BRIGG SURVIVOR NEARING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

There are many public seats in Brigg and they will be very well used over the coming months as the weather warms up and especially now some of the Coronavirus emergency restrictions on UK residents have been lifted. The Government's amended message  is 'Stay Local' rather than 'Stay (At) Home.'
A Brigg Town Council project to refurbish or replace various benches in the town is now well underway.
The new seats are heavy duty, made from recycled materials and do not weather like traditional wooden examples or require anywhere near the same level of maintenance.
Within the space of 100+ yards on Wrawby Road today there are new and old examples.
Opposite Sir John Nelthorpe Lower School and near Nicolgate Lane is a wooden bench which, if it lasts a couple more years, will have been in faithful service for half a century.
A weathered plaque on the front explains it was donated in June 1973 by Brigg Women's Institute.

 

We think this might well be the oldest public seat in Brigg today. Benches were bought and located within the town centre as part of the pedestrianisation scheme, but that was in 1990s.

 

 

Not far from the WI-provided 1970s survivor on Wrawby Road and near the turn into Eastfield Road is an addition made only last year - moulded from recycled plastic (pictured above).
Many benches have been provided over the years by local families in memory of loved ones. If any of these seats still in use carry dates which are earlier than June 1973, we'd welcome being informed.
Otherwise, it looks like the honour of donating the town's longest-server goes to the WI.
Does anyone know why the local branch decided to donate this seat? Perhaps the minutes of meetings held in 1973 are still in the archive at the WI Federation office on Queen Street.
We think Coun Dorothy Selby, who chaired Brigg Urban District Council at that time, was a keen member of the WI. She was the only woman ever to be elected head of this authority, going back as far as the 1890s. Dorothy lived on Hedgerow Lane, off St Helens Road.