Monthly Feature Page
Saint Faiths video footage
Stephen Beaumont
As we have added Stephen’s personal reminiscences of Hatfeild Hall to the site this month, it seemed a good idea to also add a little about the man himself.
Group Captain (Flight Lieutenant during the Battle) Stephen Beaumont, who died in 1997, aged 87, fought as a 30-year-old Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain until his 26-year-old squadron commander felt that, at such an advanced age, his survival was unlikely.His life was probably saved by the decision but at the time he was most reluctant to be posted, as an instructor and flight commander, to an Operational Training Unit (OTU). Once there he helped to produce hastily trained Hurricane and Spitfire pilots to replace the high daily casualties. Beaumont was thus spared the perils of several sorties a day against experienced Luftwaffe pilots, many of them "blooded" in the Spanish Civil War. He served with distinction as a station commander and staff officer.
Beaumont's background was quite unlike that of RAF regulars and his opponents. He was a solicitor who had learned to fly at his own expense. In 1936 he had become a "weekend flyer" in No 609 (West Riding) Squadron in the Auxiliary, later Royal Auxiliary, Air Force. With the coming of war in 1939 the squadron replaced its obsolete Hart and Hind biplanes with Spitfires.During the "phoney war", the squadron undertook defence patrols over the north of England and Scotland: when France and the Low Countries were invaded in May 1940, 609 was ordered south.
On June 11, Beaumont and eight other pilots were dispatched to Warmwell in Dorset to rendezvous with an Imperial Airways Flamingo containing Winston Churchill and escort it to Briare, near Orleans in falling France. Two days later he again escorted the Flamingo, which this time carried the Prime Minister and Lords Halifax and Beaverbrook to Tours in a bid to keep France in the war.Beaumont recalled:
The airfield at Tours must have been a good example of the disintegration into which France had sunk. Here we were with the Prime Minister and, initially there was no one there to meet him. Tours airfield with its uncut grass and shabby buildings, resembling a bankrupt flying club, was totally unlike our spruce RAF stations. If this was an aerodrome of the French Air Force, then its morale must have been rock bottom.
When, at the end of May, the BEF was evacuated from Dunkirk, Beaumont flew sorties against heavy odds to provide a semblance of fighter cover for troops on the beaches. Subsequently, after fighting in the early part of the Battle of Britain, he left the squadron, having served briefly as its acting commander. Years afterwards, George Darley, the 26-year-old who had taken over in 1940 greeted him: "Hello Beau, still alive? That's due to me!".
When Beaumont left 609, seven of the 12 pilots with whom he had gone to war were dead and two were invalids. Of an additional 12 who had joined later, only three were alive. Posted to No 7 OTU at Hawarden, Beaumont found life "restful" after the stress of operations over the Channel and southern England. One of his pupils was Wing Commander Ira "Taffy" Jones who had been awarded the DSO, MC, DFC and MM in the First World War. Beaumont's task was to introduce the gallant veteran to the Spitfire. So impressed was the Wing Commander that upon being appointed to command a new OTU at Turnhouse, Edinburgh, he recruited Beaumont as chief instructor with the rank of Squadron leader.
In July 1941 Beaumont moved on to Fighter Command’s No 9 Group defending the North West and was mentioned in despatches. Feigning puzzlement about this he told enquirers that the mention was for designing the layout of WAAF sleeping quarters. In fact he had played an important part in organising the design of the Group’s new fighter stations.In August 1942 Beaumont was promoted Wing Commander and posted to Andreas on the Isle of Man.
The posting was urgent as his predecessor had crashed a Whitley bomber on a joy ride killing himself and six passengers including a woman friend. As a solicitor Beaumont was ideal for the mission. He discovered that on the afternoon of the flight the last entry in the station commanders mess book was two bottles of port.Andreas was a diversionary airfield for Flying Fortress bombers coming in from the United States and Beaumont invariably welcomed pilots and crews. When Beaumont greeted a top sergeant who bad just landed on the Isle of Man, the American airman remarked: "Say colonel, I always knew England was it little island but I didn't know it was as small as this".
In the spring of 1943 Beaumont briefly commanded Woodvale on the Lancashire coast before moving to Zeals in Wiltshire, where he boldly amalgamated the RAF and WAAF messes. Posted as group captain in July 1943 to No 84 Group, 2nd Tactical Air Force, in the role of Deputy Air Officer Administration, he was soon involved in preparations for the D-Day invasion on June 6. In Normandy he lived and worked in the back of a three-ton truck complete with washbasin. After being invalided home with hepatitis he returned to 2nd TAF in time for VE Day.
Stephen Gerald Beaumont was born on May 2 1910, the eldest of three sons of Gerald Beaumont of Hatfeild Hall, Wakefield. His father, who had been awarded the MC and Bar in the First World War, headed the family firm of Greaves, Atter & Beaumont, solicitors. Young Stephen was educated at Oundle and New College, Oxford. In 1931, after visiting Kenya, he entered the family firm. After his father's death he took on increased responsibilities in his twenties. Yorkshire clients and colleagues accepted his youth, but were inclined to comment: "We like thee lad but we can't always understand your Oxford accent".
After the war Beaumont became Clerk to the Governors of Wakefield charities, Clerk to the Commissioners of Tax, Secretary of the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce, Deputy Coroner for Wakefield and Chairman of the Wakefield Hospital Management Group. During the next 50 years he said that the appointment which brought him most satisfaction was the clerkship of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation consolidated charities.
In 1967 Beaumont was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the West Riding of Yorkshire, and in 1979 High Sheriff of West Yorkshire. Beaumont's sense of humour was proverbial. As High Sheriff he was responsible for judges' lodgings and he liked to tell of how he appointed a replacement house-keeper after a lady lawyer complained that her smalls had not been washed.
In retirement at Devizes in Wiltshire, Beaumont liked to read poetry. He particularly enjoyed Lear and Belloc, whose verse he imitated wittily. He was also a keen historian and published histories of Wakefield rural district council and of the sheriffs of Yorkshire and Wiltshire.
