|
During the second World War the hill overlooking what
is now Thrybergh Park was the site of an anti aircraft battery, it played an
important roll in the defence of the local industry which was the target of
German Bombers. The British traitor known as " Lord Haw Haw " mentioned
Thrybergh in one of his Broadcast. The concrete bunkers were still there in
the 1950's and became a favourite spot for the local kids to play soldiers.
After the war, homes known as prefabs [ prefabricated] were erected in many
parts of Rotherham, These were dwellings built in the factory transported to
the site and erected in a very short time. Although the Prefabs were
originally designed and erected as a short term compromise to ease the
housing shortage, they remained in Thrybergh until around the late sixties
early seventies if my memory serves me right. They stood on St. Leonards
Ave, and also March Flatts Road. Apparently when they were sold off by the
council, a few of them went missing. The buildings were dismantled within a
day and loaded onto the trucks, so a couple disappeared this way and no one
was any the wiser until a couple of days later when the actual buyers turned
up to remove their new acquisition. They made perfect holiday homes and were
quite a bargain at the time.
1950: St Gerard's Catholic Church was completed and opened but was not
dedicated until 1983 on the 15th October. There are three Churches in
Thrybergh, St Leonard's Church on Doncaster Road is of local historical
interest. St. Peters Church on Oldgate Lane, and St. Gerard's R.C. Church is
on Park Nook Doncaster Road .
In this period the man who was responsible for the
Law and Order of Thrybergh and Dalton was Policeman "Bobby " Buxton as he
was known.
Raye Kelly writes
Bobby Buxton, a giant of a man with hands like coal shovels, his instant
punishment was to swipe you with his wet oilskin cape and believe me that
was NO fun .but as fair a man would be hard to find:
Cliff Rust writes:-
I noticed the link on 'Thrybergh Top Club'. I knew that my Grandma also was
a steward there. According to my Mother, Danny Goodwin who was on the
committee at the time, took over from my Grandma & Grandad. (Annie May
Coulson and William Henry Coulson). Grandad had to leave the club as he
contracted TB from cleaning out the 'spittoon's. Thank our lucky stars that
them days are over. However, when we took over the Wheatsheaf, the old club
room upstairs was full of these spittoons from the old sawdust days. They
made great dog bowls. One thing I remember about the Top Club was the
customers, that were 'worse for wear', often threw us thrupenny bits when we
were leaving school which was the same time as closing time for them. We
then used to walk home round 'the mile' breaking the odd gas lamp on the way
unless they gave us any empty bottles which we used to then take to Nichols
beer off to get 2d back. You couldn't let your kids do that now-a-days,
could you?
Talking about gas lamps, do you remember the chap who used to light them and
replace the glass, I think his name was John!. He used to have his hut on
the bend at the 'little wood' . There was always a pile of tarmac there. My
end of Vale Rd, the track used to lead up to the signal box where we used to
sharpen our axes on the rotating sand stone sharpener prior to chopping the
trees down on Bonfire night.
You probably knew Peter Burgin (Who didn't) who also worked at Fosters.
Pete and his wife Ev' took a guest house at Bridlington many years ago.
As I stated, I left Thrybergh for Rotherham at the age of 11, however I
stayed at Thrybergh Comp until aged 16 when I left for an apprenticeship
with the YEB. When I was 14 my parents Madge & Les Rust opened The Davy Lamp
in East Herringthorpe from new. At 16 we moved to 'The Tabard' up
Herringthoprpe Valley road, then onto a pub called The Masons Arms in
Crookes, Sheffield. My Dad was a 'face' worker for 16 years at Silverwood
prior to moving into the pub trade. My Mother, Madge worked for Joe Foster
on home deliveries. How times change!! As I said before my Mother was a
Coulson from East vale Drive/Grove?, with a brother George who worked as a
joiner alongside Keith Oliver. George took over the Davy Lamp after we
left.They had another brother, Les who was killed down Silverwood before I
was born. I'm 53, Dave my Brother will be 57 and June will be 58 (ish)
Many thanks to Cliff who by the way has been a fireman for twenty seven
years in Cleethorpes
There was also a "Bobby Mash " in the 1950's early 60's who lived at the top
of Gullingwood Drive
The late 1950's saw the building of Thrybergh Secondary Modern School, the
area now had its own senior School, which today has one of the finest local
sport complexes. Heartbeat Health Fitness at Thrybergh Sports Centre in
Rotherham. The Centre is only the 3rd accredited site in the region to
achieve the award, and the first in South Yorkshire. The first Headmaster
was Mr Winch an ex army sergeant who came from Wath Comprehensive
The local Doctors in this period were Dr. Sedgewick, Dr. Dibb, and sometime
around 1960 a young Dr. Price arrived in Thrybergh.
