Recreation

During the First World War, there was a shortage of food, and to try to ease the situation in Culgaith, Mr. W. H. Huddart and the school- children dug up the waste land at the roadside between the school and Crosshowe. This land was planted with potatoes, and bumper crops were obtained. Three-quarters of the crop was given to the children to take home, and the rest was sold to defray expenses, such as fencing and seed potatoes. This cultivation of the roadside put the idea of school gardens into the mind of the schoolmaster. The question was-where to get suitable land? A field of about three and a half acres, opposite the school, was considered ideal, and Mr. Huddart persuaded the owner, Mr. J. Stamper, to let the field to him for use as a school garden and playing field. On February 2nd, 1920, the field was taken on a five years' lease at a rent of £3 an acre. The garden was divided into plots, and every child, how- ever small, was allotted one to cultivate. The rest of the field, eventually intended as a playing field, was planted with potatoes, which were gathered by the children. Twenty-two tons were gathered, and the sale of these and other crops brought a profit of nearly £70. In May, 1921, the field was bought from Mr. Stamper for £240, a mortgage being obtained. The field was invested in three trustees, the Rev. J. T. Edwards, Major Parker (Skirwith Abbey) and Mr. W. H. Huddart.

Every now and again the children had to write an essay giving ideas on how to use and lay out the field. One girl suggested an open-air swimming bath. This idea met with nothing but ridicule at first, but after consideration it was thought to be a worthwhile proposition, and the children and schoolmaster commenced digging on 14th September, 1921. Good progress was made at first, about 12 cubic yards being excavated in the first week. The bath was 60 feet long, 20 feet wide and from 31 to 5 feet in depth. Digging all that soil out was an enormous task for children, and when the enthusiasm waned, Mr. Huddart told them that he expected each one of them to dig out a cubic foot each day. They stuck at it and returned evening after evening to dig. 

The whole of the work of making the bath was done by Mr. Huddart and the children, except the finishing coat of cement. On June 1st, 1923, the children commenced putting in the drain to carry away waste water from the bath. Five days later they started laying the water main to the bath, and shortly after this a local builder lined the bath with cement, the boys watching in relays. The whole operation was completed by August 24th, and the bath was in use during the end of the summer holidays.

The children had made a model of the bath in cement, and this was sent to the Royal Show at Newcastle.

Money to pay for the swimming bath was raised by bazaars, etc., and the school managers made a grant of £20. Apart from the children's plots, the garden was beautifully laid out in herbaceous borders, flower beds, rock gardens, lily pond, a small bridge, etc.

The children, under their schoolmaster, planned and built a pavilion, obtaining the wood from Gretna, when the munition factory was dismantled. The money for the pavilion was raised by a school concert, when a musical play, Lollipop Land, was produced. This effort raised £40.

In 1926 the management of the Recreation Ground was handed over to a village committee, with the school children and schoolmaster largely responsible for the upkeep. Mr. John Knox paid off the existing mort- gage on the field. To enlarge the cricket field, 15 yards of adjoining land belonging to Mr. J. Stamper, were bought, also a piece of land owned by Mr. T. Edmondson. A new hedge and fence were made in line with the beech hedge on the school garden boundary. The old wall at the top of the field was dismantled by voluntary labour, and a dry wall built 15 yards further back. Farmers lent horses and carts to remove sods. A cricket pitch was laid in 1927, and to pay for this, money was raised by loans in the village, interest-free. £62 was collected in this way. When the Recreation Ground was officially opened on 13th August, 1927, a field day was held. This raised nearly £100. Full members' subscriptions for cricket, swimming and tennis were five shillings, non-playing members 2s. 6d., and children a shilling a year. A lawn mower was bought for £64.

In 1932, a Board of Trustees was formed, consisting of the Rev. J. T. Edwards, Mr. J. Knox, Mr. J. Stamper, Mr. W. H. Huddart and Mr. J. H. Hanson. In 1936 the villagers elected trustees, to remain in office for three years. Mr. J. Knox and Mr. Huddart were made life members, and Mr. J. Stamper, J. W. Whitfield and A. W. Hindson were elected. Mr. Knox was appointed Chairman, Mr. Whitfield, Treasurer (a post which he has retained to the present day) and Mr. Huddart, Vice- Chairman and Secretary.

