A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE
1983
THE COUNCILS
MAY The local result for the Wakefield District Council election was:
E Longley (Labour) 2,472
D Dale (SDP/Liberal) 1,762
For the Featherstone Town Council there were no opponents for the 12 Labour councillors and they were all re-elected.
JUNE Peter Ross of Church Court, North Featherstone, proposed having a garage, service bay and offices on land off Allison Street. The council proposed not allowing body repairs or paint spraying, and other restrictions were put on audible repairs. Cr Norman Longbottom said if there are too many restrictions it won't happen, and 40 jobs will be lost. The council agreed to reconsider.
The sports centre had become so popular that it was constantly booked up. The management committee asked Wakefield Council to expand the facilities to cater for the people they were having to turn away.
AUGUST Cr Harry Livesey told the town council golfers in the park were a danger to children. A "No golf" sign had been vandalised and golfers persisted in playing. Wakefield Council had been notified.
He also wanted the county council to take action about disappearing footpaths at Girnhill Lane, Castlesyke, Coach Road and Went Beck downs. Farmers were sowing crops over them and many people did not realise they existed any more.
The council toilets in Green Lane had been vandalised ever since they were built in the 1960s. They were closed last year but it was announced they would now be refurbished and fitted with vandal resistant fittings by Wakefield MDC at a cost of £2,500. The photo is from the Express.
OCTOBER Residents at Ackton complained to Wakefield District Council about the lack of facilities. A petition signed by 140 residents last June about the lack of a youth club had produced nothing, there was no shop or post office. Joshua Darnborough told the Express life was more expensive when you have to catch a bus for your daily needs. There could be problems in the winter if the buses stopped running. Deputy chief housing officer Maurice Lobley said there's nothing we can do to make someone open a corner shop, and if someone did there is no guarantee they would get a sub-post office.
Featherstone Town Council received a grant of £750 from the Wakefield District Council this year towards the cost of the Gala. Cr Edgar Jarvis said he hoped they would get a similar grant for next year. "It's been a wonderful success and goes from strength to strength, and it is important to the town that it should continue."
NOVEMBER Wakefield Council said all emergency repairs had been embargoed until the financial situation was resolved, which meant the renovation of the Green Lane public toilets was put on hold. Mr Bob Stewart for the council said they will be re-roofed and replastered and fitted with vandal-proof equipment. He added that the other public toilets in Pontefract Road were also feeling the effects of vandalism.
Mr Bill Bradley, for Wakefield Council, confirmed BMX circuits would be built at Pontefract, Castleford and Featherstone in the coming financial year.
DECEMBER The Thursday market was attracting more than 30 stallholders at the end of its 12 months trial period, but Wakefield Council said the traders' requests for toilets and stall lights would would have to wait.
The construction of the new library in Station Lane was delayed for permission to be obtained to close an alley alongside the site. Now it was delayed again because all the tenders received for the construction were higher than the district council's estimates.
THE ROAD SAFETY COMMITTEE
Featherstone road safety committee were concerned in January about cars and lorries using the path through the allotments between Victoria Street and Post Office Road because Vicarage Lane had been blocked off for a house improvements scheme. The secretary, Mr Harry Livesey, said the matter had been raised before but the problem was finding out who owned the path.
The committee was also concerned about drivers ignoring the parking restrictions in Station Lane and causing delivery vans to park in the middle of the road. A traffic warden was drafted in on Thursdays for the market and there was no problem that day.
SCHOOL CLOSURES PROPOSALS
Because of falling school rolls it was proposed to close Regent Street and Girnhill Lane Schools. The Community Association arranged a public meeting in February for anxious parents.
Mr Bill Wright, chief education officer for Wakefield District Council, explained there would be at least 1,000 surplus places in the area (Castleford, Featherstone and Pontefract) by 1985 unless action was taken. A detailed decision had not yet been made and would only be made as part of the democratic process. He said we have to consider the age range of children involved, quality of school buildings, and their location, as well as teaching resources.
The parents of Girnhill Lane School pupils sent a 200 signature petition to the council and threatened a sit-in. The council decided in April to keep Girnhill Lane School open and close Gordon Street First School instead. Mr Steven Vickers, a Girnhill Lane School governor, said "I am very pleased Girnhill Lane is staying open and so are the parents".
