A walk through Aberford @ 1930 by Horace Banks

A WALK THROUGH ABERFORD AROUND 1930
(ABERFORD – A POTTED HISTORY)
BY HORACE (DICK) BANKS

WITH INTRODUCTION/EDITING BY M. PIPER


BACKGROUND

Dick (Horace) Banks was one of a long-standing Aberford family with many members in the village. In old age he was regularly seen around the village and would happily stop and talk to anyone willing to pass the time of day. I thought of Dick as “a character” and I think he would have been quite happy to have been thought of in that way!

I was once riding my pony up Main Street near the north end when she suddenly took me by surprise and did 2/3 big bucks – I had a few moments of “kerfuffle” to sort myself out. Then I saw Dick across the road watching in obvious astonishment – “By gum lass” he said “you did well to stay aboard” – a sentiment I heartily agreed with !

We had only talked briefly on a few occasions but he knew I was, at one time, a Parish Councillor and before that Clerk for a few years – and perhaps that is why he told me he was writing down his “journey through the village”. Or perhaps it was due to his admiration for me as a jockey ! I expressed interest and he gave me a copy which had been typed up by someone he knew.

I kept the “journey” for some time – I wish now that I had approached Dick to get more tales from him but, like many of us, I was too busy ! It has only been more recently, when I’ve become more “web literate” and have a little more spare time that I formed the idea of helping Dick speak to a wider audience.

I hope whoever reads his “journey” finds it interesting – it seems to relate to around the 1930s and it may be helpful to look at the many old photographs available on the Aberford Website to get a sense of the view as Dick walks along. I hope, in the near future, to complete a similar exercise and duplicate Dick’s walk documenting the village as it is now in 2005/6.

My personal opinion is that we are blessed with other “characters” in the village and many whose stories and “profiles” would be of lasting interest. We will all pass into history and would like to be remembered – Aberford is a truly ancient place and those who have lived here speak to us through the landscape if we look. If only we could have heard their voices too! Now we can “hear” our voices through this medium and I hope to profile some of our residents on this site in time.

For now please read and I hope you enjoy.


MY NAME IS HORACE BANKS

I was born at “Widows Row” which is just off Bunkers Hill, on the 10th of April 1925 - which was Good Friday.

I was christened at Aberford Methodist Chapel. When my mother and dad took me to be christened they hadn’t picked a name for me ‘till they got to the Chapel Doors ! So me mother said to me dad “the first man we see, we’ll call him that”. Well, at the entrance of the door was the Village Policeman handing out the books and they called him Horace Moaks. That is how I got named Horace.

Now, I am going to tell you how I got my name “Dick” as most children know me as Dick. When I was a young lad of about 3 year-old there were a comedian made a record – it were called “Roadside Dick”. So I used to put me cap on back-to-front and say “I’m Roadside Dick” and that’s how I got me name Dick.

My mother was a maid at a big 3- storey house at the end of Tallow Yard – they had twin girls and their name was Lock – Hilda and Freda – and me mother looked after them. My father was courting me Mam at the time and he used to go to drink there and he used to get his beer on what they used to call “the slate” (not having to pay for it there and then but at a later time) and then, at the end of the week, he used to pay me mother’s wages !


A WALK THROUGH THE VILLAGE FROM SOUTH TO NORTH

On Hook Moor there used to be a gentleman who used to have a flat cart and horse. He used to sell jugs of coffee and tea, sandwiches, cakes and pop and sweets.

Walking north the first place we come to are two Lodges that lead to Parlington Park. At one time the park used to be full of deer. The two Lodges – one was for the Gamekeeper and one for the Gatekeeper.

First on Right Hand Side

We come to Hicklam Mills where I remember Mr and Mrs Birdsall used to make cane baskets – washing baskets and shopping baskets and we used to get canes from there for the Headmaster !

