Skirwith Farm Ingleton

A Memory of Ingleton.

For a few years in the late 1940's (I was about 7/8 years old), my parents were avid campers in the primitive way. We had an Austin 7 and ventured out from east Lancs camping at weekends.
One venue became a regular weekend site - Skirwith Farm, Ingelton. It was tenanted by a family matriarch, Mrs Lambert, and was worked by her two sons, Thomas and Norman. There was also a daughter, Joan, who married the bus driver, Chris, whose route took him past the farm. We soon became friends of the family, and began to stay in the farmhouse itself in exchange for my parents helping with farm work. There was no electricity and no mains sewage, but it was a step up from a tent and primus stove. The farm has been bulldozed and now is a quarry site. I recall climbing a stone staircase to the bedroom, carrying an oil lamp and sleeping in a feather bed. There were massive feasts in the evenings at haymaking time, when many casual labourers were employed. Haymaking was very labour intensive then. The farming was mainly sheep rearing - Thomas (Tot) Lambert, the eldest son was the shepherd. I recall accompanying my father and Tot on walks to manage the flock. The farmland bordered the river Greta and the waterfall walk was accessible for free. There was a cobbled section of road in the middle of grassland which Tot said was Roman.
My parents graduated to become caravanners and found new venues, but still kept in touch with the family, even into retirement.
Thank you Ingleton for happy childhood memories.

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