Beaumont was awarded the OBE in 1945 and twice mentioned in dispatches.
Stephen Beaumont married first, in 1936, Elisabeth Joan Porter Kaye, who died in 1976 and secondly, in 1979, Mrs Marjorie Douglas who also predeceased him. He had two sons and a daughter by his first marriage.
This month we have added a video showing the current condition of the old church building
This month we have two poems written by Saint Peters pupils in the 1970s
The Pit Tragedy
Down in the woods of 19 acres,
Now so dark and deep and black.
Stands a pit, a tomb of miners,
Once they’re down they don’t come back.
Trapped inside the three mile graveyard,
Rescue teams pray for their lives.
Weeping men are captive down there,
Waiting for their lonesome wives.
All the bells toll in the churches,
Then the clock strikes 12 o’clock.
Now the crosses are erected,
In a graveyard made of rock.
Memories of the mine in Stanley,
Coal dust, rock and cruel brown earth.
Linger on in the 19 acres,
Down beneath the grassy turf.
By Andrew Steele, aged 12, 1975
The Kingfisher
The Kingfisher waits beside the stream,
His beautiful feathers all agleam.
In dazzling shades of blue and green,
He waits. At last a fish he’s seen.
Down from a twig he drops like a stone,
Under the water, straight - he’s gone!
Then up, from the water like a blue streak,
With a silver fish held in his beak.
By Jayne Manns, aged 10 , 1976
This month marks the closure of the old Pinderfields Hospital, it has been replaced by a new state of the art building of the same name that has been built alongside. Having served the area for many years the photos below were taken this week as a lasting reminder of a place that holds memories good, and bad for us all. Pinderfields was originally part of the West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum. It was built to house recently diagnosed mental patients, keeping them totally separate in an entirely new building. The Acute Hospital opened on March 8th, 1900, at a total cost of £69,000. When the Second World War broke out in 1939 the hospital was designated as an emergency hospital to treat injured solders, casualties from Dunkirk were brought to the hospital for treatment, as were victims of the Hull air raids. Farmland next to the hospital was bought to extend the hospital and the mental patients were transferred to other asylums across Yorkshire. The first matron, Alice Whaley, took an immediate dislike to the name of the hospital, Wakefield Emergency Hospital and realising that the hospital stood on the site of fields once occupied by the Pinder of Wakefield, she persuaded the hospital board to re-name it 'Pinder Fields.
Photos around the hospital 6/3/11
Taken by George Parfitt & Shaun Parkin
If you have any photos of Pinderfields past or present that we could use on the site, please contact us
There can be no graver threat to our heritage than from fire. A sudden and inexorable enemy, it forestalls conservationists’ protests and leaves the historian no time to record detail. This month marks the 100 anniversary of the fire which ravaged St. Peters Church, so for Februarys monthly feature page we thought we would take a look back at that devastating period in the churches history.
Stanley was the first of the many 19th Century churches to be built within the vast populous parish of Wakefield. Like Alverthorpe (consecrated in 1825) and Thorne’s (consecrated in 1831) it was built from the “Million” Fund – money voted by Parliament for church building from the sum paid by Austria as indemnity following the Napoleonic wars. The foundation stone was laid by Francis Maude of Hatfeild Hall, on September 13th 1822. On September 6th 1824, the Rev Samuel Sharpe, Vicar of Wakefield and patron of the new living, received the Archbishop of York at the west door and St. Peters was consecrated. The Rev G W Lewis was instituted as the first Vicar.
Cramped
In the early years of St Peters, Stanley had the status only of an Ecclesiastical District. It became a more independent parish in 1856, a year after Sharp’s death. The original church was perpendicular in style, but with the unusual feature of the twin battlemented towers which remain today at is west end. Lacking either a chancel or distinct aisles, the interior, must have seemed, despite its height, cramped by the galleries, which extended from the windows into the nave and by the high box pews. Changes came in the middle years of the century when, in 1851, John Maude of Moor House gave £1100 for the erection of piers and arches to form aisles, a small chancel and a timber ceiling.
Richard Burrell, who had been a curate at Horbury and was Vicar from 1852 until his death in 1888, was responsible for further alterations, notably removal of the galleries and box pews and provision of a chancel screen. Accounts of the fire, on February 18th 1911, are a reminder of how buildings were even more vulnerable before the development of the present swift and comprehensive service. It seems the fire began when flames from a stove were sucked by a strong draught from the flue through a hole made by a penetrating beam into a space above the wooden ceiling.
Hours later
It was just after 3pm when Mr Burton of the Thatched House Inn, saw smoke coming from the church roof and rushed to the Vicarage to give the alarm. The report in the Wakefield Herald continues: At 3.35pm a telephonic message was received at the City Police Station to the effect that Stanley Church was on fire and ten minutes later the information was confirmed in a telegram from the Vicar, the Rev J B Bolland. But as Stanley is outside the Wakefield Fire Brigade area, Mr Harris, Chief Constable, who is Captain of the Fire Brigade, had to obtain the sanction of the Mayor before he could respond to the call. No time was lost however, for a five minutes to four the large fire engine and half the brigade started for the scene of the conflagration. Mr Harris proceeded by taxi in advance in order to make arrangements for the fitting of the hydrants.
The earlier arrival of the District Councils fire brigade in the shape of its inspector, Mr Newton, a few men and hand hose, proved, the Herald said “absolutely futile”. Once the City Brigade had arrived the only problem was to obtain water. “Eventually a length of hose was attached to a beck near the bottom of the hill leading to the Calder, but the water being muddy the pipes soon became choked,” it was reported.
Courageous
At last a pipe was carried through the cemetery to a six inch main near Lake Lock School and the city men were able to pour “a heavy volume” of water onto the building. Meanwhile, the people of Stanley had not been idle. Some 20 or 30 members of the Village Institute rescued what movables they could, including alter, ornaments, cloths, parish registers and brass lectern given by the parishioners in memory of Mr Burrell.