During the Second World War, the Recreation Ground was sadly neglected. Mr. Huddart died in February, 1945, and a trustees' meeting was called on May 8th, 1945. There was then a balance of £34 13s. 2d. At a public meeting a week later it was decided to open a subscription list to form a restoration committee, and to repair the bath if the cost did not exceed £10. The following trustees were elected: A. W. Hindson (life member), G. A. Huddart, J. Stamper, G. Sowerby, J. W. Whitfield and T. Lancaster. Mr. Knox was appointed Chairman, A. W. Hindson, Vice-Chairman, G. A. Huddart, Secretary (an appointment still held), and J. W. Whitfield, Treasurer.

N. Naisbitt was appointed groundsman for one year, at a wage of £1 a week.

In 1948, Jon Eggleston undertook the post of groundsman for a year, for the sum of £88 10s. With the exception of one or two short intervals, he held this post for about 10 years.

During the years, the pavilion had become very dilapidated, so it was decided to rebuild it as a memorial to the late W. H. Huddart. This cost £300. The plaque on the pavilion was unveiled in May, 1952, by Mr. Huddart's son, James. It bears the inscription
In grateful memory of William Harrison Huddart, M.B.E., founder of these Recreation Grounds and esteemed Head Master of Culgaith School, 1907-1945.

A part of the Recreation Ground has been set apart for a children's playground, and two swings and a see-saw have been provided. These cost just over £100, but a grant of £35 towards the cost was obtained from the National Playing Fields Association.

Since Jon Eggleston resigned in 1958, it has been impossible to find anyone to take his place, and the gardens have become neglected. How- ever, every now and again a " boon evening " is held, and a number of men, women and children repair to the Recreation Ground and work with a will to tidy up the place. Peter Wilkinson cuts the cricket field and tennis courts with a new motor mower, which has just been bought at a cost of £172. To raise all the money which is needed for the upkeep of the Recreation Ground, members pay ten shillings a year, and every summer a big "do" is held, consisting of cricket match, Bring-and-Buy Sale, Tea, Whist Drive and Dance. This often raises about £100.

The present need is for a lavatory block, which is expected to cost over £400. The Ministry of Education has promised a grant of £144 towards this, and some voluntary labour will also reduce the cost.

The wrought iron gates at the entrance to the Recreation Ground were erected in memory of Major Ian Talbot Edwards, Royal Ghurka Rifles, who died in Assam in 1936. He was a son of a former Culgaith vicar.

1960. Culgaith entered a competition run by the National Playing Fields Association for the best kept playing field in Cumberland and Westmorland, and were awarded First Prize. A silver cup was given by Lord Lonsdale, and G. A. Huddart received this at Cockermouth on behalf of the Trustees for the Recreation Ground. It is kept for one year. Arnside was only one mark behind Culgaith. The factor which probably tipped the scales in favour of Culgaith was the fact that most of the work is done voluntarily.

In 1902 the Rev. J. T. Edwards and Mr. Frank Burne played cricket for Edenhall. They were both very keen cricketers, the former a good bat and wicket-keeper, and the latter a good spin bowler-the only spin bowler in the district at that time. They thought it would be a good idea to form a cricket club at Culgaith. They got other men interested and the following year they rented a field called The Pithel, from Stampers. They all worked very hard, cutting and rolling the field, putting up fences, etc. Here are the names of some of the first members of the cricket club: J. T. Edwards, F. Burne, Arthur Burne, Jon Burne, J. W. Sisson (Temple Sowerby), T. P. Sisson, D. H. Halmshaw, W. Bradley (Temple Sowerby), T. Langley (Newbiggin) and J. Richardson.

Next year the cricket club rented the field next to the Vicarage. They paid a small rent to Stampers, who used the field as a pasture during the winter, but put no stock in between May and September. Some good turf was led from Carmoor and laid to make a pitch. The cost of running the club was about £12 a year, which was met by subscriptions, concerts, etc. Matches were played with Shap, Appleby, Morland, Armathwaite, Patterdale and Edenhall. The team went by train, cycle or trap. For the match at Patterdale a wagonette was hired.

At the home matches tea was provided at the Vicarage, often served at tables under a big tree in a corner of the cricket field. Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Burne provided most of the eatables, which generally included some of the Vicar's honey. Young ladies from the village were generally roped in to help with the tea.

Great enthusiasm was shown by members of the team, who went to the cricket field evening after evening to practise at the nets and to mow and roll the pitch. Once when there was a fixture for a match at Appleby, the Rev. J. T. Edwards (captain) found on the Saturday morning that he was a man short. He sent a telegram to Fred Thompson (senior) who was working at Shap that morning, asking if he could play in the match. Fred finished his work at dinner time, cycled home to Culgaith, had a quick wash, shave and change, swallowed a couple of bananas by way of lunch and then cycled to Appleby. He played cricket all afternoon, bowling part of the time, and then cycled home to Culgaith in the evening.

