100th ANNIVERSARY OF BRIGG BROWNIES

During this pandemic, one important anniversary could side-slip and be inadvertently overlooked, writes Ken Harrison of Brigg Matters magazine.
Brigg Brownie Pack is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020.
The Brownies, part of the Guiding Movement, were formed as an organisation in 1914 under the leadership of Agnes, the younger sister of  Lord Baden Powell.
Originally, called Rosebuds, female power prevailed and the girls objected on the grounds that  such a name was too twee and it was changed to Brownies in 1915.
Brigg Brownies were formed in 1920 and now meet in the scout hut down Elwes Street.... but perhaps some older residents may be able to share with us their experiences of being in the Brownies in decades  past.

Fiona Reid, pictured above, is the local Guiding liaison officer and runs the Brownies’ younger group, the Rainbows, while Tamsin Bennet, who has been a leader since 1997, manages the local Brownie pack.
Both Fiona and Tamsin have independently won the prestigious Joseph Magrath Award for valuable service to the local community.
Fiona was recognised in 2014 (for 2013), while Tamsin was presented with the award by Brigg Town Mayor, Cllr Sharon Riggall at the Civic Dinner in March 2020.
It is very unlikely that the traditional Blessing of the Pumps will go ahead this year, so attached are some snaps of the Brownies and Rainbows in action during the event over the last couple of years, or so.

FORMER BRIGG VICAR WORKING ALONGSIDE WIFE AS CLERGY IN NEW PARISH

A married couple who lived in Brigg until a few months ago are currently working together as clergy during the Coronavirus emergency - in a new parish.
Vicar of Brigg and several local parishes until January, Father Owain Mitchell is now ministering to the spiritual needs of his flock in New Mills, Derbyshire, with assistance from wife Claire.
The Bishop of Derby's office recently announced the Rev Claire's appointment as  Assistant Curate of All Saints' Church in Glossop.
However, the former Assistant Curate in the Wolds Gateway Group, Diocese of Lincoln, has been given an initial placement at New Mills during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Claire’s licensing date in Glossop has yet to be announced.
Church-goers in Brigg, and  nearby villages, have been very interested to learn of Claire's new appointment and temporary attachment to her husband's church and parish.
Father Owain was based in Brigg for 15 years. This picture of him and Claire, right, was taken shortly before they left our town for the Peak District by Ken Harrison, of Brigg Matters magazine. They were being presented with gifts from the St John's Church congregation.

WHEN BRIGG LOST ITS TRAIN LINKS WITH MABLETHORPE, SUTTON-ON-SEA AND SKEGNESS

People living in the Brigg area lost their rail link with some Lincolnshire east coast holiday resorts half-a-century ago.
Mablethorpe and Sutton-on-Sea stations were closed by British Rail on October 5, 1970 when passenger trains were withdrawn on the line between Grimsby, Louth and Spalding - leading to Peterborough and eventually London King's Cross.
For well over 100 years, people living in our area boarded trains at Kirton Lindsey, Scawby & Hibaldstow, Brigg, Barnetby and Elsham and headed for Grimsby, where they switched services to head south to Mablethorpe, Sutton-on-Sea and more distant Skegness, to enjoy week-long holidays, weekends away or just a day trip to the golden sands.
'Skeggy' still has a railway station today but it's no longer connected to Grimsby.

SURPRISING 'SOCIAL DISTANCING' MESSAGE AT A REMOTE BRIGG LOCATION

Brigg station hasn't seen a passenger train since mid-March, a railway campaigner suggested to us.
We paid the facility a visit yesterday and our attention was soon drawn to this poster on platform one asking people to observe the current Coronavirus distancing requirements.
Even in normal circumstances this platform only sees three Cleethorpes-bound passenger trains a week -  on Saturdays.
The platform is of reasonable length (see picture below) and only a handful of folk usually climb aboard in Brigg. So social distancing abuses seem extremely unlikely.
Platform two - over the footbridge - is timetabled to receive three Saturday trains bound for Gainsborough, Retford and Sheffield.
Northern Trains says it is currently running a very limited key worker timetable and at present there are no departures or arrivals at Brigg station.
However, the temporary timetable can change week to week so people are advised to keep an eye on the latest information at https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/stations/BGG#station-timetables

If trains are not operating, Brigg Blog suggests that prominent notices are erected at both ends of Station Road as well as on the station to ensure no-one waits in vain for a train that is not on its way.

