FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[Stanley]

Not local but I found this family group in a second-hand shop in New Prague, Minnesota. I love it, I got her name off the back, Mrs Leo Marcz. I wonder if she was a widow? Striking mother and lovely kids....

[Stanley]

Elizabeth Bracewell (in black) with her family on holiday in about 1900. I think it was at Southport. This was after she had successfully fought her case against the Bracewell Estate and bankrupted the partnership. A formidable woman!

[Cathy]

Thanks Stanley, not sure but I think we have a Bracewell connection somewhere.

[Thomo]

Here is one of my Mother and Sister at Bracewell Hall in 1937:-



And following the current vogue for Family groups here is my Great Grandfather and his family:-



At centre, Great Grandfather John Walsh (one of the Blackburn Poets) his wife Nancy. Clockwise from top left, Milton, Arthur Richard ( my Grandfather) Florence Jane, Frederick Charles, Herbert, Ernest. Bottom centre Angelo Walter (the youngest) Annie, Clara and Hilda.

Angelo was originally Christen Angelo Wilhelm, he moved to Canada pre WW1 and changed his name at the outbreak of War, prior to being a member of the CEF in France.

[Stanley]

Not the most interesting image but this is the site of the original Lister Well on Whitemoor. It is in the field on the top side of Lister Well Lane whereas the later stone trough was sited in the field opposite on the lower side of the lane. The actual source is further up the higher field in a small planting. The farmer found evidence that the large stone trough was being prepared for removal, theft, and so lifted it and took it home for safety. Last time I saw it it was at Lower Sandiford Farm.

[Stanley]

Not a pretty sight. This is part of a common service pipe to several old houses and is the owner's responsibility. The carred up metal pipe is probably 120 years old and dates from when we first got piped water in the town. Many older properties in Barlick and Earby have service pipes like this and sometimes they are long common runs up back streets. Out of sight, out of mind but eventually they fail and have to be renewed. Despite the big mains cleaning and refurbishment of a few years ago there are many miles of pipe like this, a forgotten corner that in the end will be very expensive.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

Elslack reservoir on October 3 2005. Out of sight, out of mind but I'll bet it's just as low at the moment.

[Wendyf]

Had a lovely walk around there a couple of weeks ago Stanley and the reservoir was quite low.
Started at the lay-by up on the moor, went over Pinhaw, round the edge of the moor and back to the next cattle grid, down through the woods past the reservoir and on to the Tempest Arms for some light refreshment. Return journey along the old railway track to Thornton in Craven then back up the Pennine Way.
If you click on the link below, then click on satellite view you can see the walk from above.
Here

[Tripps]

Isn't that clever?

I just 'walked' the whole route. Can I call that today's physiotherapy?

I wish.

[Wendyf]

Hope you enjoyed a pint sitting outside the Tempest Arms.

[Bodger]

Stanley, a bit of nostagia for you, transport related years ago. plenty of pics of north west company trucks
http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtop ... e2b7c285d6

[Stanley]

Nice bit of nostalgia Bodge. I like the one outside Elk....



Old pic of Elslack cottage with a ghost image on the doorstep. Must have been a very long exposure. Incidentally this is why old pics of streets often look deserted, exposure couldn't pick up moving objects.

[Stanley]

German POWs at White House Farm, Elslack about 1945.

[Stanley]

The view from the kitchen window at Hey Farm in 1977. Vera could keep an eye on her babies while she was doing the washing up.

[Stanley]

The air raid shelter at Bancroft. Originally built with no windows of course and after the war used as a storage space for the highly iflammable dirty sweepings out of the shed. The mixture of oil and cotton could combust spontaneously and by regulation, they had to be stored in a separate building.

[David Whipp]

Chatted to Alison's dad about Horace Green's at Cononley when we visited yesterday. Eric worked for the company all his working life, apart from his stint of National Service. He began as an apprentice when he was 15.

Here are a few snippets from our chat.

