Back In The Seventies

Ginny McDermott grew up in Furness Vale and has kindly sent us some photographs from  the early 1970s. The Sports Day was held on the Football Field in 1972. We can see the school, and houses on Buxton Road, because the flats had not yet been built.

A wintry view of Yeardsley Hall.

 Looking towards Buxworth from Ringstones Farm. Apart from losing a little more of its roof, the small stone building in the field, looks much the same fifty years later.

 Double stamps at the Garage which displays the Start Motors sign. On the right we can see Lavin's  butchers shop and Barbara Griffith's shop at the corner of Station Road.
 

 
Belisha Beacons guard the zebra crossing. The Co-op had closed and Riddicks were using the building as their office. A red sign on the lamp post, points to the station.

A Tin Bath in the Kitchen

The latest e-book from Furness Vale Local History Society.  Only available on Kindle, price £3.42

Life and Times of Furness Vale Printworks

 The story of the Derbyshire village of Furness Vale and it's calico printworks as recorded in the scrapbooks of Mr W. A. Bradbury. A leading member of the community, Bradbury spent his working life at the mill where he was a foreman. He was a staunch member of the Methodist Chapel and a lay preacher as well as being closely involved in other local organisations. This book is compiled from W. A. B's records and includes many reproductions from his collection of handbills, photos and cuttings. Mr Bradbury died in 1926 at the age of 67

Published by Furness Vale Local History Society, this book of 80 pages is available price £5 from Furness Vale Post Office or from the Society; email furnesshistory@gmail.com for details.

An e-book edition is now available for download to your Kindle, price £1.96 from Amazon

The Australian Bungalows.

Furness Vale in Derbyshire takes pride in it's three "Australian" bungalows.  These were built, according to which version you hear, either by a retired sea captain or by a returning emigree. Whichever story is true, it seems that the builder was nostalgic for the architectural styles of New South Wales or Victoria.  

 

Originally these homes all had Australian names.  The nearest in the photo above was called  "Tarramia" and was probably built in 1898. The farthest, built at the same time still retains it's name "Yarrawonga". "Boominoomina" in the middle wasn't built until 1904. 

The three properties were offered for sale at auction in 1911. The owner then lived at "Yarrawonga" and Boominoomina was rented, furnished for £1 per week; probably quite a high price at that time.

The middle bungalow had at first been occupied by Mr Knowles, owner of the local coal mine and brickyard. This was at the time that his new house further up the road was being built. The mine was at the rear of these homes. Although it was worked for a period of more than two centuries, it would never have been much in evidence. At it's peak only 30 men worked underground. All that existed on the surface was a small brick building which also housed the adit and alongside, a small wooden pithead over a shaft.

 

"Yarrawonga"

 

"Tarramia", later re-named "Garswood"

 

1927  - The cast of the Methodist Sunday School play gather in the garden.

These bungalows are next to the house "Glencroft"  -  Read the article about Edward Salomons from the menu above.

Furness Vale Station

It was never an uplifting experience waiting for a train at the village station. There was, however, a waiting room with a blazing coal fire, popping gas lamps and artistic travel posters to look at. Irene was there behind her little window, ready to sell you a return to Stockport or to report on how late the train would be. A porter might be sweeping the platform or tending the geraniums and fellow passengers sitting on the bench seats were all too ready for a gossip.

As with so many small stations, all this has been swept away and we are left with small glazed shelters which offer little respite from the weather and only a few small perches on which to rest.

In wiching to re-create the original station, I might have chosen to build a physical model. This would have been very time consuming and would have presented storage problems. Choosing a Google Sketchup model may be second best but it did allow me to  represent our local sation as it appeared in the early 1960's.

The images below are from the digital model and are followed by a link to an animated walk through.

 

 

 http://youtu.be/-hbF5t0zMow