As we return back to the crease after a spot of lunch in the pavilion, we can see an exciting innings ahead of us, to follow the story of the great dynasties that were already growing in Pudsey cricket at the start of the 20th Century.

Previously we looked at the foundations of the first teams, and the clubs that are still playing today.

Importantly it’s the family tradition that roots cricket so deeply in Pudsey that we now follow, picking up from where ‘Long Tom’ Tunnicliffe bowed out and Major Booth now confidently walks out to the middle.

Major William Booth (late Second Lieutenant 15th Bn WYR ‘Leeds Pals’)

Major Booth, the second son of James and Louisa Booth was born on 10th December 1886 in Lowtown. His father James was the famous grocer and storekeeper who ran two shops on Lowtown – his name now graces Booth’s Yard. Major (his given name an old tradition of picking Grandmothers maiden names for boy’s first names) had two older sisters and a brother; Annie, Sarah and James Cecil Booth. James Snr was doing well enough to educate Major at the prestigious Fulneck School, which had its own cricket pitch, pavilion and teachers willing to coach the game. One of those teachers was a Mr J.W. Overend who was to later coach the art of cricket to Len Hutton.

Major found that he loved cricket and quickly proved himself to be a capable all rounder and athlete, also excelling at football (he was on the books at Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers). It was through cricket that he went on to represent Pudsey St. Lawrence alongside other well local knowns; Henry Hutton, Herbert Sutcliffe and Richard Ingham.

A popular and good looking chap, Major was well on his way to stardom. By 1910 Booth had secured a regular place in the Yorkshire first team, and in 1911 he scored 1,125 runs for his county and took seventy-four wickets, with a highest innings of 210 against Worcestershire. Continually improving, in 1913 he took 158 wickets for Yorkshire, his aggregate of 181 wickets in first-class matches being the highest of any bowler that season. He also added another thousand runs with the bat.

Because of this stellar performance he was selected for the Players at Lord’s (the early England team) and went on tour with the squad in South Africa. The outbreak of War in July 1914 curtailed a what looked like a promising career…

Major Booth volunteered for the West Yorkshire Regiment 15th Battalion (the Leeds Pals) as a Sergeant, and was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 16 July 1915. He first served overseas in Egypt from 22 December 1915 before being shipped to the Western Front. The Leeds Pals went “over the top” during the first day of the battle of the Somme, 1st July 1916, followed a short while later by the Bradford Pals (one of whom was Abe Waddington later to become a famous cricketer for Yorkshire and England).

Whilst leading his section across no-mans land, Major was hit by shrapnel close to his heart. Waddington was also hit and found himself in a shell hole with the fatally injured Booth and held him until he died. Stretcher bearers were able to rescue Waddington later in the day, but Booth’s body remained in the shell hole until the following spring. His remains were only identified by the MCC cigarette case he carried in his pocket. Major Booth is now buried in Serre Road Cemetery No.1 in France.

Major’s sister Annie was so upset that she refused to accept that he was dead, and kept his room as he’d left it for many years. Annie lit a light in the window of their Pudsey home every evening in the hope of his safe return.

Along with Major Booth, we can safely assume, given the popularity of cricket in the Town, that most of the lads named on our Cenotaph would have been cricketers either with Clubs playing in the Bradford League or the Sunday School league teams.

The greatest opening partnership of all time?

The opening batsman positions in the All-Time Yorkshire XI are reserved for two Pudsey men who can lay claims to be the best opening cricketers ever produced anywhere in the world…

Herbert Sutcliffe scored 38,558 runs for Yorkshire, at an average of 50.20. He played 54 Tests for England, aggregating 4,555 runs at 60.73. He stands at the top of opening batsmen the world over in terms of batting average.

Fellow Pudsey legend Len Hutton started his career just as the great was Sutcliffe ending his. In a few matches in the late 1930s they walked in to bat together. In all, Hutton played 341 times for Yorkshire, scoring 24,807 runs at an average of 53.34. In 79 Tests for England, he made 6,971 runs at 56.67. He was England’s first professional captain.

Both Pudsey men have gates in their honour at Headingley Cricket Ground, as well as the Blue plaques and Hutton gates at Pudsey St Lawrence CC.

Herbert Sutcliffe – Pudsey’s first International Legend

What appears to be an exhibition match at Pudsey St Lawrence’s Tofts Rd with the old pavilion circa 1910.

The first three on the back row are Frank Wilson, W. Hobson and J.W.Lawson. Club President Sir Walter Forrest is in the straw boater, team Captain Richard Ingham (Mayor of Pudsey 1922-23) is on his left. Major Booth is on the extreme right. On the right of the front row is Henry Hutton (later to be father of Sir Len Hutton). Next to him is the 15 year old Herbert Sutcliffe, future super star and son of St Lawrence stalwart the late William Sutcliffe.

Born at Summerbridge in 1894 to William and Jane, Herbert moved to Pudsey when his father took on the Kings Arms from his own father George. For many years the Kings Arms doubled as the St Lawrence club HQ.

William Sutcliffe was a cup winning all round cricketer and also a keen rugby player. Willie died suddenly in 1899, after twisting his bowel in an earlier rugby game, it was fatally aggravated in a cricket match, he was only 34. Worse was to follow as Jane passed away from consumption in 1904 leaving their three sons as orphans.

Herbert and his brothers Arthur and Robert were now raised in Pudsey by their aunts Sara, Carrie and Harriet. Members of the Congregational church which had its own successful team – they ensured the 3 boys were brought up in the correct Pudsey Cricket tradition. Herbert quickly shone as a batsman and moved up from the Congs to St. Lawrence.

He played his first game for the Saints in short trousers, and batting at number 6 saved the match. Richard Ingham remarked “Play like that lad and one day you will play for England”. Herbert’s time with St Lawrence was short lived though, he struggled to get from work across Pudsey to attend net practice, which meant missing out on getting picked for the Saturday game. He was soon lured from the Top Enders, to the Bottom Enders at Britannia Cricket Club which was easier to get to and gave him more net time. The rest as they say is history…

Herbert went on to represent Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Sutcliffe was noted for his concentration and determination, qualities which made him invaluable to his teams in adverse batting conditions; and he is remembered as one of the game’s finest “bad wicket batsmen”.

His first-class debut was delayed by the First World War until 1919, having served as an officer with the Green Howards but then became:

• First Yorkshire player to complete 100 centuries, and the seventh overall to achieve the feat
• With Yorkshire won the County Championship 12 times.
• Played in 54 Test matches for England
• Famous for the opening partnership he formed with Jack Hobbs for England between 1924 and 1930
• First cricketer to score 16 centuries in Test match cricket
• Toured Australia, where he enjoyed outstanding success. Including the controversial “bodyline” series
• His completed career batting average of 60.73 is the highest by any English batsman and the fifth-highest worldwide
• Also for the opening partnership at Yorkshire with Percy Holmes, achieving a then record stand of 555 runs against Essex

In his last few seasons for Yorkshire, Herbert partnered the young Len Hutton, helping him develop his game and paid this tribute: “I am specially happy about Len Hutton because he comes from Pudsey and so will carry on what I am pleased to think is the Pudsey tradition.”