FORMER BRIGG SPORTSMAN TRAVELS THOUSANDS OF MILES TO BRING GOOD LUCK

Which sportsman travelled halfway around the world to play for a Brigg team?
The answer is Simon Church, from whom we still receive emails from time to time as he uses Brigg Blog to see what's going on in the district where he used to live.
We can't recall the exact year when he flew back to the old country and played for Brigg Town Cricket Club but think it was 2002. He will be able to confirm.
"Chozzy" who emigrated to Perth, West Australia in 1987, also attended an ex-pupils' reunion in the drama hall at his old school, Sir John Nelthorpe, on a Saturday night in the height of summer..
But his old club managed to fit him in with a game that afternoon - for old time's sake - and he brought them some good luck, as the Brigg 1st XI won at South Kelsey 2nds in Lincolnshire League division three.
Two of his former team-mates, Garry Dunderdale and Gig Smith, who had both retired from playing by then, turned up to lend "Chozzy" their support.
He amazed his former colleagues by wearing a jumper over his shirt on a day which was sweltering by British standards but nothing more than warmish as far as the weather goes Down-Under.
Back row, left to right: Garry Dunderdale, John Fitzgerald, Gary Smith, Andy Allan, Matt Mosey, Callum Lester, Gig Smith.
Front row, left to right: Mick Wescott, Adam Dunderdale, Simon Church and Lee Fielden. 
We were playing for Brigg that day and took the picture we've just chanced upon again after all this time.
The venue was the former Nettleton Mines ground at Holton-le-Moor, near the Hope Tavern.
This may well have been the Brigg v Kelsey game in which Adam Dunderdale took seven or eight wickets and scored a century, leaving his team-mates to put their feet up!

REMEMBERING BRIGG SHOPS OF 1970s & 1980s

This picture of Wrawby Street, Brigg, was taken around 1980, since when it has been all change.
All these shop premises have different occupants 40 years later.
Woolworth's (far left) requires no explanation, being a world famous name in retailing.
Baxters (butcher) and Radio Rentals had outlets across the UK.
The Jacksons Discount Food Market was operated by a North Bank company.
Below we recall The Little Shop, on Wrawby Street, as it was in April 1973 - a popular place to visit for a cuppa and a chat.

WHERE YOU CAN DONATE TO BRIGG FOODBANK AND HELP THOSE IN NEED DURING LOCKDOWN

During the current Coronavirus lockdown, caring people are donating to the Brigg Children's Centre Foodbank which has a number of outlets accepting suitable items to be distributed to people in need within the town and the surrounding area.
You can play a part by donating tins and packets to this worthy cause.
They can be left at any of the following:
Donation box at the Brigg Tesco store; Brians DIY, Wrawby Street; One Stop Shop, Atkinson Avenue; Ecig World, corner of Wrawby Street and Queen Street, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 11am to 2pm; Fur Do's grooming parlour, Market Place, Wednesdays, 9am to noon; Children's Centre, Grammar School Road, "by contact only."
A mutual aid group in Brigg is helping with the collection and distribution.
Food parcels are going to those in need in the town but also other local communities.
Rather than giving items, people can also donate money so the group can buy food on their behalf. Use this link to find out more...
https://opencollective.com/brigg-and-areas-mutual-aid
For help/support from the foodbank, call 07717 587321, 9am to 5pm on Wednesdays, or email at any time to wellcommnl@gmail.com

LITTER DROPPING A BRIGG PROBLEM EVEN DURING LOCKDOWN

With lockdown in place and fewer people venturing into Brigg town centre, we might expect the litter-dropping problem to disappear.
But that's not the case as these recent pictures show,  with litter in the Tintab shelter near the Monument and in the Market Place close to the public call box. There are other instances, not illustrated here.
Yesterday (Monday) we noted a worker in Wrawby Street, assigned to carry out a tidy up.
That's welcome but would be unnecessary if people could be bothered to use the litter bins provided throughout the town centre and elsewhere.

BRIGG SUGAR FACTORY MISHAP

This unique picture records a Brigg Sugar Factory railway network mishap circa 1980.
The factory's own diesel shunter had left the track and was in the process of being re-railed by workers.
The image has been shared with us by local railway enthusiast Phill Hewson.
In the background we see Glanford Leisure Centre as it was then known, and beyond that the top  section of the riverside Yarborough Mills.
The sugar factory opened in the late 1920s and closed in the early '90s.
Initially, wagons were moved around the extensive Scawby Brook complex by steam-powered traction.
The factory network was linked to the mainline by a set of points close to the Brigg Siding signalbox
Our recent post on this topic prompted Phill to email the picture seen here. The diesel shunter was made by Ruston - a company wuth strong Lincoln links.

ONE MONTH SINCE BRIGG PUBS CLOSED LOCAL OFF-LICENCE SALES CONTINUE TO GROW

One month has now passed since local people enjoyed their last drinks in Brigg pubs before the government-imposed closure due to the Coronavirus emergency.
Town bars closed until further notice on Friday evening - March 23, 2020.
Given the circumstances, little advance notice was given about the ban but many people still visited local licensed premises for farewell pints.
Some pubs closed earlier than others on that final Friday - a sad time for licensees and bar staff whose work has since dried up
Our picture shows JD Wetherspoon's White Horse after the last customers had left that evening.
How or when the lockdown will be lifted or relaxed by the government remains unclear. But it has been suggested that bars might be among the last to resume normal service across the UK - perhaps not until autumn. Thousands of pints in barrels are being tipped away as they pass their 'use by' date.
However, sales of canned and bottled beer have grown for local shops and stores with the necessary drinks licence. And there are many of them.
Sadly, the town's last dedicated off-licence shop, on Springs Parade, closed many months ago.
It would now be seeing very long queues of thirsty customers keeping their distance from each other across the nearby car park!

