Entry in Village Voice after first gathering
ETHERLEY AND TOFT HILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The invite was to join them on their first public meeting, in the form of a walk on Wednesday evening, July 31st at 7.00p.m. and I duly noted it in my phone and set a reminder. On the day, having just got in from a long day at work and driven home in torrential rain I had just sat down with a glass of wine when the reminder went off. The Memsahib took one look out of the window at the rain and declined, luckily I didn’t.
About 15 of us met under dripping brollies opposite the Sportsman pub at the western limit of the village and our guide Margaret commenced a fascinating walk and talk with loads of period photographs describing the village before the advent of tar macadam and electricity not to mention internet and x-box. As we progressed eastwards through the village others from the group joined in and added their knowledge and anecdotes about their houses and immediate surrounding areas
Did you know that most of the houses are built from stone quarried within a few hundred yards of the place we met? That there were at various times about a dozen butchers, grocers and general stores between there and the community centre? That several of the houses have air shafts communicating with coal mines under the village or that one house in particular had its own open coal diggings behind the house?
Unfortunately the rain did dampen the clothing if not the enthusiasm and at times the lorries splashing past made it difficult to hear all that was said but finishing off with a hot cuppa and a biscuit in the Community Centre gave everyone the chance to revisit the photos and ask questions about the bits they missed. What a wealth of knowledge there is about our area.
I was soaked, and very hungry by the time I got back to my glass of wine but what a fascinating evening. I am so glad not to have missed it. I can now entertain visitors with fascinating facts. I am much more aware now that I do not possess my house so much as am a custodian of a little piece of social history to look after, make my mark on and pass on to the generations to come.
I shall definitely be looking out for the next installments......
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