A miner who was among the spectators “courageously went into belfry and rang the bell to give the alarm. He stayed so long that on leaving he was struck by a piece of falling wood and rendered unconscious.” The crowds having become “something tremendous” the ten or so police constables who had come to assist the brigades were kept busy preserving order.
The stone walls, the western end of the church and the towers were saved but the roof; the whole interior and the organ were gone. In this instance fire was not, ultimately, entirely disastrous. Within a week a building committee had been formed which included Cannon Welch, Vicar of Wakefield and patron, Archdeacon Donne, Vicar of Stanley, Mr H Beaumont of Hatfeild Hall, and MR H C Haldane of Clarke Hall. The sum of £6400 was received from the insurers, the Ecclesiastical Fire Office.
Improvement
The restoration was designed by Mr W Douglas Caroe, architect to the Ecclesiastical Commission, and the work was supervised by Mr Francis Ellison of the Wakefield architects practice, Watson Son and Ellison. The church was reopened on July 5th 1913, “The Herald” give its opinion of it in that weeks issue: The new or restored church is a great improvement on the original structure which so far as the interior was concerned, was plain to the verge of ugliness and was roofed in one span and had no chancel or aisles. A new chancel has been added, new arcading, and a new clerestory built above with arches on the north and south sides with barrel vaulting under to aid the acoustic properties.
External stonework was done in material from the Huddersfield quarries, chosen “to resist the acid laden atmosphere”. The roof was of red Oregon pine. A further feature welcomed by the Herald was the improvement to the West entrance, “converted from a bleak and barren open entrance into a closed stone vaulted porch.” The principle restoration provided a theme for the Bishop of Wakefield, Dr Eden, who reconstructed the building. He remarked that the early 19th Century churches, especially those built by the “Million Fund” were “very plain, unadorned and uninspiring buildings without a trace of real church feeling about them.” Reflecting on the restorations of the previous 40 years, Dr Eden suggested that “the care of our old churches would compare favourably with the care of many other ancient monuments” and spoke of the spirit which “impelled some to regard the restoration of their church as having precedence over the restoration of their own dwelling.”
Carved stalls
Although 100 years of its development have been lost Stanley Church stood rich in the individual features which go to making up a buildings history. The memorial lectern, saved from the fire, an organ, built by Messer’s Fitton and Haley, of Leeds, finished in 1921. But the most impressive pieces within the church were the choir stalls, completed to mark the churches centenary in 1924 and the work of a Nortowram woodcarver, H P Jackson.
Subsidence & demise of the building
In the 1920s and 1930s the church suffered from subsidence, caused by the workings in the Silkstone seam, Newmarket Colliery, with the result that the arches at the east end over the vaults had to be supported. Large wooden beams were inserted on the inside of the arches to try and prevent further movement, sadly this only slowed the problem, and when approached some years after the initial work the NCB refused to accept responsibility for the damage caused to the structure. Over the last 40 years each Vicar of Stanley has warned of the problems faced by the building, several suggestions were made but over time the building deteriorated to a point where it was no longer fit for purpose and was sadly forced to close in late 2001, moving the church to the old school building at Lake Lock.
Upon the 100th anniversary of the church fire, the buildings future is again uncertain, however what is important now is that the old church building be preserved and the community allowed to have positive input on any future plans for the building.
Doctor Who enthusiasts Alan Clark and his partner Christine Ineson are well known locally for their love of Dalek’s, having built several to date. The couple who live at Lake Lock Grove have allowed us access to their photo archive for use on the website. So we thought we would make a feature of it for January.
The first Dalek was built as a bet, the couple have a lot of themed parties from time to time and in June 2006 after a cowboy and Indian party someone said "why don’t we have a Dr who theme" Alan said "yeah I could build a Dalek" to which he was bet couldn't build one. Alan went out and bought a Dalek bubble bath to get some measurements from and scaled them up. Then while doing some more research into Daleks came across a Dalek builder’s forum that had all the measurements for all the types of Daleks. Eight months later, Dalek Maxx was born. Since then Maxx has done lots of charity work all over the country and has had loads of appearances on TV and in the local papers.
Storm & Maxx
Without doubt Alan’s most famous creation is Dalek Storm, at 6ft tall, 5ft long and 4ft wide and built from wood and an old electric wheelchair. It's fully mobile, complete with water cannons, neon lights and the obligatory voice-changer and weighs almost 23 stone. The name Storm stands for, Special.Tactical.Operations.Radioactive.Mutant or Storm for short. There is also a Dalek Storm web site at www.Dalekstorm.com. On there you can find pictures and videos of Storm and a "how Storm is put together" section.
Storm with Alan & Jasper the cat
The one thing that struck me during a recent visit to the couple’s home was how much work goes into these projects. Each component of the Dalek is painstakingly crafted from materials such as plywood and mdf before a coat of car body filler is applied to smooth all edges. Parts are then sanded to give a seamless finish before the completed article is spray finished before being kitted out with lights and motors. In short, these types of projects normally take a small team with a workshop 1000’s of man hours to build, so for one man to build several Daleks to such a high standard from his back garden is to be applauded.
Storm during construction
Once a Dalek is completed the work does not stop there, transporting a Dalek to local charity events involves a 1 hour strip down to enable it to be transported then a 1 hour rebuild upon arriving at the event. Something to consider if you are considering a build of your own!
Storm helping a motorist in need!
Photo taken outside the couples home in Stanley
More Dalek photos
Click any image to enlarge
Thank you to Alan & Christine for their help with the above article, watch this space for more great Dalek photos
For December we have a short Christmas story from the village
The Santa Clause Story
This story originates from the 1920s, it was told by Fred Smales who at that time lived in the old Who’d Have Thought It ale house (which today is the site of the health centre). After the ale house closed the building was converted into a cottage and occupied by the Smales family, the head of the house being Benny Smales.
Benny had three sons; Jack, Fred and Toby, he also had two daughters; Thora and Mary. Benny was a local miner who had a great sense of humour. For a miner raising a large family on very poor wages there was no spare money for treating the family at Christmas. One Christmas Eve the children were sat in front of the fire on a large home made peg rug, discussing their hopes on what Santa Clause might bring them.