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick makes no mention here of the Windmill

Now I am walking to Hicklam House which was for the Manager of Lotherton and Parlington estates. He used to employ 2 servants, a cook and a gardener. At the end of the drive, what used to be the Estate Office has now been made into a house. The Manager’s name at this time was Mr Prater – it now belongs to Aberford Pine. Most of the houses of Lotherton estate have been sold and somebody else has Parlington Estate now but I don’t know who.

We then come to the Cenotaph which is to remember those people of Aberford who lost their lives in the two World Wars. Now, I’m going to tell you about Armistice Day. They used to assemble at The Royal Oak. My father used to carry the British Legion flag and he carried it for quite a few years. Then, when he retired, Charlie Bradley carried it for a few years. Now then, they used to assemble with their medals on and a British Legion standard. They used to march from there up to the Church, go into the Church and have a service and then come out and line up again and go up to the Cenotaph where the last call used to be. My father used to have to lower the flag the same time as the bugle and they used to have the 2 minutes silence.

Two or three years after that the Ladies British Legion got a British Legion Standard and my auntie, Clara West, she carried it for a good few years. Then, as age counts, she had to pack it in and another lady took over to carry it and it was Barbara Whitehead and that was for a couple of years. Well, when they first started marching, there used to be the old soldiers of the Second World War and then there used to be the Land Army girls.

I should mention about Mr Burton who were the Vicar at Aberford Church – when my father passed away he went and got the British Legion standard and brought it to the graveside. As my father were lowered into the grave so he lowered the flag and that was the last time I saw the British Legion flag out of the Church.

Next down the road was the Roman Catholic Church but that has been made into a house and, at the far end of the drive, there is another building and that used to be the Roman Catholic school but now it doesn’t exist.

Further down towards the top of Bunkers Hill you come to two more cottages. Then you come to what they call White House Farm. Now White Horse Farm – you walk alongside there and you come to a row of four houses. Them four houses, Mrs Simpson lived in the first one, Ann and Sarah Scot in the second one, Mrs Beels lived in the third one and we lived in the fourth one. It’s now called Widows Row. I think it’s called that because the 4 ladies I mentioned were all servants at Lotherton Hall

EDITOR’S NOTE – THE EXACT AREA DICK NEXT TALKS ABOUT IS NOT QUITE CLEAR BUT IS BETWEEN WIDOWS ROW AND LOTHERTON LANE END ?

Now, when you get to the top of Bunkers Hill, there used to be a yard where there was three houses. Then, at the front, there was two houses and then there were what we used to call “a ginnel” and, at the end o’ that, there used to be one house. Then you used to come back along and there were two houses and then you had to walk down some steps.

Just round the corner there was two more houses and, at the end of that yard, there was another one and opposite that one was another one. There used to be earth toilets – one used to have three seats so three could sit down at once ! and the other was a single one.

Then we come away from there and there’s just one more house. When we walk a little bit further we come to what used to be a pub and then there are some more houses and that’s where they used to get the water from.

Now we are at Lotherton Lane and we’re going to walk up it and you come to what they call Windmill Hill as there was a windmill at the top. You go further along and one road leads to Lotherton and the other one is Stocking Lane - the reason I think it got called that is that at one time it were shaped like a stocking. Now we’re going up Stocking Lane and the first place we come to is New Zealand where the Young family used to live. There were four girls and they were all named after flowers and there used to be an old railway carriage what was a museum. Now it belongs to Miss Heather Walker. Walking back onto Stocking Lane – at the far end is Wood House Grange farm. That is the end of the road so we return to Lotherton Lane.

A few yards up Lotherton Lane you come to two cottages – one was the Robinson and Inmans, who lived in the first one and Shackletons lived in the second one and the field just there was where the first Aberford Albion football team played.

Back down towards the main road you came to the old Gas House. Then you walk a bit further along towards the main road and you come to what was the Caretakers and Joiners shop and, on top, was the Painter and Decorator for the estates.

Back on the main road you come to more cottages and the next place is what was the Cobblers shop and next to it was a small house. Then you come to what was a Grocery and Off-licence shop where Ann and Sarah Scot used to ask one of us to fetch them a jug o’ stout or a jug o’ Guinness ! There was a Blacksmiths shop and next to it , which is now the A1 Motors, was the Wheelwright and he used to make carts for horses to pull.