BRIGG BREWING HISTORY RISES TO THE SURFACE AFTER 53 YEARS

There are still some people in the Brigg area today who can remember drinking beer made in the town by the award-winning Sergeant's Brewery.
Founded when Queen Victoria was on the throne and using water drawn from a Castlethorpe spring, this family firm lasted until autumn 1967 by which time it was owned by a major chain looking to reduce the cost of operating small outlets.
If Sergeant's had survived into the 21st century when specialist craft beers/real ales are all the rage, we reckon it would have proved particularly popular.
However, in 1967, closure arrived and the brewery beside the Old River Ancholme passed into local history.
It was located behind the White Hart, where the new AF Carpets showroom is taking shape - on the other side of the water from B&M's store.
Research undertaken for Brigg Blog's current Dates Timeline Project has produced a bonus - an article about the eleventh hour of Sergeant's Brewery in 1967.
We have now discovered that teacher Mr G. (George?) Mounsey and some pupils from Westmoor School visited the building that October - shortly before it closed down - to record the processes and equipment in use.
Their account of its contents was later published over four pages in an historical Lincolnshire journal.
Then, in 1976, some historians visited the derelict riverside building - taking measurements, perhaps the final photographs and publishing plans of both floors.
The account noted: "No machinery remained by this time but positions of such items as the mash tun could be determined by marks on the floor."
Drawings showed a bottle store and vat room on the ground floor, with a hoist running down from above. There was a cellar beneath but its layout was not indicated.
Mr Mouncey's account - Sergeant's Brewery, Brigg - appeared in Lincolnshire Industrial Archaeology, Volume 4, No. 2, pages 18-21.
We haven't been able to trace this feature article online through Google searches, but are hoping that someone locally may have a copy of the publication. Or could some of Mr Mouncey's Westmoor pupils from 1967 have retained the research compiled as part of this interesting school visit?
We are also keen to know when the building was eventually demolished.
Sergeant's brewing company was established in 1837 - the year Queen Victoria became monarch - and its riverside brewery was constructed in 1852, our researches reveal.
Sutton, Bean had a brewery near the Britannia Inn, on Wrawby Street, which could trace its roots back to Victoria's reign. Its last beer was made in December 1924.
Landlord Bob Nicholson established a micro-brewery at the nearby Queens Arms in the late 1990s - his beers including the interestingly named Blanket Lifter!
PICTURED: Above - Barrels of the final 'brew' in 1967 before closure (note the use of traditional wooden casks). Below - the former Sergeant's brewery in the early 1970s and viewed in the distance (right) from the County Bridge in the same era with Riverside House in the foreground and the jam factory on the other bank.
 

OPEN INVITATION FROM BRIGG CAFE GROUP

A Brigg cafe group, used to meeting at Costa Coffee and the Cafe Courtyard, is moving online.
Members of the Cafe Fellowship will be linking up through the ZOOM app for their Tuesday meetings from May 5.
And they are issuing an open invitation to local people to join them from 10am on the 5th when the Rev Dr Gillian Poucher will deliver a talk about the Pilgrim Fathers.
This year sees the 400th anniversary of the pilgims' departure and the sailing of the Mayflower, and there are historic links with Gainsborough and Immingham.
May 5 will be the first time the fellowship has met during the virus emergency lockdown.
You can register free to use ZOOM  at
https://zoom.us
The May 5 meeting will use meeting ID 817 7689 9891.

NEW ALDI STORE STILL TAKING SHAPE

The new Aldi store in Brigg continues to take shape during the Coronavirus emergency which has halted events, closed pubs and shut many shops, although not those selling food.
Aldi is an international grocery retailer, and these pictures - taken a few days ago - show the progress made so far in the site off Bridge Street (late April 2020).
The company has yet to announce an opening date for the Brigg store, but we suggest it will be the autumn.
Much work has still to be carried out, including shop-fitting and the provision of parking bays.
As part of the final phase, a new roundabout will be created on the A18 at the store's entry and exit point.
Crossing points will be provided on Bridge Street to assist shoppers who are not visiting Aldi by car.

TWO BRIGG ROAD CLOSURES

Two Brigg streets are to be closed to traffic due to roadworks.
Resurfacing is planned on Pingley Lane and Pingley Meadow from Tuesday, May 5 to Thursday, May 7. Both adjoin the A1084 Bigby High Road.
Brigg company EC Surfacing will be the contractor for North Lincolnshire Council, our local highway authority.

