Michael Ford in Kilnwick in 1939

An imaginary walk around Pocklington in the early 1940s.

We shall alight from the train in the days before a certain Dr Beeching put paid to that in 1964. Turning left out of the station (a wonderful Andrews building) we find ourselves in Railway Street where there are one or two buses. The combined East Yorks/West Yorks ran from Hull to Leeds via Pocklington and York. These were red buses (W. Yorks) or navy and yellow ones (E. Yorks). There would be one or two Everingham's buses (grey and light blue, I believe). These would be going to York either via Wilberfoss (the main route) or via the longer route through Melbourne. Everingham's also had a service from York to Bridlington via Pocklington and Driffield. We may even have seen the odd small red bus belonging to Baileys about to leave for York via Stamford Bridge. We had a saying - "Bailey's bouncing bone shakers bouncing from Bishop Wilton to Bugthorpe and back again." As we stand at the end of the station approach the old fire station (disused even then) and the then new library are on our left. Opposite is a large square house which I believed belonged to Pocklington School. To our right, a little up the road, is the old (even then) post office and one or two shops including a sweet shop (I cannot recall the names). Let us cross the road and take the road (Grape Lane) running behind the Railway Hotel (which is or was opposite the church). As we proceed along Grape Lane there is some waste ground to our left on which, as the War progressed, sported the only public air-raid shelter in Pocklington. After the War this became a public convenience which eventually gave way to another one near the site of the old fire station.

As we reach George Street there is a shop on our left selling pale-looking pastry. Opposite is the shop about which you have already told me. Back to our side of the street we eventually reach the police station and magistrates court shortly after which we encounter a brick construction limiting the width of the road and cutting off half of the pavement on each side. This was an anti-invasion device and I believe something similar existed on the Balk. I am not sure about the Balk but I am definitely sure about George Street. On our left side we reach Miss Tinson's general and confectionery shop. This shop had a fairly large, light and airy interior and had a not unpleasant smell of disinfectant. Miss Timpson had two evacuees from Sunderland billetted with her. They were two, I believe girls, from poor homes in Sunderland who dreaded going home again so that after much arranging Miss Timspon adopted them. Great people in Pocklington! We shall meet more of them.

On the opposite side of the road is Craggs'- groceries and greengroceries. It is a small shop, up two steps, and has a smell of potatoes and a wooden floor. I remember the great excitement when the news went around that "Craggs' have sweets" and everyone was able to buy one quarter of toffees (the only type of sweet). Let us re-cross the road and turn into Barmby Road. Opposite, as we turn, is Fox & Figgs motor garage and petrol station. On the opposite side of Barmby Road is a house occupied by Mr Brown JP and, I believe, an officer of the Pocklington R.D.C.. On our side of Barmby Road is a large double-fronted house with bay windows in each of which is a large ceramic swan. This house is the home of the Everinghams of the bus company of that name. We shall go almost half way to the level crossing and on our left we shall see the house of a dentist (I believe Mr Wigmore). After the level crossing the are some 1930s houses before the road is blocked off. Let us go back and stand outside Craggs shop. We shall walk towards the town on the same side as Craggs until we reach a pub the name of which I cannot remember, After all, I was not interested in pubs at that innocent age. Was it called 'The George', I wonder, as it was in George Street. Immediately after this pub shall turn left into Barker's Yard which will lead us into Kirkland Street I believe Barker was the landlord of the pub. This way into Kirkland Street was rather narrow but as there was so little traffic nobody minded. On the corner of Kirkland Street and Victoria Road we come to another small general/grocery shop the name of which I cannot remember. Before the age of the supermarket Pocklington had many small shops. One of our voluntary tasks at school was to write out new ration books which took into account these small grocers' shops. If we continue up Kirkland Street we shall reach the back gate of Trinity Methodist chapel through which gate is an allotment and a primitive urinal for the use of chapel-goers.

Let us retrace our steps to Barkers Yard and George Street and continue towards the town. On our left we shall pass the fire station before reaching Chapmangate. We enter Chapmangate and on our right we arrive at a very thriving and popular fish and chip shop selling just that, with perhaps fishcakes but certainly no curry, sausages or onion bargees! Opposite is the Congregational chapel which has a cosy interior and every Autumn stages a real old-fashioned Harvest Festival with a jug of pure water as the central point. Further up the road on the same side we reach the largest chapel in Pocklington - Trinity Methodist, with a minister's house on each side of the entry. We notice the stone/brick gateposts but miss the iron gates which have gone to make guns. Trinity is in the Classical style and shall say more about it later on. Opposite the chapel is the old Wesleyan day school consisting of one large room upstairs, a small entrance hall, a small room downstairs and a private dwelling. We shall continue past this old school and turn right until the post office is on our left. Opposite the post office, on our side, is Eric Buckles' the ironmonger (pictured right) who has a number of things out on the pavement. Amongst the requisites of the day he sells paraffin, lamp wicks, candles, torch batteries and gas mantles. We continue towards the centre of the town and we are struck by the number of CORNERS. In the blackout on moonless nights it could be a very difficult place. If we turn left towards Union Street we pass Chisholm's, cake et pastry shop, on the corner. Let us wander up Union Street. On our right we come to the Primitive Methodist chapel (officially united with the Wesleyans in 1932 but still maintaining its own religious atmosphere). This chapel is the 'poor relation' of Trinity for Trinity has the luxury of electric lighting while Union Street has to make do with gas. On the same side of the street but further up is Kimberley House which is the home of a dairyman.