Next place is the Village Hall where we used to go and watch concerts for thruppence and there were slides and they used to have whist drives and dances for British Legion. Now they just have odd stuff and Badminton and things like that and wedding parties.

Now we come to Manor Farm then a bit further along we come to Tallow Yard. Now that is where they used to make candles and safety pins. Further down at the end of Tallow Yard was a big three-storey house and that was the old Boot and Shoe.

A bit further along Main street we come to what was the Gas Show Room where we used to go and get gas mantels and gas rings and gas pipes as we had no electricity in the houses.

The next place to that was the old Brewery Yard and, at the end of the Brewery Yard, was a Butcher’s shop. At that time it belonged to Addys , then at a later date it belonged to Mr and Mrs Ward and family.

A bit further along and you come to what was the Midland Bank which no longer exists as a Bank. Then you come to a little shop and it was called Addys Café because, up the entrance and up some steps, you came to a big room and that were the Café and it was the first place where they used to hold the meetings for the
Aberford Albion football team

Then we come to the Main Stores which you could go in there for sweets, groceries, medicines, bicycles and papers. Next door was the village Post Office.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
At this point Dick misses out the buildings between the Post Office and Cock Beck

……..

Over the wooden bridge we come to a big house and next to that is the Arabian Horse.
Now then the Arabian Horse has a lot of history but I can’t tell you about that much –
It was built around 1770 and is the only pub of that name. Originally called The Bay Horse, the change came about in 1850 when the first Arab horses in the Country were stranded at the pub on their way to near Masham. People came from miles to see the Arabs and the name stuck. There is a fireplace dating from the 18th century discovered during the restoration in 1975 which has a big fire in winter months.
Up the yard was a pump where they used to get water for the pub.

At the corner of Field Lane there was another water pump and that was for the people of the houses nearby. As we walk up Field Lane you come to two cottages on a hill – which is called Pump Hill. The first house were Adams, the second house was Sophia and John England who were my great aunt and uncle. Then there was the yard behind and that is where they used to make ropes and clothes lines and things like that. Then it became a Bus Depot, the first bus from Leeds to Aberford and back. It was called the Blue Bus. Then, a bit later on, two men called Mr Gillett and Councillor Joe Wilson, got a bus and they ran that to take the miners to Peckfield Colliery and back three times a day because they used to do mornings, afternoons and nights. When the bus was too old to carry passengers it was made into a wagon. It was called Aberford Motor Company and that is how Aberford Motor Company started and, what used to be the coal yard, Aberford Motor Company moved there when the coal yard closed.

Now, coming away from that yard there’s a big house facing down Main Street, that was a school – for children which paid for schooling – and it was run by a lady called Mrs Hayes.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick misses one or two houses up Field Lane but continues

If you walk up Field Lane at the top of the allotments there’s a piece of land there about ten yards wide and that was called Becca Bank. You walk up there and you come to what was a small-holding that belonged to Tommy Harness and they lived in an old railway cottage but now there is a bungalow there.

Then there were a wood where we used to go play because that were common land. Then you’d walk along, before the new road were built, you could go right along there along the fields past the filter beds and that were common land.
Then you come to a red brick house which belonged to the Scots family and you carried on right to the end of that cart track and down to a footpath to where the Cock Beck were. If you carried on walking along the beck-side eventually you’d come to what they call The Crooked Billet pub and Lead Church and eventually to Towton and that were where the Battle of Towton was.

There used to be some white roses with speckles of red on and people said that was owing to the War of the Roses. If you look on the left hand side as you go to Towton you’ll see a monument of the dates when that happened.

Now back to Main Street from bottom of Field Lane ….

Up Main street you come to what was a grocery shop which belonged to Sam Hargreaves. Now that’s where we used to get us groceries. We used to take the order in and a man called Frankie Brook used to deliver it in a two-wheel barrow and then, when me father received his cheque from work – from West Riding County Council – we used to have to take it there to pay for the groceries and get the change.