Benny overheard the children, and knew that Santa would not be bringing any exiting presents that year; the best he could afford was an apple, an orange and a new penny for each of them. Not wanting to disappoint the children, he decided to formulate a plan where by he could avoid there disappointment on Christmas morning. He went out to the outhouse where he had a gun that he used for pigeon shooting. Loading the gun, he then went out into the garden and fired one shot into the night air, after doing so he replaced the gun and returned to the house. When he entered the house the children asked “what was the gunshot dad?” Benny replied “I am afraid I have some bad news for you all, it was Santa, he has gone and shot himself!"
This month’s feature is a series of photos taken during the June 2007 floods that hit the area. The photos are courtesy of Stacey-Lea McAllister and show Lime Pit Lane & Aberford Road at the height of the flooding.
This area was prone to flooding right up until the 1950s, it was common back then for it to be under water for weeks at a time. Drainage was added to eliminate the problem, but could not cope with the heavy rain that fell in June 2007.
Looking towards the Grove from Lime Pit Lane junction
A concerned resident looks on as the water rises
The drainage that was added in the 1950s could not cope with the amount of water that fell in such a short time
Lime Pit Lane Junction with Aberford Road
Looking back towards Spa Fold
Lime Pit Lane
The feature for October is one of our own articles from the October issue of the Going Local magazine and is about Stanley Church
The feature for September is about Jack Calvert, and a life well lived.
Many local people will remember Jack Calvert; he was a talented artist, musician and keen local historian. If you take a walk around Stanley today you will find his work hanging on the walls of pubs and in people’s homes. I had the privilege of visiting Jack at his home on Long Causeway several times; he would greet you with a warm welcome before inviting you into his home. Once inside he would show you some of his work that covered a large part of his living room, this ranged from paintings and sketches of local landmarks such as Newmarket Colliery to places he had visited in the Yorkshire Dales with his beloved wife. If my memory serves me correct he also loved planes and navy boats, having several paintings and models on display.
One of Jacks many sketches of Stanley
The Old British Oak, Stanley Hill
Jack was born on 6 March 1915, in his early years he lived on Canal Lane . His parent’s house was typical of the time, having a dry outside toilet with gas but no electricity. His father died when he was just 5 years old, which in his own words made his early life difficult. Jack went to the old Saint Peters School on Lake Lock before starting work as a pony driver at Newmarket Colliery aged 14. Working down the mines was hard in the 1920s, all the coal was brought to the surface by hand without the aid of machinery and accidents were common. One of the family’s few luxuries in those days was the crystal wireless radio; Jacks family had one of the first such sets in the village, something which he was proud of. His life long love of the Yorkshire Dales started at the age of 16 when he and two of his friends set off on their bicycle for a camping holiday that took them over the Buttertub’s Pass, over the coming years they would cycle to places such as Scarborough, Bridlington and Whitby.
Lane Ends
He eventually would take parties of cyclists to the East coast when in a local cycling club; they would stay overnight and get bed and breakfast for 3/6. To Jack village life was much easier and people friendlier in those days, you had to make your own entertainment outside work. There was the local cinema, the Clog & Rhubarb, on a Saturday afternoon you could get in for 1d. Swimming was popular; people would swim in the River Calder until late at night in the summer months. Jack never lost his love of Stanley, as with many older people in the village he did not particularly like the large housing estates that had been built since the 1950s or the closure of the local mines. Of my brief memories of Jack one thing comes to mind, when I asked him if he would change anything about his life his response was “not a thing”. This can only be described as a testament to a life well lived. With our ever more demanding lifestyles these days we could all do to stand back for a moment and learn a little from people such as Jack.
The old Toll House
The monthly feature for August is an article about the little known Henge on Birkwood Common
Very few people know about the scheduled site at Birkwood, which is thought to be a late Neolithic henge. Situated in the field next to the garden centre it can be seen quite easily from the roadside. Henge’s generally consisting of a round flattened area surrounded by a boundary earthwork, usually consisting of a bank and/or a ditch. The one at Birkwood is a sub-oval enclosure, surviving as an earthwork circa 100 metres by 80 metres, with an enclosing bank surviving to a height of circa 0.5 metres. There are interruptions in its circuit, presumed to represent entrances, at both the northern and southern ends. A few years ago a paper was written about the henge at Birkwood that proved very inconclusive, no mention of whom, why or what it was put there for. It also said in the paper that the henge could be modern, possibly the site of the coal dust mining blast tests that took place in Altofts during the early 20th Century. If research had been done by the author of the paper, he would have seen the news paper reports of that time which gave clear locations for the tests in lower Altofts. It later turned out that the bit about coal dust was a throw away comment at the end of an unsuccessful exploration dig. However this comment almost led to the WYAS downgrading the site, which appears to be of great importance. If you look at where the henge is within the landscape you will see it is near to the Roman Road between Lingwell Gate and Pontefract and close to the Roman Station Farm over the River Calder. There is every reason to think there could have been a connection between these two sites, considering the short distance between them, and if there was a ford on the River (and it is understood there was) then it seems probable we could have some kind of Roman settlement which dealt in metals being built nearby to a much earlier site. During the big archaeological dig over Newland a few years ago there was an iron ore mine found next to the footpath that runs from the henge to Newland. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to dig or metal detect on the site, so any local knowledge that people have uncovered is not as public as it should be. For example people who have dug around the area of the footpath found it was very heavy in metal deposits indicating that iron ore may have been transported along this path between the two sites adding weight to the theory that there could have been a foundry on the henge site at some time. Considering that Romano Brittan artefacts have been discovered on ground at Newland, indeed that report made mention of a "camp" One can see that a picture is building up that should be all too easy for WYAS to investigate. It is well known that when Romans arrived in Britain they would make use of existing sites such as henge’s, and in many cases adapting their uses. Such sites were used in the Neolithic period as meeting places, built to direct the eye towards hills or mountains of special importance to early settlers, the henge at Birkwood could have been built to direct peoples attention to the Newland site that stands at the top of Birkwood Hill, which would make Newland a far older, much more significant site. Another possibility is it was built to look over the low lying hunting grounds that run along side the River Calder in Stanley, as they would have been of great importance to these early settlers. Many finds dating to this period have been found around Stanley which would support the idea. Unfortunately nobody has the money to do a proper site survey to help better understand the area, leaving WYAS to give their interpretation of the area, which is a best very vague. Hopefully in time and given the right funding some of these questions maybe answered.