WHEN BRIGG ASSOCIATION WILL CELEBRATE ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

Brigg Blog's research for our Dates Timeline has revealed that a notable association within the town is approaching its 100th anniversary.
The Briggensians' Association - representing former pupils and staff of Brigg Grammar School (BGS), Brigg Girls' High School and today's Sir John Nelthorpe comprehensive - will reach the three-figure milestone in 2023.
We have alerted current officials of the association and suggested that some suitable commemoration might be in order.
A meeting to establish the association was held in Brigg on July 25, 1923. It was then known as the BGS Old Boys’ Association.
The stated aim was to keep Old Boys in touch with each other and with the school - something that's still true today.
The association in 1923 wished to foster "social intercourse" through cricket and football matches and its annual dinner, while also helping ex-pupils who were "down on their luck."
The initial annual subscription was set at 2 shillings (10p) which included a copy of the School Magazine.
The first annual dinner was held on January 5, 1924 at the Woolpack, in Brigg Market Place (from 5.30pm). Tickets cost 5 shillings (25p).
Founder officials included: President, R. N. Sutton-Nelthorpe, the Scawby landowner, who we think was then chairman of governors; chairman, B.E. Spink, who farmed near Scunthorpe; secretary, E. F.  Brown, a chemist at Lysaght's steelworks, Scunthorpe, and a football referee; treasurer, J. G. Marris, bank manager.
Brigg Grammar's headmaster at the time was H. E. Bryant, and there were 204 pupils - 52 of whom were resident boarders in School House.
The Board of Education carried out a "full inspection" of the school in 1923; it was found to be carrying out its work efficiently and meeting the educational needs of the area it served.
"The work as a whole is marked by earnestness and enthusiasm," the inspectors noted.
This comment prove gratifying to the headmaster and his staff.
A report about the formation of the BGS Old Boys’ Association appeared in the Christmas 1923 edition of The Briggensian (magazine) which was printed by Ashton's in Brigg.
Past school magazines from 1914 onwards were scanned into PDF format some years ago by Mike Spencer, who was a BGS pupil in the 1950s.
They make very interesting reading, not just for former pupils of the grammar school.
Use this link to view the full catalogue and get searching...
The March 2020 annual dinner went ahead with a reduced attendance during the Coronavirus alert. View pictures and report here...

PICTURED ABOVE: Brigg Grammar School in the 1920s, with the Boarding House nearest the camera.

JOIN IN BRIGG CHURCH SERVICE ONLINE

Another online Brigg church service will be taking place on Sunday, April 26, starting at 10.30am.
Everyone is welcome to join this act of worship, led by the Rev Peter Thomas.
Use the free ZOOM app to take part. PC owners  go to https://zoom.us and register;  ipad users go to the Apple store and download the ZOOM app. If you have neither PC nor ipad but have a smartphone that’s OK, it’s  also possible to join the service this way.
Meeting ID: 978 8891 8428.

ROADWORKS DELAYS ON THE A18 IN BRIGG - WITH MORE TO COME

Despite fewer vehicles being about on the A18 in Brigg because of the Coronavirus emergency, current roadworks on Bridge Street continue to result in delays and traffic queues.
We took these pictures yesterday (Friday, April 14) with traffic tailing back as far as the Ancholme Way bridge while the temporary traffic lights were on red.
Foul drain work is being carried out on the A18, near the top of Mill Lane, for North Lincolnshire Council, the local highway authority.
This contract is not due for completion until May 1, with delays being described as "likely" for motorists.
The petrol station was open for business yesterday, and unaffected by the nearby lane closure.
A section of footpath has also been shut temporarily with an alternative route provided close by.
More roadworks are coming up on Bridge Street next week.
From Tuesday to Thursday, April 28 to 30, delays may result on the A18 near West Terrace while BT carries out broadband-related work.

