Wilton Village, Redcar Part 2

[@johnlister]

Good evening. Thank you very much for this. (Also for Part 1, which I'm going to have to study!) I'm John Lister, son of the John Lister who used to live in Pine Trees, until the family moved to Saltburn in 1968? 1969? The village is still very much as I remember it. And I remember a lot of the names, and explored a lot of the old estate, which has been very much overgrown since my day.

[@Charlyfarly2]

There are other videos of the castle and estate. Your mother taught my children.

[@Charlyfarly2]

There are other videos of the castle, estate and the Lowther family. Your mother taught my children

[@johnlister]

@@Charlyfarly2 I'm going to look through those...they definitely bring back memories. I left the area in 1975, moved to London, and I'm now living in New Jersey USA. At one stage, all the Lister children were at Wilton County Primary School. I was in the top class (Mr Fentiman's) and my youngest sister was in my mum's, just across the corridor. I remember that when I sinned, he would take me by the ear, burst into her classroom and proceed to berate me in front of her. She was mortified, but could only complain in the staff room!

[@Charlyfarly2]

@@johnlister As I recall, your father was the blacksmith's son and went to Coatham Grammar (my alma mater) before studying chemistry in London. He became an ICI Director then ended up with British Shipbuilders. Your grandfather made the lovely gates for the bungalow opposite the school. I hope they are still there. Cheers. Tom

[@johnlister]

​@@Charlyfarly2 The gates opposite the school were for the house that my grandfather built for the family. He also made the handrails for the steps up to the chancel at St Mark's church in Marske, as he and my grandmother retired there. I think those are the only surviving wrought iron work from my grandfather. Google street view shows me generic gates opposite the school and at 1 Church Lane, Marske. Also, Pinetrees in Wilton had wrought iron gates that my father made. They have also disappeared. I was also at Coatham, but the new school on Corporation Road (now demolished). I walked out the door the last day of the grammar school before it became the sixth form college.

[@paulsedgewick5244]

Alright Charlie been watching your fishing vids for ages just discovered all this local stuff too much to talk about all this stuff about Kirkleatham wilton yearby is where I lived and wo

[@aliwanstall9630]

Hi. Love the videos and history. Do you have any more information on North Lodge please? Thanks.

[@Charlyfarly2]

As North Lodge is on the 1855 OS Map it was probably built at the same time as the castle (1808?) When I was young a small, wiry countryman called Freddie Glasper lived there. His nickname was 'Fly'. He had worked for the Lowthers before ICI bought the estate. He worked as an estate worker and continued to work in the same capacity for ICI. His knowledge of the land drains and private water supply seemed to be his speciality but he was officially part of the woodyard gang under Jim Brighton from Lackenby. The main man was the ex Lowther gamekeeper, Cliff Garbutt - they planted trees, cleared thickets, felled trees and sawed them up in the woodyard. They had a little metal shelter they carried about, the remains of which still lie over at Moordale Beck 60 yrs after it was dumped there. Freddie was very wary of Cliff Garbutt which stemmed from the days of the Lowthers and tied cottages of which North Lodge was one. He could tell if Cliff Garbutt was approaching long before anyone else by the smell of his cigarette so that everyone was working hard when Cliff appeared. His greatest addiction was hunting and if he knew there was a hunt during the week he would sidle off from work when no-one was looking. He collapsed and died at Redcar races. There were two women also living there whom I think were his daughters. It was empty for a long time afterwards but Mike Thomson of the Thomson fishing dynasty in Redcar moved in. I think he bought it. He worked in the gardens and greenhouses - they cut the hedges and lawns, maintained the flower beds and tennis court. He had two sons. Tragically Mike was killed crossing the road to North Lodge and is buried in Wilton churchyard. His widow continued to live there for many years. I noticed that it had recently been up for sale.

[@aliwanstall9630]

That's great, thank you. Very interesting. We have recently moved into North Lodge and are keen to learn about it's history. Thanks again.