Love Rushden

Another look back at our results from earlier in the year...

Our leading quizzers in the third quarter (Jul-Sep 2023) were:

1 🥇 Paul Cowley (90pts)
2 🥈 Margaret Gadsby (74pts)
3 🥉 Roy & Margaret Benning (53 points)

Very well done to them, and to all of you who feature in any of the three attached charts, which show the top ten for each of the months July to September. 👍👏🙌

More stats coming soon, as we approach the 50th and final quiz of 2023 - which will be happening on THURSDAY 28th December!

❤️️

Breaking news - Bone is OUT!

Source: https://www.nnjournal.co.uk Please subscribe to a real local journalism site - gift subscriptions available!

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Paul Cowley
2 🥈 Richard Clark
3 🥉 Margaret Gadsby
4 Buster Pullen
5 Sue Dennis
6 Nick Hill
7 Ann Whitworth
8 Lee Waterfield
9 Donna Johnston
10 Kate Mitchell

The five streets in the photos are:

1 Avenue Road
2 Griffith Street
3 Wymington Road
4 Hayway
5 Co-operative Row

Well done if you managed to get these in the right order. Now, just to confuse you further, this is the order in which they were voted as the ‘streets where you would most like to live’ in our recent poll:

1st 🥇 Wymington Road
2nd 🥈 Hayway
3rd 🥉 Avenue Road
4th Co-operative Row
5th Griffith Street

So a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. And thank you for your responses about when we should hold the 50th quiz for 2023. The poll showed:

➡️➡️ Next *THURSDAY* 28th December ⬅️⬅️

to be your preferred choice (with 65% of the votes). So we hope to see you back here then for the final of the year!
👍😊 In the meantime we wish all our quizzers a very Happy Christmas 🎄🦌🎅🎁

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

👋 Hello - and welcome to another . This evening we are featuring your five favourite streets in Rushden – based on a relatively small number of replies we received to a question we posed a couple of weeks ago!

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can answer these two questions:

🔹 1-5. Which streets are shown in these five images? (don’t forget to number your answers please)

🔹 6. We’re planning one further quiz for 2023 to help even up the monthly results but, although it’s a Tuesday, we won’t be doing Boxing Day! Instead, please let us know whether you would prefer Thursday 28 December or Tuesday 2 January (there are four other Tuesdays in January so this could still work).

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

This week’s quiz may or may not be the last one of the year… tonight, you get to decide!

Hopefully the questions won’t add to your pre-Christmas stress as, although there are FIVE images, they’re all quite recognisable. No local history knowledge is required!

Everyone is welcome to join in, newbies as well as regulars – so please be ready at 7.30pm for another Tuesday Teaser!

❤️️

Take five… some random shots taken on my walks around Rushden and environs during the last week...

❤️️

Four pictures of the fire at Sanders & Sanders factory in Spencer Road in 1924, courtesy of Rushden Museum. (We've colourised the original black and white photos)

Read more about the company on the museum’s website here:
https://bit.ly/41DGrCh

❤️️

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Buster Pullen
2 🥈 Ann Whitworth
3 🥉 David Reginald Jones
4 Margaret Gadsby
5 Molly Bridlington
6 Paul Cowley
7 Louise Gaskill
8 David Gillings
9 Victor Ball
10 Marcus Chapman

The photograph shows the section of High Street to the right of what is now HSBC bank. The main building in the photo was known as Rushden Cottage https://bit.ly/3GGCJxU , the former home of several well-known people of the time including CWW Fitzwilliam MP, HW Currie JP, John Cave and Mr Campbell Praed.

The Cottage stood on the site of what is now mainly occupied by Cherry’s pharmacy and post office (though we also accepted Nationwide, Carey’s amusements, and Nobles opticians) It was demolished in 1910 to allow the widening of High Street.

The picture was taken around 1906 by local photographer and projectionist Cyril Desborough https://bit.ly/3tjTgEM . It was taken from a glass slide found at Wellingborough Museum in 2023 as they were sifting through Cyril’s collection.

Well done if you managed to crack this one – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 👍😊

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

👋 Hello - and welcome to another . This evening we have colourised an old picture taken in the early 20th century by a Rushden photographer and projectionist.

The main building in the photo was demolished over 100 years ago. Some of you may recognise the location straight away – but, if you don’t, we’ll post a slightly wider shot at around 8pm, and an even wider one at about 8.30pm.

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can say:

🔹 1. Where is this? Tell us which street and also the name of one business that occupies the site of this house today.

🔹 2. Why was the house demolished?

