A very popular place to photograph, West Road again with the Congregational Chapel in the centre of the picture. Pretty much contemporary with the previous post.
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Must be a sunny day as the awnings are out over the shops, we can see the pavements – but is the road a tarmac one yet? I don’t think you could stand and talk at the cross roads today as the men in the photo are doing. Image courtesy of Mrs Sakelaropoulos.
A different and more modern view of West Road, there is now a proper road although not very busy. Image courtesy of Joan Jemson.  What a great photograph, has the boat just come in from a fishing trip? The cliffs and the bay make a lovely backdrop. Peter Appleton comments: “Towards the top-right corner is the World War II gun emplacement.” Image courtesy of Ted Morgan (via Eric Johnson), thanks to Peter Appleton for the update.
Do you remember seeing Charlie in Loftus? (Telling whether I do or not will give my age away!) Here he is the day before his retirement with him is Buzz Havelock, Gerard Readman and C E Bibby the town cleaners. ” Image courtesy of Maureen Hogan (from a Loftus Town Crier calendar) also thanks to Pat and Maureen Hogan for the updates.
Obviously a posed photograph judging by the number of bystanders; this postcard image was part of a range of views of Loftus streets taken by George Skilbeck. Whitecliffe Terrace in Loftus was one of the four terraces of houses built to accommodate workers at the Whitecliffe Mine. Simon Chapman’s ”Whitecliffe Ironstone Mine” states: ”Houses in blocks of six were rented for 21 years @ £60 per annum – located on the south side of West Road, Loftus. Whitecliffe Terrace, Newcomen Terrace and Dundas Street.”
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).
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?
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. |
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