The company made electric motors. A lot of their trade was with the Coal Board, as the firm had developed higher voltage and flame proof motors for use in mines. 1,100 volts was typical, allowing a lower amperage underground.

As well as taking power from the National Grid, the company generated their own power using a 16 cylinder diesel marine engine to run two generators. There was an 8,000 gallon diesel tank. The power generated was used for testing motors and also supplied power for the electric melt furnace and the workshops.

There was a coke furnace; the two furnaces were used to produce the appropriate quality for each particular use, with some castings needing more steel in them. Iron was supplied from the North East (Middlesborough?).

The firm was badly affected by the changes in coal mining. The increasing use of hydraulics for lifts (rather than motors at the top of shafts) led to a downturn in business and the Common Market meant there was more competition.

The firm closed in the 1990s, a couple of years after Eric retired.

[Stanley]

Good stuff David. Johnny Pickles said their motors were the best you could get and I wouldn't argue with him. I have two on Johnny's old lathes. the same ones he bought in 1927 and 1956. I had them both rewound at Nelson and they took so long doing it they refused to charge me when they delivered them over a year later. Good men. The milking pump at Demesne had a very old Horace Green motor and when David Drinkall had the system refurbished the engineers advised replacing it as it was so old. I told him to ignore them and if he didn't believe me to ring the firm at Silsden who specialised in second hand motors and ask them what they thought about them. He kept the old one!



This is the 1hp motor on Johnny’s big OT lathe. Incredibly heavy and about the same size as a 10hp one would be today. It will last me out!

[Stanley]

Here's my other Horace Green motor, the 1/3hp single phase that drives Johnny's 1927 lathe in the front room. For its power, just as heavily built as the 1hp on the big lathe. Building to this standard meant that Green's couldn't compete with the modern, lighter motors that 'did their job' and were expendable. I have a 3/4hp Taiwan motor which I used on this lathe while I was waiting for the original. It is tiny by comparison and very light.

[David Whipp]

Eric is very proud of his work at Horace Green's; will try and get a few tales out of him next time we go over.

On another subject, there's a current discussion on Facebook about why Lister Well Road is known as Occupation Road. I've said I think it's to do with enclosures and the road being for the occupiers of the land. Am happy to be shot down in flames; what's the correct reason?

Also, one of the fb posts enquired about the trough for the well itself; I copied Stanley's recent post and picture on the subject, saying it was a post on OGFB.

(Edit - I must have been thinking of electrical 'tails' when I typed the above; have now corrected it to 'tales'...)

[Stanley]

Quite right David. 'Occupation Road' is a semi-legal term that describes any recognised route to gain access to land without trespassing on other people's property. When the moor was enclosed in the early 1800s a customary track up to the Lister Well was designated an occupation road to enable enclosure holders to get to their land. All the new enclosures open off it. So both names are correct, the old one for Lister Well and the later one of Occupation Road. You'll find 'occupation roads in almost every district for this reason.

[David Whipp]

Thanks Stanley.

[Stanley]

Funnily enough, the thing that started me off writing local history articles for the BET was a direct result of a bit of mis-information about the origin of the name 'Occupation Road'. Someone wrote that it was named because of the Roman Occupation. I wrote a letter to the paper pointing out that this was wrong and this started a correspondence that led to Roy Prenton asking me to write Stanley's View. That first intervention was on February 25th 2000 and since then, with the odd missing Xmas edition, I have written one every week. Almost 15 years, amazing, and I often wonder whether they have had any influence on the town and how the inhabitants see it. I hope so.....

[David Whipp]

In the facebook discussion, the myth about it being for the Roman's occupying the area was repeated...

I for one much appreciate the articles (though I tend to read them on here nowadays).

[Stanley]

It's amazing how differing views of historical subjects survive. A good thing actually because it provokes debate and the actual evidence gradually emerges. The site of the original Saxon church is a good example. I can't see how the evidence points to anything but Calf Hall area but there are still people who are convinced it was at Gill. Nowt wrong with that, everyone is entitled to their view.