Featherstone memories
Here are memories of Featherstone and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Featherstone or a Featherstone photo.
Up The Rovers
I moved to Featherstone in 1953. I lived at the police station opposite the crescent. It is now an education establishment of some sort. I remember Goodes fish and chip shop, it was the best. I used to play on the slag heaps looking for fossils and dodging the spots that were smoking. When Rovers played it was a massive deal. If we played Australia the school closed. I remember the miners boots clattering down the road from Station Lane past the police station towards Pontefract. The kids wore boots most of the time, shoes were a non starter. I remember Foxes shop on the corner of Station Lane and Girnhill Lane. I, like most other kids, did not want to go near the square gang down by the baths. Mrs Hotchkiss had the fruit and veg shop. The paper shop is still there on the opposite side of the street from the old police station.
Station Lane
I was born on Albert Street in 1936, so I have seen a few changes in Featherstone, I still live on Albert Street, I don't think I could live anywere else! Just a few houses down, nearer Station Lane, Station Lane was a lovely shopping place you could buy anything from paraffin and nails (Haikings) to food and fashshion, now it's all take-aways, Chinese and Indian, when I was a kid it was Mrs Good's fish shop, Louie Hails and May Lumbs, they knew how to cook fish n chips in them days. It was safe to go for long walks round the Hilly Fields and Blue Bell Woods with our jam butties and bottle of water, I wish it was like that now. Flo Willis (nee Shaw)
Help?!
I remember the working man's club very well, and going in with my grandad when I was young. The reason I'm writing this is that my grandfather died in 1993, January 22nd. His name was Raymond Smith, known as Ray. He was tall, with blue eyes and dark hair, who loved his ale in his silver tankard in the WMC and was a heavy smoker. He was 56 when he died and lived his life in the Green Lane WMC. He lived in a flat over the road from it. He had a good friend who I remember as Uncle Phil. He used to work for Plasmor before a serious accident prevented him from working again. He was married to Jean, nee Pagdin, and they had a son Martyn. Martyn married Dawn West who used to live on Leatham Avenue in Featherstone. I am asking for any information anyone has about him... anything at all. I know little about him and have fond memories of what I do know. I... Read more
Purston Park
My father worked at the town hall for many years. His office was at the back looking down on to the park so I could go and wave at him through the window! I was back in Featherstone at the weekend. The park looks so different now, especially with the old folks' home all boarded up, a sign of the times. I have many, many happy memories of a misspent youth in the area.
Grandparents
I was in Featherstone at the weekend and visited Cressys Corner as my grandparents lived there in the 1960s. I'm doing our family tree and visited various places in Featherstone. It all looks so different to when I was growing up there 40 years ago. We lived in Purston and I went to Regent Street infants (is the school still there?), Purston junior school (now bungalows) and South Feath school, many happy memories. My dad worked in the town hall in the park and was a rugby referee.
Growing up in North Featherstone
I remember a happy childhood, playing in the streets with my best friends Joyce Dean, Linda Perry & Maureen Beaumont amongst many, we had quite a large gang,
playing rounders or sitting around telling ghost stories, we also used to take peoples babies for a walk and go to Pontefract Park.The school we attended was Gordon Street and my favourite teacher as I grew older was Mr Kearsley. I remember going to the Working Mens Club and having crisps and Pop and the annual trip to Scarborough or Bridlington. My favourite memory was bonfire night and my Dad would be buying crackers for weeks before hand and we would collect wood, my mam made toffee and hot peas and we baked potato's on the bonfire, what a way to go mmmm
You Are Dead Right
It is Green lane but I remember this spot as Cressys Corner,my dad Bill Atkinson used to sit on the seat during the day Until the Green Lane Club opened ,Then after dark it was a favorate spot for us to gather,As IRecall lBill Major Colin Jaques Keith Bullock Carl Farington Pat Sutton to name but a few ,I live in Retford now and when I am it the area I always drive up Green lane ,and apart from once meeting Ian Dransfield I have never seen any one that I used to know.
A Good Time To Be Living In Featherstone
I was 10 when Featherstone Rovers beat Wigan and Leigh in getting to the Wembley final. We lived in the school house immediately opposite the entrance on Post Office Road. What a wonderful period in history of the town.
I was born on Vicarage Lane and schooled at Regent Street and then George Street Junior School. Eventually Normanton Grammer school.
I have wonderful memories of the town despite it being a pretty grim place.
I still visit the town whenever I return to Yorkshire, but never recognise anyone despite the town being largely unchanged.
Neil Wilford. neil.wilford@tiscali.co.uk
Before They Were Built
WHEN I WAS A KID THIS WAS THE SITE OF A FARM IN THE 1940s ( I think it belonged to farmer Copley). THE BIG HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND BELONGED TO DR MARJERY. THE HOUSE IS STILL THERE BUT THE SURGERY WAS KNOCKED DOWN, AND WAS RESITED NEXT TO ST THOMAS' CHURCH.
The Good Old Days
I lived in Streethouse but when I was 4 we moved to the newish estate at the top of the 'Knob' (North Featherstone). We lived at 49 Manor Drive, next door to the Simkins. My dad was a miner at Sharlston and Snydale collieries. We moved to 23, Leatham Park Road in Purston, sometime in the 1950s. I went to Purston C of E, then South Featherstone Secondary Modern, old mates were Tim Rhodes, Len Saunders, Mo Oldfield, Lynne Jackson, Judith Parker, and many more, what good days they were, we had a fabulous Rugby team.
