Leven Village Online - Old Friends Forum

Fred at Waterlooville in Hampshire enquired about Evelyn who lived at Leven Lock back in 2004. If he could get in touch with the Parish Clerk she will provide a name and telephone number of a gentleman that can help him with his query.

We believe we have found the Canon you were looking for. A Canon Hawkins who was Rector of leven at the time you specified.   He moved to Bridlington and ten got remarried. The current churchwarden Lucy Mayo and a Mrs Violet Jones went to the wedding. However he unfortunately died a few years ago.

Could you please let me know what the Cannons first name was, then I can look it up for you.

Teresa - If the Charlotte you are referring to in your Leven message is called Charlotte Waites, then I believe that person is my great-grandmother. 

If so, I'm happy to hear from you. - regards Rick - rw_hh@hotmail.co.uk 

Hi Jason just seen your ad on Leven site hope your doing OK, you will have to get yourself a web site like mine www.geocities.com/beverleybeck catch you later all the best Garry.

We stayed at Leven for two summer visits in the early 70's at the home of Mrs Clapham. We kept in touch with the lovely Rector, Canon Hawkins, until his retirement to Bridlington. We last saw him in about 1984 - we assumed he has died but can anyone tell us more - David Moore 

Hi David - My Aunty Rita Teal nee Stephenson was asking what had happened to Jean as they were best friends at school and would like to get in touch.  I am not sure of my cousins e-mail address but will find out for you.  Incidentally my father is Brian (Doug) Stephenson and lives next door to us, my uncles Tony and Gordon are next but one along.  Certainly ought to be called Stephenson Street!!  The Goodlass on the Look North programme was John, one of the Goodlasses who farmed at Routh, I know Geoff who is my own age, there was also Alwyn and a couple more brothers as well as Peter their cousin. They are all still around.  I think I know the Nicholsons you are on about and I believe there is only Steve Nicholson left if its the right ones.  I will find out for you.  Hope all the above is of help and if Jean wants to ring Rita she would be more than happy. - Kind regards Carol

Hi Bob I`ve spoken to my sister Jean she also spent some of her younger years in Leven.  She`s about your age so we've narrowed the age gap a bit, She said two of her best mates in the village were Tony Stephenson`s sister Rita, and a lass called Doreen Hepplewhite There were some Underwoods and as far as she can remember they had a daughter called Pat.  They used to manufacture and sell bundles of firelighters .Jean asked if your friend Tony could throw any light on the whereabouts of Rita as she would like to get in contact with her, but appreciates after some 50/60 years this may be difficult. Doreen married a lad by the name of David Dicks and moved to York, she thinks David’s parents ran a printing business. There were some Nicholsons who lived in the cottages opposite the windmill on the Hornsea Rd.On the BBC Look North prog a few nights back there was a photo of the weather sent in by a Mr Goodlass of Leven this name also rings a bell   Well Bob I think that`s about as far as I can go with this for now. I`ve trawled the depths of my memories hopefully we will get some response so come on you lot out there give us some clues.  In the next week or so I will be visiting Leven, that may revive some more memories but no doubt all will have changed .I`ll keep looking at the site. A big thanks to the provider/editor for your dedication and excellent web site. Regards David.  

Well this site is really going places, but it seems we are all a few years adrift, i think margret bemrose lives in b/burton but still works in leven  they owned the farm at the top of canal lane as we used to call it, there was also a jenny and another margret who where friends, kind of a little click of us i think jenny lived at the top of  canal lane near the bridge or she had family who lived there, with respect to my name i know my farther had a friend who lived just outside of leven so it is possible  your farther was that person i was born  1937,  went to leven school for a short while but cannot remember much about it ,have been in contact with tony stephenson he came over  to withernsea for a bit of fish and to say hello but no other contact as yet anyway we shall keep posting and who knows    bob