All of this success and talent was nurtured by the fantastic grass roots support back home in Pudsey, and Herbert would often return to Pudsey to a heroes welcome (pathé)

Sutcliffe became a successful businessman by using the money he earned as a player to establish a sportswear shop in Leeds. When his playing career ended, he served on the club committee at Yorkshire for 21 years and for three years was an England Test selector. Among the honours accorded him have been the commemoration of a special set of gates in his name at Headingley, home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, and his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Sir Leonard Hutton – England’s first professional Captain and record breaker

We return to Fulneck to meet the Hutton family with their Moravian connections, hard graft and cricket in their genes.

The Hutton love of cricket came from Elizabeth Milner who married William Hutton; Elizabeth’s two brothers Sam and Jonathan were members of a Saint Lawrence team that had challenged the Pudsey Britannia for a winners purse of a whopping £50. William’s son Henry, a renowned local mason and builder also became a great player at Pudsey St. Lawrence thanks to Aunt Elizabeth’s influence and his Uncle’s coaching.

Henry and his wife Lily had 4 sons and two daughters and the tight nit family lived at number 5 Fulneck with Aunts Mary, Louise and Florence nearby.

All four boys took to cricket, in fact the settlement cricket pitch was in the cow field just opposite their cottage (note the boarding school pitch was further up the hill). It is said that the young Len was taught to keep a straight bat and tight footwork on the narrow pathway of their Fulneck cottage by Aunties Mary and Florence, they gave him a bat for his second birthday. He was soon over the wall and into the cow field playing matches with his friends though.

Henry Hutton and (Alderman) Simeon Myers would give the lads a bit of practice on a summers evening, Len recalls his father saying:

“Come on Len go home to bed”
“Nay, give us a bit longer”, Len replied.
“You’ve had enough”
“Just six more balls then”
“And” (remembered Simeon Myers) “we bowled him another six balls…he hit everything. It was later on that young Hutton’s dad told me Len was going to make the best cricketer in the family.”

As Len developed he took tutelage from Mr J.W. Overend and the Minister Charles Mellowes on the bigger field of the Fulneck Girls School. Len and five of his friends decided to join Pudsey St. Lawrence Juniors, and they were there until late every night. Even Old George the groundsman had a hard time to get them to pack up and go home!

Henry Hutton and his sons Edmund, George, Reg and Len would all play for Pudsey St. Lawrence in the Bradford League. The young Len first played for the Saints aged just 12. The future star first met Herbert Sutcliffe when Len visited his Pudsey’s home to choose a cricket bat from the range stocked in Herbert’s shop, and also receive some valuable knowledge from the world’s best player.
Len was soon to be recommended to Yorkshire by Sutcliffe as a prospective academy player.

This led Len to travel down to Headingley for a County trial in the February of 1930, where he was introduced to Yorkshire legends George Hirst and Bill Bowes. George said to Len “You are Leonard Hutton aren’t you? You come from Pudsey don’t you? Well just keep your eyes open and watch, and you’ll be alright.”

These two top bowlers helped Len hone his batting style to a first class level.

He went on to play as the leading opening batsman for Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1934 to 1955, and was selected for England in 79 Test matches between 1937 and 1955.

His most famous innings came when he set the record in 1938 for the highest individual innings in a Test match, scoring 364 runs against Australia at the Oval, and this remains the England Test record today. In doing so he broke his Australian rival Don Bradman’s 1930 record Ashes score of 334. Hutton passed Bradman’s score with a cut off Chuck Fleetwood-Smith, and extended his score to 364 before he was out, caught. Lasting for more than 13 hours, with 847 balls faced, Hutton’s innings was the longest in first-class cricket at the time. England eventually totalled a massive 903 runs.

Len’s flourishing career was interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1939 which stopped all first class cricket, this also brought down the curtain on Herbert Sutcliffe’s long career.

Len married Dorothy Mary Dennis, the sister of former Yorkshire cricketer Frank Dennis, on 16 September 1939 at Wykeham near Scarborough; they met at an end-of-season dance. They had two sons: Richard, who later played cricket for Yorkshire and England, and John.

Len soon volunteered for the army and was recruited to the Army Physical Training Corps as a sergeant-instructor. In March 1941, on the last day of a commando training course in York, Hutton fell in the gymnasium when a mat slipped from under him. He suffered a fractured left forearm and dislocated his ulna at the wrist. He began to suffer increasing pain and underwent drastic surgery to graft bone from his legs onto the injured arm – the second attempt at the end of 1941 resulted with a left arm almost two inches shorter than the right. He was discharged from the army in the summer of 1942 and began work as a civilian for the Royal Engineers. Len resumed his cricket with Pudsey St Lawrence in 1943 until 1945, batting successfully and helping the team to win the Priestley Cup.

This was something of a miracle as the arm injury meant that he had to adjust his batting style and lost some of his flourish. Its is a great testament to his professionalism that he eventually recovered his form back to pre-war levels (although my own grandfather Sid who watched him closely maintained that he was never quite as brilliant as before and had become more cautious with his batting).

Following the Second World War, Len was the mainstay of England’s batting – his new cautious style meant that he often carried his bat but drew criticism in some quarters, with expectations that he would continue to smash all the records.

In 1952, he became the first professional cricketer of the 20th century to captain England in Tests; under his captaincy England won the Ashes the following year for the first time in 19 years. In 23 Tests as captain, he won eight and lost four with the others drawn.

The pressure took its toll on Len though having carried the team with his prolific batting for so long, and he retired from regular first-class cricket during the 1955 season.

He was Knighted for his contributions to cricket in 1956, he went on to be a Test selector, a journalist and broadcaster. He also worked as a representative for an engineering firm until retiring from the job in 1984. Len remained involved in cricket, and became president of Yorkshire County Cricket Club in 1990. He died a few months afterwards in September 1990, aged only 74.

And the close of that venerable innings brings us nicely to the Tea Break. When we resume play in part 3 “The spirit of Pudsey Cricket” we will look at the legacy that these greats have left us and how cricket still flourishes today in our proud Borough of Pudsey.

“Where are Booth, Sutcliffe and Hutton!” I hear you cry – hang on to your chips they are in the next instalments.

Look out for part 2 “The age of Legends” and part 3 “The spirit of Pudsey Cricket”.

Appeal from Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club:

As we continue to plan for our impending clubhouse extension we are asking members and club friends to search their attics, lofts and albums for any St Lawrence items such as photos, clothing, cricket related artefacts. Basically anything PSL that we may be able to display publicly in the new space.

We are not looking for anything specific, just items that are of interest, quirky or not already displayed in the main clubhouse. This can include items linked to our great players, Hutton, Sutcliffe, Major Booth.
If you have an item of interest that way may be able to use then please contact Chris Gott or Michael Stein to discuss further.

PSCLCC:
https://pudseystlawrencecc.co.uk

Pudsey Congs:
https://www.pudseycongscricket.com

With thanks to David Arundale, Ralph Middlebrook and everyone at Saint Lawrence and Congs CC.

The post Damon’s History – History of Pudsey Cricket – Part Two appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

The game of cricket originated in the South East of England, but was later to become a firm favourite of sports people and spectators here in Yorkshire. I’m proud to say that Pudsey has played a notable role in the games history, and our town is renowned around the world for its cricket heritage. This is a quick 3 part introduction to give you a flavour of that history (that could become a book).

