3 Skulls

A Memory of Hickleton.

To reply to Sandra, the 3 skulls have now been replaced behind a safer glass case. I live in Goldthorpe but my husband's family share some links with Hickleton from the family branch of his mother's side. His grandmother had some relations from Hickleton, I think the family name was Ball. My mother-in-law too in her 20s delivered some products to the Hickleton Hall, residence of Lord Halifax then, on a bicycle, as her parents had a general grocery shop on Doncaster Road, Goldthorpe (Walton). She told us that Lord Halifax was fair but strict and even during hot summers you couldn't present yourselves  dressed in shorts at the Hall. I remember Sue Ryder's annual village fete as a lively, crammed packed with activity and fun occasion. We had the RAF helping out, we had a famous celebrity coming to open the ceremony, I shook hands with Jean Rogers (Dolly)  and Matt Payne (who played her husband)  from the 'Emmerdale' cast on two different occasions. We could have scones and tea, coffee, inside the Hall and perhaps visit the odd room. Nowadays the fete seems a quiet affair, you cannot access the Hall inside (a shame really), visitors seem to have dwindled down a lot, and all the spirit seems to have gone. To my disappointment too I noticed this year that due to previous vandalising the lovely quaint church was not opened to the public! This was part of the anticipated attraction to visit Hickleton once a year. I was very sad and I thought "Another nail in  the coffin". Any other residents of Hickleton are welcome to reply to my recollection.

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