Up the hill and we get so far and there was one of those houses where the Doctor’s Surgery was which was where Mr Winterburn lived. A bit further along we comes to The Grove. Further along was another stores which was the Wilson family where you got groceries and sweets. Then a bit further you came to a Butcher’s shop and Bakers which was Sam Hoods.

Then a bit further on, at a later date, there was built a Fish Shop. Now the next place to that was another little shop and that was called “Dick Cockrem’s” and there you could go in and get “a pennorth of broken biscuits”- and you got a lot - or a penny for a bottle o’ dandelion and burdock.

We now come to a red brick house which belonged to Mr Ambler and that is where you used to go for sick pay at that time. It was called “the Lloyd George” ‘cause that was the first sick pay paid out and it was five shillings a week for a married man and family.

Well House is next – at one time it was called Well House Farm because the land at back of that was a farm but now that no longer exists as it is an estate. Next we come to two red brick houses. The first is called Smada House – well it was built by a person called Adams who lived at Pump Hill but it is called Smada House – it is Adams spelt backwards !

EDITOR’S NOTE: From now on there were scattered original houses standing at the time Dick writes about as we shall see

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The next place we used to come to was two little cottages, one belonged to Locks and one to Burlingham. That is no longer a small-holding as houses have been built there.

Next we come to another field which belonged to Sam Hargreaves and that was where he used to keep 2/300 hens and I used to go with a gentleman at night-time and help him to collect the eggs into buckets for Mr Hargreaves.

The next place were a small-holding which belonged to Bill Baxter and that was a little farm but no longer exists as houses have been built there.

Another small farm was next which belonged to John Freeman. The 3 lads I remember what first worked there were Joe Rudderham, John Gray and then my cousin Maurice Armitage. Now houses have been built there.

Where The Dale is there was a Market Gardeners there called Arthur Wharton’s – now built on. The Dale was the first Council estate to be built in Aberford and it was called St Johns Estate – now it is called The Dale. That is where we moved to from Bunkers Hill.

Over The Dale and the first place we come to was called Tommy Johnson’s which was an orchard and a small-holding and now that has been built on. When Tommy Johnson had it he used to come to the end of the road with the ripe apples in buckets and he used to tell all the children to take one apple on the way back to school.

The next place was Miss Green’s which was a goat farm where I used to take a few cans of goat milk to different people. Now, at that time, that was the end of Aberford.
After that – up the hill – we come to what was called The Toll Bar and it was a café after it had been a Toll Bar.

Further out you come to Black Horse Farm and that has a lot of history but I can’t tell you about it. If you go along a track there called the Coach Road it takes you to Hazlewood Castle. At one time there used to be nuns and monks there and there’s a Roman Catholic Church and it all belonged to the Catholics. During World War Two it was a maternity hospital for a few years and a little while after the war a lady called Mrs Simpson used to live there. It’s a very nice place and now it’s a Hotel and restaurant for weddings and parties like that.

When it was a religious place the owners never allowed hunting in the woods in Hazel Wood and Hayton Wood.

Further north we come to what is called Nut Hill. Nut Hill had a well and it was called Buckingham Well ‘cause when Lord Buckingham used to come down the Great North Road he used to call there and have a pint of water.

Returning to South End of Village – Left Hand Side

Now I am going to tell you a bit about the Gascoigne estate. First of all the Gascoignes lived at Parlington Hall at first near where the Triumphant Arch is. Then they moved to Lotherton Hall and, during the war, the “A” gun was there and, after the war, Lotherton Hall was given when Mrs Gascoigne died to be made into a public park. It’s a lovely public park, there’s different kinds of birds, there’s flower gardens, a little Church and a lot of things going on. I remember Colonel Gascoigne on Armistice Day when he used to walk in front of me father and that is all I can tell you about the Gascoignes.

