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Brough
Brough maps
Historic maps of Brough and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Brough maps
Brough area books
Displaying 1 of 10 books about Brough and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Brough
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Brough.
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The Bridge Inn Brough
I was born in the Bridge Inn, Main Street, Brough, Westmorland, on December 6, 1927. My mother recalls the weather to have been very stormy with heavy falls of snow. My father, William Norman Stell, was the manager of the inn & the licencee was his mother, Elizabeth Ann Stell. My mother was Sarah Martha Stell & had two other sons, John Walter Stell & William Norman Stell ,aged 6 & 4, who went to the local school. My father was a talented pianist & also ran a band. We moved to Durham City in 1930 where my father & mother were stewards of the Conservative Club.
In both photographs the very substantial building on the left is clearly the Bridge Inn. I am very grateful to have these photograhs to add to my family history portfolio.
Cumbria memories
Family
My family lived in Warcop hall for 400 years until my stupid great-great-grandfather William Wild got some army generals drunk and got them to buy the house and all the land. My Aunt Sue (Sue James - now Sharp) was the last person in my family to be born there.
Childhood Days
I went with my parents, brother and sister to live at Beech Cottage in the grounds of the big house named The Villa. We went there to escape the bombing at Wallasey (Liverpool). I was four at that time and we stayed there for five idyllic years until 1945 when the war had ended. The Walker sisters lived in The Villa and there were Walkers in the farm next door. We used to go for the milk daily with a jug in hand. When nanny and grandpa came to stay, nanny would help out at The Villa when fishing guests came to stay. We went to school in the village and to all the three churches. Mrs Windrop ran the village shop and a Mr. Brunskill lived at the Smithy. I am now 75 years old but Crosby Garrett is my favourite place of all time! My maiden name... Read more
Mining at Hilton 1948 - 50
In 1948 I started my career as a Mining Engineer working as a miner at Bill Wharton's barytes mine on Long Fell and worked there for three months, living in lodgings at Rose Cottage in Hilton, before leaving to commence my studies at the Camborne School of Mines. Bill, who lived with his wife at Townhead Cottage, was quite a character and one of my first mentors; he employed about 10 of us, some from Hilton and others from Brough.
I don't think the mines could have been very profitable - I suspect his wife's hairdressing business in Kirkby Stephen paid our wages more than once. The mineral was hauled down from the mine and washed at a rudimentary plant just above the village using water from Scordale Beck. Afterwards the washed mineral was sent to Glasgow. Bill also had the license covering the old lead mines up Scordale. I surveyed these old workings starting in 1948 and continued this work in 1949 and 1950 after Bill sold his mineral... Read more
Evacuation
I had lived with my family in Birmingham through part of the Blitz in the Second World War. In January 1941, the firm for which my dad worked moved their head office to Appleby and I well remember the snow was falling as we approached our new home in Bongate Hall where several families lived in the rooms above the offices. The times were both exciting and daunting. I was aged 11 and was starting at a new school, Appleby Grammar - an all boys school in those times. There were many boys from Birmingham and I well remember our First Year Form Master, Mr Boulton trying very hard to understand our 'Brummie' accent, just as we were having problems understanding the Westmerian accent of the local boys. As there were so many evacuees we were housed in almost every hall or room that had space in the town including, The Sands Methodist Hall, the Oddfellows Hall, as well as the Institute etc. We got to know the... Read more
Flakebridge
My mother died on 13 June 2011 aged 87 years old. Her name was Margaret Elfin Gunn (nee Simpson). Her date of birth was 03 October 1923 and she was born in Flakebridge, Dufton. She was the first of 15 children in the Simpson family, 10 girls and 5 boys. Her father was Thomas Frederick Simpson (Farm Laborer) and mother was Edith Annie Simpson (formerly Barker). I believe that she was in service. My mother's name Elfin was after a member of the family that she worked for. My Grandad eventually had his own farm, Sandford Hall at Sandford. If anyone has any further information or could point me in the right direction of the house that my mother may have been born in could you please let me know, my email is ycr62@aol.co.uk. I would love to go and see it if it is still there. Many thanks.
Temple Sowerby
My grandparents Lol (Lawrence) and Edith Johnston owned and operated the Black Swan Inn for many years. I would love to find out some family history, their son Tom emigrated to Australia in 1964, I was 2 and my sister 1 when we left. I am sure there are lots of people who may have some lovely old stories for us. I am also keen to know a little about my mother's family, my grandparents were Fred & Jean Martin of Appleby, my mother's brother David Martin was sadly killed in a road accident coming home from naval leave, I believe around 1970. Please email me Sally Munro (nee Johnston) anything at all to: magpiejim@bigpond.com.au
