Exhibition on Earlston at Work and Play

Auld Earlston's recent exhibition and slide show at the Church Hall has been voted a great success by organisers of the local heritage group.  
 

The theme of "Earlston at Work and Play" drew a large audience throughout the two days, with the four slide shows attracting full houses. Visitors also had the chance to browse through information panels and extensive displays of vintage photographs on working lives - at farms, mills, blacksmiths, shops, trades  and as carters and posties, whilst "Earlston at Leisure" saw features on the local cinema, dances, fetes, socials and shows, plus fun outdoors, sporting activities and setting out for trips away.

Visitors enjoyed reminiscing over tea and coffee, whilst also completing a short survey "Share a Memory of Work and Leisure in Earlston." 

 

Auld Earlston Chairman,  Sheila Mckay said " We were delighted at the response and thank all who came along to support our event to make it such a success. We were encouraged by the length of time many people took to look around and see what our Auld Earlston Group is  doing to keep Earlston’s past alive."

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A Night Out at Earlston's Cinema.

Do you or your family have memories of the Cinema in Earlston? Can you help us with any background information? 


Some members of the Auld Earlston Group recall: 

"The Eildon Cinema first opened in Melrose but  moved to the Corn Exchange, Earlston, with planning permission was given for the building's  change of use in 1956.  It was run by Mrs. Blenkinsop and Alan Coates, and my mother and sister were among the usherettes.

I remember one night  watching a Richard Todd war film, when a bomb went off in the film, startling  the usherette who dropped her large torch on the floor with a further bang.  We used to sit at the back row smoking - despite us being underage!   

It seemed every time I was there, the music being played was Russ Conway's "Side Saddle"  - the popular piece of the day, but I  got very fed up of hearing it. 

The cinema was very well attended and great for a night out that didn't involve  travelling to Galashiels.  But it only lasted a few years, before  becoming  a bingo hall and a venue for discos.  I remember Manfred Mann performing  there in a live show.   

I think in the 1930's,  behind the Red Lion was a rather make-shift cinema  in what was known as the Union Building.  They had a fire scare when people panicked and the incident  made the local newspapers.

In the collection of  Auld Earlston are two programme bills (below).   Cinema goers could view a weekly programmer= of five films, (two performances on Saturday) .    Unfortunately the bills  are not dated,   but the film release date is given in brackets  as an indication of when people would be enjoying them - in the 1950's and 60's.   

The Long Hot Summer, with Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward & Orson Welles  (1958)
Oregon Passage  - John Ericson and Louis Albright (1957)
Count of Twelve - Eunice Gayson and John Bentley (1953) 
The Siege at Red River - Van Johnson and Joanne Dru (1954)
The Law and Jake Wade - Robert Taylor and Richard Widmark (1958)

The billing on the second advertisement is more wide-ranging in date from 1942 to 1960 with:

A Woman Like Satan - Bridget Bardot  (1958) 
The Five Pennies -  Danny Kaye (1959)
Orchestra Wives - Geo Montgomery and Anne Rutherford. (1942)
Rock A Bye Baby - Jerry Lewis (1958)
Inn For Trouble - Peggy Mount and David Kossoff (1960)
People Will Talk - Cary Grant and  Jeanne Crain (1951)
Circus of Horrors - Anton Diffring and Erica Remberg (1960)
The Baited Trap - Richard Widmark and Lee J. Cobb (1959)
What Price Glory - Jimmy Cagney and Dan Dailey (1953)
The Flesh is Weak - John Derek and Millie Vitale (1958)
Toby Tyler -  Kevin Corcoran and Henry Calvin (1960)
Let's Get Married - Anthony Newley and Anne Aubrey (1960)
Tammy - Debbie Reynolds and Leslie Neilson  

Many of these titles and actors. may well bring back memories to film buffs. 

If you can help us with more reminiscences on cinema going in Earlston, do get in touch - by writing a comment below, or e-mailing: www.auldearlston.aol.com - we would like to hear from you.

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See Earlston at Work and Play at our October Open Days

AULD  EARLSTON

Valuing the History of our Village
for Future Generations

 

YOUR COMMUNITY HERITAGE GROUP
is holding 

Open Days in October on the theme

EARLSTON AT WORK & PLAY

Saturday Oct. 29th, 10am-3pm
Sunday Oct. 30th, 12noon-4pm

in the Church Hall.

·   New Slide Show - previously unseen images
  Sat. 11am & 1.30am.     Sun. 1pm & 2.30pm

·         Exhibition of Photographs and Memorabilia

Admission £2, Children Free.  Including Tea/Coffee

ALL WELCOME

Tel. 01896 848240.  E-Mail: auldearlston@aol.com

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 AT WORK

Simpson & Fairbairn Mill

 AT PLAY

Happy choir members from Ercildoune Church on their trip 
to the Trossachs in 1936.