The club lapsed during the 1914-1918 War, and when it was over, some young men approached Frank Burne, asking him to help to start it again. This was achieved with almost a fresh team.

On August 13th, 1927, the Playing Field at the Recreation Ground was opened, and a very good cricket field, in pleasant surroundings, was provided for the club.

Cricket again lapsed during the Second World War, but was re- started in 1945, when a groundsman was appointed. In 1948 the Pavilion was rebuilt as a memorial to the late Mr. W. H. Huddart, and extra seating was provided on the cricket field.

Like most clubs, Culgaith has good years and bad ones. 1959 has been a specially good one. Many matches have been played and many won, and the Smith Trophy was won at Edenhall, one praiseworthy feature being that the team consisted entirely of village lads.

Today several members of the cricket team own cars, so there is no difficulty about transport to the matches. There are many more

fixtures than there were before the days of cars, and matches are played with teams as far away as Barnard Castle and Hawes.

Tea at the home matches is provided in turn by several ladies in the village wives, sisters, mothers, etc., of the team. A small charge is made and generally a profit is shown.

Culgaith has never been particularly interested in football, and so far as is known, there has not been a Football Club until recently. On 14th September, 1948, a meeting was called to see if there was sufficient interest to warrant forming a Football Club. There was a good attendance at the meeting, and it was decided to form one. A committee was formed, consisting of H. Hall (Chairman), L. Eggleston (Secretary), Alan Logan (Treasurer), G. A. Huddart, J. Mallinson and T. Donald. Twenty-three playing members and five non-playing members were enrolled. At the next meeting, L. Eggleston resigned from the post of Secretary, and E. Hall was elected in his place, a position which he held until 1958, when Miss K. Mallinson undertook the job. Mr. J. H. Hanson very kindly granted the use of a field opposite his house for practice and matches. To raise funds, a whist drive was held, which cleared about £6. P. Wilkinson was elected captain and L. Eggleston vice-captain. Members' subscriptions were 5s. for men over 21, and 2s. 6d. for boys between 16 and 21. Friendly matches were played with other village teams, and some medals com- petitions were entered.

In 1949 Culgaith organised a Medals Competition, for which twelve teams entered. The winning team was presented with a silver challenge cup, given by Mr. G. Rylands, Penrith, each man in the winning team with a small cup and the runners-up each with a medal.

Money was raised by whist drives, dances and drawings, as well as gate money, and at the end of the 1949 season, the Football Club had a handsome balance of £68.

Every year medals competitions have been held. The matches do not start until Spring, as they have to be played in the evenings, and the final is generally in June. A dance generally follows the final. The Football Club has always been in a sound financial position, and handsome donations have been made to such objects as the Children's Christmas Party, the Victoria Institute, and the party for older people organised by the Women's Institute.

When Mr. James Stephenson lived at Spring Bank, he used to gather together as many men as he could muster and they used to play curling on the Tarn. To warm them up, he would get Mrs. Kitchen at the shop to make them cups of tea or coffee.