Mr Raymond Bunker, parents representative on the governors at Gordon Street School which had 155 pupils, said "If there is any way I can stop the school closing, I shall use it". Over 70 parents met at the school to form an action group and arrange a petition against the proposed closure. Cr Keith Wilson, chairman of Regent Street School governors, which had only 57 pupils said he would not like to see any school close, but Regent Street was a likely candidate because it was old and close to other schools. The petition against closure had 600 signatures and in June the council changed its mind again and said Gordon Street School would not be closed.
After seven months of uncertainty the council's education committee finally announced the schools to close by September 1985 would be Regent Street, St Thomas C of E on Pontefract Road and one at Knottingley. Also, the pupils would change schools at seven and 11. Exceptions to this would be North Featherstone Primary School and All Saints' C of E First School which would take children from five to 11.
A public meeting was held by the council at St Wilfrid's School where the proposals were explained. Regent Street First School would close, North Featherstone first and middle schools would merge. Nursery classes would be provided at Purston First. St Thomas's Middle School in Pontefract Road would close and the building could be used by Featherstone High School. The school's church status would be transferred to George Street Middle School. The church proposal upset some of the audience. It was claimed if they did not want to send a child to attend St Thomas's there would be less choice.
In December the proposals were sent to the Education Minister, Sir Keith Joseph, for his approval. The council said it was likely they would receive his verdict on the schools reorganisation by summer 1984.
THE ROVERS
At the half-year meeting in January the secretary Terry Jones said the financial situation was approaching a crisis. "Clearly the situation is very critical, and unless gates do improve, the inevitable is going to happen whereby Rovers are forced to sell their best players again. There is certainly no way the Rovers can continue to exist, losing the amount of money that had been lost in the first half of the season."
About 80 fans took part in a sponsored fun run in March to raise money for the installation of the floodlights purchased last year. They raised over £500. Donald Hunt, chairman of the floodlights committee said it would cost over £3,000 to install the lights.
The Rovers reached the final of the Rugby League Cup at Wembley Stadium for the fifth time. Hull were the opponents, and the pundits thought the Rovers didn't have a chance. The bookies stopped taking bets because so few people would back the Rovers.
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The Rovers had the last laugh by winning 14-12, the biggest upset in a cup final. The attendance was 84,969.
The lap of honour. The banner is a pun on Hull having New Zealand players (Kiwis) and Kiwi shoe polish. The photo and the one below are from fevarchive on the internet.
Thousands of fans gripped by cup fever braved the rain the day after the game to give the Rovers an unforgettable home coming. The streets from Knottingley to Featherstone were lined with blue and white and there were crowds in Pontefract market place and Station Lane.
The club announced in May they were putting the social club up for sale again because it was losing money and there seemed no hope of turning it round. The asking price was £70,000, and Eric Gardner said it is a constant leakage which the club cannot do with. Mr Duncan Bradshaw of the selling agents said a number of people have shown interest in buying the club.
The turnstile doors were vandalised in May. Committee man Roy Barker said every time the turnstile doors are boarded up, hooligans rip them down. Secretary Terry Jones said if we can't get insurance we will have to use profits from our Wembley appearance to repair the damage. Photo - The Express.
In June Wakefield Council were said to be in discussions with Wakefield Trinity about financial help. Cr Keith Wilson demanded equality for Featherstone Rovers and Castleford. He said if one club within the Wakefield District is to get financial aid then the other clubs in the area should receive the same treatment.
In July it was announced Wakefield Trinity would get a £150,000 loan interest free for five years. Steve Fitton, for the Rovers, said "We have been keeping a close eye on the situation and we have contacted a Featherstone district councillor who has assured us that we would be given the same treatment as Wakefield".
At the annual meeting in August a profit of £7,358 on the season was announced. The social club had lost £5,997. Chairman Bob Ashby said subject to the contract being signed the social club had been sold.
The secretary, Terry Jones, said the erection of the floodlights would enable the club to have a standard kick-off time 0f 3.30pm.
The chairman of the floodlights committee, Donald Hunt, thanked everyone who had played their part in raising the cash which had made the purchase of the floodlights and erection of the lights possible.