Cricket in Yorkshire is first mentioned in 1751, as the sport became a popular team game alternative to the riotous and unruly early version of football. In Pudsey our football match was the Top Enders v Bottom Enders’ played down at Great Trails field.
“Windows were shattered and opponents ‘shinned’ regardless of the whereabouts of the ball … many were maimed for life”.

Early cricket was a very different experience than today, played in a very primitive fashion. Proper bats, wickets, and leather balls were then unknown; a tub leg served as a bat, made smaller at one end for a handle, a large stone set on end for a wicket, called a “hob” and a ball made from anything spare. They were all one-ball overs if double wicket was played, there were no umpires, and often those who cheated the hardest won.

The original form of bowling (i.e., rolling the ball along the ground as in bowls) was superseded sometime after 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball in the air. During most of the 19th-century standard overs were made up of four deliveries. In 1889 five-ball overs were introduced, with a move to use six-ball overs in 1900.

Scorecards began to be kept on a regular basis after 1772, no doubt as a way to make a record of results to prevent disputes over bets. As with all early games and fairs in Pudsey, much money changed hands over the outcome of matches. Eventually the early teams started to become clubs….

The birth of Club cricket

Due to people’s working lives taking up most of Monday to Saturday, with Church on the Sunday, spare time was a precious commodity, however Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club was founded in 1845 with links to Pudsey Parish Church. We presume this was an attempt to keep Pudsey’s young men away from the pubs on Saturday afternoons.

Pudsey St Lawrence CC became cricket’s version of the football’s Top Enders (to be a Top / Bottom Ender, depended on which side of the Parish pump you lived – it was located opposite the vicarage on Church Lane). They are our longest continually running cricket club. The Saints have played at several different locations before moving to Toft’s Road:

• Behind the Black Bull pub (Crossed Shuttle)
• The Recreational Ground (what is now the children’s play ground and car park)
• Church Lane on what became Pudsey Park next to the Parish Church until 1888
• 1875 ‘The Lawrence’ lost to Pudsey Britannia by seven wickets in a purse match, watched by 3000 spectators. As well as their pride it cost them £100, but it cemented the tradition of derby cricket matches of Top Enders against the Bottom Enders.

There will be plenty more about Pudsey St Lawrence CC and its contribution to world cricket in parts 2 and 3.

The Factory Acts of 1850 and 1853 reduced working hours, freeing up Saturday afternoons for Pudsey’s growing population of woollen factory workers. Many more local cricket teams were founded in the 1850s, representing pubs, churches and chapels, but mainly mills:

• Bankhouse Worsted Mill
• John Varley’s Woollen and Worsted Mill
• Salter & Salter, Boot and Shoe Makers
• William Haste’s Leather Manufacturers

A faded pub sign facing out over a cricket ground is a sad reminder of a long gone team. Pudsey Britannia was founded in 1854 by men associated with the Lower Town Sunday School. They became the nominated ‘Bottom Ender’ club and played variously at

• Hammerton Fields
• Dudley Hill
• The Britannia ground from 1881 (note the Britannia pub immediately changed its name from “The King’s Arms” to be associated with the club which didn’t return the favour and start using the pub until 1912!). Like Toft’s Road it was another cradle of young talent.

Pudsey v England

As well as the blossoming local games there were also exhibition matches organised in 1863 and 1864, for the ‘All England XI’ playing against the ‘XXII of Pudsey’.

This attracted huge crowds to the Pudsey St Lawrence ground behind the Bull Hotel to see Thomas Hayward and Robert Carpenter, two of the best batsmen in England play against Pudsey. The match resulted in a victory for the All England XI, though by only seven runs. The following year a better organised Pudsey side thrashed the XI by 105 runs.

The England XI players described Pudsey as the worst ground on which they had played. Soon afterwards, Pudsey St Lawrence moved to play at Church Lane (later to be the park).

A Century of League history

Eventually the new teams organised themselves into local leagues, there were many fields around Pudsey hosting games, and anywhere that could be mowed in the morning had a match on it by the afternoon, it didn’t even need to be flat. There was even once a cricket pitch behind the Marsh pub, and Len Hutton learned to play on a cow field!

In 1893 the Pudsey and District League was founded. The teams were: Pudsey St Lawrence, Pudsey Britannia, Farsley, Calverley, Rawdon, Bramley, Thackley & Farsley and Stanningley Britannia. By 1897 the Pudsey and District League had disbanded as most of its teams had joined the more prestigious Leeds and Holbeck League, later finding their way into the Bradford or Leeds Leagues.

Pudsey and District Sunday School Cricket League

Originally playing inter-chapel friendly matches, Pudsey’s numerous Sunday School based teams organised themselves into a large and lively league around 1894. Most would field 2 teams as a First and Second XI with a Third (junior) XI. At its most popular the league would have had in the region of 500 players out on a summer’s Saturday afternoon. You can imagine this had most of the Town playing or spectating, its no surprise that Pudsey started to production line world class players…

The league survived two world wars but started to decline during the 1950s and rebadged itself as the Pudsey Sunday Schools and District Cricket League, taking applications from teams not associated with Sunday Schools. More about the history of the League is to come in part two of this blog.

Origin of the Congs

Pudsey Congs Cricket Club (PCCC) was founded in 1892 representing the Pudsey Congregational church and Sunday school (corner of Chapeltown and Greenside). They played at Long Close behind Forrest Mills which was also used as the mill pitch (this became part of Queen’s Park and its playing fields in the 1950s).

The Congs were founder members of the Pudsey and District Sunday School Cricket League from its formation up until 1969. After then the club decided on a new challenge following the decline of the teams that were attached to local churches and chapels – they moved up to the Dales Council League where they achieved considerable success.

Pudsey Congs renovated the old Britannia Ground (long after the Britannia club had folded, more about this in Part 3) and rebuilt the pavilion as a clubhouse. They joined the Bradford League in 1987 and now uphold the Bottom Ender v Top Ender rivalry with the Saints…more to come about the Congs later…

Pudsey’s first really ‘First Class’ player

John Tunnicliffe was a tall, forceful right-handed opening batsman, and one of the best slip fielders of all time. John started his cricket with Pudsey Albion CC, a mill team he started himself, soon afterwards he began playing for Pudsey Britannia.
He was a regular in the Yorkshire team from 1893, and between 1895 and 1907 he scored 1,000 runs in every season except 1903. His best year was 1898, when he scored 1,804 runs including 243 in a then-record partnership for any wicket of 554 with Jack Brown at Chesterfield. During his career he scored 20,310 first-class runs at an average of 27.00.
Tunnicliffe was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1901.

His key skill was slip fielding. Nicknamed “Long John of Pudsey”, he had arms that enabled him to bring off catches others would not have attempted. In 498 first-class matches, he took 695 catches.

John retired after the 1907 season, and became cricket coach at Clifton College. He later served on the Gloucestershire County Cricket Club committee when his son was the county secretary. He died in Westbury Park, Bristol in July 1948, aged 81.

Time for the Lunch Interval

“Where are Booth, Sutcliffe and Hutton!” I hear you cry – hang on to your chips they are in the next instalments.

Look out for part 2 “The age of Legends” and part 3 “The spirit of Pudsey Cricket”.

