Grimethorpe in 1942

 Staying with their parents, Stan and Grace now had a few days to spend, getting to know each other.  Because she had to attend a lecture on Monday evening, Grace arrived in Doncaster at lunchtime on the Tuesday (24th) and they planned to have lunch together  before catching to bus back to Grimethorpe.  It appears that Grace had to leave, probably around lunchtime, on the Friday, so they only had two full days and two half days to spend together.

What was Grimethorpe like in the 1940's?  Prior to the sinking of Grimethorpe Colliery in 1895, Grimethorpe was quite an isolated rural settlement with three or four farms, including the impressive Jacobean Hall Farm, which stood across the road from Grace's parents' Council house on Brierley Road.  By 1942, there were two collieries: Grimethorpe and Ferrymoor, served by a huge network of railway lines to transport the coal.  Alongside the collieries there was a brickworks.

The village had been built at the same time as the pit was sunk.  Initially this consisted of the High Street and rows of two-up, two-down red brick houses near to the Colliery.  Later, larger 3-bedroomed houses were built in the 'seaside' streets: Margate, Hastings, Brighton and Cromer Streets, together with 'Deputy Row' at the bottom of the High Street, where Grace's grandfather, John Walker, lived.  The High Street had a good range of shops and the Grimethorpe Hotel.

In the mid/late 1930's, two new housing estates had been built: Council houses to the right of Brierley Road and more Colliery houses at the top of the hill backing onto Lady Wood.  The houses at the front of this estate were on Burntwood Road, where Stan's parents lived.

The village was well served with churches, having St. Luke's, Church of England (built 1904), two Methodist churches and a Catholic church.  The Council School stood on the High Street and served the village children up to the school leaving age of 14.

For entertainment there was a cinema, the Miners' Welfare Institute, a Working Men's Club and an Ex-Servicemen's Club in addition to the Grimethorpe Hotel.  As we already know, dances were held in the Welfare Hall in the park.  Grimethorpe Colliery Band had been formed in 1917.

The nearest railway station was Cudworth, a couple of miles away, and regular buses connected the village with Doncaster and Barnsley.  Private cars were not often seen.

This was, as it sounds, a  busy, dirty, industrial settlement, but was surrounded by beautiful rolling farm- and woodland: Lady Wood, Burntwood and Brierley Common provided space for walking.  The photo below, courtesy of Barnsley Archives, shows the view from behind the new Council houses across the Dell.