🔸 BONUS POINTS are available if you can answer any of these:
- The name this house was known by
- The year it was demolished
- The name of the photographer

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

[EDITED] Answer is now below

Somewhere in Rushdenshire, sometime ago…

For those of you too young to remember, we’ll tell you what what/when/where at 10pm. 😀😉

ANSWER: Well done to everyone who said Keunens! 👍👏
It is a photograph of Keunen Brothers Tannery in Station Road Irthlingborough (the site later to be briefly the Diamonds stadium), taken on 15 April 1946.

❤️️

Which do you think are the nicest residential streets in Rushden? Tell us the top three streets where you would most like to live…

Vote for your favourites (comment below or message us if you prefer) and we’ll compile a top ten!

❤️️

Another look back at our results from earlier in the year...

Our leading quizzers in the second quarter (Apr-Jun 2023) were:
1 🥇 Paul Cowley (77pts)
2 🥈 Nick Hill (59pts)
3 🥉 Roy & Margaret Benning (52 points)

Very well done to them, and to all of you who feature in any of the three attached charts, which show the top ten for each of the months April to June. 👍👏🙌 More stats to come in a week or so!

❤️️

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 David Reginald Jones
2 🥈 Margaret Gadsby
3 🥉 Louise Gaskill
4 Paul Cowley
5 Alison Barham
6 Ann Whitworth
7 Julie Leigh
8 Donna Biggs
9 Lindsay J Eaton
10 Roy & Margaret Benning

Having replaced the vowels with the correct ones, the connection you should have made was that they are the names of four Rushden photographers from years gone by:

1. Stanley Cutmore https://bit.ly/4a7L23m
2. Ernest Bandey https://bit.ly/3ZfOqmO
3. Samuel Powell https://bit.ly/3GNUcER
4. Vic Childs https://bit.ly/3Rr85Pi

The second part of the connection is simply that all four photographers’ names were shown alongside a picture that they had taken. Although number four might have puzzled you – it was certainly taken by Vic Childs – but it features another Rushden photographer, Arthur George.

Well done if you managed to crack this one – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 👍😊

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…
👋 Hello - and welcome to another . This evening we have a quiz that’s part Only Connect and part Vowel Movement (from Richard Osman’s House of Games)!

Firstly, the vowels in the words on each image have all been replaced by different vowels, so you need to do some unscrambling. Then tell us:

🔹 1. What are the correct spellings of all four?

🔹 2. What is the connection between the words and photos on all four images? (there’s a short easy answer, and a slightly longer one – we want the longer one of course 😉)

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you think you know all the answers...

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

A smithy stood at the top of Skinners Hill (on High Street South) from around 1830 until 1972 when Jimmy Guinee, the last blacksmith, left. You can read about its history and see more photographs in this article from Rushden Museum: https://bit.ly/3uFFAoa

[Note: The arrow in the fourth picture indicates the cottages on the opposite side of the road that you can see behind Jimmy in pic three.]

❤️️

Santa's on his way to the Barrington Way area now! 🎅🦌😀

❤️️

Friday first December 2023.

Well Santa had been busy finishing off the final checks on his Sleigh and today is our first Rushden Round Table Sleigh run!

We are looking forward to seeing you all in the Barrington Road, Springfield Road, Oakpits Way and Aintree Area, from 6pm this evening. 🎅🎅🎅

Please note we try our best to get down every street, and we can't give an exact time of what road we will be on and when. Thank you.🎅

In Part two of we find out more about the house at the top left of last night’s quiz picture.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out to be the family home of Abraham Groome, who first owned the factory just along from here on the corner of Oak Street. It was called Hazelwood House, and you can find out more about it on Rushden Hearts and Soles here: https://bit.ly/3T3UMoZ

Although the house was easily accessed from Lime Street, the Groomes had a new main driveway made into Hayway, coming out next to the former Memorial clinic. Believe it or not, you can still see the gateposts and drive on Hayway today!

❤️️

Part one of a after last night’s quiz!

Many thanks to Alison Ross 👍🙏 who has sent us these two photos of her grandad, Bill Phillips from Wymington. Bill worked for John Whites, driving shoes to London and elsewhere, and is the gent on the left in both pictures.

Alison’s Mum doesn’t think these were taken at Lime Street though, possibly Shirley Road? Of course John White had places all over Rushden and Higham Ferrers so it could be anywhere – please tell us if you think you recognise the location.