Appeal from Pudsey St Lawrence Cricket Club:

As we continue to plan for our impending clubhouse extension we are asking members and club friends to search their attics, lofts and albums for any St Lawrence items such as photos, clothing, cricket related artefacts. Basically anything PSL that we may be able to display publicly in the new space.

We are not looking for anything specific, just items that are of interest, quirky or not already displayed in the main clubhouse. This can include items linked to our great players, Hutton, Sutcliffe, Major Booth.
If you have an item of interest that way may be able to use then please contact Chris Gott or Michael Stein to discuss further.

PSCLCC:
https://pudseystlawrencecc.co.uk

Pudsey Congs:
https://www.pudseycongscricket.com

With thanks to David Arundale, Ralph Middlebrook and everyone at Saint Lawrence and Congs CC.

The post Damon’s History – History of Pudsey Cricket – Part One appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

The Royal family themselves have called in to Pudsey several times to meet the people of “such a loyal Borough” (The Princess Elizabeth 1949). This is how we met them and celebrated the reign of our longest serving Monarch.

1919 Stanningley

During a thank you tour of munitions factories including Phoenix Dynamo, King George V pauses at Stanningley Bottom to greet the crowd. He was received by the Mayor of Pudsey Alderman William Croft Forrest. Legend has it that that the King knighted William “Sir” Croft Forrest at that moment, as a “zealous worker for the public good”. All of the mill workers had been released for the day and a huge crowd thronged Town Street. Two Swans named George and Mary where released on to the lake at Pudsey Park to commemorate the brief visit.

Tuesday April 1928 The first Pudsey Royal visit​

​Our first official Royal visit was on April 24th 1928 by the young Duke and Duchess of York, later to become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Whilst they were here they opened the children’s play park, the St. Lawrence Maternity clinic, and also laid the foundation stone for the public baths.

Near the site of the proposed swimming baths the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and members of the Boys Brigade stood in line at attention. An inspection of the boys was be made by the Duke and an inspection of the girl guides by the Duchess.

Jean Ward daughter of Mr and Mrs Walter Ward and granddaughter of Councillor and Mrs JB ward presented a bouquet of flowers to the Duchess. A special china mug was presented to the Duchess by master Stuart Myers youngest son of Councillor and Mrs Simeon Myers which she graciously offered to receive for the 2 year old Princess Elizabeth.

After this Ceremony the school children sang the national anthem and songs selected from ‘early one morning’ ‘my own country’ ‘Jerusalem’ ‘will ye nay come back again’ ‘A Hundred pipers’ and ‘summer is coming’.

A short speech was made by the Duke (his only speech), after the clinic had been declared open by the Duchess (if you have seen the film “The Kings Speech”, this makes sense as George was still receiving coaching for his difficult public speaking). At about 3 o’clock the Duke and Duchess left for the town hall and were afterwards piloted to Batley, but promised faithfully to return one day after such a fantastic reception.

26th July 1949 Second official visit

The Mayor of Pudsey Alderman Donald Vickers Hodgson receives HRH Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Princess Elizabeth now 22 honouring the promise made 21 years earlier by her now gravely ill father. The visit also coincided with the anniversary of the Borough’s 50th year of the Charter of incorporation.

A buoyant crowd greeted the couple in bright sunshine, the (old) market place was a waving mass of colour.

The Princess thanked the Mayor and said that there was nowhere, not even in the West Riding, was a place where they felt more certain of a warm welcome than in Pudsey.

The Royal couple each planted a tree in Pudsey park; an Acer Negunda Variegated Maple, and a Catalpa Syringifolia, stating “We shall each plant a tree to commemorate our visit this afternoon and we hope they will flourish as they should in such a loyal Borough”.

Afterwards whenever Pudsey was mentioned around Prince Philip his eyes would light up and he would start talking about our marvellous cricketers.

December 1970 Thornbury Barracks

Prince Charles finally made his first visit to the district. He called in at Thornbury Barracks, where he was greeted by the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. This was to be the first of several visits to 4 Para at Thornbury and the start of his association with the Regiment.

Prince Charles later became Colonel in Chief of The Parachute Regiment in 1977 and joined in a Parachute Training Course the following year at RAF Brize Norton. The Regiment itself was formed in 1942 and earned its nickname of ‘The Red Devils’ from German soldiers in North Africa.

1977 The silver Jubilee

This is the last time we did this celebration properly, and it was an unbelievable 45 years ago. Hands up if you still have a Jubilee mug presented by the Lord Mayor of Leeds (before 1974 Royal celebration china was presented to us by the Lord Mayor of Pudsey!).

26th February 1988 Thornbury Barracks

Prince Charles whilst on a visit to Bradford once again toured the TA centre at Thornbury Barracks, and greets the 4th (Volunteer) Battalion of the Parachute Regiment as their Colonel in Chief.

1989 National Breakdown Recovery

Diana, Princess of Wales visits the National Breakdown Recovery HQ (later Green Flag) at Dawsons Corner. She makes a great impression on all who met her, its a shame we never got her back here again.

From 1989 Diana was president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as well as president of Barnardo’s.

Golden Jubilee in 2002

This was great fun, especially on Pudsey Carnival with its Jubilee theme as reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

For 2022 I think Pudsey is already setting up a tremendous celebration for the Platinum Jubilee of our much treasured Queen Elizabeth II. The Silver Jubilee of 1977 left a big impression on me and I hope that this weekends festivities leave you all with lifelong happy memories of our amazing Town and Nation.

God save the Queen!

The post A Right Royal Pudsey Jubilee appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

Harry Lister & Sons

The first bus/public transportation operator based solely in Pudsey was Harry Lister. During 1890 Harry had diversified into horse drawn Hansom cabs and wagonettes. He was based at Victoria House (which later became Victoria Garage, Waterloo, also thus lending its name to Victoria Road), with motorisation a petrol station was added to the garage. It was motorisation that literally kick started a revolution and Harry switched to operating the early single deck buses and coaches that could fill in on routes not covered by the trams (which was most places).

There was a high demand amongst the local mills for day trips and longer excursions out to the seaside, the train services were good but the coaches were simpler and more flexible to use. By 1933 Harry Listers had a license to run regular coach services to Southport amongst others and the operators licenses were highly coveted by other local coach businesses. To cater to demand there was a Listers booking office at Pudsey Market place (the old one) were you could buy a ticket or plan an excursion.

After 44 years of service, Harry Lister & Sons called it a day in 1934. Their four motor coaches were sold to J.W.Kitchin and the prized licences were sold separately to Aspinall’s, Kitchin’s and Barris (later Wallace Arnolds).

Kitchin & Sons

The new build Waterloo estate needed a bus route to connect it up to the rest of the town. A license was granted in 1926 by the Borough Council to James William Kitchin and his three sons Cyril, Harry and Edwin to operate a single route through Pudsey. 

The new service ran from Inghams Avenue, Waterloo Road, Marsh, Cemetery Road, Lidget Hill, Waver Green, Robin Lane, Littlemoor, Valley Road to Valley Square (later adding Troydale after Acres Hall and Calverley after Waterloo). The route was a half hourly service with tuppence a fair.

Eventually their fleet of vehicles expanded to 23 coaches as well as the regular Pudsey bus service. Their buses and coaches operated in a smart and distinctive red and white livery, later amended to red and grey/silver.

