Past through Keighley afer a few years absence. What caught my eye was a few new pubs and curry houses. Seems like Wetherspoons is a good new addition. And the curry house next to the Blues Club was pretty good. Changes for the better possibly.

Isnt it ironic that Wetherspoons was once The Temperance Hall !

Ironic indeed. Also ironic that the Pakistanis have certain religious practices which are at odds with the extra drinking that Wetherspoons and their curry houses are very keen on. But Keighley remains a deeply Anglo Saxon town for the time been.

Talking of which, I see that the Eastwood Tavern is closed down and boarded up. Not surprising really, when you consider that there will probably be only a handful of alcohol drinkers living within a 100 yard radius of the place.

Not only the Eastwood Tavern is closed. The Bridge at Stockbridge is currently shut- they have been looking for a new leaseholder for quite while. The Market Arms is boarded up and for sale. The Masons Arms (Clarkies, Brewery Arms or whatever you like to call it) is closed - I'm not sure what they are doing with that.

On a slightly different front the DieNasty was still shut the last time I passed, which reduces the number of Chinese restaurants in Keighley to one (the newish place on Church Street that I can't remember the name of)

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 60-67

I suppose the Keighley Methodists of yore (of which my grandfather was one) would be happy to see pubs close?

I was brought up Methodist, and whilst at one time they had a teetotal policy, some years ago this changed to moderation.They will not have alcohol on any premises however, and they continue to be opposed to gambling of any type (though it never stopped my Dad doing the football pools!)

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-64

Current location (optional) Wirral

Can there really be an eating house called 'DieNasty'. I realise its a pun on 'Dynasty' but I guess it is symptomatic of Keighley.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 60-69

What do you make of the new Rodney? I called in recently on a revisit to Keighley.Yes it has been tastefully done and is spacious and comfortable,but to me it is not a Keighley pub,not a Taylors pub and certainly not the Rodney.It could be anywhere in the country.They seem to be aiming at a new clientele and I am not convinced that clientele exists in sufficient numbers in Keighley.I note the christmas reunion is there and would be interested in seeing what people think.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1954-1961

Current location (optional) Filey

I agree with everything said in the last post. Also the signage to change the road round plus the wheelbarrows of money the Council have spent on "The Green is diabolical in my opinion!
Talking about changes for the better what will Park Lane College do with the old K.B.G.S. Building?Perhaps parts of that venerable instution of memories might become training kitchens for aspiring "Curry" chefs!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 59-66

Current location (optional) HAWORTH

With regard to an earlier posting regarding The Bridge Inn being 'closed'; it's re-opened!! However, it has a new name- The Stockbridge Arms!!
As well as the Eastwood Tavern being boarded up, the Market Arms is also in a similar condition. It would seem that, following the ban on smoking in public places, most public houses just cannot exist on beer sales alone. That, coupled with the fact that you can buy beer, lager etc from Supermarkets at heavily discounted prices(sometimes cheaper than bottle water!),has made it almost impossible for pubs to operate at a profit; unless of course, they can offer good food at reasonable prices in pleasant surroundings.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 45-50

Current location (optional) Keighley

Genuine query - why was Stockbridge called Stockbridge? Is the obvious obvious?

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 52-60

Current location (optional) Lincoln

David, was the 'Bridge Inn' closed down after the devastating floods of 18 months ago or was that coincidental to scheduled closure in order to turn it into an eating house?

Terry - I think the answer to your 'genuine query' is the obvious one. Up to the beginning of the C20th there was a much narrower wooden structure over the Aire (you could still see the sawn-off stanchions beside the 'new' bridge when we were kids fishing there) and it was used for, among other things, driving livestock (from Riddlesden and further afield) to the old cattle market (sited, if memory serves me, off East Parade) in Keighley. On older maps of the area it appears as 'Stock Brig'.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

Doug. As far as I recall, the most devastating floods in recent times occured in the year 2000 and nearly always ,when the Aire is in full spate, the cellars of The Bridge Inn are flooded. As far as 'food' goes, since 2000, they have often advertised meals at'Two for the Price of One', which I can only assume were of the 'Cling & Ping' variety(i.e.pre-cooked,chilled, cling-filmed meals reheated in the micro-wave). I could be wrong; I've never eaten there.
I do remember the 1947 Winter of heavy snowfalls and subsequent rapid thaw which caused huge floods down the Aire Valley. I walked down Bradford Road with my brother Arthur, as far as Bottomley's Mint Rock Works and viewed the level of water on the main road from a safe distance. I've seen a photograph of this somewhere; I must try and find it.
I think The Bridge Inn has changed hands a couple of times in recent years, but the Landlords/tenants do not appear to have been too successful. Let's hope the new Landlord does better.
I go along with your 'Stock'-bridge' answer to Terry's question.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 45-50

Current location (optional) Keighley

Hi David. I too well remember the big snow of '47. That's the year I sat the County Minor and half the kids in the area couldn't get there and had to be assessed. I was living at Parkwood at that time and walked across toStockbridge to see the floods. I think I have a newspaper photo somewhere of the floods, sent to us from Australian relatives. I'll have to dig deep to find it.
Cheers.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 47-51

Current location (optional) Auckland NZ

Yes, the big freeze of '47 is a very vivid memory for me too. It was fabulous! Except when I had to take my sledge and go down to the gassworks for coke and brave the Worth Village 'indians' - terrifying!

We lived in Beecher Street (just below Bottomley's - where my mother worked subsequently) and whilst there was not much standing water in the street there was plenty in our cellar. Crossing it in the zinc bath to put money in the gas metre was my job; a very hazardous journey (no light down there and too vivid recollections of the ticking crocodile in 'Peter Pan'. The 'Screw-Mill Fields' (which led down to Newsomes and Lister & Moss's mills were under several feet of water, as was most of Aireworth Road where the Worth had burst its banks. All viewable from our front bedroom window.

The 'Keighley News' must surely have pictures of the freeze and flood in its archives.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 1951-58

I was born in the middle of the '47 freeze, and by emergency Caesarian at Victoria Hospital at 3.43 am !
It took along time to get my mother up there!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-64

Current location (optional) Wirral

I bet it took even longer the second time!

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 58-65

Re my posting of Dec 11th; no joy yet in locating the 'flood photo' of Stockbridge in 1947. However, during my research I did come across 3 photos which are worth viewing and I'm sending them on to our Webmaster for inclusion in our our Photo Section.
The first picture shows the old Stockbridge Circa 1900(truly a bridge for bringing stock down from the hills to market).The house fronting onto the Aire is Ivy Cottage, which is still there in 1930(see under)
The second picture is an aerial view of the New Stockbridge with the temporary wooden bridge still in use, shortly before it opened in September 1930. A small portion of the the Leeds/Liverpool Canal can be seen in the top left of picture. The road and bridge across the Canal must be Granby Lane. The old Bridge Inn can be seen in the lower right of picture.
The third picture is a close-up at ground level, of the new bridge under construction, with details under.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 45-50

Current location (optional) Keighley

Following on from my previous posting, I have sent on a photo of the flooding of Stockbridge albeit it happening in 1946 and not 1947. Strange how memories play tricks on you. I always thought that the floods followed the heavy snows in Feb'47, but apparently not! During my searches I located 2 other photos, one showing yet another shot of the new Stockbridge build in 1929/30; the other showing North Steet during the snow of '47, which reflects the weather we have been experiencing in recent days.

Years at KBGS e.g. 1958-1964 (optional) 45-50

Current location (optional) Keighley