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Lofthouse Gate
Lofthouse Gate maps
Historic maps of Lofthouse Gate and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Lofthouse Gate maps
Lofthouse Gate photos
We have no photos of Lofthouse Gate, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Rothwell| Wakefield| Altofts| Normanton| Ossett| Morley| Horbury| Batley| Dewsbury| Kippax| Featherstone| Garforth
Lofthouse Gate area books
Displaying 1 of 28 books about Lofthouse Gate and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Lofthouse Gate
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West Yorkshire memories
My Early Years in Rothwell
I was born in Rothwell in 1949 and have lived there all my life and remember when it was a picturesque village where everyone knew each other. What changes have taken place over the years.
I remember going to the Corn Mill with my dad on a Saturday morning to get corn for dad's pigeons. We had to go over a foot bridge, across the mill pond, past the big water wheel and into the storage shed. Being very small, dad would lift me up to get the corn out of one of the big barrels and nearly always pretend to let go of me, so I thought I would fall in. Tommy Barret owned the mill and he was a great big man, who always wore a dirty brown apron and scared me to death. Going back over the footbridge we would stop to watch the swans and in springtime the May blossom would fall and cover the water.
My best friend was... Read more
Memories of Rothwell in The Sixties
I lived in Rothwell from the age of 5 leaving to come to Australia in 1969 at the age of 16. I think regularly now of how the village would have changed so much since I left. I remember being a bridesmaid at the Trinity church and still have photos of coming down the path through the gate.
I drew a picture at school of the church; we had to do this in charcoal and wish I had kept it. We used to wander around and look at the old gravestones.
I remember the fairs that used to be held every year when we used to celebrate Childrens' Day and have races in the park, and the scary fireworks display at night standing on the hill thinking they were going to land on me. I attended the Church school in the main street and remember the new shopping centre being built. We used to call into one of the shops and buy a bag of broken biscuits for a... Read more
My Child Days
I was a child in the Rothwell children's home and went to the the church you mentioned.
Seanor Match Works
Actually this memory via my father and grandfather go back further than 1860. My great-great-grandfather, Richard Seanor, got interested in match making and went to London to find out the process etc. He then came back to Rothwell and started his own matchworks factory. He then went on to make the small match that we use today and of course the match box, which was made by children around 10 years of age.
Quite a few times the factory burnt down, and later when his son Jabez took over, he opened a factory in Bootle, Liverpool, but in 1904 or thereabout Jabez sold the business to Bryant and May, the match makers we all know but who have now moved to Sweden.
I have been to Rothwell a few times and met some of the people there who knew of my great-grandfather (Jabez) and of course Richard my great-great-grandfather. I have also been to the old church to visit their grave sites, and found out about the adopted... Read more
Exleys Pie & Pea Shop (front For A Betting Shop?) in The Springs
My grandad had a pie & pea shop in The Springs, evidently it was the front for a betting shop. My mum who is now 84 tells me she used to work in the shop and that my grandad Exley was quite a penny watcher and would not let her use hot water or soap to wash up. I would dearly love to find a photo of the shop and preferably with my grandad in it. Most of my relatives either have dementia or have sadly passed away now and so I don't know the name or location exactly of the shop and think it was the 1940s but it may have been another decade. I believe the shop was eventually sold to Heptinstalls (Eppys) and that it then moved and became a night club but am not so sure of that. My dad Tip (Ronnie) Exley and his brothers Norman and Charlie were his sons and there was a daughter but that was not discussed as I think something... Read more
My Childhood
I loved our park and was there every spare minute. Apart from all the exploring, we had swings, slide, ranty, and paddling pool, tennis courts and a massive duck pond where I took my own children. When I was 9 years old I practically sliced my big toe off on a bottle and lost so much blood, it was stitched back on though at Clayton hospital. I'm so sad that our great market was demolished and I so love the large historical buildings.
Bull Ring And Market
I have just been back to Wakefield for a short break. I knew what to expect before I set off. But still don't know whose idea it was to do away with the old Bull Ring which I thought made it look more like a city. Why take away such a good market? It was one of the best, plus the indoor where I used to buy my records in the 1970s. But overall I thought the place looked clean and tidy when I visited recentley. I was born there so will always have a soft spot for the place. PS - does anyone remember Harry Haleys and Craven sports shops from the 1960s and 1970s?