A Leeds couple, Bernard and Judy Toft bought the Rovers Social Club in November for the asking price - £75,000. It would be renamed the Posh Penguin, and Mr Toft said he would be installing expensive disco equipment. It was agreed the Rovers could retain and use the multi-gym which was in a special room at a nominal cost.
GREEN LANE CLUB
Featherstone WMC in Green Lane was one of only 16 clubs throughout the country to win a "Club Mirror" certificate of merit. It was officially handed over in March by Radio Leeds club correspondent Jim Daley.
The club president, Derek Lowe, said "The certificate was awarded for efficiency and keeping our house in order among other things, but it also took our charity work into consideration. Winning the certificate is a great achievement. We would like to thank everybody who made it possible - bar staff, the steward and stewardess, cleaners and all our members". The club raised almost £1,000 for charity last year and made a profit of £8,000. photo - Betty Longbottom (Geograph).
ACKTON HALL COLLIERY
Miners cut the first coal in March in a new area of the Haigh Moor Seam which had been developed to replace the worked out Silkstone Seam. It was part of a £20 million retrenchment scheme which an NCB spokesman said would make the colliery's operations far more efficient. Other parts of the scheme were to move the offices workshops and materials handling or Ackton Hall Colliery to Ackworth pit.
In July it was announced that the NCB and the NUM had come to an agreement to reduce the manpower by 150 down to 1,200 by means of voluntary redundancy to miners over 50.
Geoff Lofthouse MP said "You can't blame men for taking early retirement after 40 years down a pit, but it is a tragedy this is meaning a loss of jobs for their sons".
In December there were rumours about the pit being connected to Prince of Wales Colliery underground and the surface works at Ackton Hall Colliery in Featherstone being closed. An NCB spokesman told the Express he could not comment on rumours. Any plans for the future of any pit have to be fully discussed with the unions under the industries review procedure.
OLIVE MYNETT RETIRES
When Olive Mynett's husband Jack was demobbed after the 1939-45 war he took over the premises of S Gledhill and Co. at the corner of Station Lane and St Thomas Road and it was turned into a drapers and hairdressers. In October Olive, now 66 and a widow for four years, decided to retire. The premises were sold to the Trustee Savings Bank. Her long-standing colleague Margaret Hubbard had also decided to call it a day.
Olive said "I have always found it easier to deal with the not-so-well-off than the rich. In all my time here I have never had a bad debt". The photo of Olive Mynett is from the Express and that of the premises showing gale damage is from the Dr J Gatecliff Collection.
1983 NEWS ITEMS
JANUARY Secretary Alan Wilkinson of North Featherstone Lane Working Men's Club told the Express local people called it the Rat Trap. He claimed the name originated when the original old club was across the road. It only had one entrance so people started calling it the Rat Trap and it has stuck ever since.
The water workers were on strike and all water for internal use (such as drinking and cooking) had to be boiled. Staff at Ackton Hospital were said to be coping admirably with the boiling orders, and disruption was minimal.
FEBRUARY Four video cassette recorders, worth a total of £1,400 were stolen from Granada TV Rentals in Station Lane. Thieves smashed a plate glass window to get the machines which were on display.
Pupils at St Thomas's Middle School scored 75 out of a possible 80 points to win the town's inter-school road safety quiz. The school was presented with the trophy by Featherstone road safety committee chairman Cr Jack Everson. The team members received plaques, t-shirts and book tokens. The Express photo shows from the left, Mark Lockett, Simon Bond, John Frankland and Cheryl Jackson.
Featherstone Ladies Circle was formed with Mrs Amy Gott as organiser. There were 20 members at the start and she said it was hoped to get up to about 50. Meetings would be every second Wednesday in the month at the Methodist Church Hall.
Cr Norman Longbottom said the vandalism in the town is heart breaking. The police officers we have are good men but there are not enough of them. Traders in Station Lane were organising a petition calling for more police officers. They said vandalism had increased dramatically during the last month. Purston Church warden, Mr Peter Cork, said the Church Hall had been broken into at least ten times since Christmas, and the church four or five times.
The Featherstone and Normanton Cage Bird Society was formed to meet in the Jubilee Hotel each month. President Mr Barrie Hawkins said it already had 26 members, and they hoped to create interest in cage birds of all kinds.