Culgaith has always been a musical village, and it must be eighty or ninety years since the Brass Band was first formed. No-one seems to be very sure as to who was the founder of it, but it was probably Mr. James Huddart. At any rate, he was one of the earliest conductors. He had had no lessons in conducting or playing, and what he knew he had " picked up, as the saying goes. He had considerable natural talent and could take any man's instrument and show how it should be played. So far as can be ascertained, the band was at first called Culgaith and Temple Sowerby Brass Band. According to old photographs, some of the members of the band were from the latter village. At one time the bandsmen wore uniform. This consisted of navy trousers with a stripe down the side of the leg, scarlet coats and "la'al scobby hats." The band consisted of about a dozen players and included cornets, baritone, tenor horn, euphonium, bass and trombones. In the early days of the band, practices were held in Jim Huddart's kitchen or living-room. This was not a very big room, and the ceiling was very low; in fact, a tall man's hat touched the ceiling. Mrs. Huddart must have been a long-suffering woman, for the practices were held on Saturday nights, after she had got all clean and polished for the week-end. It must have been very trying for a busy, house-proud woman to have a dozen men tramp into her clean kitchen. with, very often, muddy boots. Brass instruments are not the cleanest of things! Saturday night was also bath night for the bairns, and as there was no bathroom, the operation had to be performed in a tub in front of the kitchen fire. Before the children were all bathed, the men began to arrive. Eventually the children were packed off to bed and the band practice began. How the children could sleep through the noise is a mystery, for noise it certainly was! Sometimes each man took his instrument and practised a particularly difficult part, regardless of what all the others were doing. Then Jim would take them all together, and they did their best to produce some harmony. Only simple hymn tunes were learnt at first. After a few weeks' practice it was decided that the band should play round the village on Christmas Eve. They set off at one end of the village about 10 p.m. with someone to hold lanterns so that they could see their music. They made various stops along the village street and played their Christmas hymns. Most people were in bed, but many heard the music. The story goes that on their round a bandsman asked Jim what they were going to play next. "Well," said Jim, with his characteristic dry humour, Thou knows what we played last!" They only knew two tunes! This practice of playing on Christmas Eve was con- tinued for many years, and people loved to hear the old Christmas tunes over the quiet winter air. When the band became more proficient they went round the village again on the afternoon of Christmas Day, but this time they were" busking," i.e., collecting subscriptions to help to pay for instruments and music. They also went and played in neighbouring villages. Once when they went to play at Newbiggin Hall, Mr. Crackenthorpe appeared and said in his loud, gruff voice, You're a lot of idle fellows!" But he gave them a very useful subscription all the same. As time went on, Culgaith Band became well-known in the district and was in great demand for playing at flower and agricultural shows, May Days, sports, etc. Sometimes they walked to these affairs and sometimes they went by horse wagonette. They must have been pretty hard days, for besides playing selections during the day, they often played for a dance at night from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The men's lips became very sore, especially the cornet players. Jim Huddart must have been very enthusiastic about brass band playing, for besides training and conducting his own village band, he also went to Morland to help to form a band there. He walked the six or seven miles each way, carrying his cornet, and often one of the Culgaith men went with him for company and to help with the playing. Jim was not the only band enthusiast, for at one time three men came from Garrigill, near Alston, to help Culgaith Band. They walked, of course, and carried their instruments (one of them a euphonium-no light weight!) They stayed the night with one of the Culgaith Bandsmen, then walked back home next day.

When Jim Huddart retired from the post of bandmaster, his place was taken by a younger man who was already in the band. This was Mr. Albert Kitchen. He was young and keen and soon got a few young boys to join. These he trained, and some of them became very proficient. His second son, Leslie, became a cornet player in Ransome and Marles' Prize Band. There was great excitement when the Penrith Brotherhood invited some of these boys to perform at one of their Sunday concerts in the Alhambra. Two cousins, William and Thomas Hindson, played a duet, and an even younger boy, John Kitchen, played a solo, for which he received an encore. At that time the practices were held in Mr. Richard Sowerby's farmhouse, in an unfurnished room, known for years after as "t'band room." The band got many engagements and went as far afield as Alston to play at the Agricultural Show on the Saturday, and in the town on the Sunday. Albert was in great form on these band outings, and did the most outrageous things. They went to Alston by wagonette, and as they got near to their destination they overtook men going to the show with their horses all decked out with coloured ribbons. Sometimes when they overtook such a man, Albert would stop the wagonette and in his best English ask the man to stop and he would take a photograph. If the man was obliging and simple enough, he would stop, arrange his horse's legs in the best position, take up a stiff attitude and adopt a proud smile, while Albert "took a photograph" with his camera case! He would then solemnly ask the man for his name and address, promising to send him a photograph.

When the band went to other villages to play at shows, etc., they generally had one or two " followers" from Culgaith who went with them for a day's outing and a free tea. When the bandsmen went for their tea they were recognised as members of the band by their instruments. Many a follower has got a free tea by walking into the marquee with the rest of the bandsmen-carrying an empty cornet case! At one place when the band were filing into a room for tea, the doorkeeper said to one man "Where's thy instrument ?" "Nay," said the man, "it isn't my instrument that wants some tea-it's me!"

The band was once invited to play at a Band of Hope gathering at an East Fellside village, where there was a procession of decorated vehicles from the surrounding villages. One such vehicle was labelled Glassonby. A practical joker in the band altered this to Glasson's, which as everyone knew was the name of a Penrith brewery.

A very amusing incident once happened at Kirkby Thore. Culgaith Band was engaged to play at a "do " there, and for a start they marched through the village, starting on the main road, north of the village. The basses were in the front row, the player on the extreme right being Arty Sewell, a big, slow-moving fellow with splay feet. When the band reached Bridge End Inn, they wheeled to the left-all except Arty, who kept on his own course towards the station. Suddenly realising that he was playing a solo, he turned round in his tracks and set off running after his com- panions.

