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Briestfield

Briestfield maps

Historic maps of Briestfield and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis.   View all Briestfield maps

Briestfield photos

We have no photos of Briestfield, although we do have photos of these nearby places:

Dewsbury| Kirkheaton| Kirkburton| Ossett| Horbury| Roberttown| Skelmanthorpe| Clayton West| Heckmondwike| Batley| Shepley| Denby Dale| Huddersfield| Cleckheaton| Birstall| Kexborough| Wakefield| Cawthorne| Darton| Staincross| Holmfirth

Briestfield area books

Displaying 1 of 28 books about Briestfield and the local area.   View all books for this area

Memories of Briestfield

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Add your memory of Briestfield or of a photo of Briestfield.

West Yorkshire memories

Tops

It was great sliding down the Tops on pieces of cardboard or a washer top, we went so fast hoping not to hit a car on the low road. When I used to go to school in the morning on the way to pick up my friend I would get a twig from the privets, bend it and start collecting spider webs with dew on them, by the time we got to school we had a beautiful pattern, it became a ritual in the cold mornings on the way to school. This was in Thornhill. We were never afraid of exploring the countryside around the area as it was quite safe then used to go out and get tar balls from the freshly tarred roads and chew on them, we thought that this was the greatest thing. If you have any memories please post. Jean Bremner (nee Brown)

Devils Pond

To all the young 'ens of that era or anyone else - who remembers walking down and up the self beaten footpath behind the long established fish & chip shop opposite the old Heppinstall's general store (long since gone), to the Devils Pond to catch what we thought were Terrapines! Or catching frogs etc, and making home made carts to pull up 3 Boy Hill at the top of Ouzelwell or Pit Lane at the top of King Edward Street then free wheel down, usually out of control!

Evacuee

I was an evacuee in Middlestown in WWII, from East London. The first time was with my Mother and we were billeted in a small cottage which backed on to a barn belonging to a farm run by Mr and Mrs Cowan. We were there for approximately a year and my memories of that first year are rather blurred. We came back to London for a short time where our house was destroyed by a land mine and I was returned to Middlestown once again with a friend 'Kenneth Turbot'. We spent a happy year there this time living in the farmhouse with Mr and Mrs Cowan and their two daughters. We helped out with the farm work out of school hours whilst Mr Cowan was working in a coal mine. The farm was situated next to a large dairy farm as far as I can remember. I made many friends but the only name I can recall is 'Ginger' a lad who lived in the cottages along the road... Read more

The Market And Caddy's

My memories of Dewsbury as a girl in the late 1960s, early 1970s. The market. The butcher my mum used (who flirted outrageously with her, and most likely every housewife in town, which she loved and I'm sure always made her buy extra sausage!). Traipsing round while my mum bought everything we needed for Sunday dinner, and some mid week meals until my legs ached! If my nanna was in tow, she wanted tripe, which after trying myself I never understood her love of it. (Yuk!) Then after going to a shop to pay money on furniture and telly, OFF TO CADDY'S - YIPEEE! My beautiful big sister Julie carried on the tradition of the Saturday Dewsbury trip and cut out the boring bits and filled it with coffee and a vanilla slice in a cafe, Toffee Smiths on the market for sweeties then OFF TO CADDY'S - for an organge ice, tall glass, fizzy orange, scoop of Caddy's, long spoon and straw! Bliss! Do you remember the foamy bubbles... Read more

Delivering Bread in Dewsbury

When I was in my teens I had a Saturday and school holiday job on Newboulds bread van, and although I went to other areas of Yorkshire, I was more often than not on the Dewsbury journey. Our major customer was Knights, who had several shops next door to one another on Ravenhouse Road. They used to take four /five trays of sliced bread - twenty four loaved per tray, plus loads of other types of bread and confectionery. Another customer was Manns, who also took large amounts and they were up near Staincliffe Hospital. We also delivered to Hepworth and Whittle's bakery in Ravensthorpe and to most of their shops in and around Dewsbury, including the one in the market. Also in the market, was Collier's Market Cafe, who took large numbers of plain teacakes. We'd deliver there and then have our dinner at the cafe. Another long gone Dewsbury institution that we delivered to was the Bon Bon, in the bus station -... Read more

Under 17 Rugby League in Dewsbury

In the early sixties I played amateur Rugby League in the Dewsbury and Batley League - there were two levels U17 and U19. I played U17. Firstly for Ossett Trinity and then for Shaw Cross Rangers. The teams comprising the U17 league were, Ossett Trinity, Shaw Cross Rangers, Shaw Cross Rovers, Thornhill Boys Club, Chickenley, Staincliffe, and Batley Supporters. Not many really and apart from cup games, many of our fixtures were friendlies against teams from other areas. Thornhill and Shaw Cross Rovers were the strongest teams in our league. In the cup they played in one semi final, Thornhilll won, and we (Ossett) played Batley Supporters in the other semi final and we won. The final should have been played on "Easter Tuesday" but many of the players had to work, so it was postponed until late May - it was played one evening at Mount Pleasant. Our team hadn't played since the end of the Dewsbury and Batley season, whereas Thornhill who also played in the Leeds League... Read more

My Childhood

This picture reminds me of the time when a petrol tanker careered down Wakefield Road and crashed into the side entrance of the town hall. This road (pictured) was closed off for a day while the fire brigade dealt with the crash. I can remember the fire brigade telling me off for standing at the bottom, looking up at the crash as there was petrol running down the road into the town centre. I will post other memories later. Keep looking!
Richard Hagger

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