MARCH Last year Mrs Kay Vaughan Morris age 74 of Green Lane filled in a competition form organised by a biscuit company and supermarket chain and since that time forgot about it. So she was surprised to learn she had won a holiday in Barbados. She intended going with her son-in-law's mother Mrs Alma Jude of Castleford. Photo - The Express.
APRIL Most working men's clubs were suffering because of the recession but secretary Roy Beckett of Old Featherstone WMC said "We are keeping our heads above water. It's a struggle but I think we now have a committee that cares about the club and is doing everything to keep it viable. It is not as easy running a club these days as it used to be. There was a time when you just had to open the door and make a profit, bit now you have to work at it. The two main things which have affected custom are the breathalyser laws and the stopping of late night buses.
Featherstone Karate Federation held its championship competitions at North Featherstone First School. Twenty-six members age from six to 22 took part, and the trophies were awarded by the Mayor of Wakefield District, Cr Colin Croxall. The club trained at Girnhill Lane WMC. Photo - The Express.
.MAY The Karate Federation were hoping to send 12 members age eight to 13 to the Cumbrian and Carlisle Open Karate Championships in August but needed £250 to finance it so made an appeal for help. The Express photo shows Patrick Maybir age 13 of Leatham Park Road.
JUNE The Community Association said more help was needed for the elderly in Featherstone. They had prepared a scheme which would commence shortly if enough volunteers could be found. They would assist with shopping and other needed matters. Volunteers were also needed to oversee activities at the association's hut in Fearnley Street which provided pool and other games for youngsters. The craft classes in the Methodist Church Hall, originally advertised for pensioners, would now be open to anybody.
Natalie Oakley age 14 of Halfpenny Lane was chosen to be the Gala Queen for the July Gala.
Featherstone and District Musical and Dramatic Society put on the musical Oliver at Castleford Civic Centre. The show cost £4,000 to stage, and the society hoped the audiences would big enough to cover the cost. The Express photo shows Fagin (Martin Pickersgill) and his band of pickpocketing urchins.
Champion knitter Gwen Matthewman broke her own world record by clicking up 114 stitches in a minute. The television producer chose the village green at Bishop Burton near Hull for the attempt as the programme was mainly for a Japanese audience and it was considered it would look better in a typically English country setting. Photo - The Express. The photo of the village green is from a Frith postcard.
The NUM put on a dinner and concert for 300 retired miners at the Green Lane WMC. The event was organised by the union officials at Ackton Hall Colliery and each guest received £5.
JULY Mrs Alma Nicholson retired after working 26 years at her shop in Station Lane. The shop was an early wedding present from her husband Ken. Her other claim to fame was as a leading lady in productions by Featherstone and District Musical and Dramatic Society.
The Gala in Purston Park was opened by the Mayer of Featherstone, Cr Edgar Jarvis, after the usual parade of floats from Cressey's Corner. Over 6,000 people gathered to see the attractions which included Featherstone Karate Club, Castleford Sword Morris Dancers, gymnastics and weightlifting. Natalie Oakley age 14 was the Gala Queen, and she was crowned in the park by Cr Jarvis. Both photos are from the Express.
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The Ackton Gala was proclaimed a complete success by the organisers. The crowds were entertained by Allerton Bywater White Rose Majorettes, Pontefract Texans Juvenile Jazz Band, and Dewsbury Pipe Band. One of the floats in the parade was members of the Rovers Wembley team with the Rugby League Cup. The photo of the Queen, Marie Warby age 12 is from the Express.
Radio Ackton reopened after being closed for three months to allow £1,500 of new equipment to be installed in a new studio in the grounds of Ackton Hospital.
Catherine Haggerty, press officer for Featherstone and District Amateur Musical and Dramatic Society, announced they had been given permission to produce Jesus Christ, Superstar next year. Hundreds of societies applied and only four licences were issued. She speculated it was the success of the Rovers winning the Rugby League Cup that swung it in their favour.
AUGUST The Vicar of Featherstone, Revd Eric Cheetham, moved into his new vicarage on Ackton Lane. The old vicarage and the field in front of it had been sold to a housing development firm which presented him with a cut glass rose bowl. The photo of the new vicarage is from Google Street View.
A Dr Barnardo's shop in Station Lane could be closed if it did not get more donations of clothing and furniture from the public to make it viable.
Mr William Hewitt of Pontefract Road was given first prize in the senior citizens section for Featherstone district in the allotment garden competition. Photo - The Express.
