Now sadly painted over the former Police Station standing at the western end of Skelton High Street was a magnificent Victorian brick building; the Police Station was purchased from Skelton Castle Estate in 1921 by the then North Riding Constabulary. Bulmer’s Directory of 1890 lists Thomas Imeson as the Police Sergeant resident at the building; Kelly’s Directory of 1909 lists: “Sergeant Richard Benjamin Gamble + one Constable”, the building was superseded by a modern purpose-built building on Derwent Road in the late 1950s and subsequently closed. This postcard view shows a quieter road, the lady can push her pram up the near side of the road without risk; no thundering traffic then! Peter Appleton has further advised: “The old Police Station, more properly 1 South Terrace, is first recorded in the Skelton Castle Estates Rent book for Lady Day 1873 (25th March 1873) when a payment of £27.10s.0d was recorded. The entry bore the annotation “New”. The police presence there can be traced through successive censuses 1881-1911. The property was sold to the North Riding County Council in April 1921 for £620. The North Riding County Council sold the building in July 1963 to a Mr A E Danks. The police presence in Skelton, which started in August 1862, is described in more detail in my book: My Grandad was a “Felon”, pp 62-4”
Image and update courtesy of Peter Appleton.
When I was a lad, Constables Sprague and Cooper with Sgt Sparks were the law, I can remember getting a clipped lug from Mr Cooper for throwing a penny banger into the urinal beside the forge at the bottom of Green Road on Mischief Night, 1964 I think!