Purston/featherstone
I can hardly believe this; I've just looked at this website for the first time, and see a comment from someone who lived at the police station from 1953. Would you believe, so did I! My father was based there and we lived in the police station house for a year or so; it must have been us who moved out to accommodate the family of your other correspondent! As I recall, we moved out a few days before the Coronation. I was only five then, and my recollections are a bit woolly, but I remember the gas holders over the back wall (gasometers, we called them). I seem to remember a covered coal shelter round the back of the house, and a sink and gas ring in a sort of cupboard in the kitchen. I'd started at nursery school when I was four, and I remember what seemed like a longish walk to get there; I think the route went past disused air-raid shelters that we used to try... Read more
Welfare Gang
I grew up and played around the Welfare Hall,r ows of pit houses were situated behind it, Pretoria Street, Earle Street, Kimberly Street. We would watch the shows in the Welfare put on by the Featherstone ADS, and I attended the youth club there. We would play cricket and rugby on the "reza" at the top of Pretoria Street, we played on the pit stacks and around Ackton, there were lovely walks to Old Snydale. I attended North Featherstone Gorden Street school, and I enjoyed every day at school. I remember Mr Kearsley the maths teacher, but I preferred his wife Mrs Kearsley the art teacher, they lived at Old Snydale. Fev Rovers were always good to watch, the wash house fish and chips were great, the dance nights at the old scout hut on Green Lane were lively. Featherstone for me was a great place to be raised up, it was full of wonderful and friendly people, who were full of character and life. I worked at Acktonhall colliery... Read more
Michael Hall
Does anyone remember Micheal Hall, born approx 1957? In the 1970s he lived in Featherstone and attended a Catering College course at the Astoria Ballroom in Leeds, where he was a good friend of my brother-in-law Pete. In 1978 he was Best Man for Sally and Pete at Snaith Priory Church on 1st July. Pete would dearly love to get in touch again if anyone has any information on Michael's whereabouts. Thank you.
Featherstone
I was born in Featherstone in 1956 and lived there until 1962 when we moved to Hampshire. My dad was also born there. We lived at 46 Market Street and my grandparents lived at 64 Featherstone Lane, on the corner of Gordon Street. I believe my great-grandparents lived in Featherstone Lane too. My grandfather (Arthur Haigh) was a miner all his life. He played rugby for Featherstone Rovers, 1921-1929, and was one of the original senior team.
I only have the vaguest of memories of most of my life there, and of later visits, but then others are very vivid. Most seem to focus around food! I have recollections of a shop at the end of Market St., run by 'Mr. Roly-Poly' (as I called him in my innocence!), but I've been told his name was Roly Weston. I remember the fish and chip shop in Featherstone Lane - you can't get Yorkshire fishcakes here for love nor money and I love them! - and I think that... Read more
Memories of West Yorkshire
50 Years in Streethouse
I first moved into Streethouse in 1953 when I married a local girl (Iris Elliott), there were no houses for rent or to buy and all newly weds had to live in lodgings, we lodged with Iris's parents. I watched Netheroyd being built, hoping that we might be lucky enough to be allocated a new council house, but no such luck. In 1954 I was allocated a new Coal Board house at Featherstone on Girnhill Lane estate, the following year I exchanged my house at Featherstone for 126 Meadway, Streethouse, where we lived until 2006 when we moved back to Featherstone. Over the 50 odd years I lived in Streethouse I have seen many changes and in the early years not too many for the good. Streethouse was a suburb of Featherstone and we always said it was the village that God forgot. The first major disruption to the village was the dreaded outcrop, it started in the early 1960s and lasted for 30 years, the dust went all around the... Read more
Level Crossing
I was signalman at Streethouse in the late 1960s. I was not always popular with some of the residents or the drivers who were held up at the gates but all in all it was quite a good job. I remember Mal Kirk used to come over the crossing on his way to Sharlston pit before he took up wrestling. I made sure he got straight through without delay!
Summers
This summer was a hot one and I loved being around Streethouse, swimming in Sharlston dam, walking to Nostel Priory, mostly being a bit of a lad, Streethouse Club outings, just the best time as a kid, your parents need not worry as it always seemed safe as everyone knew each other. The pit gala was a great day, pity things changed so much with the pit closing. What about the characters, Lew Harrison, Bert Evans, Jeff Leake, Mal Kirk, my dad Jim, Lilly Taff, so many others, who would all end up in the club or top or middle house. I remember my uncle Ron always seemed to have soft spot for me even though I was a bit of rogue. Pity time moves on, being a kid in Streethouse used to be so much fun. My mate Terry Leake sharing sugar sarnies at his mams, Ali, Mel Daley, Wilsey, Ken, all thick as thieves together, much to the annoyance of our parents.
The Prettiest Girl in The World
The prettiest girl in the world lived in Weeland Crescent, Sharlston Common with her mum and dad, the year was 1967, she was 20 years old. The song 'Silence is Golden' was at number one. Sheila with her long blonde hair' [Dusty Springfield comes to mind] was absolutely stunning. Thanks for the dance Sheila M.
Grandparents
In the 1950s every summer school holiday my parents used to drive up to Ackworth, drop us kids off with our grandparents and pick us up 6 weeks later. I loved every minute of it. Coming from the hustle and bustle of Portsmouth it was like a breath of fresh air. Eric and Annie, or Little Nan as we called her, were much loved. Grandad used to take me down to the North family farm where he worked. I can remember having my first kiss in Bell Lane Terrace, I was 10 and she was 15, her name was Alice.
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