing.”
In response to local claims that he is trading from the Market Place car park without authority, Mr. Preece said he had written to Allerdale Council in January. As he got no reply he presumed it was alright to continue. He has consent to trade with a trolley from near the Post Office corner, but says he prefers to bring a van on to the Market Square because it cuts his costs.
Editorial
The issue of hot food stalls in Keswick really is not as simple as the owner of the late-night stall on the Market Square would like to believe. It certainly does not rest on the “jealousy” of Keswick businessmen, even those who sell food in a restaurant or a fish and chip shop, as the gentleman from Maryport claims.
Surely the main point for discussion is whether the people of Keswick wish to have hot food stalls on the streets at any time of the day or night. Consideration must be given to those who live in the Market Square and whose homes become filled with the stale smell of cooking which at night can be particularly sickening. There are also two large hotels and several smaller ones in the Square whose windows cannot be opened because of the smell or the noise are not going to be popular with visitors. Hotels and business premises in Keswick are heavily rated, and ratepayers must be given consideration before a stall-holder from another town who pays no rates here and from his own admission, appears to have no written permission from the District Council to set up his stall up on the Market Square.
It would indeed be sad if all the good work done during the past two or three years by the Publicity Association, the Chamber of Trade, and many individual businessmen should be undermined by the lowering of standards forced upon us by the intrusion of hot-dog stalls and the like.
50 years ago
Letter to the Editor
Dear Sir,–In your edition of 14th June, 1974, Major Davidson and others pose the question of what should be done at Keswick to celebrate the bi-centenary of Southey’s birth.
I would suggest that although from time to time Keswick has claimed Southey as one of her distinguished citizens, his true worth has rarely been realised here.
My great great great uncle, Thomas Story Spedding, attended Southey’s funeral. He recorded in his diary that although “Wordsworth at the funeral to take leave, he said, of a friend of fifty years standing ‘yet’ Keswick showed no sign of respect to the memory of so eminent an inhabitant who had lived here constantly for near forty years.”
T.S.S. recalls “Southey was in truth not one of the immortals, neither yet a mortal of diffusive sympathies — a man of letters in the strictest sense — living among books and book men and little known personally to his nearest neighbours. Yet in proportion as he was exclusive, he was cordial and sincere — excellent in the private relations of life — a true though melancholic and desponding philanthropist and withal a good man.”
Certainly Southey added something to the concept of the laureateship, but surely it is as a man of letters and as a philanthropist and, as Major Davidson has stated, as a devotee of Keswick that he should be recalled upon the bi-centenary of his birth.
Clearly a reading of poetry and prose would be of interest, but the true Southey would, I suggest, be better discovered in a carefully illustrated exposition of his work.
Yours truly,
John Spedding
Mirehouse
Bob Graham’s Memorial
Efforts are to be made to set up a permanent memorial in Keswick to the late Bob Graham, whose round of 42 major Lakeland peaks inside 24 hours, completed in 1932, remains to this day the “fell runners’ ultimate”.
The small group of modern-day athletes and mountaineers who have emulated the feat of Bob Graham, who was a guest house proprietor in Keswick, belong to fell running’s most exclusive club — the Bob Graham 24 Hour Club.
The chairman of that club, Mr. Fred Rogerson, Windermere, feels that Keswick should have some permanent record of Graham’s outstanding feat — a record which stood untouched for 28 years. He is anxious to meet people who knew Graham and have old cuttings, photographs etc., about him.
“I wonder just how many Keswick people remember Bob Graham or, indeed, have even heard about him. It would be nice to set up some permanent exhibition in the town, preferably at the Moot Hall where his famous round began and ended,” he said.