The coach business was the first to offer an express service to Great Yarmouth and Torquay, as well as popular connections to Blackpool and Morecambe for many of the local Mills summer outings. 

Despite their success, Kitchin’s had a well deserved reputation for putting their passengers first – most were regulars catching their bus to work and the drivers would always sit and wait at a stop if someone was a bit late…

Initially based at the top of The Marsh, Kitchin’s commissioned the Cavendish bus garage on Richardshaw Lane (now the Climbing Depot) and was their home until they were bought out by Samuel Ledgard’s (more about them in a minute).   

Ledgards also took on the solitary bus route of Troydale to Calverley and the four service buses, as well as the Cavendish bus garage, the coach fleet was sold on to Wallace Arnolds. 

Farsley Omnibus Company

Whilst Listers and Kitchin’s were getting established in the 1920s, another local firm was set up in Stanningley in the early 20’s in the ownership of Mr. Lawson.

The Farsley Omnibus was based at a garage in Town Street, Stanningley opposite the Old Fleece Hotel, and ran with a livery of red and cream. The original route was operated between Stanningley and Rodley, via Farsley. It was shortly after purchased by Maurice Greenwood, who was to control the business for the next thirty years, and earned the nickname “the Farsley Flyers”.

In the mid-1930’s an application was made to extend the original service at both ends, from Rodley through Farsley as far as Horsforth, and from Stanningley through to Pudsey with restricted carriage of passengers. In 1939, the restrictions were removed as an emergency measure and never re-imposed in peacetime, so that unrestricted carriage of passengers was ultimately allowed.

On October 1st 1952 the business was sold to Wallace Arnold Ltd., of Leeds. The Company continued to be operated as a subsidiary and the red and cream livery was retained. In May 1954 the first double-deck vehicle arrived which came via another Wallace Arnold subsidiary, Hardwicks of Scarborough, it was also common to see Kippax buses interchanged with the Farsley fleet and running via the market place in Pudsey.  

Eventually the Farsley fleet was housed at the existing Wallace Arnold garage on Richardshaw Lane/Thorpe Road (not to be confused with the Cavendish garage run by Kitchin’s and Ledgards). 

Sadly on 31st March 1968, Wallace Arnold sold the Company to Leeds Corporation, the last day of working by Farsley vehicles being Saturday 30th March 1968.

Samuel Ledgard

Probably the most famous local operator and became the leading independent bus company in the area. Although Sam Ledgard’s are probably the best remembered, they were an Armley based company. I could write you a book about them, however the Pudsey connections are brief but very important to this story.

Samuel Ledgard started out when he purchased a petrol-engined Karrier in September 1912, this early initiative allowed him to catch key routes between Leeds, Bradford, Armley, Horsforth and Otley. The smart blue and white livery of Ledgard’s buses could be seen everywhere. 

1942 – Wartime routes serving the Avro munitions factory at Yeadon from Leeds and Otley were allocated to Samuel Ledgard and necessitated the provision of buses in camouflage livery (a stipulation that was not always adhered to!), an AVRO special was to become a common sight stopping en route at Pudsey Town Hall.

On the 8th March 1957 the Troydale – Pudsey – Calverley stage carriage licence of Kitchen and Son, of Pudsey, was acquired, in exchange for Ledgard’s tours and excursion licence from Pudsey Town Hall. Four vehicles were taken over as part of the deal, two Atkinson and two Guy single-deckers. Thus connecting Ledgard’s firmly to the Pudsey buses story and becoming a much loved local service.

Did you know? Samuel Ledgard was also an official caterer to the King and Queen and held a Royal Warrant. Samuel Ledgard died in 1952 but his Buses continued with his name until Ledgard’s officially ceased to exist at midnight on Saturday the 14th October 1967. On the final day of operations the Ledgard fleet numbered 99 vehicles, of which, West Yorkshire subsequently used only 12.

From that point on all the same routes were served by the Leeds City Transport buses in their green liveries.

Join us at Pudsey Carnival 21^st May!!

Our Carnival bus tours are returning for 2022! Taking a trip down memory lane onboard our heritage bus special, each tour departs at:

13:40 / 14:40 / 15:30

and lasts approximately 20 minutes and starts and finishes at the Carnival field.

For pre-booking free seats* and further info plus T&C’s please visit https://mypudseyold.glenntaylor.dev/heritage-bus-tours/

*We are requesting an optional minimum donation of £2 per seat to support the fantastic work of Pudsey Carnival and Pudsey & District Civic Society, with tour programmes available on the bus (donations collected onboard the bus on the day)

With thanks to Brian and Lisa Farrar for sharing the Kitchin’s story, and Paul Colbeck for permission to use the Anbrico models.

The post Damon’s History – Celebrating the independent bus operators of Pudsey appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

Equipment

The original list of 1928 play equipment included; big slide, little slide, merry-go-round, whirling platform, ladder swing, seesaw, the big swings and the plank swings, the giant stride and a sandpit. The swings were locked on Sundays – park keeper ‘Parky’ Wright helped the young people of the town observe the sabbath by chaining up the swings. As far as we know this rather harsh practice had stopped by the 1940s.

Later additions and replacements included: The third slide, rocking horse, witches hat which became a climbing frame, the moon rocket and the less said about the concrete animals the better.
heritage status = all original items long gone for scrap

Kiosk

Everybody’s favourite spot, originally a mini cafe that featured a handy clock in the roof. In case you ate too much ice cream there used to be a weighing scale at the front.
heritage status = saved – in the care of Pudsey in Bloom with Ward Councillor support

Kiosk Shelter / wet and dry play

Opposite was a large shelter for parents to sit in and keep watch whilst the kids played. In front of this was a sandpit, and on the gate side a large paddling pool.
heritage status = gone, all of it a modern health and safety nightmare / asbo magnet

Public Conveniences

Located by the main gates, they once had a cameo appearance on ITVs “A Touch of Frost” with David Jason. Nothing much else to say about them apart from the wild flower bed and Christmas tree that Pudsey in Bloom have put in their place that smell a lot better.
heritage status = gone, but time for a come back in a more convenient format?

Tennis courts

The trendy new inclusive mixed sport of the 1920’s for ladies and gentlemen, which also allowed for (no chaperones needed by now) mixed doubles… The tennis courts were built on the second half of the old recreation ground and had two sets of changing rooms. As the leisure centre expanded the old courts were given over to the car park. The old changing rooms served the community variously as a Scouting supplies shop, and the surviving one is now the home of the wonderful Pudsey Baptists Chapel (recommended for coffee and friendship on Saturday mornings).
heritage status = tennis gone but the surviving building is now a thriving Church

Drinking fountain relics:

The original 18 foot tall drinking fountain was removed during the 1928 revamp, and downsized to fit the new children’s play area. Only one lion headed drinking spout survives, and now looks more like a pirate’s skull and cross bones.
Constant use required the Rotary Club of Pudsey to restore the fountain back into service in 2005.

