This building is now unfortunately demolished along with a lot of the places of entertainment in the village. I spent many happy hours there and it was a focal point as we became teenagers, especially during the winter nights. I have to finish now as something has come up so I will return the subject of this building as soon as I get time.
Brian Mc.
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Such a shame all of these historic buildings are now gone, my mother and father had their wedding reception at the Memorial Hall (Margaret(ayre) and Ken Clough). I guess lots of others did also.
ReplyDeleteWhat else was the Memorial Hall used for ?
Paul...was your dad Ken the caretaker at Ushaw Moor Infants???
ReplyDeleteLived in Cookes Cottages?
I think i'm right, many happy memories from being a kid there in the 80's just into the 90's.
Sadly the school in now gone too! Sad to see it sit empty and now it's gone.
I wasn't sad to see 'The Winnings' go, but then i could only associate it with the noise and fights outside on a weekend! It probably had a better history than that! I remember the huge WMC on Station Road..didn't think much of it, but again i was a kid, didn't have any memories of it, not sure i've ever been inside in fact.
I think i can remember the Station Hotel being there...it was only a few years ago since it went? The Albion is near there too..but thats been made into a house now i think.
I remember the shop next to the Winnings, can't quite remember the name on the front, but i'm sure it had trophies in the window...i remember being inside but can't remember what for.. I also think that got made into a house (must have been a huge house) but is now gone too.
I remember the big freezer shop on the corner, used to go in there with my nana. Then it seemed to be boarded up for ages, then bought by the Pet Shop people and made into a cafe...which again now seems to be shut. Brave for having a go, though.
I'll add this here as i've just thought of it. My partner is at home with our newborn boy - and she happened to see the sign taken down from 'Slatersheen' to reveal the name 'Tallentyre Dent' - i was interested to find out that it was a shop (butcher?) from the 50's/60's? Sad to see another bit of history get painted over, but it must have been there for 50 years under whatever new signgs went up over the top of it.
I feel a bit silly in saying this - but which was was the Memorial Hall?
Hi Matt and welcome to Ushaw Moor Memories, thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteYes my Dad's name is Ken but he never worked at Ushaw Moor Infants as the caretaker. He was a miner.
The Miners Memorial Hall was on the Esh Winning Road on Cockhouse Lane it was later used as the location of builders (Newton Moor I think it was) now houses St. Lukes Mews.
Ah yes, i remember the Netwon Moor building.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that, the caretaker was a Mr Clough but must be a different one!
The Memorial Hall was built after the First World War in memory of the men who were killed in that War. We used the amenities a lot. The actual memorial was on the outside of the building facing the Esh Winning Road. There was a path leading to the main doors and a plot of land on each side of the path which would have been gardens when it was first built. I can remember a Branch Library on the Ground Floor on the left as you entered the Hall. There were internal double doors leading to a large area with doors leading to various rooms including the Caretakers Office. There was a large Snooker Room with two tables which were usually busy. This room looked on to the Garth field at the side of John Bells Farm and there were usually calves or young cattle grazing there depending on what season of the year it was. It was a great place to go during the winter evenings, it was always warm and the worst part was being turfed out at nine o'clock when it closed. Upstairs was a large hall where dances, concerts, wedding receptions and other social events were held. I remember watching a Concert one night performed by the members of the Youth Club at St. Lukes Church. Vicar Welby was the MC and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Bob Bell who lived in the part of Ladysmith Terrace now demolished was the Caretaker at the time I can remember and he used to keep us young lads in check . There was no back chat, if there was he would just put you out.
ReplyDeletePlaces like the Memorial Hall were buildings where people mixed and were part of the infrastructure which built the community in Ushaw Moor. If you didn't have a penny in your pocket you could still enjoy the patter and keep warm. You didn't need a pocket full of money in those days, no designer clothes but most lads were always clean and smart and the lasses were bonny and always looked beautiful.
Anyone have any PHOTOS of the Miners Hall ? It would be great to see them...
ReplyDeleteOne thing I missed out was that on the way home if we had the money we would call at Mrs Barkers fish shop in Temperance Terrace for a packet of chips (three old pence). I can still taste them with plenty of salt and vinegar. The chips would be eaten from a cone made of newspaper. I can remember a period over a few cloudless nights seeing a comet passing overhead. They appear to travel very slowly and it was visible for, as I say, a few nights. This was before the advent of light pollution when the night sky was black and the stars were more visible than the present time. I am told that the difference between planets in our Solar System and stars in the night sky is that stars twinkle and planets do not.
ReplyDelete