MAKING A POINT ABOUT BRIGG SUGAR FACTORY

Interest is currently being shown in an important feature of the old Brigg Sugar Factory at Scawby Brook.
Some people may be surprised to learn that the factory once boasted a sizeable internal railway network which connected with the BR mainline through a set of points.
Sugar beet from fields over a very wide area was brought in on wagons, while pulp for use as animal feed was sent out.
The factory, which opened in the late 1920s and closed in the early 1990s, had its own resident shunting engine - steam to begin with and then diesel (not belonging to BR).
Its internal network extended almost as far as Glanford Leisure Centre (now Ancholme).
One siding running close to the western bank of the 'New' river was still evident in 1980 and may have lasted until the factory closed.
Recent interest has been sparked by the present day picture (seen above) which was posted on the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway social media forum which is popular with railway historians.
These train buffs and Brigg Blog are keen to learn more about the factory's internal railway network and its locomotives.
Who drove the engines and where were they serviced?
When was the last train-load handled?
What happened to the locos when they came to the end of the line?
Who maintained the sidings and points?
We are hoping that ex-factory workers still living locally may be able to provide some of the answers.
BR's cost-cutting decision to close various lines affected the amount of beet brought to Brigg by rail.
In the early 1950s some farmers expressed displeasure when rail bosses axed freight services in the Winteringham, West Halton and Whitton area - meaning beet had to be sent to the Brigg factory by road rather than rail.
The wagons had previously run along the North Lindsey Light Railway to Scunthorpe, then come to Brigg via Wrawby Junction.
However, some of pulp was still being sent from Brigg Sugar Factory as far as Scotland in the late 1970s.
The connection between the factory and BR was controlled from the remote and small Brigg Siding signalbox - a couple of hundred yards to the east of Hibaldstow level crossing.
Picture credit: The local Network Rail track maintenance crew. Remember that the general public must NOT trespass on the railway. The track into the factory passed between the two posts seen here. A gate was swung across when the access was not in use.

HOPING OUR BRIGG MAYORMAKING CAN GO AHEAD AS PLANNED

Due to the Coronavirus emergency, Brigg Town Council has postponed the monthly meeting due to be held on Monday (April 27)
Also off for the same reason is that evening's scheduled session of the Planning & Environment Committee.
If lockdown has been relaxed by late May, the annual meeting of Brigg Town Council will take place; if not, it will also need to be postponed.
This meeting is particularly important as it involves councillors electing a new Town Mayor to serve for the following 12 months in a ceremony known as Mayormaking.
Coun Sharon Riggall's term as the town's first citizen is due to end in late May.
Coun Brian Parker is the current Deputy Town Mayor and in line to become our new Mayor.
At the last Town Council meeting in the Angel Suite - held in late March, just a few hours before the government introduced restrictions on gatherings -  it was wisely decided to delegated any matters requiring urgent attention to a small group of members and staff. This will continue until meetings can resume.

BRIGG BLOG'S PUB QUIZ - APRIL 2020

Due to the Coronavirus emergency we can't visit Brigg pubs at present, never mind take part in any of their quizzes.
So Brigg Blog today offers one of its own about local licensed premises to help fill the gap. See how you get on, then scroll down below the questions to check your answers.
If you have read our recently-posted Timeline it will help.
HINT: All Brigg's current hostelries feature, plus some that have been demolished or turned over to other uses.
If this quiz proves popular, we will post another on a different Brigg topic in the near future so you can again put your local knowledge to the test.

1. The owners of which Brigg pub went on to 'Fish' for compliments by launching their own licensed eatery on the premises?

2. 'Long' gone and demolished but well remembered by its regulars, which Brigg pub was built in 1960? Alan ran it very successfully decades ago when it was the 'Inn' place for various functions.

3. Name the vacant-for-some-time Brigg pub given a 'Ray' of hope when acquired in the late 1970s by a local man who rebuilt and reopened it to much acclaim in the early '80s.

4. At which pub did fundraising artiste Vanessa perform regularly at weekends? It was not the 'Bull' but that would also have been an apt venue in view of this performer's surname.

5. Name the hostelry where you could get a welcome from Big Ted, enjoy Raffles and greet The Laughing Policeman on his beat?

6. Donovan, Rampling, Shipley & Sykes... Not a firm of solicitors but former landlords of which Brigg pub?

7. This pub run for many years by a man and wife who had travelled many Myles to Brigg. Scan some of our previous posts to remember them.

8. Name the award-winning Brigg brewery of some rank, with Castlethorpe input, which rolled out the barrel for the final time in the late 1960s

9. Yorkshire anglers used to 'meat' up and stay at this old pub in a Wrawby Street building which later offered favourable odds to punters before becoming an eatery. There are now strong connections with Parris.

10. A pint of Old Tom would be a fitting choice at which revamped Brigg hostelry where a familiar dame is in the picture, together with some Spring's Delights and a few Fair folk?

11. Founded in the 1870s but a 'has Bean' by the mid-1920s, this patriotic pub enjoyed a new Dawn and grew in popularity in more recent times under Phil's rule.

12. Name the historic hostelry which provided 'Suite' memories of Sandy, Madge and Charles.

13. Which licensed premises dropped anchor elsewhere, hoisted the Jolly Roger and took command after Binns had been emptied?

14. Baz had more than a 'Few' good years at this pub but its longest-serving resident is still keeping an eye on passers by.

15.  A firm favourite venue with Brigg Horse Fair regulars, this hostelry's current landlady chairs our local Pub Watch.

16. The Bell tolled for which Brigg pub in the mid-1960s when its long-serving landlord retired? After many years it was reopened and then extended into Ron's shop next door.

Answers below. Scroll down...
