The Grantwear Trousers factory reported increased orders and was constructing a new factory floor with new machinery. It expected to provide 40 new jobs for youngsters straight from school and also experienced workers.
Dave Richardson of Stanley Street locked himself out of the house. Stephen Morgan age 14 offered to climb a drain pipe and get in by an upstairs window, but he got stuck and had to be rescued by firemen. Dave had to break the door down to get in.
SEPTEMBER Windows at Purston Church were constantly being broken by vandals. It was decided to fit protective glass in a bid to beat them. Revd Stuart Ramsden said church members had been saving for nearly four years to pay for the glass. Unless you catch them red-handed it is very difficult to stop vandals, but we hope this double glazing will do the trick.
The Community Association said they had plenty if ideas to help the community but were short of volunteers to carry them out. A driver was needed to help take old people to their craft class every Thursday afternoon at the Methodist Hall in Wilson Street. Miss Blodwen Brewster, secretary, said the class was not just for learning new skills but also to get pensioners out of their homes for an afternoon.
They also wanted the council to provide a site for a BMX cyclo-cross track for bored Featherstone youngsters..
NEGAS announced it was closing nine gas showrooms, including the one in Station Lane, as part of an efficiency drive. Cr Keith Wilson said he was concerned at the possible loss of another local service and was worried also on safety grounds. It was easy for people to go into the showroom to report gas leaks, but not if they had to travel to Pontefract. Photo - Dr J Gatecliff.
Darren Fearnley age 16 of Huntwick Crescent won seven out of eight events at a contest organised by Butlin's at Barry Island. They included trampolining, swimming and football. He received a special certificate presented by Lyn Davies, former Olympic longjumper. Photo - The Express.
OCTOBER Featherstone's firemen had raised another £1,000 for the Fire Service National Benevolent Fund. The Express photo shows Ian Dransfield handing over a cheque to West Yorkshire's chief officer Graham Kerran.
NOVEMBER The Council turned down an application from Mr W E Broxup to change the use of a sports shop at 29 Station Lane to a fish and chip shop. The reasons were nearby residents would suffer from cooking smells, litter and noise.
John Smith's Brewery fitted an anti-flood valve at Girnhill Lane WMC, The steward said the cellar had been flooded ten times this year. Yorkshire Water said the problem was the main sewers under the Station Lane junction were constantly blocked. Water jets were being tried as a short-term measure, and investigations into a long-term solution were continuing.
Road humps were being considered for Nunns Lane and St Thomas Road in an attempt to slow through traffic down.
North Eastern Gas said when the showroom in Station Lane closed, residents could pay their gas bill and get saver stamps at Dransfield's newsagents across the road. Emergencies, gas escapes and service inquiries would be dealt with at Pontefract. Photo - Dr J Gatecliff.
Ronald Longley of Cutsyke Road, North Featherstone, had a scrap metal business in the railway goods yard. There was a lorry load of copper in the yard and the driver went into Station Lane for a sandwich. He returned to see it going down the lane. Now Mr Longley said he faced an insurance wrangle with the owners of the lorry, and it looked like being a substantial financial setback.
Revd John McCartney said the meals on wheels service was at its strongest since its formation ten years ago. More than 30 drivers and helpers wee ferrying up to 40 meals a day, Monday to Thursday. More volunteers were always welcome. He said "After making the initial effort, they get a lot of satisfaction from it".
On Remembrance Day wreaths were laid at Ackton Hall Colliery memorial and the parade set off for the Purston War Memorial led by Ackton Hall Colliery Band. Hymn singing was led by ministers form Wilson Street Methodist Church, Purston Parish Church, Featherstone Parish Church and St Gerrard's Catholic Church.
IMI Radiators closed its Birshall factory in Station Lane 18 months ago with the loss of 100 jobs. The premises were up for sale but although some firms had shown an interest the recession had prevented them taking it further.
DECEMBER Julie Binnersley age 16 received the Queen's Guide award for five years' hard work in the 37th Featherstone Methodist Guide Company. Photo - the Express.
Featherstone Male Voice Choir with conductor Tony Elliott had its second annual concert at the Methodist Church. This year the choir won the male voice choir section trophy at the Eskdale Festival in Whitby..