Settle steam

Dr John Middlemiss was born in Duke Street at the site of the present Post Office. His father started his medical practice in 1907 in Kirkgate and the family left Settle in 1935. Steam traction engines had many uses as mobile power units; they were used for pulling loads, for road construction and mending, in pairs for dragging a plough across a field, for threshing and for operating fairground rides for example.

These memories of steam traction engines and wagons in Settle cover a period of 70 years. Steam traction road engines and wagons were the norm since there were no ploughing or agricultural engines in the Settle area. Settle Rural District Council had their depot at Four Lane Ends, which lies between Settle and Giggleswick. Two Foden engines were stationed at the depot, Settle RDC no.12292, 5 ton, built May 1926 and no.12412 registration WU 8959 also new in 1926 (see photograph). This latter engine was scrapped in 1932. It was driven by Mr Proctor and his son. It was painted black with red wheels, the rear ones fitted with discs to protect the brake gear. Settle RDC also operated a Wallis and Stevens Advance Roller (I remember its corrugated iron canopy).

West Riding County Council ran the following Fodens: no.12346, new in November 1926, 5 ton; no.12836, November 1927, 5 ton; no.13096, October 1928, 5 ton; no. 13122, January 1928, registration WW 7831. All these engines had short lives since the customer preferred chain steering. Willie Bateson of Stackhouse had Burrell Roller, a 10 tonner, no.4070, brand-new from Thetford in 1927. It had no awning and towed a tar sprayer. As a small child I was fascinated by the Burrell’s classical copper top - so similar to the showmen’s engines.

Buckhaw Brow is a famous steep hill, leading north out of Giggleswick (1 in 4 at the top). The showmen used to divide their loads at the bottom and take them up in instalments.’ Wait at the foot, plenty of steam, good fire, full glass and make haste slowly, don’t force the engine’. At the top of Buckhaw Brow was a small quarry in which stood an Aveling Roller. This was coupled to a stone crusher; the front rollers had been taken out and replaced with two small wheels placed in the fork. At the foot of the hill was P.W. Spencer’s Lime Works who operated three gear-driven Mann Patent Steam Wagons. Joe Parsons drove one, no.1328, registration U 4739 (see the photograph and information in Johnson, 2002). The Manns ran between the works and Giggleswick station and sometimes helped out other engines which were experiencing difficulties on Buckhaw Brow. On one occasion (December 1929) they helped extricate a Super Sentinel articulated wagon no. 7085 painted GPO red, belonging to Yorkshire Chemical and Dye Works in Dewsbury, which had lost the road in the fog and had dropped into the golf links (see photograph). We saw it go through northbound, and when it did not return we soon found out why - bad news travels fast.

In 1927 I remember the loads of Marshall’s Proud Peacocks going along Duke Street, Settle. They looked enormous, almost coming into our house. Just previous to this their Fowler SRL Envoy had overturned by the New Inn at Clapham (Chaplow’s of Kendal were called in to right her). Bostock and Wombwell’s Menagerie visited Settle in 1927 and in 1929; they stayed only one night on each occasion. I remember Burrells no.3669 Nero and no.3509 Rajah -- how grubby they looked with the minimum of awning lights! Taylor Bros. of Workington came in 1928 with their Alpine Motors complete with Foden built centre engine Alice, accompanied by Burrell SRL no.3744 King George and Burrell SRL no.3555 The Busy Bee, now my own engine. From Nelson one day came an Allchin articulated wagon with a tar mixer on the body, no.1126, registration NH 2228 of Penmaenmawr and Trinidad, Liverpool. A Sentinel wagon from Blackburn was a regular visitor to the Royal Oak with barrels of beer, possibly Duttons.

Emerson and Hazard of Whitehaven, later of Barrow-in-Furness, were frequent showmen visitors with their three-abreast Gallopers - the fairground ride with horses in up and down motion (see photograph). Burrell SRL no.3526 Lightning II took the centre truck, Mrs Emerson’s living wagon, the 65 key Gavioli organ, and the water dandy, the rest of their equipment going by rail. I remember Lightning II (driven by Ernie) going to Settle or Giggleswick station to collect the other equipment. If on site the showmen had good business they might stop a second week. If so, the centre truck would remain on its gantry in the marketplace, with its top frame; the platforms would be removed and the weekly market would take place around the centre truck. Emersons would be accompanied by Joe Hoadley’s Foden RL. no.6878 of Barrow with his Striker and Coconut Sheet. It was painted brown with blue wheels and there was a dynamo in the box van. The Emersons had a no. 3A Savage organ engine thought to have come from John Evans and previously Jacky White. It was unusual in having a high-speed, chain driven Pickering governor and motion that ran in an oil bath. The Manzel lubricator for the centre engine also fed the organ engine. This engine is now preserved in Hobart, Tasmania. The fair ride was made by Howcroft with Savage gearing, Orton and Spooner Galloping Horses and Leaping Cockerels. In the 1920s Emersons sent the machine down to Dartford to copy Forrest’s machine (which had been Matilda Hoadley’s of Middlesborough). The painting on the rounding boards were either by Rompey of Bristol or Tollson’s of Bradford.

A further picture has been provided by Ken and Jean Jelley from the Horner collection. The showman’s engine in Settle market place is a Fowler no. 7412 or 7482,‘Powerful’, belonging to William Murphy.

Reference

• Johnson, D.S., 2002. Limestone Industries of the Yorkshire Dales. Publ. Tempus Publishing Ltd., Stroud.