1. Queens Arms (Bob and Sue Nicholson were then mine hosts)
2. Ancholme Inn (Alan Long in the clue)
3. White Hart (Ray Neall in the clue)
4. Brocklesby Ox (Vin Bull in the clue)
5. Exchange (Sgt Triffitt in the clue - statue in the courtyard)
6. Black Bull
7. Nelthorpe Arms or 'Scanlons'
8. Sergeant's
9. Butchers Arms (now occupied by the Deli & Diner)
10. White Horse or Wetherspoon's (actress Dame Joan Plowright in the clue)
11. Britannia (Mine hosts the Clipsons in the clue)
12. Angel Hotel
13. Lord Nelson
14. Dying Gladiator
15. Woolpack
16. Yarborough Hunt

BRIGG PUB & RESTAURANT NOW OFFERING TAKEAWAYS

Hungry Brigg residents may be interested to learn that another local pub & restaurant is now offering a takeaway service - collections only.
The King William IV at Scawby Brook has some fish dishes on offer on Friday evenings, 5pm to 8pm - a traditional day to eat this type of fare.
Request fresh Grimsby haddock or scampi & chips served with mushy or garden peas.
Call 01652 657106 between noon and 2pm to order - pay by cash or card.
Many King Billy customers like to tuck into locally-made Tuckers ice cream. It is doing deliveries - minimum order £10.

FUNDRAISING WENT SWIMMINGLY IN BRIGG - A SHILLING AT A TIME

Ancholme Leisure Centre at Scawby Brook - serving the Brigg area - remains closed until further notice during the Coronavirus emergency.
Brigg Blog thought this a good time to take a few pictures of the centre from an unusual location - the other bank of the New River Ancholme.
Strong calls to establish a public swimming pool in Brigg were made in the early 1960s, with a fund being launched. Contributors included local families who gave sixpence or a shilling a week - collected class by class in the schools.
Older Brigg residents may also remember the 'totaliser' on the front of the Buttercross, then still the Town Hall, showing how much had been raised.
Brigg Urban District and Rural District Councils, which supported the pool project, were disbanded by local government reorganisation in 1974.
However, the new Glanford Borough Council pressed ahead with the well-advanced scheme and just a year later - on May 10, 1975 - Glanford Leisure Centre was officially opened by Sir Robin Brook, acting chairman of the Sports Council.
The centre's Sports Hall was opened by Coun Terry Atherton (Kirton Lindsey), the Mayor of Glanford, on January 21, 1991. So it's 30th anniversary is not too far away.
Perhaps North Lincolnshire Council will mark this milestone in some way.
It took over local leisure facilities in 1996, including our centre and the sports hall next door, and still runs things 24 years later.
For the benefit of those readers who are too young to remember pre-decimal coinage, sixpence was 2.5p in today's money and one shilling equates to 5p. The official switch to decimal currency was made on February 15, 1971 but old coins were still accepted for 18 months after that.

The sports hall viewed recently from the Brigg side of the New River Ancholme.

ADRIAN GIBBONS FOOTBALL MATCH IN BRIGG PUT BACK

The annual charity football match held in memory of highly respected Brigg teacher Adrian Gibbons will now take place in late December.
It has been held for some years at the Hawthorns ground - by kind permission of Brigg Town Football Club - in late April or early May.
However, in view of the current Coronavirus emergency lockdown, this year's has been retimed and will be played on the date earmarked for the post-Christmas Sir John Nelthorpe School 'Old Boys' reunion match.
Adrian played football for a number of local teams over many years, including Brigg Town and Briggensians, and was also well-known as a quizmaster. He died in 2014, aged 63.

BRIGG EATERY'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY ON THE HORIZON

A Brigg business has a notable milestone coming up.
Serving Asian cuisine, the Bengal Spice restaurant and takeaway, on Wrawby Street, will be 20 years old in summer 2020.
It was officially opened on August 7, 2000 by the Mayor of North Lincolnshire, Coun Mick Todd. Brigg & Goole MP Ian Cawsey, then representing us in Parliament, was also present at the launch.
Bengal Spice is offering a takeaway service during the current Coronavirus emergency.
Hopefully, the restriction on dining in restaurants will have passed by the time the eatery's 20th anniversary is reached.
Bengal Spice occupies premises once used by Lyne's of Brigg which sold a range of goods - even fishing tackle.

Bengal Spice's frontage with an earlier colour scheme in 2013 and (above) confirmation of its establishment in the year 2000.

