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Nostell
Nostell maps
Historic maps of Nostell and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Nostell maps
Nostell photos
We have no photos of Nostell, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Ackworth| Featherstone| Normanton| Royston| Altofts| Pontefract| South Kirkby| Cudworth| Wakefield| South Elmsall| Castleford| Staincross| Ferrybridge| Barnsley| Knottingley| Darton| Brotherton
Nostell area books
Displaying 1 of 26 books about Nostell and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Nostell
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West Yorkshire memories
The 1940s
I remember going to the local primary school at the top of Second Avenue from the age of 3. Mrs Dobson was head of the Infants School and Mr Perry was head of the Junior School. We slept in the hall in the early days of our school lives; I had a blanket with a rabbit motif on it. I still slept with my thumb in my mouth. In junior school our playing fields were ploughed up for vegetables because of the war years. Mr Perry had a farm in the village and so it was natural enough for him to farm the playing fields when everyone was being asked to 'dig for victory'. During the war we were bombed once - a bomb fell in what were called the Bullfields which were just beyond the school. The story was that some German engineers had worked at the colliery before the war and passed on information to the German High Command. My... Read more
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.
Felkirk Church
Felkirk Church was about five miles from Ryhill and was built long before the birth of Oliver Cromwell. There he used one of the stable yards which was adjacent to the church. Anyway in the year 1959 I was become a bell-ringer at that church, Mr Stan Chant was one of the teachers whereupon he set me out a riddle which I had to solve. He said to me that when the clock upon the church struck 12 midnight all the ghosts came out from their graves but they very seldom heard it. Mr Chant gave me as long as I wished to solve the riddle but I could not solve it. He took me outside the church and told me to look up at the bell tower and said for me to study it. He even gave me the riddle once more and still I did not know the meaning of the riddle. Then he told me to go up into the belfry with him. The belfry stone stairs... Read more
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.
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.