❤️️

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Nick Hill
2 🥈 Roy & Margaret Benning
3 🥉 Donna Johnston
4 David Reginald Jones
5 Judith Couper
6 Louise Gaskill
7 Paul Cowley
8 Joy Dowdeswell
9 Molly Bridlington
10 Lindsay J Eaton

It’s John White’s factory of course, in Lime Street. The other street you can see is Oak Street, and the one out of view was at the end of the original Kilburn Place (before it was rebuilt) and was called Elm Street. (I know, a real Nightmare…) Apologies for us forgetting that Beech Road is over the other side of Higham Road and would be very confusing! 🙄

So, Lime, Oak and Elm – a tree-oh of trees! 😂

As for the other factory on the corner of Lime and Oak streets, Rushden Hearts and Soles tells us this: “[This] factory was built for Abraham Groome & Sons footwear company in 1890. In the 1920s it was taken over by box manufacturer H W Chapman.”

There’s also a book on the Historic England site which has this to say: “The Britannia Slugging Machine Works … was built in 1899 as an engineering works producing riveting machinery for the footwear industry. Adapted to footwear Ltd by Artisans Footwear Ltd it remained in production until the 1990s. Despite its potential for reuse, it was demolished in 2002, and the site redeveloped for housing.”

So those four names earned bonus points for a few people – and we’re checking out a number of other claims… some of which we’ve never heard of! 😉

Well done if you managed to crack this one – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 😃👍

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

👋 Hello - and welcome to another . This evening we have one more aerial photo for you, and the factory at bottom left should need no introduction! We’ll ask the question anyway, so please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can answer these...

1. Whose factory is it at bottom left?

2. What are the names of the two streets you can see here?

3. Another street, just out of shot, once completed a trio of similarly named streets. What was it called?

4. BONUS QUESTION: The factory on the corner where the coaches are… well, several companies appear to have occupied that – although sources seem to disagree who it was originally built for. Two bonus points are available if you can tell us any of the names of businesses that once used it. If they’re not on our list, we’re open to persuasion if you can provide the source! 😂

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

Only five more weeks of our to go, so it’s time to start looking back at how the year started off...

Our leading quizzers in the first quarter (Jan-Mar 2023) were:

1 🥇 Nick Hill (82pts)
2 🥈 Margaret Gadsby (70pts)
3 🥉 Louise Gaskill (69 points)

Very well done to them, and to all of you who feature in any of the three attached charts, which show the top ten for each of the months January to March. 👍👏🙌 More stats to come in a week or so!

❤️️

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Paul Cowley
2 🥈 Margaret Gadsby
3 🥉 Ann Whitworth
4 Edward Butler
5 David Gillings
6 Molly Bridlington
7 David Reginald Jones
8 Louise Gaskill
9 Sally Wood
10 Sheila Coles

The aerial photo was taken on 30 September 1946 and shows (when there are no Red Kites in the way!) the junction of Hayway with Northampton Road. To the left of the junction, and partially visible just above the bird’s eye, is a house named “Nenehurst” when it was built in 1896.

In 1926 it was bought by local shoe entrepreneur John White. Over the next few years he began to buy the land surrounding the house, which he renamed “Ferrers Mere”, and in the 1940s began farming the land he had acquired. You can read more on Rushden Hearts & Soles here: https://bit.ly/40UiohR

What we didn’t know when we posted this question was that the same house was more recently the home of another ‘shoe baron’, namely the late Max Griggs – former owner of Dr Martens shoe company and also Rushden & Diamonds for a while. Luckily it didn’t affect the medals or placings, but we upgraded a few people’s bonus points as a result!
We’re very grateful to Dale Love who confirmed it for us, partly through remembering his Dad (once greenkeeper at the bowls club) telling him that he used to chat to Max who lived next door!

Well done if you managed to crack this one – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 👍😊

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

👋 Hello - and welcome to another ! This evening we have an aerial photo from 1946 to which we’ve added a bit of colour… although you won’t fail to notice that it’s partially obscured by one of our lovely feathered friends.

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can answer these two questions.

🔸 1. What kind of bird is this?

🔸 2. Name the two roads which form the road junction obscured by the bird?

*BONUS POINTS

➕ For one bonus point, which former shoe baron’s house is partially hidden in the picture? (a glimpse is visible just above the bird's eye)

➕ For two further bonus points, give the name of that house? (it was renamed by the owner - we'll accept either name)

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

Congratulations to Rushden man Jamie Loveday, who has written and published a book about the history of Rushden Town FC.