Hi gang can I join in?   I`m David. Discovered the web site a couple of weeks ago and put two messages on family search in reply to Howard and Andrew. I was Born 1946 at Little Garth Hornsea Rd so I think that should qualify me as part of the gang . Reading the web site brought back some memories I can remember my father speaking of Bob Whitton . Can`t remember you Bob perhaps you were older  or it was your father he was mentioning or maybe I`m going daft as well. Margaret Bemrose rings a bell, Geoff Stephenson and his brother Tony lived in Trinity Close, there was Mary Price I think she lived in the Close but not sure,  Geoff Beel (not sure on the spelling ) they had a farm as I  remember near to the canal head on the road out towards Beverley. I used to cadge a ride on a David Brown tractor ( no health & safety rules in them days!!) belonging to a farmer called Mr Featherstone, one of the first farms in the area to go mechanized although he still kept the horses.   The tractor was driven by a chap called Dave Burnham, a Bob Swine also worked for him .   Families called Burdas and Bailey  farmed in the village as well. I remember going ratting when the threshing sets came to the farms but if truth is known I was scared to death of the things I used to chase the dead ones and claim them as kills (brave or what!!!)  I could go on, but if any of these names jog anyone`s memory it would be nice to hear from them.     David Smith

well I must be going daft or something, because I just don't recall yourself or tom, can you give me a memory boost as it was a long way back, you mention canoe trips, the only canoe thing i remember is the escapade where i built one myself and it sunk, still that was allowed, after all, we where only kids,  what year bridge are you thinking off, and i must admit with us being townies from hull, i new a lot of friends only by sight, as we where we/end visitors, except for the summer holidays when we lived  on the canal, used to have to go up to the top of the lane to buy a bucket of water for a penny, sometimes it would only be half full by the time you got it back so we would be in trouble for messing around with a clip around the ear for doing it, some memories  - Bob - ps it would be the early 50s era

My name is Fred, I was stationed in Leven on an A/A site during the war and met a girl there named EVELYN.  Said she lived at the lock house, unfortunately we were moved on and I lost touch - that was in 1939. I wonder if  Evelyn still resides in Leven or you have any knowledge of her ? would appreciate a reply. best wishes FRED @ WATERLOOVILLE IN HAMPSHIRE 

Hi Bob and the gang! Just found this website and it brought back my own memories of Leven. What times we shared!!! I was so surprised that you don't recall Tom Morley, he was the life and soul of every canoe trip and I miss him dearly. Tom if you read this, give us a bell. Its nice to see this site has been set up, I hope other villagers use it. Lorna xx

WELL it happened,  i had a real nice surprise on Sunday, had a visit, a blast from the past in the form of a very old friend of mine Tony and his brother came over to Withernsea and dropped by, I didn't recognise him at first,   nor he me. but it was great after the initial setback of the wrong name lol,   anyway we spent a nice time just talking, it would be nice to talk further as one cannot  recall all the water that has passed under the bridge in 50 years, they mentioned on how the canal has been neglected which i noticed the last time i was down there, i was trying to refresh old memories, wish i hadn't bothered, went away with shattered memories, still thats life i guess , so if there are any old friends  out there don't hold back lets here from you,  ps never thought of asking tony,   where does he have a beer.   just maybe i could surprise him one night and let him buy me a pint lol keep up the good work with the site i think it's the bees knees   bob whitton

hi Tom,  just had a quick look at the Leven site and found your insert, BUT for the life of me just cannot place the name any hints as I said in my note I cannot place you, but if you are ever in WITHERNSEA drop down the bottom of Park Ave last bungalow on left have a beer and a chat   bob

Just reading Bob's message, I thought it would be nice to add my own memories of this wonderful village.  I too have fond memories of larks with Lez Varley and John Buckle, it would be so nice to know where they are now and what they are doing.
'Barmey Joe', what a queer fellow he was. I remember once I was walking down the canal at night when i heard a splashing noise behind me, and low and behold if it isn't Joe, frollocking about in his canoe.  What a fellow.
Hopefully others will get in contact with this message board, as I have, and we may one day be reunited. 

It sure would be nice to know how life's journey has treated people we used to knock around with in the 1950's.I remember there was Tony Stephenson, Lez Varley, John Buckle, Margaret Bemrose (that would be her maiden name), another Margaret, I can't recall her second name, but our parents had caravans down on the canal, along with the numerous houseboats which were fully used at the time, and I can remember a chap called 'Barmy Joe' - he used to row a boat around the canal at night, he nearly pulled my brother-in-laws foot off one night. We used to go eel fishing and used to tie the line to our big toe and wait for the eels to wake us up. Barmy Joe got himself taffled up in the lines - what a game we had sorting that lot out!