10 YEARS SINCE BRIGG SCHOOL OPENED

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the official opening of Demeter House School on Bigby Street, Brigg, on April 23, 2010.
Councillor The Rev Alec Depledge, who was connected with the school, told Brigg Blog at the time: "Dr & Mrs R Wardlaw, Principal & Head-teacher, along with the school's staff & pupils, welcomed parents and guests to the event.
"After a conducted tour of the premises, the school was declared officially open by Ian Cawsey MP for Brigg & Goole in the last Parliament."
Demeter House took over buildings occupied by Brigg Preparatory School until it closure.
The Bigby Street premises are today known as Demeter's Lower School; it has an Upper School site on West Street, Scawby.
PICTURED ABOVE: Ian Cawsey cutting the ceremonial tape 10 years ago.  He has since been made a Freeman of Brigg.

BRIGG 'LOCKDOWN' ROUND-UP

Brigg company EC Surfacing donated some personal protection equipment to nursing staff at Grimsby hospital.
Pizza Jimmy - on the corner of Princes Street and Bigby Street - offered free boxed takeaways to staff at Brigg's Riverside Surgery.
Near to this takeaway, DDM Agriculture is currently marketing some interesting old buildings in Castlethorpe as available for redevelopment, subject to planning approval.
Castlethorpe Barns form part of a traditional farmstead, available for sale by private treaty - freehold with vacant possession. Complete renovation will be required.
Further details can be found in DDM Agriculture's sales display window which is close to the pizza house and the zebra crossing.
While Brigg people are enduring  lockdown during the Coronavirus emergency, topics of many kinds are arising.
Takeaways are a talking point with many outlets offering deliveries as well as food to collect.
We finally broke our takeaway duck, to use a cricketing term, in the lockdown by collecting a curry from Brigg's Mumbai Lounge.
All staff, including the proprietor, wore protective equipment, including facemasks. Good service accompanied an enjoyable meal.
It's heartening to see spaghetti and other types of pasta back on the shelves after bulk or panic buying by some people from Brigg shops earlier in the emergency period.
Meanwhile, more Brigg people of a certain age are getting used to making contactless cash payments in local shops - something the younger age group has been doing for a long time. This avoids shop assistants having to touch notes and coins. The only downside for seniors used to budgeting with money is keeping a check on their spending. Avoiding the temptation to splash the cash has been replaced by the need to retard the card!
We are sorry to be pedantic, but can the government amend future public information appeals on TV?
 'Stay home' may be acceptable in the USA, but in English the instruction requires a preposition and should be Stay at Home.
Sadly, despite a reduction in people who are out and about in Brigg town centre at present, abuses of the pedestrian area by those riding cycles and driving vehicles continue day by day.
The other afternoon, while we were taking a permitted exercise period walk, the  pedestrians present were outnumbered by five parked vehicles and three bikes!

BRIGG IS A CUT ABOVE

Many Brigg people will be turning back the clock to the hippy era if the Coronavirus emergency continues for many more weeks.
With hairdressers being among the enforced shop closures, locks are getting longer and we are on course for a return to the late 1960s and 1970s when young men opted for long hair - sometimes stretching down to the shoulders.
Boys often fought battles with mums and dads who wanted them to stick with the traditional short back and sides.
But most teenagers got their way in the end, as this early 1970s picture of Brigg Grammar School pupils demonstrates.
Brigg men's hairdressers and barbers years ago included Harry Westcott, on Wrawby Street, and Ike Tutty, on Bridge Street.
Unisex hairdressing was later offered by many outlets, including Groomers - originally on Bigby Street in the building now occupied by the Diya Spice takeaway.
Ladies and girls today are suffering more than men and boys from the temporary  salon closures. When the ban is lifted there will be a real rush for appointments with stylists. Patient men should wait their turn!

WHY WERE THESE THREE BRIGG STREET NAMES CHOSEN?

Can any Brigg Blog followers explain the origins of three street names in the town? Brigg Blog doesn't have the answers. Can you help?
St James Road (pictured above) and York Road were developed for housing as part of a sizeable estate running from Wrawby Road to St Helens Road, added in stages during the latter third of the 20th century.
Saint James, who died circa 44 AD, was one of the 12 Apostles and Grimsby Minster is named after him, as are a number of other churches in Lincolnshire. He's also the Patron Saint of Spain. But why remember him in a Brigg road name?
York is obviously the capital city of the only county larger than our own. But why it was chosen for a street in Brigg is also something of a mystery, as is the Wellbeck Close cul-de-sac.
Nearby streets are easy enough to explain....
Churchill Avenue and  Winston Way honour Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, while Kennedy close remembers the US president. Both statesmen died in the 1960s.
Local geography is reflected in the names Ridge View, Wold View and Kettleby View.
Springfield Rise, Springfield Road and St Helens Road relate to centuries-old agricultural fields, while Holme Close and Kings Avenue remember local doctors.
Chapel Way, we suggest, should be Chappell Way - after a long-serving St John's Church vicar. Similarly, we have O'Hanlon Avenue (named in the 1960s after a St Mary's Roman Catholic priest) and Burgess Road (former Church of England clergyman). Messrs Chappell and Burgess both became Canons.
Yarborough Road reflects Brigg's connections with a major Lincolnshire land and property-owning family. 