When Boundary Ridings were held, Culgaith Band was sometimes engaged to accompany the people who were perambulating the parish boundaries. One time they went to the top of Crossfell, and on reaching the summit, everyone was regaled with beer and a snack lunch.

At another of these Boundary Ridings, in the Croglin area, the band had a most gruelling day. Everyone tramped over rough, hilly ground, and when the bandsmen came to a wall they threw over their instruments and climbed over themselves. When they came to a beck, the instruments were again thrown across and the men followed. When a rest was called, the band was asked to play a tune or two, by way of encouragement. When the Boundary Riding was over, everyone went into a big barn, which was entered by a doorway in the middle of a long wall. The band marched in, playing. Some marched to one end of the barn and some to the other, and they finished the tune as well as they could, for they were almost convulsed with laughter. The evening was spent in dancing in the barn, the band supplying the music.

Culgaith bandsmen did not often get the chance to hear a good brass band, so when Wyke Band from Yorkshire gave a concert at Carlisle, about a dozen members of Culgaith band and their friends cycled to Carlisle to hear them. When they came out of the concert room they found it was a very wet night, so they decided to stay all night at an hotel. Soon after everyone had retired to bed, the landlady knocked at all the bedroom doors, calling "Strike no matches-escape of gas!" On investigation it was found that Arty Sewell had blown out the gas, as he was used to blowing out his candle at home!

An amusing incident once happened when the band was going by wagonette to play at Patterdale Flower Show. The drum was tied on to the back of the wagonette, and suddenly the rope broke. The drum bounced up in the air, then rolled into the lake. Ned Simpson, the drummer, jumped out and went after it. By wading into the water he managed to retrieve it. Three cheers were given for Ned, but all he said was" T'oald lass'll be nae warse. It'll tighten her up a bit, and ah'll dry my stockings when ah git theer!"

When war broke out in 1914, the band broke up. Many of its members joined the Forces, one at least, never to return. This was Fred Huddart, a first-class euphonium player. 

When the war the boys had returned, there was talk of Peace Celebrations in the village. A fancy dress procession was decided on to start the proceedings, and it was thought that this would not be complete without Culgaith Brass Band. Albert Kitchen had left the village, so W. H. Huddart, carrying out the Huddart tradition, got the band together again, and practices were started in the school. When peace was celebrated, the band headed the proces- sion, all the members being attired in frock coats and top hats! It was a great day.

The band continued to play at various functions in the neighbouring villages for a time, but gradually enthusiasm waned as other interests were found, until the Brass Band ceased to exist. Every now and again someone finds an old instrument in an attic or box-room, and these are all that remain of Culgaith Brass Band.

When Mr. W. H. Huddart came to Culgaith as schoolmaster in 1907 he was very enthusiastic about teaching singing in school. He at once started to teach the children to read music from Tonic Sol-fa, and they very soon became proficient. Very soon he started a Choral Society for adults. Many members had done no part-singing before, and many could not read music, so he started teaching the Sol-fa method to his adult class. For a few years the choir practised part-songs, and generally gave a concert in the village at the end of the season. About 1910, Mr. Huddart and the Choral Society decided they would like to tackle something more ambitious, so they rehearsed a musical operetta, "The Pied Piper," and produced it in the Victoria Institute at the end of the winter. It was a great success.

A piano was bought for the school in 1913, £10 being provided by the County Authority and £10 by the Choral Society. The society lapsed for a few years, then was re-started. In 1931 Mr. Huddart entered the choir for competition at Carlisle Musical Festival, and they won in all the three classes in which they competed.

About twenty years after the first production of "The Pied Piper," the society thought they would like to do it again. The play was cast, except for one part. No-one could be found who was suitable to be the funny man," i.e. the Beadle. In the first production the part was taken by Frank Wilkinson, and he was living at Devonport at the time of the second production. There seemed to be only one thing to do, and that was to ask Frank if he could come and take his old part in the play. He came, had two or three rehearsals, and the play was again a great success.

Mr. W. H. Huddart died in 1945; he was succeeded as schoolmaster by his brother, G. A. Huddart. He had had a choir at Maughanby, and he re-started the Culgaith Choral Society in the autumn of 1945. Every year they entered at Carlisle Musical Festival, acquitting themselves well and bringing home a few cups. They also gave concerts at Culgaith and other villages. The highlight of their career was when they were invited by the Penrith Music Club to give a concert in Penrith.

Owing to various reasons, the Choral Society packed up in 1953.