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Early Days of Earlston's Railway

 

 As we mark the first anniversary of the return of the Borders Railway, a  look back at the early days of the original railway which passed through Earlston 1863-1965, linking the east coast Edinburgh to London route with the historic Waverley line through the central Borders.   

Some of the issues reported by local newspapers of the past sound familiar!  

THE PLANNING 

• "The Southern Reporter" of 12th January 1861 reported that the  plans were in the hands of parochial teacher Mr. Aitkenhead and available for inspection. The route for the railway was outlined as:

  "entering the parish by a bridge across the Leader, then across the fields belonging to Misses Whales (gingham manufacturers), passing the foot of the West U.P. Manse garden, and crossing the road from Earlston to Redpath......

• For farmers, their main concern was for a grain market  and a public meeting was held in the Reading Room to progress the matter with banker Mr.  Smail appointed honorary secretary. (The Southern Reporter: 12th January  1861)
  

• Travelling and postal arrangements were also under scrutiny, as noted in "The Southern Reporter" 5th August 1863.  Take note of the powerful prayerful  language used in their argument  to the Railway Directors

 "The community of Earlston were impressed  with the courteous manner in which Mr George Wallace of the Commercial Inn and proprietor of the present conveyance to  and from Melrose had served the public - to often with slight advantage to himself.  It was  considered it necessary to forward a petition to the Directors praying for him to continue  as their postmaster. The petition ash been signed by merchants, traders and other influential parties. Should the Directors deem it fitting to grant the prayer of the petition, their so doing would satisfy the public and confirm a boon on an obliging and  industrious public servant." 

 

THE OPENING 

Thar the opening was imminent, was reported in "The Southern Reporter" of 29th October 1863. The Government Inspector had passed along the line; the construction company had dismissed a considerable number of their men and the horse stock was authorised for sale.

The actual opening in Earlston was reported in "The Kelso Chronicle" of 20th November 1863  with an  article which made the occasion seem rather prosaic and low key, and contrasted with   bands and bunting that marked the earlier opening in Duns.  But like its modern successor  "the number of passengers has far exceeded expectations". 

ACCIDENT

But just one day after the opening of Earlston Railway Station, "The Kelso Chronicle" of 20th November 1863 headline read   "A  Serious Accident on the Berwickshire Railway" near Dunse. 

"This line which opened with much promise on Monday, was the scene of a rather serious mishap on Tuesday. ....A train on its way to Earlston with a few coal trucks, two carriages and two passengers was  startled by the axle of the one of the trucks giving way and tearing the rails....both carriages and trucks were dragged off the line, but fortunately none were precipitated over the embankment.........A large force of navvies were on the line and were exerting themselves to get the line in order again.  They intended to work all night and have it finished for the next day's traffic.........it was necessary to delay trains, much to the annoyance of a great number of passengers attending Dunse Fair.

LEADERFOOT

The major engineering feat on the line was the crossing of the River Tweed and the building of the Leaderfoot Viaduct, which involved  a nineteen arch structure  907 feet long and 126 feet above the level of the river bed.   Interestingly it is referred to in a newspaper article of December 1864 as the Drygrange Viaduct.

 One of the last trains over Leaderfoot in 1965 

Copyright ©  Bruce McCartney All  Rights Reserved.   

at http://www.geoffspages.co.uk/monorail/bmcc01.htm  

DELAYS 
 The item in "The Southern Reporter" of 24th October 1867 may strike a chord. 

 "The  railway arrangements of the North British appeared to be of the most annoying and expensive description...........to our mortification and the chagrin and disgust of between forty and fifty farmers and business men whose time is worth money, we were kept two and a half hours waiting on the train.......The Berwickshire Company may  find their small dividend will be reduced to nothing and the public will lose all confidence in the line."   

POSTSCRIPT
But the Berwickshire Railway survived.   Devastating floods across the  county in August 1948 meant that passenger services were suspended,  due to parts of the track bed being washed away.  Repairs were never fully carried out and only freight services continued on part of the line, which  was eventually closed without ceremony  on 16th July 1965 -  marking the end of the 102 year old line of the Berwickshire Railway through Earlston. 

In 1969 amidst the notorious Beeching Cuts,  the Scottish Borders lost all its rail services, making it the only region in mainland Scotland without a  train station.  But that  all  changed in September 2015 when part of the Waverly Line re-opened for 35 miles south of Edinburgh into the central Borders at Tweedbank.   

Steam train arriving at Tweedbank

Copyright © N. F. Donaldson, 2015.     All  Rights Reserved,  

IN CASE YOU MISSED
Remembering the Railway at Earlston (1863-1965)

Earlston Railway Cuttings 1 - Celebrating the First Sod  

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