 

St James Road, Brigg, viewed from Churchill Avenue.

Wellbeck Close, Brigg.

 

York Road - viewed from Churchill Avenue. It continues round the corner in the distance and runs as far as St Helens Road. There's a mix of bungalows and houses of various sizes.

BRIGG POLICE MADE AWARE OF LOCKDOWN PICNICS & SOCIAL GATHERINGS NEAR LANDMARK

People living in Brigg and surrounding communities are being asked not to congregrate near one of the area's best-known landmarks where some picnics have been held. The police have been informed.
So please note that Wrawby Mill is currently closed and has put its popular open days on hold due to the Coronavirus emergency restrictions.
However, the trustees say a number of people have been congregating at the mill.
The trust is respectfully requesting that members of the public do NOT visit until the mill reopens to the public once the lockdown has been lifted.
A minority of people are using the site inappropriately as a place to meet with their friends and family to socialise, and in some cases to hold picnics.
Some non-locals are also driving over to visit the mill.
The police are aware and have been  "in attendance" to  help ensure the landmark is not used as a social gathering point.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT IN BRIGG TOWN CENTRE

A couple of familiar food outlets will be available again to Brigg shoppers this week.
The Grimsby fish van operator will be near the Buttercross from 8.30am on Thursday, market day, with social distancing to be observed by customers.
The Diya Spice takeaway, on Bigby Street, will be reopening from tonight (Tuesday) if you fancy a curry.
Delivery and collection is available between 5pm-10pm every night.
We were hoping to have a curry for delivery from this outlet last Friday so now we can re-order our plans.
Pictured above: The popular Murgh Chadni chicken dish available from the Diya Spice.

ON TRACK TO HELP BRIGG COMMEMORATE ANNIVERSARY

This now familiar feature beside the A18 in Brigg looks set to help the town commemorate the 75th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) on Friday, May 8.
The miniature landing craft, made by a Howsham craftsman, went on display in early June 2019 to remember the D-Day landings in 1944 as the Allies began the push towards victory over Germany in the Second World War.
The display in a raised flowerbed on Wrawby Street was expected to be removed last summer but was retained for Remembrance Sunday in November.
Plans were then announced to replace the landing craft with another display to commemorate VE Day.
However, with virus lockdown  in place, the D-Day craft is now on track to see in not only VE Day in May but perhaps the 76th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.
Thousands of A18 motorists and town centre pedestrians have seen the display over the past 10 months, with more to come.
Communal events planned in Brigg for May 8 will not take place because of the emergency restrictiond but the government is now asking residents in lockdown to mark the milestone in their own homes. We know some are already planning to do just that.

BRIGG EATERIES WE MISS

Scores of Brigg people are looking forward to the Coronavirus emergency coming to an end, whenever that may be, so they can again venture out for sit-down meals served on the premises.
This set us thinking about some of the local eating establishments that are now just memories... but happy ones.
Here are a few that our followers may well recall visiting...
FISH INN: Housed in the converted Queens Arms pub, this licensed outlet on Wrawby Street served monster portions of Grimsby haddock and was the place (or plaice!) to go for one-and-a-half of each!
OLD SCHOOL HOUSE RESTAURANT: Tasty steaks were popular at this eatery in the 1980s. It was on the corner of Bigby Street and Princes Street, in premises now occupied by a fast food takeaway.
DEXTERS ALE HOUSE & KITCHEN: Relatively short-lived, this Wrawby Street outlet offered a good range of tasty dishes, having been created by converting the original Black Bull pub which itself had established a good reputation for its bar meals and Sunday roast dinners. Dexters was later converted back into a pub/sports bar (using the original name) with a games room established in the raised area where diners once sat down to tuck in.
ANGEL HOTEL: This served the best ploughman's lunches in town during the 1980s if you fancied a light bite, but sadly that was the decade when the historic hotel closed for good - the building later being converted into offices. However, in recent years, the Cafe Courtyard has been established on the Angel's ground floor, latterly adding La Finca to bring Spanish tapas to the town centre. Many people today will be looking forward to the Courtyard and La Finca re-opening when the current ban is lifted.
BAKERS OVEN: Located on Wrawby Street, this was a popular venue for morning bacon butties as a break from shopping.
TESCO CAFE: Still missed by many who called in while visiting the Barnard Avenue store, it was located near the entrance but was eventually removed, creating additional retail space.
Ks KORNER CAFE: Good value meals and snacks were available on the corner of Queen Street and Wrawby Street. We think it was established in the early 1960s and it was still going in the mid-1980s. A takeaway has occupied the building for many years.
SIMON'S FRIED CHICKEN: Although a takeaway rather than an 'eat in' establishment, this Bridge Street business offered very tasty dishes and large portions for your money. However, it is now many years sinced the last happy customer departed - meal in hand.