The Queen's Hotel (The Queens)

"The Queen's" is a term that's been used for many years in Maltby to identify a particular area. The Queen's Hotel is of course, where the term originated but Queen's Corner, Queen's Crossroads or just Down the Queen's are all ways of describing the junction of Tickhill Road, High Street, Grange Lane and Muglet Lane

The QueensHotel as it is today is very different from what it was in years gone by.

Lengthy discussion  on whether there should be an apostrophe in the name or not has only succeeded in us presuming that the queen in the name was Queen Mary and that the apostrophe has been added and omitted over the years, so there is no hard and fast rule in using it.

Derek Drabble's parents Hubert and Dorothy (nee Woodhouse) held their wedding reception at The Queen's on 12th September 1924. 

The balcony which overlooked Muglet Lane at this time was reached via french doors from the ballroom and there was a marble staircase leading to the ballroom. Downstairs there was a neatly arranged dining room on the Tickhill Road side of the hotel.

The original building was opened in 1923 as one of a chain of high class hotels by John Smith's Brewery.

Mr Othan V Pike was the landlord from 1925 to 1947.

Mr Pike is 3rd from the left on the front row of this picture with his daughter Joan on his knee. Joan's

mother, Mrs Pike is sitting on the right of her husband. The little boy is Joan's older brother, Derek.

Joan,whose married name was Wilkinson, died recently aged 87 so the photo was taken about 86 years ago.

When Joan was only four years old her mother died suddenly with appendicitis after not reaching the hospital in time, transport  then being very different to what it is today. Joan had no memories of her mother but spoke with great affection of her dad. Mr Pike never got over his wife's death and battled with depression for the rest of his life, which ended sadly when he got up one morning, filled the bath with water,slid under and drowned himself.

Joan didn't go into the Queen's again until very recently when Wetherspoons took it over. 

For years after stories were told of his ghost haunting the Queen's and tales are still told of strange and unexplained happenings.

When the nightclub was opened in 2002 it was named"Mr Pike's"in his memory and the landlords at that time say that Joan was very pleased to have her father honoured in such a way.

Mr William Plaice head barman and great grandfather of Rachel Louise Connole sitting front right on the photo, with the pocket watch.

One of the maids on this picture is still living in Maltby, but yet to find out her name. 

Roads and Streets We Remember - Grange Lane

It's strange the things we remember easily and others that we just as easily forget. 

As we have been posting our memories of Maltby, one picture and one question can set off a whole lot of memories. The conversation goes from one thing to another and we find that we have accumulated information on things that we weren't even thinking about in the first place. 

This happened with the question " Does this look like 56 Grange Lane and does anyone recognise the people in the photo?

First we discussed the hair styles and clothes to figure out what date it was taken. Most of us remember that our mother or sister or brother had hair like that or a jumper like that and the picture or occasion can usually be dated in this way.

We then wondered if we could check the windows as they are today to see if they are the same size and the air grate on the wall.  Of course, windows are renewed over time and though some remember sash windows, we think they were changed to small paned ones at some point.
Sheila Thornhill remembers her parents moved into 56 Grange Lane around 1975. They did a lot of alterations to the house but she doesn't remember them being like this. 

The right window which was the kitchen is now the back door, which used to be in the gennel and the left window is much lower than it shows on here a little lower than the other window. She is sure they only replaced them and did not have them lowered. Maybe they were changed prior to this, or maybe this is not number 56 !

Many people remember their Grandparents living on Grange Lane - Nan, Mrs Tittensor and cousin David at number 59, Grandma & Grandad Cheetham and Arthur - possibly number 23, and Grandma and Grandad Madin. Nan and Grandad Stan and Frances Daffin lived at no 60 for many years. Grandad worked on Maltby Pit top and brother George drove the pit bus ). Stan and Frances were Uncle and Auntie to Anne who remembers visiting them every week, usually after a visit to the cemetery.

Jade's Great Grandmother "Granny Ainsworth" lived at number 49 and her dad Bob Chant was born there. Chris White remembers her well. She had a black labrador and lived next door to his Grandma, Lucy Rutherford at number 47.
Keith Parker's parents lived at No.64 when his dad was Undermanager at the pit in the mid 1950's before he moved to Thurcroft as Manager. Fred Jerram, (NUM Sec) and Rob's dad lived next door at number 66.
 Lynn Oglesby remembers the people opposite her Nans, relatives of David Hattersley and Mrs Foster on the corner who sold eggs. They went to her caravan for holidays every year.

Obviously our memories are spread over many years and not all those remembered lived on the street at the same time. Nathan Smith reckons there's only one building that had sliding sashes and metallic bricks and that's The Queen's.
Maybe this picture is not even Grange Lane, let alone number 56, but one thing is certain, as at January 2013, it is the home of Lisa Hibbert Jackson !