25 years ago — 1995
Eden
Three Eden projects have scooped awards totalling more than £500,000 from the National Lottery sports fund.
The major recipients are Penrith Rugby Union Football Club, who have been given £383,000 to build a new clubhouse at their Winters Park ground and establish a rugby performance and development centre for the county.
Eden Council, who made a bid for funding towards the new learner pool and upgraded facilities at Penrith swimming pool, have been awarded £270,000, and Upper Eden Rugby Club, based at Kirkby Stephen, receive £6,240 which they hope to use towards the cost of purchasing the freehold of their existing pitch to safeguard the facility for the future.
Penrith
After almost half-a-century as a director of the Herald, Noel T. O’Reilly retired from the board at Monday’s annual meeting of the company.
Chartered accountant Mr. O’Reilly, who has stepped down for physical reasons, has a connection with the Herald going back 61 years to when he was the company’s auditor.
During the 1930s and beyond he played a very prominent role in the financial management of the company, becoming a director in 1947 and serving as chairman from 1974-88.
Mr. O’Reilly is the founder of the chartered accountancy firm of N. T. O’Reilly and Partners.
George McGough, of Clifford Road, Penrith, who died last week in Hospital, aged 73, was a popular member of the town community who became equally well-liked around the surrounding countryside through his work as a travelling grocer and greengrocer.
After attending the Boys’ Council School, he joined the staff of Robinson’s, the pork butchers, as a travelling salesman. It was in 1962 that he took the decision to go into business on his own account.
He bought a mobile shop and travelled around the many villages within about 12 miles of Penrith, such as Glenridding, Skelton and Morland, selling groceries, fruit and vegetables.
Aisgill
A fatal train accident at Aisgill, near Kirkby Stephen, appears to have been the result of a breakdown in communications between the injured driver and traffic control at Crewe, according to a report.
The crash on the Settle-Carlisle line happened on 31st January in bleak winter conditions. A guard was killed and 21 people were injured when two trains, both initially heading for Leeds from Carlisle, collided.
Kirkby Stephen
Cumbrian Co-op have announced a February opening date for their new £1.3 million food store in Kirkby Stephen.
The Co-op say the 10,000 square feet store, employing 60 staff, will bring the most up-to-date shopping facilities and latest computerised retail technology to the town.
Keswick
Keswick School’s plan to build a new sports hall has been given a £200,000 boost, thanks to the Funding Agency for Schools.
The school intends to build a £789,000 sports hall as part of the single site development at Lairthwaite and to make it available for use by the community.
The school will hear in the new year if an application for a further £516,000of National Lottery money from the Sports Council is successful.
50 years ago — 1970
Penrith
Signs of increasing anger from the public are becoming evident as the electricity workers’ work-to-rule, is support of a wage claim, heads towards its second week.
By yesterday almost everyone had had experienced cuts as a result of the reduced supplies from power stations and, while the essential services of hospitals are receiving priority treatment, other consumers have been unable to get warnings of the blackouts.
Householders have been haranguing Electricity Board meter readers, the tyres of an officials van have been let down in Penrith, abusive telephone calls to Board premises are on the increase and there have even been threats of personal violence.
Penrith’s new Crown building. now under construction in Portland Place, is to be named “Voreda House”, it was learned at a meeting of the Urban Council on Wednesday.
Voreda is the Roman fort St Castlesteads, Plumpton, and this used to be known as Old Penrith.
Skelton
In just over a week’s time, two Skelton-bred dogs are to be shipped to Argentina.
They are a rough collie Lassie-type dog and bitch which are being exported by their breeder, Mrs. Judith Pearson, to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, where they will be going to a ranch and will be used for breeding purposes by their new owner.
It is the first time Mrs. Pearson – the wife of Mr. D. L. Pearson, manager of Gush and Dent Ltd. at Penrith – has exported directly, although some of the dogs she has bred have ended up overseas.
Little Salkeld
It was many years since anyone from the Penrith District exhibited at the Smithfield fat stock show until last year Mr. Robert Todd, showed a Charolais cross bullock there, gaining a commended ticket.
For this week’s show he entered two beasts, a heifer and a bullock, both in the under-fifteen months’ old dairy/beef cross classes. Both animals were Charolais-Ayrshire crosses.
The heifer, which was bred by Mr. Alan Bird, Sockenber, Kings Meaburn, came fourth in its class of eight entries.
Culgaith
A former village policeman who spent most of his service on the East Fellside, Mr. Henry Inglis, Ingleden, Culgaith, died on Sunday in the City General Hospital, Carlisle. He was 70. He had the unusual distinction of having spent all by four months of his thirty years’ police service in the Penrith division.
100 years ago – 1920
Penrith
The former Public Offices in Sandgate are to be opened as a Red Triangle Club by the Young Men’s Christian Association which has existed in the town since 1882.
There is to be a billiard room and other rooms are to be set aside for recreation and educational purposes.
Keswick
The Thornthwaite Mines are to be closed down for a time because of the low prices for lead and zincores.
Thornthwaite is practically the last of the blende mines to close.
The Vielle Montagne Zinc Company closed the Nenthead plant several months ago. Greenside Mine is in voluntary liquidation and Threlkeld mine has suspended all production.
150 years ago — 1870
Troutbeck
Admiral John Wilson – “the old Admiral” – has died at the Howe, Troutbeck. He had served with the greatest captains who led the British Navy in the war which closed the eighteenth and brought in the nineteenth century.
With the return of peace, he turned his sword into plough share. His father, the Judge, had established himself in the vale of Troutbeck, and on his death his son succeeded him.