Note there are common building features that can be spotted around the park – a bit of 1920’s building flare went into the shelters, kiosk, changing rooms and replacement drinking fountain, all share details to unify the overall look of the park.
heritage status = at risk

St Lawrence House

The children’s clinic was originally a place for mother’s to take their youngsters to be checked over and have their progress monitored. It made sense to open this unit next to the play park so that mums with young families could combine health with recreation. I remember my own mum taking me in there when I was a tiddler, and also being a bit confused when we went to the park but no longer went in the clinic (I was too big by then).
heritage status = safe, converted to flats

Not THE Park Steamroller

The much loved Pudsey Park Steamroller had a bit of a story before it became a playground feature in the 1950s. Originally Pudsey had used two rollers during its road infrastructure upgrades, the second one pictured here outside Pudsey house was purchased for the Borough then later retired. It should have gone into the park but was accidentally scrapped. Mayor Sir Walter Ward quickly organised for the number 18 roller from the West Riding County Council fleet to be gifted to the children of Pudsey as a replacement (John Fowler’s 1921 model numbered 15752).
heritage status = now in restoration

The Queen’s lost trees

HRH Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh each planted a tree in Pudsey park during the Royal visit of July 1949; an Acer Negunda Variegated Maple, and a Catalpa Syringifolia. These didn’t thrive and were lost, to be later replaced in 1999 by former Mayor Douglas Merritt and the 3^rd & 4^th St Andrews Brownies and Guides. Its believed these were planted on the back wall near the Airedale care home.

heritage status = if you happen to spot these trees please let us know

Scouts floral display

To commemorate 60 years of scouting in Pudsey, pictured are Eric Goodair and Mayor George Dunkerley circa 1968. I seem to remember this still being there in the 1970s and has been one of many commemorative floral displays in the park, including the much loved Pudsey Bear.

Looking forward to more in 2022

Please keep reading this blog – your support means a lot, and if there are any recollections about Pudsey Park you want to share please put them into the comments section.

In the coming months we will be exploring more of our Pudsey Cricket heritage, life on the old buses, The Pudsey Coat of Arms, an introduction to Fulneck and more tours and walks!

The post Damon’s History – Celebrating Spring with the lost secrets of Pudsey Park – Part 2 appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

This has been the culmination of a huge amount of work put in by many people, far too many to count or mention but this blog goes some ways to celebrate the results that we enjoy today.

First opened in 1889, the Park has seen many revamps and features, from ornamental lakes to concrete hippos.

If we could do a “Time Team” what lost secrets would we unearth?

A bit of background on the Park

In sprawling industrial Victorian Pudsey, the locals liked to get out to stretch their legs and socialise after church on a Sunday, or indulge in a bit of people watching. Young people needed somewhere to meet up and court (chaperoned of course) or just promenade, and mums liked somewhere to take the kids for fresh air and to let off steam.

The first place they chose to do all these activities will surprise you…

The Cemetery.

Yes, opened in 1875 Pudsey Cemetery was 11 acres of peaceful landscaped walkways and gorgeous views over the Aire Valley…once the soot from the mills had lifted. The local burial board swiftly drafted a set of byelaws restricting access and banning dogs and prams – Pudsey needed a proper park and quickly.

Location, location, location…

Pudsey had two suitable sites in the town centre: The Recreational Ground which hosted the Pudsey Feast and was also the children’s open play area, and next door was the Pudsey St. Lawrence cricket ground which was adjacent to the Parish Church.

There was only one choice here – everyone loved the Feast. Pudsey St. Lawrence cricket ground was sacrificed for the public good and was turned over to the Parks department. The club had even completed a new pavilion 3 years before and happily headquartered out of the New Inn at the time (if you remember the pub blogs, the New Inn then changes its name to The Park).

• Mid Victorian purpose built cricket ground and example pavilion – heritage status = lost
• Example garret style public house – heritage status = converted to housing

1889 one of the finest Public Parks in the North

We weren’t short of a bob or two and what was built was top quality for its day, and packed a lot into a small site, (this was before the children’s play ground opens in 1928, keep reading for this).

First features in the new Park as of October 1889 included:

18 foot tall Dibb-Scales drinking fountain

gifted to the people of the town by the super rich (and teetotal) William Dibb-Scales. This huge centre piece for the new park featured 4 lion headed drinking spouts. Although impressive it couldn’t withstand the weather and pollution and was removed during the 1928 revamp.
heritage status = one small bit left, more about this later

Gas lamps and “stars”

brochures about the early park describe an elegant sounding gas lighting system that mention stars along with the normal cast iron lamp posts.
heritage status = lost, seems a bit of a shame

Park lake and duck house:

Where the rose garden now stands was an impressive serpentine lake, 3 foot deep with a hut for nesting birds and its own swans ‘George and Mary’.
Sadly due to some drownings, this was replaced by a set of Jubilee ornamental gardens that featured mazes and bridges over running streams. This proved too costly though and was down graded to the rose garden of today.
heritage status = exists now only on old postcards

Bandstand

Our bandstand is an upgraded replacement for the original Victorian cast iron structure which had been an integral feature of the 1889 grand opening. This was next to a fine flight of steps with large ornamental plant pots, walking up this led to the Promenade.
heritage status = all original features removed or replaced

The Pudsey Promenade

This happened every Sunday afternoon along the promenade lane at the back of the lake, flanked by long benches. The park promenade was 240 feet long and 45 feet wide. Young people would pair up and take the ‘duck walk’ walking together from the park down Church Lane as far as Booth’s shop. After WW1 two guns and a large shell were placed at the promenade but were not popular features. During WW2 the prom was the location for ‘holidays at home’ parties during feast week.
heritage status = all removed

The Promenade shelter

The largest and most ornate shelter sat above the promenade with its windows, glazed brickwork and fine wooden benches. Donated in 1897 by Thomas Lund of Crawshaw Mills, it was an excellent place for people watching on a Sunday afternoon.
heritage status = all removed

Greenhouse

The original fully glazed and wooden framed greenhouse was designed by Charles Sebastian Nelson of Fulneck (who also designed the Pudsey Natwest Branch and Robert Salter Almshouses). Originally the plans for the public baths would have seen them built next door to the greenhouse, but postponed due to costs until the end of the 1920s.
heritage status = the modern greenhouse sits on the site of the original

Groundskeepers buildings

Opposite St Lawrence house leading into the children’s play area – a cluster of low buildings used for storage and shelter by the grounds keepers. Eventually these were converted into a mini urban farm with rabbits and guinea pigs.
heritage status = demolished

Old park keeper hut

Several buildings have been on the spot where the visitors centre stands now. Originally the park keeper shelter, this building had been craftily recycled from stone rescued from the demolished 17th Century Parsonage at Greenside known as ‘old Sally Fawberts’. Sadly this is all now lost as well. Those of a certain age will remember the small aviary that used to be here.
heritage status = there might be bits of this old building still in Pudsey but impossible to identify

Golf

On the banking near the bandstand originally installed with a putting green, this eventually became a concrete crazy golf course in the 1970s.
heritage status = not sure we miss this do we?

Buddy benches

Not a new idea, the park featured long benches where whole families and friends groups could mix and chat. In fact I bet most of the town would be sat on them on a sunny Sunday.
heritage status = removed and replaced with fewer smaller benches

The Bowling Green

Possibly the only original bit we have left. Gifted by the wonderfully philanthropic Sir William Croft Forrest and is a fine example with its own spectator shelter. Bowls was a very Pudsey obsession.
heritage status = is it safe in the current financial climate?

