Aldbrough St John, the Green c1955

1951 - 1979 Life in Aldbrough St John

Reading Carol's memories brings to mind a lot of happy times in the village, especially the bus shelter and phone box. We managed to make up a lot of our own entertainment, especially the 'village youth club', in a loft above Wilf Martin's butchery business. With a trap door, we could decide who could enter, once in there the music was provided by numerous transistor radios either tuned to Caroline or North Sea International and occasionally Luxembourg. The annual feast in early August was something we all looked forward to, with John Murphy's dodgems and all the side stalls where you could work for a bit of money, to be spent on the chip wagon or at the back door of the Stanwick Arms. At that time events would be put on to try and raise money, wrestling bouts, beat group contests! etc.
Swimming could take place, once we dammed the beck, but fishermen soon dismantled them, sledging on Mill Hill in winter.
The village was usually a quiet place until about 1970 when we used to rehearse in the village hall, playing heavy rock music, Dog eat Dog, me, Mick Pepe and Karate on drums, never made a fortune out of it but we had some good times, and then with Kelly's Eye, with Doug Kelly and others playing Rock & Roll. These times can't have been very pleasant for the residents. Eventually we drifted apart and everyone though that peace had returned, wrong, along with Alan Cook and Dave Martin we built a dragster which occasionally we had to start up and run, usually around the village green on a Sunday afternoon.
My parents Maurice and Phyllis lived in the village for a long time and they held a lot of memories, both my sisters, Judy and Sue, have returned to the village to carry on the tradition.

Living in Aldbrough St. John 1954-1972

My former name was Carol Innis and I lived in Aldbrough with my brother Les and parents Ken and Hilda. Les and I spent our childhood and teenage years walking and swimming in the beck, playing football on the huge village green and cricket on the cricket pitch which was maintained to a high standard by Jack Hollywell, then owner of The Stanwick Arms. We (that is John  Pearson, Ian Ogden, James (Tig) Foster, Ali Foster, Jeff Auton, Audrey Gargett, Mary Robinson, Syd and Pat Appleby and many more) used to congregate in the village bus shelter, where we had many laughs and compared to some of today's teenagers our behaviour was quite harmless - although some of the elder community may not agree. My time in Aldbrough was mostly a happy one. I still visit my mum and dad's headstone set in St Paul's churchyard. I am hoping others may follow and write their memories of a beautiful peaceful North Yorkshire village.

