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Thorne
Thorne maps
Historic maps of Thorne and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Thorne maps
Thorne area books
Displaying 1 of 28 books about Thorne and the local area. View all books for this area
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Memories of Thorne
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memories of Thorne.
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Anns Cafe
We used to hang around the street but mostly the cafe. There was Pete Lea, Jim Peason, Dennis Buckley and some stunning girls - Jannis, Orial and a few more whos names escape me. We sat in there for hours listening to the jukebox and the songs of the period - Brenda Lea, Conny Frances, the Everly Brothers - when we weren't in the cafe we were in the Red Lion or in the Windmill, listening to blind Freddy play the piano. He used to play a couple of songs for half a pint. Around ten oclock we all finished up at the park gates trying to get off with the girls, its where I met the wife - we have now been married fifty three years,but I still miss the frends from those times.
Charlie Bristow
It always seems a pity when someone's life ends and there is a decreasing memory of their place in the town as the years go by. Hence, if I may, I would like to share with current readers in the town the memory of one of its figures of the past. The reason I know something about Charlie is that he was my father's cousin, a refugee from the tenant farms of North Yorkshire. Charlie was a 'horse man' through and through. He was the dray man for Reeds, the grocers in the Market Place. Although Reeds had been told on many occasions that a van would have enabled a more efficient delivery service to be run, to their credit they decided to stick with Charlie until he retired - would that more current day employers had such an attitude. So, Charlie was a regular sight around the town in his leggings, jodhpurs and bowler hat making his leisurely progress through the ever increasng road traffic. I can just imagine... Read more
Thorne Water Sports
One of the highlights of the year was the annual Thorne Water Sports held in the canal between Dunston's shipyard and the Canal Tavern. The event included swimming races and sculling races where competitors stood in a rowing boat and using one oar at the rear could generate consierable speed. The highlight of the day was the greasy pole competition. Here the object was to shin along a well-greased pole jutting out over the canal and grasp a flag stuck on the end. The first attempt was hard enough, but as the competitors became wetter it afforded the spectators more and more amusement
The Fair
The fair arrived annually in June and was eagerly awaited. It was split between three sites in the town. The Market Square, then an open space with stalls only on market day, had as its main attraction what was variously known as a Noah's Ark or a Speedway ride - presuably depending on the ratio of animals to motorbikes available to ride. Outside the Yorkshire Penny Bank was the pitch of the Cake Walk - much squealing for two pence. In between were round stalls of slot machines at a penny or half penny a go - the public had to be offered the chance to spend its money no matter how small.
The second site was The Green. Again the old pump was dismantled for the event and a set of dodgems was erected outside the Red Bear. Other stalls lined the Green up towards Trimmingham's.
The main site was the Fairfield where the big items were to be found. Over the years these would change with fashion,... Read more
Sailing on The Canal
Canal traffic changed over the years. I recall seeing horse drawn barges - now restricted to the narrow canals elsewhere - hence the towpath on the south bank. Then came powered barges, often towing an unpowered one behind. One spectacular sight was the barge powered by sail. The crew really did have to earn their pay as they passed Thorne. As eleven and twelve year olds, we spent a lot of time around the canal and Ashfields and had a good warning of the approach of the sailing barge well before the sounding of the hooter to alert the lock keeper. We would dash along the towpath to watch the crew reef the sails and step the mast as they approached the railway bridge on the Hull line to the west of the town, reset the mast and sails to pass Stanilands yard, reef the sails to pass through the lock, reset the sails for the passage past Dunstons and through the notorious swing bridge before stepping the mast... Read more
Thorne Now.
Hi, I live in Thorne now. I was wondering if anybody knows anything about G Webster & Son? It was a drapers and furnishers, and was located on Finkle Street, phone number was 812 107. I found an old business card today and would like to find out a bit more. If you only know a little bit could you comment please, it would be much appreciated! Thanks dears!
Good Old Summer Days
My cousin and brothers are in the photo. I'm not because I had cut my foot on the step.
When The Fair Came to Town
I remember Finkle Street, every June there were stalls, children's rides and outside the Red Bear there was a big carousel, and it always rained until school ended on the first day.