The Lion at the bowling green terrace

Who remembers the bronze lion? – I don’t have a decent photo of it but used to love sitting on its back when I was a tiddler.
heritage status = assumed to be in private ownership – can anyone help?

Children’s Play Park

To find out about the history of the Children’s Play Park, pop back in 2 weeks for the second instalment of this blog.

The post Damon’s History – Celebrating Spring with the lost secrets of Pudsey Park – Part 1 appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

1. Pudsey has its very own theatre!

Based in Fulneck, the theatre is run by the Fulneck Dramatic Society. The theatre was founded in 1924 under the name Fulneck Amateur Operatic Society, they were known for very successful operettas and plays up until 1951 when they became Fulneck Dramatic Society, the society still exists to this day. If you’re interested in finding out more about the theatre and the Dramatic Society, they are holding their next performance beginning the 7th March “A chorus of disapproval”. Find out more on the MyPudsey events calendar.

Find out more about Fulneck Dramatic Society over on their website: https://www.fulneckdramaticsociety.co.uk/

2. A Pudsey businessman once had two different shops flattened by a tram

Fred Coe was once a prominent Pudsey businessman, and also served as a Pudsey Councillor and Pudsey Mayor during his lifetime. Fred was also quite possibly the unluckiest businessman to have once walked the streets of our town. Fred owned what is believed to be a hat & dress shop on Lowtown in Pudsey, much to Fred’s disappointment his shop was one day flattened by a tram. A fairly unbelievable occurrence, and one that you wouldn’t think would go on to be repeated… So poor old Fred reopened his shop at the bottom of Stanningley, happy in the confidence he couldn’t be so unlucky again… However, Fred was to be proven wrong when a second tram flattened his new shop. At the time Pudsey folk joked it was all a setup, an insurance job to allow Fred to open other shops… Pudsey folk, eh?

3. A small piece of Pudsey demolished in the 1920s can still be found in Pudsey Park

Many people know of the small drinking fountain at the far end of the play park, but how many of you know the origins of this fountain? Known as the William Dibb Scales drinking fountain, this piece of history once formed a larger structure by the old park lake. The structure was made of sandstone which couldn’t withstand the pollution and air quality and therefore was demolished in the 1920s, but a piece still remains to this day and who knows… Maybe you have taken a drink from it?

4. The founder of Leeds General Infirmary was born in Pudsey

Those of you that joined us last year for our very first Pudsey spooky tours will be familiar with the name William Hey, you may even remember the striking photo of the handsome chap you see above. Hey was born in Pudsey on the 23rd August 1736 and resided on Radcliffe Lane. An eminent surgeon of the time, Hey invented the “Hey saw”,  a wonderful little contraption that was designed to make removing the top of people’s skulls a much easier process. By the time he passed, Hey had quite the CV. Not only had he invented surgical tools and procedures, he also went on to become the Mayor of Leeds as well as being one of the founding members of Leeds General Infirmary.

5. Pudsey Cenotaph is the only Cenotaph in the world known to have human remains within and underneath

Another little fact that those of you who attended our spooky tours will now know, Pudsey Cenotaph is the only Cenotaph in the world known to have human remains buried within and underneath the structure. The word Cenotaph is derived from the Greek word kenotaphion, which literally means “empty tomb”. Pudsey, never to do things by halves decided ours wouldn’t follow the crowd and the structure was erected on the site of the old Pudsey Chapel and burial ground. For this reason the Cenotaph contains and stands over human remains. On some dark, cold, winter evenings some people say you can still catch a glimpse of those that once walked the cobbles.

The post 5 things you might not have known about Pudsey appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

The post MyPudsey Quiz #1 – Pudsey History appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

As I’m sure many of our readers are aware, Pudsey has sadly last number of very special and popular people from the local area recently. For my blog this month I wanted to do something a little bit different by putting a blog together to pay tribute to them and their lives.

Ruth Strong

Pudsey & District Civic Society, prodigious author and researcher

Put simply this blog wouldn’t exist without Ruth and her work. Our understanding of Pudsey’s  heritage through the Industrial revolution into the 20^th Century has been shaped and coloured by her writing. 

I know many of you will have seen or read copies of her books published by the Civic Society, if you need a reminder of how good “Pudsey Mills a lost textile heritage” and “Pudsey Pubs” are, there are copies free to read in the Library local history section.

Ruth was always a joy to be around, equipped with a sharp mind and an even sharper wit. I once made the mistake of asking her too many random questions, she fixed me with a steely stare and said “I’m not an encyclopaedia you know”.

As well as her volunteer work and research for the Society, Ruth was also engaged in many heritage projects, and was an enthusiastic expert on the history of our notable buildings. 

An irreplaceable friend, a great character and stalwart in the Society, Ruth recently passed away peacefully in Sheffield. Our sincerest condolences to Ruth’s family from all of us at MyPudsey and on behalf of Pudsey & District Civic Society, she will be greatly missed.

Raymond Illingworth OBE

Yorkshire & England Cricketing Icon

Born in Pudsey, raised in Farsley, made of Yorkshire and a true cricket legend. Ray sadly passed away peacefully on Christmas Day.

Raymond was born in Pudsey on the 8th June 1932 before his family moved down the hill to Farsley. Ray was to meet his future wife Shirley at Wesley Street school Farsley, and they were to later court at the Pudsey Feast before getting married in September 1958.

Starting his cricket on the terraced streets of Farsley, Ray rose rapidly through the cricketing ranks rightfully joining the list of Pudsey’s legends including Tunnicliffe, Booth, Sutcliffe and Hutton.

Playing for Farsley in the 1949 Priestley Cup Final (which was played over a series of evenings), Ray famously started a knock of 148 not out against Pudsey St Lawrence as a 16-year-old, and completed it on his 17th birthday.

Ray Illingworth’s glittering career lasted many years including a three-year stint as chairman of England selectors, after representing Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England. He made 25,000 first-class runs and claimed over 2000 wickets, won seven County Championship titles with Yorkshire and captained England in 21 matches.

His successful time as England captain embraced an Ashes-winning tour in Australia followed by retaining the Ashes at home the following year (take note Joe Root).

Ray’s greatest gift as captain lay in creating the illusion that he had 14 or 15 players on the field: so expertly did he block a batsman’s favourable scoring strokes. Raymond was much helped by the accuracy of his own right arm offbreak spin bowling – a miserly 1.91 runs per over in his 61 Tests. His batting, normally at No. 6 or 7, was built on an orthodox technique and typical Yorkshire determination not to give his wicket away cheaply, which was reflected by a fifth of his innings finishing not out. A dry sense of humour and a fund of reminiscences made him one of the best-liked players of his time.

Bradford League president Keith Moss paid this tribute to Ray:

With the passing of Ray Illingworth, the cricket world has lost a colossus. He will forever have a place at the game’s top table along with the very best in our game.

Along with so many other people, I have lost a great cricketing friend.

It was to his eternal credit that on his retirement from first class cricket that he returned to his first love Farsley, first as a player and then as a club official. No job was off limits to Ray. He tended the pitch, went round the ground on match days with scorecards and raffle tickets.

You name it, Ray did it.

Our condolences to Ray’s family and all of his friends in our amazing cricketing community.

Mark Saville

Yorkshire historian, author & presenter

Mark was a warm and very friendly person with a passion for Yorkshire life and history.

