West Burton History

A Little bit of local history

West Burton Independent Chapel

West Burton Institute / Reading Room

This building is no longer the Institute.
It has been turned into a house.
The stone steps have also gone.

West Burton Village Green

West Burton Village green looking up the green towards Walden.

New Photo!!

More information soon.

West Burton fancy dress early 1950s

Mrs Brook and friends out sticking

Grange farm view West Burton

West Burton Village /Pre: 1898

This is a very old photograph/glass slide pre 1889.
This photograph which is in a very bad way is actually printed on the glass so to take a copy I had to photgraph the slide.

A scanner was no good as all the small bits of glass would have fallen out if the picture had been turned over.

• The street lighting is still the old lamps with wicks fuelled by
  paraffin.
• To the very right of the picture is the village pump.
• I am in the process of restoring this slide in sections.
• As I finish them I will upload them on this page.

West Burton April 2005

West Burton today. Photo taken from exactly the same angle as the glass slide.

The Village Pump Section 1

This part of the glass slide was particularly badly broken.

In this image, the stocks are in very good condition
and the village pump is still in use.

Close up

This section was less than an inch square.

Black Bull section 2

As you can see in this photograph the market cross
looks like it has had a bad builders day.

• The cross was erected in 1820 and restored in 1889.
• The Black Bull Inn no longer exists. The building is now a house.

The chickens at the front of the photo were blurred because early photos had a long time exposure and the chickens kept on walking so I had to find a few extra feathers.

Section 3

• This section is at the top of the village.

On the green there are two stone shapes set in the grass.
The one near the pub is quite fancy with a round top.

There is a solitary duck and two more parrafin street lights.
Just imagine having to go out every evening and climb up every street light,
trim the wick, fill up with paraffin and then light them.

At the pub door is a lady and she looks like she is shaking a tablecloth.
"Could it be the landlady of the time Elizabeth Jane White?"

• 1823 James Richardson was the licensee of the Black Bull.

The Old Bridge

West Burton in the early 1920s

This photo was taken by Horace Brook of West Burton helped by his son Stan
who gave him a leg up on to the outside privvy at Flanders Hall to take it.

Meggisons General Store and Petrol Station early thirties

William Anthony Lawsons'shop

This is a photo of William Anthony Lawsons Shop (1935 done up like a dogs' dinner for the Kings' Jubilee).
He ran the general store and sub-post office in West Burton.

The sub-post office would be in great demand during the grouse shooting season as you had to have a game licence if you were going shooting.

A large variety of every day items could be purchased at the store including most things a farmer or gamekeeper may have needed.

Williams' brother James ran a local grocery shop further down the village.

To the left of Williams' shop there is a sign above the door on the next building which reads teas and refreshments.

This is the programme for King George V Silver Jubilee in 1935.

West Burton Silver Jubilee Celebrations.

• Procession around the village at 1 p.m. headed by the West Auckland
  Town Band.
• The Children are to be presented with mugs.

• Maypole dancing 2 p.m. to 2 30 p.m.
• Open pillow fight, Married versus Single.
• Tug-of-War, Men and Ladies.
• Adults and childrens fancy dress.
• At 10 p m. in the evening there will be a dance in West Burton
  reading room.

• The poster is printed by Plews and sons of Leyburn.

Competitions?? Wallops for ladies and gents (The mind boggles, can anyone tell me what they were?).

Violet Rutter from Bainbridge thinks wallops were some kind of skittles game played with a stick.

• Can anyone confirm this?

Wally and Muriel Dinsdale from Carperby have confirmed that "wallops" are conical skittles laid out in a pattern on the ground and a stick of about thirty inches long is thrown at these pieces of wood in an attempt to knock them over. A running total is kept of the score.

Market Cross decorated for Jubilee

• New photo!!

This shows the market cross all trussed up with ribbons for the Jubilee.

In the foreground there are two trestles and what looks like a telegraph pole pushed between them. Could this be anything to do with wallops?

Young Ladies of West Burton

This photo shows the young ladies of the village up at Flanders Hall
collecting their Jubilee mugs and displaying their lovely outfits
to Mrs Whitehead from Flanders Hall??

• More info. please.

Heading for Flanders Hall

The kings Silver Jubilee 1935

• This is a photograph of the older childrens' fancy dress.

In 1935 traffic lights were just becoming known.
Do you recognise anyone? Stan Brook from West Burton is the traffic light.

J.B. Smithson - taken about 1916

This is JB Smithson well known Journalist and Photographer from the Yorkshire Dales.

• J.B. had two photographic studios in Leyburn, one in Hawes and
  several others in and around the Yorkshire Dales.
• After he retired to West Burton J.B. and Mr Horace Brook from West
  Burton had a studio in JB's back yard.
• J.B. continued with his love of photography up until his death at
  the age of 90 in 1938.

J.B. Smithsons' House

The house on the right with the bay windows is Craven House
where Mr Smithson used to live.

• This picture has changed very little but the strange shaped tree on
  the left is no longer there.

Five Wise Men

• Ah! Those were the days 1928.

From left to right. J.B.Smithson. Frank Ryder. Kitty Routh. Edward Johnson.

• I need an identity for the last gentleman on the bench.

West Burton Elder

• Help needed with this one. Who is it?

West Burton Home Guard

• The Local Defence Volunteers.
  
• The local lads used to have a nickname for them. Look Duck and
  Vanish. It was only in fun.
  
• The home guard did a good job in and around West Burton and
  We thank them all!
  

West Burton LDV

West Burton Hells Angels

• West Burtons answer to hells angels.

Photograph taken up the back alley just after after the war.

From right to left Stan Brook on an ex-army surplus BSA M20, John Furnish on a BSA 500 and Stans cousin Reg on an AJS or a Matchless.

Unknown Gentleman

I need an identity. does anyone know this man?
Don't you think he has a distinct look of the famous acting Mc Gann brothers

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