Amongst the local shopkeepers in the fifties and sixties were Lacy Clarke
who had a confectionary shop on St. Leonards Ave.
Mr. and Mrs. Bird, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Bunniss had the shop next door
to Lacy Clark. Mr. Nichols had the off license on Park Lane. Stan Naylor had
a fruit and vegetable shop on Park Lane. Albert Moran owned the paper shop
on Park Lane. Mrs. Green had a fish and chip shop on Oldgate Lane. Mr. Lilly
from Lillies farm on Vale road sold Fruit and Veg from the back of his lorry
[ Truck ].
Peter Smith writes
In the 1950s the shop at the top of Whinney Hill (now on the corner of
Townend Avenue - see below) was known as Glenn's and was owned/managed by Mr
and Mrs Glenn. It was a general store and sweetshop competing with Fosters.
In the 1960's Fosters took it over and it became the hardware department. On
the opposite corner was a Fish and Chip shop known as Gwen's.
(At the time Townend Avenue didn't exist it was just an unmade lane leading
to the allotments)
Mark Kelsall writes:-
I have very fond memories of growing up in Thrybergh and " knocking about
with my cousins Martin and Peter Kelsall as a lad, riding our bikes all over
the place. As a lad I can remember the first time I saw the Green on St
Leonards Ave and thinking how big it seemed to a small lad . I remember
playing on the park at the other side of the Fullerton when you could buy a
Milky way for 2p. My Granddad was Fred Ward who was a painter by trade with
the council who in his later years would look after the cricket ground near
the golf club, where I work now. His daughter Sylvia Ward married Harry
Kelsall, she worked as a kitchen assistant as St Gerard's in the 70s
A very interesting couple lived in the prefabs on St. Leonard's Ave during
the 1960's and they were Mr. and Mrs. Bath. Mr. Bath was a cobbler and
worked from Home. His wife had a very cheerful disposition and was well
known in the village often seen with her walking stick on her way to the
shops. Mr. and Mrs. Bath had only one leg between them, and the story is
that a group of people in Dalton created a jazz band with the sole purpose
of raising money to buy a wheelchair for Mr. Bath.
The old cinema in Dalton became the Catholic Club around 1970, Jim and Annie
Doran of Thrybergh ran it
In the late 1960's the residents of the Gullingwood estate formed the March
Flatts community, and built a centre there at the intersection of March
Flatts Road and Gerard Ave. The 1970's saw the construction of the new
Village Hall on the green at Park Lane and Vale Road. This green was once
the site for the annual Statute Fair or as it was called ' The Stattis'.
During 1975 Queen Elizabeth visited the 2200 metre
deep coalface at Silverwood Colliery. As a preparation for this visit
anything at the mine that didn't move was painted green.
During the 1970's the local M.P. Peter Hardy arrived
in Thrybergh with the Yorkshire Television team of the programme Calender,
they were there to inspect the housing situation Dahn't Backs and make a
report of what they found.
1984 Thrybergh was a centrepoint during the
Miners strike, Silverwood colliery was closed in 1994.
The one thing you remember about Thrybergh is the beautiful surroundings of
the old Village, St. Leonard's Church, and The Rotherham Golf Club. Now the
Silverwood Mine exist no longer hopefully the rest of Thrybergh will regain
some of that beauty of old.
What of the people of Thrybergh, Dalton, and Ravenfield? Well on the other
pages on this site you can learn a little of our lives, how we speak, and
how we live and lived. Also there is a growing amount of the History of The
three Villages to be found as we gain the names of people who are and were
Thryberghites, Daltoners, and Ravenfielders. Many of us now live in other
Countries, there are many descendants of Thrybergh people worldwide who have
never seen Thrybergh.
This site is aimed at making Thrybergh, Ravenfield
and Dalton linked people aware of each other, and also to be aware of the
wonderful heritage we share.
John Doxey
SOURCES
The lecture's of R. E. Leader of
Sheffield
The Genuki pages are run by Colin Hinson and are a major source of
information regarding Yorkshire
http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Thrybergh/index.html
History of old families and Halls in Derbyshire
http://www.usigs.org/library/books/uk/dby/DbyOldHallsTilly1892/dbyh3Scarsdale/dbyh3013.htm
Yorkshire Archaeological Society
Address: West Yorkshire Archive Service, Yorkshire
Archaeological Society, Claremont,23 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9NZ. ...
http://www.archives.wyjs.org.uk/yas.htm
John Doxey Brian Anderson Jeannette Mabel Davies Danny Cassidy Jonathan Dabs
John Ward Barbara Newton
Lloyd Briscoe Peter Windle Raye Kelly Peter Smith Marl Kellsall
Colliers Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia Britannica |
