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What a different view of the site we can now view daily? Charlie Stokoe for many years occupied the garage and as well as petrol sales, he was an agent for Saab cars! His garage was one of two on the main street of Loftus, the other Fletcher’s vanished into the valley in a landslip some years ago. Derick Pearson advises us: ”I started to served my time here before Charlie Stokoe had the garage with a man called Con Shippey. He was also married into the wealthy Goldsborough family I think they called them. They had the Picture house (cinema)at Saltburn and on some occasions we had to go there to do jobs. He was a funny chap, he used to make jokes and laugh greatly at them. We dare not do any other but laugh even though some times we didn’t get it as they say. He reminded me greatly of the comedian John Clease. Similar in stature and character. Some years later when Charlie had it the head Mechanic was a grand lad called Trevor and he was a very knowledgable man with the Saab and any other vehicles. He ran a Saab v4? for years that was immaculate. Although I lost contact I believe he and his wife possibly ran the garage for some time after Charlie left.” Whilst Martyn Richardson tells us: “My Grandma and Grandad lived at the opposite end of the block on West Road and as a little lad I was always along at Stokoe’s talking to Trevor and asking him about cars. “Why is this, what is that, what are these” …. generally getting in the way and being a pest; but Trevor always had time for me and called me “Young Tink” if I remember correctly. I even got time off school to get to the launch of the “new” Saab 900, where the actor George Lazenby (007 in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) did the unveiling.”
Image courtesy of Joan Jemson and many thanks to Derick Pearson, Martin Richardson and Callum Duff for the updates.
Dating from 1878 (the date on this poster); whilst the houses for sale are the newly erected 23 and 24 West Road (the north side of West Road).
Image courtesy of the Pem Holliday Collection.
A lovely tinted post card view of West Road, although it is pre-1906 (when the south side of West Road was built) about what date do you think it is?
Image courtesy of Keith Bowers.
A view of the houses on the south side of West Road, built by Charles Hebditch after building the Congregational Church in 1906. Bryan Richardson tells us: ”The last house on the row was built in 1911. It was lived in by the Dodds family before they moved to the top of West Park Avenue. My Grandfather bought it for £750 in 1942 after leaving Kilton Mill. It remained in our family until April 2011.” Malcolm Watson has told us: ” The first house ( nearest the camera ) was probably Durban House, which was where Jane Harrison (nee Durban) lived in 1911 after the death of her husband Thomas Harrison in 1910. Thomas Harrison was the son of my great-great grandfather. He had a hardware shop in Loftus High St.”
Thanks to Bryan Richardson and Malcolm Watson for those updates.
We think this photograph was taken in West Road, Loftus, c.1958. Carolyn Richards is the little girl skipping along the pavement, followed by her brother Mike. Ken Johnson has advised us: “The bus is a Saltburn Motor Services (Kelly Watsons), which ran from Saltburn via Spa bank to Loftus.”
Image courtesy of Carolyn Richards and thanks to Eric Johnson for that update.
Looks as though most of the residents have come to have their photograph taken as the man with the camera came to West Road in Loftus, we can just make out the Town Hall in the background. This from a postcard dated 27th September 1907.
Taken from the west we see an unmade West Road, prior to the building by Charles Hebditch of the houses on the south side in 1906.
Another view, looking east, along West Road taken after the houses on the south side were built. A note on the back of the card reads: “1914 I should say.” The gas lamp post could be one my grandfather made; he made the first one for Loftus, …….. made the gas lamp burners.”
Known to most as the Mars Inn and originally known as Marsh farm house (owing to the soft ground in the area); this house was owned by Mr Eaton of Loftus Brick Works, where bricks were made from about 1830 to 1870. Bryan Richardson tells us: ”The original name of this house was Marsingill House. I researched this around 1980 when I was landlord of the Mars Inn and the sign was changed from Mars the Roman god to Mars the planet and people argued as to which it should be. Neither as it turned out.”
Image courtesy of Mrs Sakelaropoulos and thanks to Bryan Richardson for that update.
Yes this is the way it used to look not at all like the building we see today, but when the silent movies were something new this is where people went to see them. There were live acts too between the movies, I remember my mother telling me of the ’scratching shed’ a place where they waited to get into the Empire, makes the mind boggle as to what the scratching shed was, anybody out there enlighten me? Please!
Image courtesy of the David Linton Collection and Maureen Hogan (from a Loftus Town Crier Calendar issue).
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