The earth works at Birkwood can be clearly seen in this photo
Thank you to Paul Dainton for his help with the above article
This month’s feature article is a look back at one of the Villages most colourful characters. Well liked and respected by all, this article is a look back at the career of Dr Merrick.
Doctor Ronald Herbert Merrick became GP for Stanley in 1947, taking over from the long serving Doctor Tocher. Doctor Merrick graduated from Leeds University in 1944, soon after he was appointed Resident Doctor at Leeds Infirmary before serving as a Captain in the Army Medical Corps in Düsseldorf between 1945/47. Without a doubt he is best remembered in Stanley for his sense of humour. He spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent and always found the perfect one liner for every situation. On one such occasion he diagnosed a woman as being pregnant much to her disbelief, she went on to tell him that it could not be correct and that it would be impossible for her to be pregnant. His response to this was to go to his surgery window and gaze at the sky, when the woman asked what he was doing he responded “well last time this happened there was a star in the sky”. Being old fashioned he was not one for modern trends, when in the 1970s beards and long hair were all the rage amongst young men he would often ask “well lad, what have you come here for? A packet of razor blades?” He was also very fond of children and always sought to reassure them, never failing to bring a smile to their faces. As well as having a great sense of humour he was very observant, never failing to notice things. If he saw a patient out he would remember the event next time he saw them, especially if they had been off work with something like a bad back. Upon their next visit to his surgery they would be greeted with something like “thought you were feeling better, I saw you cycling up Stanley Hill the other day” He served the Village for 40 years, for many of them was the only Doctor in Stanley. If you speak to people who remember Dr Merrick they will tell you of a Doctor who would go above and beyond his duty as just their GP, someone who would always go the extra mile. His lasting legacy is the surgery we have today, after becoming its foundation he helped build a team of well liked Doctors and staff which carried on with the same values and spirit he started all those years ago.
This month’s feature is one of our own articles that is set to appear in the Going Local magazine for June. Hopefully this will be a regular page in the magazine that is delivered free in the area.
For the month of May we have an article written for the site by Paul Dainton President of RATS (Residents Against Toxic Scheme). Amongst many things he has campaigned tirelessly against the Welbeck tip to protect the environment and local people. Unlike many of our councillors and MPs he has done all this for no personal gain, just to protect the area he loves. Also a keen local historian Paul has kindly allowed us access to his photo archive for use on this site, many of which we will be adding to the site in the coming weeks. The following is a little about Paul’s life to date.
Growing up in Walton and having been born in the former home of one of England’s most intrepid explorers and Natural History exponents, Squire Waterton, of Walton Hall I must suppose that becoming an Environmental campaigner was to be expected. Squire Waterton is revered throughout the world as a leading Natural History campaigner and is made famous by the international peace park in Canada being named after him, but as usual in the UK no one outside of Wakefield is aware of this fact.
Having left the merchant navy where I learned the trade of the trade union movement and socialism (many say communism) at 23 years of age, I married Joyce and moved to Altofts subsequently having two fantastic children.
Once I moved to the same house that I still live in 43 years later I became involved in all aspects of the local community, whilst working for the National Coal board I became the youngest person ever to be a regional delegate to the Barnsley area office of the National Union of Mineworkers, I was also lucky to win a 3 year placement at Leeds university on a part time course studying political history, economics, and modern politics. I ended up doing 6 years at Leeds University on various projects including the effect of advance technology on the working man. Not IT, but issues like the advances of coal cutting machinery, and the effect of machinery in the tailoring trade. All lead to the devastation of thousands of jobs in the West Yorkshire area, making the poor even poorer and the rich filthy rich.
All this must to many people sounds very mundane, yet my university work was a torment as I have dyslexia and working at the pit 5 days a week and 3 nights a week and Saturday mornings overtime as well as university was a nightmare, especially as I also had allotments to look after (and became chairman of the allotment society). I also became involved in politics eventually becoming Labour Party District Chairman.
My hopes for a Labour Government that would defend the working class have come to nought and I resigned my party membership some ten years ago when I discovered that my local MP of that time was drawing £114,000 year office expenses, but didn’t have an office or even an answering machine in the constituency.
After gaining certification at Leeds University, I applied for a full time post as trade union official with the National Union of Public Employees and was fortunate to gain such a position, went to work in a suit, shirt, and tie, had a company car, and for the first time after the merchant navy had enough money to keep the house going without part time jobs.
I threw myself into the best job in the world, helping working class people whilst getting paid for the pleasure. With hindsight I now believe I gave my all to the union and perhaps should have spent more time with my family. I became the union’s most prolific recruiter in the UK. I also recruited more people into the Labour Party than any other person in Yorkshire. I did this through constant work with the people who count in life the true working class, the rest are there to destroy for profit anything the workers created.
When I became Chairman to the district Labour Party I finally had a little influence in the politics of the time. However the people whom I helped to become MP’s all seemed to start with the old old story that if the working classes would just tighten their belts!!! Just as soon as it was possible they would bring us the rewards we so richly deserve. Unfortunately the good times never came and the belt has got tighter and tighter, whilst the gap twix rich and poor gets greater and greater.
