Grewelthorpe

re: Mervyn Bains memory of Grewelthorpe regards the butchers shop next to the crown was my fathers which was William [Billy] Goundry not John Goundry as stated.

Mervyn Bain who attended Grewelthorpe school from 1947 to 1954 and lived in the village, the son of Evelyn Bain, nephew of Meg Bain and grandson of Emma Bain, sends the following memories.
“I had the dubious pleasure of being rescued from the middle of the pond after fallin thro’ the ice early one Sunday morning by Mr Togo Ashby who luckily heard my cries for help. His house was near the pond. He took me home wet, cold and miserable and my Gran Emma Bain gave me the scolding of my life.”
“Most Summers we would all go swimming in the river Ure via the long path through Hackfall wood. There was the Black Robin part of the river, deep, cold and still, followed by the rapids, shallow and swift. We were never supervised and I remember once pulling Ivan Chamberlain out of the water after he had been swept down the rapids.”
“We used to congregate under the archway next to the Crown pub to plot and scheme. Birthday parties etc. were normally held in the long room above the archway. John Goundry’s butchers shop was also under the arch.”
“I was the Church bell ringer, Altar boy and head choir boy. There were only 4 of us if the whole choir turned up. Myself, Joan Hewitt and the 2 Thirkill boys. It was also my job to get the church ready for evening service at 7 o’clock on Sunday nights. Imagine, on the dark winter nights with no street lghts around, an 8 year old boy walking thro’ the graveyard, into the church, then walking the full length of the aisle to the vestry in the pitch dark to reach the light switches. Why I’ve never had nightmares I’ll never know.

These are snippets of a letter written by Albert in 2003, he will be 93 if he is still alive.
My wife [Irene Thackray] used to live with her parents at a farm called Cliff House, Grewelthorpe on the road side leading to what we called The Back Lane. Her Mother [Selina] died at that house and Old Sam her husband ended up with relatives at Mount Pleasant, Kirkby Malzeard. The name of the people in the house in front of Cliff House was Neesum.
I was only 16 years of age when I met my wife in Harrogate. There was no employment for young girls in those days. so they had to go into service at Harrogate for 10/- [50p] or 12/6 [63p] a week. I was living in 1 room at the time, 5/-a week [25p] unemployed. We got married in Knaresborough. The marriage lines cost 12/6.
We had a poverty stricken sort of life then and my Mother in Law bought me my first suit of clothing.
I was very well known in Grewelthorpe.I remember the Frankland family and another character called Emma Glew.
I got the habit of going into The Crown for one pint. The landlady Mary was very nice and if there were only 2 or 3 in she would say Take your drink into the kitchen and we can sit and talk after time. I was only a young lad. Many years later I met Mary in Follifoot where she was the landlady at the Radcliffe Arms.
I was selected to represent my company at the Coronation of the Queen's Father in London. What an experience.

Keith is the nephew of Alec & Anna Chamberlain who had the Crown Hotel from 1953-1957. He was boyfriend of Elizabeth Hall the daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Hall who had the shop near the old school. Keith now lives in Brampton, Ontario, Canada.

It is sad for me to see the Methodist Chapel shut down. There used to be a bellows pump handle on the left hand side of the organ console. When my Father was a boy, about 1908, he pumped the bellows and would go to sleep only to be rapped on the head by the organist to wake up and pump for the closing hymn.

I was born in Crown Cottage in 1937. Son of Jack & Annie. Annie had the grim task of laying people out after death. She was also the caretaker of the Reading Room in the late 40’s and 50’s. [See item on reading room in History section.]
She would tidy the books, light the stove and with my help would iron the billiard table all for £1.10s a month.[£1.50p]
I also blew the bellows for the organ in the church which was next door to our cottage. I got 3d[1.5p] a time for that.
I remember the bad winter of 1947 when the arch next to the Crown Inn was snowed up and the snow reached up to our bedroom windows. The windows and door of our cottage let the snow inside. We dug a tunnel under the snow across to the Inn which was run by Suzy Scott and we survived the storm.