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Selby
Selby maps
Historic maps of Selby and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Selby maps
Selby area books
Displaying 1 of 28 books about Selby and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Selby
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Selby.
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The Whit Walk
Does anyone remember the Whitsun walk (known as the Whit walk)? We all dressed up in our finest clothes and paraded through town. I think the Selby Times has some old photos of my two sisters on that walk. Also, do you remember the Sunday School on Millgate, run by the Salvation Army? - I believe. Every Sunday we attended, we got a little stamp in a book, and when you had enough stamps, you got a prize. I was awarded a King James illustrated Bible.
The Bridge
Living on the Barlby side of "the bridge" it seemed to dominate your life. If you had to catch a train, you set off a good deal earlier than normal in case you were "Bridged" ie in case it had to open for river traffic. I was born the year this photo was taken and my grandmother had a pram built for me at Silver Cross in Bradford, which was shipped to Selby by rail, and it is said it was so big they had to widen the pedestrian walkway on the bridge to accomodate me being pushed to and from Selby.
Teachers
Some more teachers that I remember are Miss Cooper, Mr Nicholson, Mr Downs, Mrs Irish, Mr Stevens (I think he went York to start his and his wife's own buisness), Mr Howarth the garden teacher, and Mr Thorpe the woodwork teacher. Some of these teachers moved to the new school that opened down Abbotts Road in August/September of 1963, I was 12.
Flaxley Road
My mum Barbara Cappleman lived at 29a from when it was built in the 1930s until 1960. My grandma Doris Cappleman lived there until 1984. I remember Mrs Cumiskys general store and Mrs Wrights lovely bakery. Also Whiteleys drapers shop and the Dews sweet shop round the corner. Reynolds had the chippy and there was also Roy's hairdressers and The Mutual which became the Co-Op. The Halls had the Post Office. Everyone knew everyone else and it was a very friendly community.
Allotments
I remember the allotments. My brother and I would have been 3 or 4 years old and we used to go walk round them with my Gran. We loved to run along the paths and turn on the taps ! I remember being taken to see a man called Paercy feed his pigs on bakery left-overs. I remember some piggies happily chomping their way through old Fruit Pies!
Fear And Joy at Flaxley Road School
I experienced the scary Miss Reid but none, in my opinion, was worse than Mr Perry and his cane. I was hauled in front of the class for being an exhibitionist which I swear thwarted any confidence I had for many years. Others fared worse. To counterbalance these experiences though, I had fantastic teachers following this such as Mrs Stafford, Miss Robinson and the wonderful Miss Hutchinson who instilled a love for travelling into many of us with her tales of travel to Africa.
Miss Reid
I too remember the isolated classroom at the front of the school on the right hand side of the main infants entrance. The class belonged to Miss Reid and I have to admit that although she read us that incredible story of 'The Little Grey Men', she scared me stiff. This wasn't helped by the fact that she once took delivery of some brand new school desks and she asked us not to mark them or write on them. Unfortunately I spilled a whole bottle of blue Stephens Ink all over the top of the desk I was sitting at. Only ex-Miss Reid pupils can imagine what happened then! Just to add insult to injury, it was FRIDAY the 13th.
Childhood Early Years
I spent my first years growing up in Kitchener Street. My grandmother years before worked behind the counter in the post office and was a member of the WRVS. I remember the area well even though I was only young. I can still remember some of the shops, Furniss the butchers, there were two fish and chip shops close to each other. Peckovers sweet shop which was sweet heaven, a hairdressers and Dews sweet shop opposite the Ritz cinema. On bonfire night there was always a bonfire on the grass area where the Gypsy Moth pub now stands.