On the left side below the two lodges we come to the Almshouses where old people of Aberford used to go. They used to pay one shilling a week rent and it belonged to the Gascoigne estate. When Lady Gascoigne died, Sir Alvery Gascoigne gave it to Leeds for the old people but Leeds (City Council) sold it and built some flats up Cattle Lane what they call Parlington House. It was supposed to be for the people of Aberford but, like Leeds always does, there’s more people out of Leeds what live in there than what live out of Aberford – Aberforders.

After a field there is four cottages, then a big gate and then six more cottages. If you go through that big gate and walk so far along you turn right and along there you come to a water pump where we used to go collect water (from Widows Row area) because at that time there was no water in the houses.

EDITOR’S NOTE – DICK OMITS HOUSES O’LOOKING PARLINGTON LANE

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Parlington Lane (the “Fly Line”) used to have a railway line to bring coal from the Sister Pits at Garforth to Aberford and then it used to be tipped down into bunkers.

EDITOR’S NOTE – DICK IS NOT QUITE CLEAR BUT SEEMS TO BE TALKING ABOUT THE “SOUTH LODGE FARM” AREA NEXT

…..

Then you came to the Saddlers shop where they used to repair saddles for horses to pull carts away from the coal yard and the big house there belonged to my first teacher which was Miss Percy. Then further up that yard was the weighhouse. The weighhouse is still there but there’s no weigh !

Now a bit further along you come to the Methodist Chapel that is the chapel where I was christened and we used to go there for Sunday service and Sunday afternoon lessons. When you used to go there you used to get marks and the one who got most marks got a bible besides a book, but all the other ones used to get a book.

Now you come to Moons Hill – the first place you come to is Moon’s shop then there is a house then the next place to that was The Rose and Crown pub.

A bit further on you go up School Lane and there’s a branch off what goes to the Vicarage which is no longer the vicarage. In the grass field against the School I remember when an airship came down. I was between 5 and 6 year-old and I don’t know if anyone else will have ever mentioned about that.

School Days
Now then I am going to tell you a bit about Aberford School. I would like to tell the children to enjoy their years at school because it is the best time – best part of your life and don’t be frightened to ask the Teachers if you want to know anything as they are there to help you and they will help you.

They aren’t Teachers like we used to have. Today the teachers are more understanding and they don’t give you the cane or hit your knuckles with a ruler or blackboard rubber or pull your hair – they don’t do that nowadays.

Aberford Church of England School is where I first started school. My first teacher was Miss Percy and, for the first month, you played with sand and things like that. She used to buy some alphabetical biscuits and she used to say “you nibble a bit and then put your lips together and chew as if you’re chewing something but you must keep your mouth closed”. Then after you started to learn to count and to learn to read.

Then you moved up into Standard One and the teacher there were Miss Moss. Now then, when you first went in there Miss Moss were asking people when they were born and what date and my mother always used to call Good Friday “hot cross bun day”. So, being a bit of a comic like I always were, she said to me “when is your birthday ?” – I said “hot cross bun day” – so she give me a good hiding and told me not to talk like that ! Well, all the kids in the class laughed and that made her more vexed so she give me another hiding !

Now then, when you finished in the class you moved to another class which was Standard Two and it was a lovely young lady teacher called Miss Ellis. Then you want from that class to Mr Pickles’ class. He was a real good teacher. You’d have a bit of fun but he’d make you work hard and then you’d go into the Headmaster’s class.

Well, the Headmaster – he was a Headmaster – and a really bad-tempered Headmaster. He’d sooner give you cane than look at you. He were a different kettle of fish ‘cause all he thought about were cane and that was where he came in ! I agree sometimes we deserved the cane but sometimes he gave you a cane for nothing.

Now Aberford School is a real good school and, on a Monday morning when I went, it was always the Vicar who used to come down to say prayers on a Monday morning. Once he’d been away for a week and, when he came down, he said “my Policemen were on duty while I’ve been away”. What he meant was, he had an orchard with some apple trees and one boy went to get some apples and fell down a tree and landed on a wasp nest and he got stung. In them days your mothers used to dab you with “dolly blue” and the boy were like a spotted dog by the time she’d finished !