Looking back on life in the Labour Party I can see the deceit that the leaders of the party lead us to believe, IE equality for the working man, whilst setting themselves above our aspirations and finding themselves well paid jobs, becoming Lords and Ladies whilst telling us to tighten our belts until the day of rewards would come. Why did I never see that these self same people were the very ones becoming rich and famous, whist the workers were branded luddites, communists, revolutionist, and left wing extremists. (Some of these Lords and Ladies stating that I am such a person)
The rich continued to rape our environment, dumping toxic waste on the now defunct mining villages, stating that we were used to muck and grime, that there was no difference to pit muck than the new toxic waste they now dump on us. The establishment decided to put every dirty bit of waste at Welbeck and convinced the local people that this was to be just a short term reinstatement project that would keep jobs open at the pit and help reclaim St Johns, Park hill, Sharlston, Primrose colliery and the sand quarries at Stanley. As usual the reinstatement turned into the largest Toxic waste site in the European Union, and instead of 2010, then 2018 the tip will now last until 2030 long past the lifespan of most people over 60, breaking every promise ever given to the local population. The new height of Welbeck of 72 meters will cast a shadow on our communities for hundreds of years and leave a monument of rubbish to 30 years of labour party dominance in Wakefield.
Photos from around the tip courtesy of Paul
(article continiues below these photos)
Waste from the Welbeck tip, an all too common sight in the River Calder these days
Oil drums, gas bottles, plastics are amonst some of the things entering the River
Bank errosion along the River Calder, the edge of the Welbeck tip is slowly slipping towards the River, who will be accountable for these problems when the tip closes?
Photo taken inside the Welbeck tip
The membraine in the photos purpose is to line the ground before tipping takes place to avoid leakege of chemicals into the ground. As you can see the membraine has not been fitted or sealed along the bottom of the photo where tipping has already taken place
At times of flood the Calder penetrates into the tip that contains toxic chemicals, the photo below shows the River at its normal level
Rolls of Membraine from the tip have on occasion fallen into the River due to the poor work practices of the site. This photo shows rolls that have fallen down the bank.
At times of high wind much of the surface debris from the tip end up in the River
Whist RATS have not been successful in forcing WMDC to keeping the promised time scales for Welbeck, we have without doubt improved what can only be described as a monument of crap to 15 years of Labour Party domination at local and National level, in one 5 year period the tip broke the site licence (PPC) 60 times, yet only once has the incompetent and rotten Environment Agency ever taken any legal action against the management of this Toxic Tip. Indeed that action only came about due to the pressure from RATS, after all, how can the Environment Agency defend a 5 kilometre long oil slick 30 meters wide in the river Calder? Well they certainly tried to do so in court.
It should also be noted that Wakefield MDC who own the lease of this site have never attempted to take legal action despite the lease stating that there should be no pollution to air, land or water!
I have been very fortunate to have grown up in Walton and then moving to Altofts both rich in history and their wonderful areas of green land, many people living in Stanley and Normanton are unfortunately totally unaware of their history and some fantastic environment/wildlife areas. My love of walking, bird watching, and fishing can all be done within easy walking distant of home, and this is the main reason that I chose to devote much of my life to its protection.
I always remember finding a swan tethered to a shrub by its leg obviously the swan had got some binding twine round its leg then this had stuck to the shrub. I had to climb down the steepest part of the river Calder bank to try and release the bird. So with trusted Swiss army knife I waded out into the river only to be attacked by the swan, I eventually managed to grab the bird that bit half my hand off in the attempt. As soon as I cut the band the swan was off and I attempted to get back to the bank unfortunately by this time I was stuck in the mud about ten feet from the bank and a mile from the nearest footpath. As I tried to gain the bank the swan came back and hit me like a missile knocking me completely over and then my hands and feet were stuck in the mud, and I thought that this was the end. Eventually I got my hands out and stood up again only for the swan to come back and hit me one more time. Eventually I did get out looking like the tar baby and had to skirt everyone on the way home as I looked a right charley. The next time I see a swan in such a problem I will go get a gun. It would be a lot safer for me.
Of course my other love outside of the family is Rugby, both Normanton Knights and Wakefield Trinity (Wildcats), this week I attended the ceremony of making Neil Fox a freeman of Wakefield the highest prize for any Wakefield sports person. I am proud to state that I initiated the campaign to get our political masters to grant the title and within weeks the campaign worked, Neil is now the only sporting hero to ever achieve this award.
We are now in the run up to national and local elections, I could no longer support either of the two labour candidates MP’s Balls, and Yvette Cooper, as I believe they are totally unaware of the aspirations and hopes of the Working classes, they have failed to tackle the ongoing problems of Welbeck, both have refused to call for the reopening of the Upper Altofts Post Office, indeed the two of them voted for post office closures whilst voting to support private banks to the tune of two billion pounds. How strange that two Labour Party members can vote for the closure of the people’s bank that is government owned, to try and save a few million pounds, yet vote to keep open private banks and banking bonuses for failed management staff to the tune of billions, leaving the old and vulnerable unable to use post offices miles away.
Do these people not understand about the public transport system, that not everyone has a car, or can afford six pounds return journeys in taxis? the simple answer to that is no, yet they know how to fill in expense forms for themselves, flip houses between London and Castleford for purely personal gain and occasionally making the “mistake” of claiming even their poppy day expenses from the public purse.
Perhaps these people should study our past local history and learn who we are, and just what has created the communities in our locality, try to understand that at present over 1 in 10 in the Wakefield area are unemployed and have to live on under £100 per week, to pay rent heat, food, and clothing, whilst they have a food allowance of £100 pounds per week each which they introduced after the expenses scandal!!
Over the years I have met some wonderful characters all who have made me laugh with such Yorkshire humour, kept me on my toes politically, and help me keep up the fight for our rights, to name them all is an impossibility but Ronny Kay of Heath, Barny Brennan of Altofts, Mick Appleyard of Sharlston, Martin in Wakefield Market, Ken Capstick, Colin Parfitt the dog walker from Stanley, John Goodchild the best local historian in the UK, all have made my life well worth the effort, unfortunately the world seems to give us less and less of these characters’ as we are pushed and shoved into social brackets that our so called worthies want to keep us down with, and characters are people they simply can not control.
