Loftus & District « East Cleveland Image Archive

Proclamation

Loftus Market Place; we believed this to be the Proclamation of George 5th, but it was in fact the Celebrations for the Coronation of George Vth 22nd June 1911.

Photo courtesy Alan Richardson.

Veterans of the Great War, mustered at Loftus War Memorial. Many are still young men with memories still fresh of the horror they endured, as they honour fallen comrades. Several wear the 1914/15 Star, meaning they served as volunteers. Norman Patton tells us: ”One lady who was definitely at this parade was Elizabeth Ann Hicks, wife of the late William Hicks, of 29 Tees Street, Loftus. They had two sons who went ’Missing in Action’ in World War I. They were William Arthur: remembered at the Menin Gate and Charles Edwin: remembered at Thiepval. Both are also remembered on the memorial at Loftus. Elizabeth had a daughter, Alice May Hicks, who served with the Military Nursing Service in Egypt during the same war. She met and fell in love with Thomas Brooke Stanley who had been injured while fighting with the 10th Australian Light Horse Infantry at Hill 60 in Gallipoli, where he was decorated for his bravery. After the war ended, Tom came to Loftus to seek permission to marry Alice. She followed him back to Australia where they married and settled in Brunswick Junction WA and together they became successful farmers. Elizabeth Ann Hicks and her family had made huge sacrifices in that war. She was my great grandmother. “We Shall Remember Them”.

Photo courtesy Alan Richardson and many thanks to Norman for the supporting information.

Loftus Cenotaph

A rainy Remembrance Day with the cenotaph Parade in the late 1920s; note the decorated cart at the right of the photograph – purpose unknown – can anyone help with details.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Richardson.

Kilton Mill Old road

An early 20th century photograph of Kilton Mill. The old road layout at the bottom of Mill Bank is clearly seen, the gentleman sitting on the wall would now be in the middle of the new road; the mill would still be working at this date.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Richardson.

Loftus Hall

Loftus Hall; built in the the area now known as Hall Grounds, Loftus. Around 1840 Sir Robert Dundas decided to build a new hall and enclosed a piece of land stretching from the bottom to the top of Church Bank, along the High Street veering to the left of Jasmine Cottage and then back to the woods almost as far as the mill, effectively cutting off Liverton Road, which ran down behind the present library. The route to Liverton was re-sited on Station Road.. Apart from being a local landowner, Sir Robert Dundas was also proprietor of the Lofthouse Alum Works. Peter Appleton has advised: “Sir Robert Lawrence Dundas (1780-1844) inherited the manor of Loftus from his father, Sir Thomas Dundas (1741-1820). By 1829, he had moved his home to Upleatham Hall. His land agent for the manor of Loftus then had use of Loftus Hall as their home. Communication between Sir Robert and his agent was carried out through a memo book system. Sir Robert would write his questions on one page and the agent would place his answers on the opposite page, followed by any requests. On his next visit, Sir Robert would respond to the agent’s requests and then add his own questions, and so it went on. At least one of these memo books has survived and is in the archives at Northallerton. A brief perusal of it indicated that Sir Robert visited Loftus approximately once a week, sometimes more frequently. When Sir Robert Lawrence Dundas died, he passed his manor of Loftus to his nephew, Sir Thomas Dundas (1795-1893), son of his elder brother Sir Lawrence Dundas (1766-1839).”

Image courtesy of Alan Richardson, additional information courtesy of Jean Wiggins; thanks also to Peter Appleton for the update on the Dundas family.