Back a little bit and on the opposite side is the church institute although outwardly it is indistinguishable from the neighbouring houses. Continuing along Union Street we find ourselves in London Street where, near the junction with Bridge Street, is the Roam Catholic Church. Also in London Street is a small clothing factory in which, I believe, most of the work was undertaken by hand. We now go right back along Union Street to the Feathers Hotel. In the 1940s the dining room is a small room on the left of the main entrance and this dining room lacks any elegance at all. The tables, each with a white cloth, are in rows along each wall, two rows in all. In one of the many corners of this part of the town is the Central Hall which serves, amongst other things, as a cinema, rather of the 'flee-pit' or 'bug-house' variety rather than the more stylish establishments so popular in the 30s/40s. Opposite there are two more 'corners' in this strangely shaped town one corner housing Walter Wilsons the grocers ( chain stores) and the other Spinks the chemists (another chain) which has just opened a shop in Pocklington. I remember being sent on an errand to Walter Wilsons on washday to obtain a packet of MAZO which was supposed to make things whiter than white before Persil. We continue down to the Market Place which no longer (1940s) has a market and keep to the left hand side. If we venture into a little lane to our left we pass a barber's shop on the right-hand corner. The barber is a cripple who sits on a stool to cut hair. Along this lane, on the left-hand side, is Stubbs the butchers and opposite is a smithy belonging to Mr Stubbs. This will be mentioned later in my memoirs as will Trinity chapel. Let us come back to the Market Place where, on our left we pass the Buck Hotel and then the Oak House cinema. This cinema had an upstairs and a downstairs but no part of the stalls were actually UNDER the balcony, the latter being but a raised part at the back of the auditorium. It had two aisles, one on each side and I have a feeling that the aisles were flush against the walls. Coming out of the cinema we turn left and pass a large three-story house which belonged to Procters, grocers, seed-merchants, etc.. During my time in Pocklington one of the ladies of the Procter household had the misfortune to scald herself when she was carrying a jug of hot water upstairs and was tripped up by one of their several cats. On the opposite side of the Market Place (again coming down from the Feathers end) we pass Barlows the chemist, an old-fashioned chemists with the bottles of coloured liquid etc. in the window. The Barlows were lovely gracious refined people. I cannot remember what was next to Barlows but perhaps it was a ladies' shop and I would not of course be interested in such shops.

Nearing the end was Scaifes' and Forths' but I cannot remember in which order. They were both printers, booksellers and stationers. On the corner and going around the corner was Meynells, high class grocers, one of those grocers with lots of little draws, biscuit tins with a window on one side, a smell of coffee, canisters of tea and a tiled corner where butter was cut, weighed out and wrapped, perehaps in more fortunate days; the sort of shop where, if you were following an exotic recipe with some rare ingredient, Meynells had it. Let us cross the road and walk along Regent Street. On our left we come to the showrooms of the Pocklington Gas Company, not very large by city standards. At the end, on the opposite side, is a smart green-painted establishment, popular with boys from the Grammar School, and this is Waites fish and chip shop. Let us complete our perambulation by turning up New Street. On the left we pass the Oak House Dance Hall immediately behind the Oak House cinema and very popular, with live bands, during the War years. Further on is the National (Church) School somewhat despised as the poorer children went there. Finally, before we reach Burnby Lane and Percy Road we pass the bakery of the Pocklingon Co-operative Society. In the corner between Percy Road and Burnby Lane is the TOWN GROUND for football (no seats or terraces!). In a bungalow on the opposite corner lived the organist of Trinity chapel. His was Mr Gilead - a truly appropriate name as one thinks in Scripture of the 'balm of Gilead.' Along Burnby Lane was a house called Modwena in which lived one of the Hymers masters. Further along Burnby Lane was the Workhouse later named The Poplars. On Percy Road was Lyndhurst, the junior department of Pocklington Grammar School. Opposite Pocklington School is Cemetery Lane down which, of course, we reach the cemetery and also the gas works and the sewerage plant. Gas and sewers gave Pocklington the status of 'town.' Woe betide anybody, even in the 40s who referred to Pocklington as a village! If you lived in one of the surrounding villages in those days you had oil lamps and a 'doings' down the garden. A few, the wealthy, might have had electricity as at Smylet Hall, perhaps. Running from the station to Thirsk's Mill was a long railway siding but I never recall seeing it in use. This line has a reference as "Pocklington Flour Mill (Thirsk, J & Son )" in "The Railway Clearing House Handbook Of Railway Stations 1904".