We on the other hand have to break down the barriers of village against village, community against community; we must learn to stand together on issues such as Welbeck, opencast, over Greenfield development, keeping our environment clean, because if we think an issue does not affect us it doesn’t matter, nothing can be further from the truth. The time old adage remains true today as it ever has “united we stand and divided we fall” that is exactly what the establishment don’t want us to understand, for if we remain divide we will never become a threat to the lifestyles.
One may think from my ranting above that I have no joy or pleasure in my life but nothing can be further from the truth, laughter has been a major part of my life, satisfaction in what I have is paramount, from my cosy little bungalow and garden in Altofts, to my few pints a week in Lee Brigg club. People and the hundreds of friends I have bring a love that can’t be bought with money and all bring great joy. My family are my pride and joy, my inspiration and my life, I doubt if there is a happier man in England.
Thank you to Paul for the above article and we look forward to working closely with him in the future
A link to the RATS site can be found on our links page
The monthy feature for April is an article that in 1970 was aimed at attracting people to come live in the Stanley area. The M62 was under construction and the large housing estate between Canal Lane and Rooks Nest Road was on the cards. Not since the large council estates of the 1950s had we seen such rapid change.
The difficulty in writing about Stanley village is to tell the truth, finding the place. Oh yes – its big enough; the are the administered from the Grange head quarters of Stanley Urban District Council, covers 4866 acres.
There are 19,000 people living in 6622 dwellings in the village, so you can’t miss it. But the figures don’t tell the whole story. The area of Stanley known to the Ministry of Housing and local government (or whatever it is called nowadays) includes Outwood, Wrenthorpe, which have 4000 people each. Stanley and Lake Lock wards have only 5000-odd between them.
So where is Stanley?
Saint Peters parish church – incumbent, the Rev John Crabb – has regarded for the souls of the people of Stanley and Lake Lock wards. And the admittedly very knowledgeable Clerk to Stanley U.D.C, Mr Arthur Warden, suggests that this area constitutes Stanley proper, perhaps.
Happenings But if I and thank goodness everyone concerned that I not were the authorities. I would forget this and lay claim to the whole of the urban district as being the real Stanley. So much more seems to have happened (and historically speaking has happened) outside this small central core.
True, a friend in the office scoffed at the idea of Stanley having a history, but it is a fact that two collections of arrow heads and other flints, relics of prehistoric times have been found near Lee Mount.
Of even bigger interest was the Bronze Age canoe which was recovered quite recently, Mr Warden tells me, from the bed of the River Calder at Stanley Ferry. Now in York Museum, the canoe has a squared stern, and rounded bows and is probably more than 3000 years old. This proves people have found Stanley worth living in for a long, long time.
Coming a bit more up to date, local historian Mr L Elgar Pike (and there’s a man who has forgotten more than most of us know about the history of our county) will tell you that; “As a result of residential and other redevelopments considerable and more interesting remains of the former local pottery industry were discovered in the Stanley Urban District in 1963 and Subsequently”
Potovens
“Over a dozen kilns dating from the 15 to 18 Centuries were excavated at Potovens and near the Silcoats School. The sites were well chosen, with clay, water and coal easily obtainable, while the stone for the kilns and the potter’s homes was quarried at Lindle Hill. Some of these houses are still to be seen at Potovens”
So… you don’t need me to spell it out where Potovens Lane gets its name. But Mr Pike has even more information “it has been established that the main production was cups, both plain and decorated, which were finished off with a dark glaze of galena, or raw lead ore. Jugs and jars, bowls, lids, bottles and egg cups were also being made when the industry attained its maximum production towards the end of the 17 Century.”
And of course when you come to think about it, we are ourselves living through a moment of Stanley history. The famous – infamous is what Normanton people who work in Wakefield would say – Stanley Ferry Toll Bridge is currently being rebuilt and is likely to be completed in six months time.
When work is finished it will be a free crossing which will leave (and wait for letters telling me I am wrong) only Selby as the pay to cross bridge in Yorkshire. But never mind about the past. What has Stanley got to offer today? A great deal in my view.
Upsetting
Consider; the Northern area of the district is located immediately at the interchange of the M1 and the Yorkshire-Lancashire Motorway, which although the workings are upsetting a lot of people at the moment, will put the area very much on the map so far as communications are concerned.
Stanley is ideally situated for industrial development and there is a 160 acre site at Outwood, which is currently being publicised as a Mecca for expanding industrialists.
The village has of course been a coal area for a very long time. Despite closures, this is still true to a very great extent, with Lofthouse and Newmarket colliery’s employing a lot of local labour. But there are diversifications.
For example an old established firm of an entirely different type is William Lamb and Co. (footwear) Ltd, which employs about 70 workers. They send footwear notably very fine football boots to the extent of 200, 000 pairs a year all over the world.
And Kenneth Lunn and Co. Ltd, Potovens Lane, are industrial oil fired heating experts in a big way. Mr Lunn started as a jobbing electrician and like Topsy, his firm just grew. Then we have Farm Stores Ltd, Lingwell Gate lane (Ziegler’s, Bramhams and Bradbury are theirs) where meat and pork products are prepared under modern conditions.
Fame in Print
The Northern Carlton and Skillet Co. Ltd has made a national mark with the production of printed matter ranging from boxes to posters to county council and government publications and bingo tickets.
So Stanley, as you can see is in anything but an industrial straight jacket.
Nor is it in a religious one. Consider the diversity of the religious option. Thee are Methodist churches at Ferry Lane, Lane End, Bottomboat, kirkhamgate, Outwood, St Johns and Wrenthoprpe free Methodist Church. The former Rehoboth Methodist Church, Outwood, is now a centre for Roman Catholic worship. Lieutenant Derek Harrison, Wakefield’s M.P ministers to a thriving Salvation Army corps at Outwood.