Shop and Post Office

My parents, Fred and Marjorie Reeks bought the shop and Post Office from Mrs Britton in 1947 and they owned the business till about 1985. In the mid sixties Fred got about 100,000 daffodil bulbs from a market garden in Darlington and spent many hours getting a single furrow dug around the perimeter of each of the pieces of the green and creating the words "Cross Keys" in front of the pub and "Post Office Eppleby" around the turning bay in front of the shop in letters about 3 feet tall. He then spent many more hours planting the bulbs in the furrows. He put the big stones, which he painted white near the daffodils to stop people from driving over the flowers.
Marjorie kept the business going on her own after Fred died in 1983. She moved to Canada in 1986 to join me there.The house next-door was owned by Mr Lax. His farm workers lived there.Sylvia lived there for a while.I remember Melvyn Jones living there. Len Bowsher and his mother next to them and Brittons owned Archway Cottage for many years and their grown children Joan, Noel and Hilma (Larsen) lived there at various times. I am not sure how the McLarens ended up there, I believe Mr McLaren was with the military, they had 2 sons Rory ( Roderick John) and Norman Angus. The Kelly-Wiseham family lived there at one time. He had been in the military in Germany and that is where they got their dog, Kurt.
Across the green Harry Hutchinson lived in number 1 Victoria Row and after them "Topper" Bracewell and his Mom. The Glaspers lived at number 2, Edna Thompson lived at number 4, Fred Stevens ( the postman) and his sister Rose lived at number 5. Tommy Sutheran owned the cow byre across the green from the shop even though their farm (Glebe farm) was in the corner hidden from our view by the blacksmith's shop owned by the Twedalls. The stop for buses going to Darlington was in front of the blacksmith's shop. Stan Twedall's wife Topsy used to be the bus conductress. Stan used to be the publican at the Traveller's Rest, (see picture) the pub frquented by the locals. The folks from town went to the Cross Keys which was run by Mr and Mrs Hughes. I remember Mr Hughes getting the sign on his pub changed from 2 crossed keys to 2 keys fighting each other with boxing gloves on! Bill and Alice Smith, Cliff ,Roger and Mildred Britton lived on The Curtain as did Mrs Waller who used to live next to the Corner House. Nell Clarkson (the cat & dog lady) lived in the small cottage attached to the Corner House next to the blacksmith's shop (photo on this page).Nurse Elanor and her family lived near there too. Bert & Rene Bellwood lived In Jubilee Cottages, nextdoor to George Pacey who was employed by the County Council as a Roadman, he did hedge slashig. The Dowsons lived in High House at the top of the village. Mrs Crooks used to supply milk for people in the village. I walked there every day for 1 1/2 pints of milk and carried it home in cans. Harry Sharpe, who only left Eppleby 1 day a year to go to Darlington on Michaelmas Day, lived in Chapel Row, he had a Gallowa (Yorkshire for a horse) and to prevent this animal from hurting its hooves walking on the cobblestones behind Chapel Row to get from the garden to the Village Green, led it through his house every day. Mr and Mrs Richardson lived in this row too.Picture of these houses on this page. The Blackburn family lived in one of the Coronation Cottages. Their daughter, Jean, and I were recruited to chase the geese across the green so they would be in the photos on this site! On that side of the village were the Whitfields, with their son Trevor. Ray Stenson, Daisy and Sybill Thompson lived in New Row.
About a mile away was where Sir Mortimer Wheeler and his crew excavated part of the Stanwick Fortifications. (picture on this page) As a child I spent many hours there watching their work progressing. He was knighted at about this time.
There was an underground stream which ran down the village and through the cellar of the Post Office untill Fred put in the petrol tanks in front of the shop, that diverted the stream. I remember Marjorie telling me that the first spring we lived there she was startled to get her feet wet as she descended the stone steps into the cellar. Behind the P O was Mill Farm owned at the time by Mr Stevenson. He was quite old all the time I knew him. In a corner of one of his fields there was a fresh water spring where we had to go to get water when the town water supply failed. Fred (who ran a threshing machine) and Norah Whappat lived across the road from this farm as did Dennis and Joyce Player.
Eppleby Gala was my favourite time. The people who came with the roundabouts and stalls were all friends of mine and I kept in touch with them long after leaving the country. The Shipleys were the main family, then there were the Jefferies, Barwicks and Cowries. Mrs Deer, the fortune teller, and her grandson Johnny always put her caravan near the blacksmith's shop.
I have heard that Eppleby has finally started to grow. While we lived there there were not many new homes built. I remember the police house being built, prior to that the village police man used to live in Corner House, where Margaret Tweddal lives now. The only P C I remember was Mr Williamson, and his wife. They had the first TV I ever saw! C W Watson the councillor lived just outside the village on a farm.Colonel Waller and family lived at Forcett hall.

The McHugh Family,  1963-1965

Hello all,  my name is Terry McHugh Junior, as I am apparently the first to hit this site I will share with you my early childhood memories of that lovely village in Yorkshire, Eppleby.

We moved into Eppleby in 1963, my Dad (Terry McHugh senior) was in the Army at the time, serving in Catterick, my Mum's name was Edna. We moved in to Archway cottages and lived in the furthest cottage away from Reeks shop and petrol station. Across from the archway dividing the cottages lived our friends Dot and Stan Tweddle. Dot and Stan had 2 children who we used to play with. Stan was the landlord of the Travellers Rest public house.   

Mr Reeks used to run the village shop and petrol station, I remember he had a couple of large dogs (Alsations I seem to remember).  I have 3 brothers and 1 sister, my name is Terry and I am 49, my twin is called Michael, Stephen is 47, Kevin is 43 and my little sister Catrina is 40.  Myself and Michael used to attend the village school, if I remember correctly my first teacher was Miss Metcalf.  

We used to have friends who used to live in a tied cottage I believe in Forcett who we used to visit from time to time. I also remember a friend of mine who used to live in a house on the road out to Caldwell,  if I remember correctly his name was Derek Masterman?  I also remember the name of a family who lived in the village called "Nendick" not sure if the spelling is correct but the name sounds familiar.  

I remember the daffodils coming up on the village green every spring (the green opposite the Cross Keys pub). I also remember the village fete which used to be held on the upper green in the village up the hill, one year Stan and Dot Tweddle went dressed in fancy dress as Laurel and Hardy!

Behind the Cross Keys there used to be fields which we used as a playground during the summer holidays, there was also a football pitch in that area were we used to go and watch my Dad sometimes play football for the local team.

I have just called my Dad (he is now 73) and he is going to rack his brain to get some further names and memories for me to put on this site.  More to follow I guess...
Best regards, Terry McHugh Junior (49)