Now I’ll tell you what we used to do for us own entertainment. We used to get an old bicycle wheel and take the spokes out and get a stick and run up and down the street making the wheel go round fast. Then there used to be whipping top, shuttlecock and battledore and there used to be skittles for both boys and girls and jumping and all them kinds of things.

Football – It used to be a thrupenny (old money) return to Garforth (on the bus). Me and Les Walton and Eric Bradley went to play East Garforth (school ?) but we didn’t go on the bus. What we did – Les Walton had a little 2-wheeler bike and so Eric Bradley sat on’t handlebars, Les Walton sat on’t seat and I sat on’t carrier at back and poor old Les peddled it right up the Fly Line to East Garforth. We played football there and then we come back the same way as we went. When we went to school on Monday morning the teacher said “how many went to Garforth ?” – so we said “we three went” – we didn’t tell him we went on’t bicycle so he thought we went on’t bus so he gave us thruppence a’piece. So what we did, we had a “nosh up” – in other words we bought some sweets !

At that time I didn’t have no football boots. Well, me father would have me play in me ordinary boots but I had a pair o’ clogs so I played with a pair o’ clogs on. Well, when the others saw I had a pair o’ clogs on I could run through ‘cause they wouldn’t offer to tackle me ‘cause in them days there wasn’t all this whistling for fouls and that. If you couldn’t get the ball you got the man in them days and that were how we played football.

We were never angels but we never did no wilful damage and the best days of everybody’s life is their days at school so, if I were you children, I would try hard.
We couldn’t afford no toys as money were very short in them days. Now then at School there’s everything to look forward to, so you children enjoy it while you get chance.

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At the bottom of School Lane you come to St Ricarius Church which is a lovely church and a lot of my friends are now in there !

EDITOR’S NOTE – DICK MISSES OUT A LARGE CHUNK OF HOUSES LEADING TO CATTLE LANE, CATTLE LANE AREA, THE WATERMILL AND COTTAGES TO BECCA LANE END/

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Now then at the end of Becca Lane there’s a farm and that was called Becca Farm.
The next place is a row of houses which is called Markham Cottages.

There is then four cottages and then there was a big field which was always called the Carnival Field. (EDITOR’S NOTE : THIS IS HIGHFIELD ESTATE AREA NOW) At that time we used to have a carnival and they used to be showing horse and carts which all had their harness polished and all their brasses on them and they were judged.

The next big house was called Blands House.

There used to be a road up there which led to the grainary and stables of Becca Farm.

The next place to that is The Royal Oak pub which Mr and Mrs Cockrem were the Landlord and Landlady. He used to keep pigs and a few hens and, up on top, were the apple trees and he used to have a piece of garden which we used to go dig – me and a boy of their relation. Mrs Cockrem always used to make a big blue jug o’ shandy and home-fed boiled ham and that were a treat. Then she used to let them come with the circus in the field and sometimes other different things she used to let them use the little grass field for.

A bit further north there was two cottages which now is one and they belonged to Mrs Thorpe. Now they belong to Molly Thorpe. Now then, Mrs Thorpe used to say at Christmas “well we’ll have to get to bed because there’ll be Dicky in morning as our luck bird” and she’d have a mince pie and sommat to drink and give it to me. She used to make a beautiful jam and her own ????/

Now we move to the next place and that is called Little London. (EDITOR’S NOTE; NOW ST JOHN’S CLOSE/ST JOHN’S GARTH AREA). Now Little London and that area was all small houses and that was where the first fish shop were. It was a big wooden hut, which was called Mick Wharton’s. At that time the fish and chips used to be thruppence, a’ pennorth o’ chips and tuppence for a fish. When I talk about a fish, I mean a fish, not like we get today !

Now then we go a bit further along and there’s some more rows of houses. Then you come to what is St John’s Farm

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick’s account of this side of the village finishes here.