There’s Kirkhamgate Mission, the Four Square Gospel Hall at Wrenthorpe, Stanley’s Zion Congregational Church, and Anglican churches at Stanley, Outwood and Wrenthorpe. All within this “village”
Stanley gas seven working men’s clubs, a British Legion branch, two women’s institutes, at least two young wives groups, a Toc H women’s section, a Comrades and United Services Club, three youth clubs and nine community organisations catering for the elderly.
Plenty to do
One overworked cliché which the reporter rarely encounters in Stanley is that there’s “nawt to do”
Schools? There are no fewer than nine catering for junior and infants, and two excellent secondary establishments; the one at Outwood , Headmaster Mr L Gibson; the Stanley Secondary School (soon to be come a comprehensive) Headmaster Mr C Wilson.
There are evening courses, nurseries, preparative schools and several other educational establishments within the urban district. But, unarguably, the school with most claim to fame is Silcoates, anciently established to cater for the sons of dissenting ministers but now open to boys from backgrounds much wider than its congregational founders perhaps anticipated.
Stanley has 117 allotment plots, facilities for cricket, tennis, soccer, bowls, and golf. There are 10 football clubs and at least 2 cricket clubs. There are 8 community associations for older people. And how many local authorities can equal Stanley total of 34 wardens to look after its senior citizens? This is also one of the few remaining local communities with a brass band. Lofthouse Colliery Band rehearse in Outwood Memorial Hall under their conductor, Mr Peter Kitson.
Low Rates
Sold on Stanley? Well if your not there’s a small point I haven’t mentioned yet.
The rate levied at Rothwell is 13s 6d. At Horbury it is 13s 3d. Garforth is 112s 10d. At Normanton it skyrockets to 14s 5d.
Stanley’s rate?
Eleven shillings and seven pence in the pound. Need I say more?
There is just one P.S. There is bound to be some know it all in the British Oak tonight who says “Ah, he reckons he’s found out all about Stanley’s, but he hasn’t mentioned t’racecourse.”
Well I do know there was a race course at Spring Hill where at one time there was strong support from horses from all parts of the North.
Stringent standards and controls for horse racing led to its decline and the course fell into disuse. The only present day reminder is Grandstand Road.
The March feature is on Brian Robinson, a local photographer, In his own words Brian takes us through his interest in photography
I have been using a camera for as long as I can remember, and that's from way back in the 1940s. We had a little Brownie box which we usually used on our annual holiday at the seaside, looking into a viewfinder and seeing the subject upside down before sliding the lever to release the shutter and expose the film. Most of my photos were of the family on holiday, or holiday views.
My parents bought me a 35mm camera for my 21st birthday and I started taking colour slides, mainly family and holiday record photos, and the only thing holding me back was the cost. A projector and screen added to the fun and I could send friends and family to sleep with shots of Wales, Lake District, the West Country and in later years Europe and beyond. Several S.L.R cameras followed and my slide boxes increased in number.
I was lucky to be able to combine other interests with photography, and my curiosity about my surroundings led to a collection of local photos some of which can be seen by visitors to the site. I have a number of local history books which make interesting background reading.
Another big interest of mine is Rugby League and for several years I helped Wakefield Trinity by providing photographs for their programme and sponsors. During the 1990s I probably photographed every rugby player of any quality, including a number of Australian internationals and some of these can be seen on Facebook in the Rugby League Players past and present section. I have been lucky enough to have a small number published by players in their autobiographies. My rugby photos include action shots and informal portraits and on the rare occasion that someone famous has managed to wander through my lens I have snapped them. My two best ones are Diana Ross and John Major when he was Prime Minister.
In 2001 I eventually admitted that in spite of the lesser quality of the photographs a digital camera would reduce the weight of equipment I had to carry round with me and the massive fall in cost and improvement in cameras encouraged me to buy another, better digital last year. Now most of the photographs I take during the year are of my two grandsons and like every other proud granddad with a camera I have taken hundreds.
Basically, I take the photos for myself, and if people don't like them for any reason.....tough! On the other hand, if they do bring pleasure to anyone it pleases me and I can easily become big headed about it.
Brian
Thank you to Brian for the above write up
His contributions to the site are appreciated
Februarys feature is on Shaun Parkin, Local Photographer & Historian
Shaun was born on Ferry Lane in Stanley June 20th 1964, the second child to John and Kathleen Parkin; at the age of eight he got his first camera. From that day on he took a keen interest in local history, when he had film for his camera he would always taking pictures. His interest grew when he and his family moved to Rooks Nest Road in the mid 1970s, just over the acres from their house was Hatfeild Hall.
Shaun in 1974 (right of photo)
Shaun took an instant fascination with the building and surrounding estate, if he wasn’t at home or at school he could always be found somewhere near the Hall. At School he did local history and photography. In the late 1970s he took many photos of the Hall and surrounding outbuildings, unbeknown to him at the time he was documenting the Estate before the most turbulent chapter in its history. When the Hall was bought by the manor wine bar in the early 1980s he got an evening job working behind the bar, he was offered the managers job at the Hall but declined the position because of his day job, working for Bradford Council. The outbuildings of the Hall were demolished by the new owners who sold the stone from them.
Old coach house at Hatfeild Hall
Within a few years the Hall had also been burnt down. His photos of the Estate are amongst the best photographic documentation done. The photographs of the building and surrounding area capture it from every side and angle. After the fire he took several pictures of the burnt out building, again documenting its history.
One of Shauns many photos of the Hatfeild Estate
His interest in local history did not stop at Hatfeild, in the last 35 years he has photographed many other historical buildings in the area. Many of his photos are on this website, his style of photography is unmistakable, rather than just taking a picture of a building or scene his photos are taken from interesting angles that include several layers and include more than one focal point.
Photo taken from Newland Estate
Aqueduct can be seen bottom left, Hatfeild Hall to the centre of the photo
Shaun still works for Bradford council today, a job he has had since leaving school, married with two children he still finds the time to walk the area looking for the perfect photo opportunity. His photos today are taken with a Panasonic Lumax camera, giving his photos real depth and quality. As for the future, well let’s say just watch this space.
Shaun today
Photo taken by his son Callum aged 13
