25 years ago – 1996
Hayeswater
A freak build-up of ice in a reservoir this week wreaked havoc with water supplies for villages between Penrith and Ullswater.
Many villagers in Askham, Tirril, Pooley Bridge and Yanwath, as well as people living on Beacon Edge, Penrith, had to endure a night without water after ice got into the supply pipes at Hayeswater, just east of Ullswater.
Workers from North West Water moved around 50 tons of ice to try and get supplies back to normal.
Lowther
One of Cumbria’s most historic villages is being renovated at a cost of £250,000.
Lowther village, designed by Robert Adam in the 1770s and now grade two listed, is being refurbished by Lowther and District Housing Association to bring the interiors of the houses up to date.
Paul Hargreaves, director of the housing association, said: “While the exterior of the village is delightful to look at, the interiors of some of the properties do require some refurbishment.”
Kirkby Stephen
An 11-year-old boy has won an essay writing competition which entitles him to be a celebrity for a day. Mark Richardson will receive VIP treatment when he collects his prize — the chance to officially open Kirkby Stephen’s new £1.3 million Cumbrian Co-op superstore later this month.
In his essay Mark said he wanted to win the competition for the sake of his father, John, who is recovering from a heart bypass operation.
Penrith
After 30 years of service in Cumbria police, Detective Constable Keith Davis is handing in his warrant card.
Having served in both CID and the Fraud Squad, Mr. Davis is hoping to spend more time helping at Penrith Rugby Club where he is secretary.
He has been heavily involved with the development of the new clubhouse, in addition to which he has just been appointed secretary of the newly formed Eden District Sports Council.
Well-known Penrith musician Phil Askew, Croft Avenue, died suddenly at the weekend, aged 76. Music was his great love.
He was a member of Penrith Town Band for many years and became pianist for a popular band called the Merry Macks which had regular bookings all over the town at places such as the Liberal rooms and gas showroom, all of which had dance halls in those days.
One night he was asked to step in for the regular pianist at the Punch Bowl Hotel, Askham, by the then landlord Geoff Parr, and he was so popular he ended up playing the piano there every Saturday night for nine years.
Glenridding
The Glenridding Hotel recently hosted the village badminton club’s dinner where the Campbell Trophy for the outstanding sporting achievement of the year was awarded to Lynn Iredale for her recently gained badminton coaching certificate.
The award was presented to Lynn by Gina Campbell, daughter of speed hero Donald Campbell. He presented the Dale with the trophy back in 1955, the year he first broke the water speed record on Ullswater.
50 years ago — 1971
Appleby
The latest link in the chain of Westmorland County Council old people’s homes — Edenside at Appleby — welcomed its first residents last week and ultimately will have 31 drawn from an area between Shap and Kirkby Stephen.
The County Welfare Officer, Mr. T. Aspinall, told a “Herald” reporter who looked over the new building that there is already a waiting list of people who wish to make their homes their.
Sited above the Eden, but safely above the river’s flood level, the home is within easy reach of the town centre, while also offering scenic surroundings.
Shap
Momentarily perplexed faces greeted an announcement by the Chairman of Shap Bench, Commander R. H. Torbock, that a man had been fined £15 and was ordered to pay £19.6 back duty for an Excise licence offence.
The Chairman explained that he had “jumped the gun” by converting the arrears payable — £19 11s 8d — into a decimal figure.
The Clerk, Mr. C. E. Arnison, quickly checked through a conversion table and confirmed that the Chairman’s calculations were “spot on”.
Penrith
The Chairman of Penrith Urban Council, Mr. Edward Martin, has refused to leave his work at the Penrith Post Office even though his colleagues, who are on strike, this week labelled him as a “blackleg” and decided that because of this they would cease to voluntarily staff the Crown Square Post Office on Tuesdays and Fridays to pay out old age pensions and allowances.
Mr. Martin, who is the only postal and telegraph worker who has continued to work at Penrith, hit back, saying: “We fought against dictators 25 or 30 years ago and I do not want to be dictated to now. I want to have freedom of choice.”
The U.S. Cavalry has made a hundred arrivals when all seemed lost, cowboys by the score have ridden away into the sunset, lovers untold have been re-united — all on the screen of Penrith’s Alhambra Cinema, setting for a thousand happy endings.
But tonight, after sixty years, the curtain will close for the last time across the familiar screen. This time the words “The End” will have an added significance — because the Alhambra, once the Alhambra Palace, is closing as a picture house.
It was Penrith’s first cinema, built in 1910 by the late Mr. William Forrester on the site in Middlegate previously occupied by Newton’s Brewery.
100 years ago — 1921
Penrith
Commenting on the number of applications for licences in the Penrith Petty Sessions, the Chairman of the magistrates, Mr. H. Riley, said three licences had been allowed to lapse, which showed that the demand for drink was decreasing.
The three were the White Hart Hotel, Penrith; the White Ox Inn, High Hesket; and the Sun Inn, Skelton Road Ends.
The police report revealed that there were 96 fully licensed houses and eight beerhouses.
Nenthead
For many years a prominent member of the Nenthead Athletic Association and also a playing member of the now defunct football club, Mr. Joseph Pattinson, Whitehall, has died aged 43 years.