A friend and contributor to the Pudsey & District Civic Society, he worked with our former President Jackie Depelle on several books for the Society.

I first met Mark whilst he was project manager of “Horsforth WW1 100 years”: this included adding the names of 46 soldiers from Horsforth killed in action during World War One to the town’s war memorial. This inspired me to undertake the same research for Pudsey Cenotaph, and resulted in over 100 new names being added there in 2018. Mark also told me where to find the Pudsey WW1 Roll of Honour in the Town Hall, which helped with that work.

Our condolences to his son Dylan and family, Mark is a big loss as he contributed so much to our local heritage.

His work can be appreciated on his Youtube channel “Around & about Yorkshire”, this includes the excellent “The History of: Pudsey & District” and the true story of “Ilkley Moor Baht ‘at”

Vittorio Di Mascio

Mr Rossi, popular local ice cream seller

Popular local ice cream seller Vittorio Di Mascio, known as Mr Rossi, drove his distinctive white and yellow Bedford ice cream van for 50 years around Pudsey, Bramley and Stanningley.

Vittorio came across to England in 1962, a few years later he moved over to West Yorkshire and began selling in the local area.

Come rain or shine Vittorio was always out in his van bringing a bit of Italian sunshine into everyone’s lives.

Sadly Vittorio passed away at the age of 81 whilst in his native Italy.

Son Dario Di Mascio said his father was a “friendly person with a big heart” and that “he would never let anyone go without…he always kept his customers happy. That is the reason why his customers loved him because he was always there.”

“I would like to thank all the customers who supported my dad. You have brought a lot of comfort to my heart at this tragic time.”

Vittorio’s funeral was held recently in Italy, our condolences to Dario and his family from all his friends in Pudsey.

Looking forward to 2022

A massive thank you once again for your support of our blogs, and please do keep coming back. In the coming months we will be exploring more of our Pudsey Cricket heritage, life on the old buses, Pudsey Park’s lost bits and secrets, The Pudsey Coat of Arms, an introduction to Fulneck and more tours and walks!

The post Damon’s History – Marking the passing of friends & local greats appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.

Life for most in 1647 had been quickly getting back to normal, albeit with a change of Government and a shift in religious affairs towards the stricter Puritan interpretation of the Bible.

The centre of religious life in Pudsey was the Chapel of Ease, a chapel attached to the Parish of Calverley. The first full time Minister at the Chapel was Idle born, the Reverend Elkanah Wales. He was appointed in 1615 and this was the age of Puritanism and church worship was not only mandatory but also very thorough: The Reverend Wales’s church services were known to last up to 8 hours!

Christmas had been a fixture in the Calendar that most folk planned and looked forward to. Puritans though looked to remove elements they viewed as unbiblical, including feasts established by the Anglican Church. In 1647, the Puritan-led English Parliament banned the celebration of Christmas, replacing it with a day of fasting and considering it “a popish festival with no biblical justification”, and “a time of wasteful and immoral behaviour”.

One can only imagine the normally free spirited and gregarious citizens of Pudsey having their Christmas festivity plans binned… especially as their local priest – the venerated and respected Mr Wales was not only one of the leading lights of the Puritan movement, but also a close friend of Sir Thomas Fairfax, commander of the northern arm of the victorious Roundhead Army.

So in 1647 Pudsey had to really calm it down and hold a Christmas minus the trimmings, carousing and wassailing and instead spent their time getting numb bum cheeks in the box pews of the Chapel of Ease with no spiced cider to go home to…

So what did they have to give up that year:

• The Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 to January 5) ending on Twelfth Night were treated as a national holiday, shops would be shut especially on Christmas Day itself.
• Christmas dinner (often with goose), roast apples on the fire, lashings of home brewed beer and homes bedecked with bows of holly and ivy.
• Festivities included card playing, dances with “plow-boys” and “maidservants”. Old Father Christmas and carol singing, alms giving as well as gift giving.

This was finished off with a Twelfth Night tradition, the Lambswool Wassail; a hot spiced ale or cider drink which was passed around in a communal bowl for everyone to enjoy. This was followed by Wassailing as revellers typically visited local orchards and fruit trees, sang songs, made a hullabaloo (often by banging pots and pans). The intention was to ward off bad spirits from the orchards whilst also pleasing the spirits of the fruit trees, all in order to ensure a bountiful crop of fruit in the year ahead.

As 1647 led into the new year of 1648, more subversive Christmas parties led to riots, these riots led to rebellions, which, in turn, caused the Second Civil War that summer. King Charles was put on trial after his defeat in the war and was executed.

The eventual Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 ended the ban. Poor Robin’s Almanack contained the lines: “Now thanks to God for Charles return, / Whose absence made old Christmas mourn. / For then we scarcely did it know, / Whether it Christmas were or no.”

Christingle – a Moravian tradition

The history of the Christingle can be traced back to Moravian Bishop Johannes de Watteville, who started the tradition in Germany in 1747.

During the Christingle service it was explained to the children the happiness which had come to people through Jesus, “who has kindled in each little heart a flame which keeps burning to their joy and our happiness”. Each child then received a little lighted wax candle, tied round with a red ribbon. The minister ended the service with this prayer, “Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that theirs like Thine become”. The Marienborn Church Diary concludes, “hereupon the children went full of joy with their lighted candles to their rooms and so went glad and happy to bed”.

The Moravian Church took the custom of the Candle Service around the globe and people in each part of the world adapted it for their own use. The first Christingle held at Fulneck was around 1930. The Christingle now consists of an orange, representing the world with a lighted candle to represent Christ, the Light of the World.

The Moravian Advent Star

The first Christmas decoration to go up in Moravian homes and Churches is the Moravian Advent Star, sometimes called the Herrnhut Star.

This star had its origins in a Moravian boarding school in Niesky, Germany in the 1850’s. It started as a lesson in geometry and became a craft in the school. The children would make their stars in school for decorations there and also take them home to their families. The first stars were white and red, white for purity and red for the blood of Jesus Christ.

If you visit Fulneck during Christmas week you will see examples of the unique and beautiful Herrnhut Star.

The North Bierley Union, a very ‘Dickens Christmas’

Despite the fact that Clayton, Bradford was referred to as “the Siberia of the area”, the North Bierley Union Workhouse was opened there in 1858 to house 250 paupers, serving six parishes (including Pudsey). The Workhouse provided accommodation for the destitute, a general infirmary for the sick, maternity wards, a sanatorium, a nursery home and additional accommodation for 20 children between 12 months and four years.

The inmates were generally well looked after, and every Christmas were treated to a feast provided by the Guardians of the Poor, described as “unlimited quantities of roast beef and plum pudding of the best quality, cooked and served by the workhouse master and matron”.

This was attended by the Guardians, who presented gifts to the inmates after the meal was over, following the singing of grace and the National Anthem and several speeches.

The role of Guardian was an expected volunteer post of those in prominent public roles such as Ward Councillors and mill owners, many of the Pudsey great and good that I’ve described in my blogs fulfilled this role.

The Christmas celebration at the Workhouse became a firm tradition and lasted in the North Bierley Union for well over a century.

And on that note the team at MyPudsey would like to wish all our readers and contributors a very merry and safe Christmas 2021!

The post Damon’s History – The year Christmas was cancelled in Pudsey appeared first on The Pudsey Blog.