It’s available now on Kindle: https://bit.ly/47p0zKb
In paperback: https://bit.ly/3MTpPA8
And from the Victor publishing site: https://bit.ly/40NnIDE

❤️️

Meet Andy and Sarah, a friendly and helpful couple who have set up a shop on Rushden High Street with the intriguing name of Wildphire Collectables

Now if that last word makes you think about stamps, coins and cigarette cards, you’re maybe of the wrong generation to appreciate what this shop is all about!

Wildphire actually sells products based on what are called trading card games (TCGs), mostly fantasy-based games such as Pokemon. The enthusiasm that game generated when it took off around the turn of the millennium became known as Pokemania – but it’s even bigger today, according to Sarah.

“We were enthusiasts then as well, but it was seeing how big it was a couple of years ago on TikTok that inspired us to set up a business around it.”

The couple’s idea took off and, when levels of stock outgrew space at home, they decided to take on the shop at 91 High Street. Since opening on 1st September it has already generated good reviews online, and followers are coming from out of town to play in the store – something which is very much encouraged. In fact queues began to form at peak times so extra seating has now been added to accommodate up to 12 people at a time.

The shop sells lots of Pokemon decks, individual cards and bits and bobs, plus all kinds of other TCG packs too. There are also things like POP Funko packs, a variety of game-related soft cuddly toys, and much more.

Andy, whose badge reads ‘Phire Chief’, said that they have plans to do even more. “We’re going to become an official organiser of a Pokemon League, which means that we can host proper league events here in the shop. It’s a great way for players of all levels to meet up and get the feel for competitive play before entering official tournaments.”

Wildphire Collectables is definitely a different type of shop to see in our town centre, but it’s good to see it in such a prominent position. (It’s situated between Noble Eye Centre and J&P Fruit & Veg – slap bang in the middle of High Street)

We wish them well, and hope their great attitude and enthusiasm see them prosper for many years to come. Why not pop in and bring yourself up to date with the modern equivalent of stamp collecting!

❤️️

And there's more! These were added today (Friday)😍👏

❤️️ and

It’s yarnbombing time again! First ones of the season are up in Higham Ferrers today… 😍👏

❤️️ and

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🍾🎉 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Margaret Gadsby
2 🥈 Carly Mclaughlin
3 🥉 Alison Jones
4 Nick Hill
5 Paul Cowley
6 Molly Bridlington
7 Ann Whitworth
8 Louise Gaskill
9 Kate Mitchell
10 Sarah Grimston

The picture clues should have led you to the following four shops – all on the eastern side of the present day Rushden High Street:

1 Osbornes – at 116-118a
[Pic shows former chancellor George Osborne and wife Thea]

2 Net Affair – at 12d
[Pics show a tennis net, and a fair]

3 Furniture Crash at 96
[Pics show furniture, and a car crash]

4 PW House at 54
[Pics show a pea, a double ‘U’ and the cast of ‘House’ US tv series]

Well done if you managed to crack all these – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 👍😊

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

👋 Hello - and welcome to another ! This evening we’re playing another round of ‘Sounds Like’ that often features in Richard Osman’s House of Games on BBC2.

It’s similar to the old Catchphrase tv programme, in which you have to “Say what you see” in each set of pictures. Putting the clues together should lead you to the names of FOUR Rushden town centre shops (all from the present day).

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can identify all four shops (in the right order please).

We'll reveal the winners – plus the answers - at around 10.15pm. Good Luck! 🍀👍

❤️️

[Edited] This picture is on an old postcard with 'Westfield Avenue - top end' written on the back, but we recognised it as the old St Marks Church in Highfield Road (now used by a day nursery).

The church was built in 1936 and closed in 1980, with the congregation joining St Peter’s Church in Midland Road.

We don’t know when this photo was taken, but if you see anyone you recognise it may help to work out an approximate date. And several people in the photo are wearing party hats, so please comment below if you know any more about the occasion.

❤️️

Remembering the Sacrifice of Our Heroes for Our Freedom
As we near the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, we will remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We will forever honour their courage and the service they provided to our country.

With thanks to the Yarn Bombers of Rushden for their exceptional and creative contributions.

Victoria White has shared this year’s Cake International piece. She didn’t compete this year, but took part in a Stranger Things display feature with a group called Sugar Screams. Vicky made a 7ft tall Demogorgan!

See how it was made on her page here: https://www.facebook.com/victoriawhitecakedesign

[Edited] SPOILER ALERT – The quiz is now closed, and you’ll find the answers below. Also the comments are now open, so you're welcome to share any thoughts here…

Many thanks for all your messages, and 🎉🍾 special congratulations to our winners tonight:

1 🥇 Alison Ross
2 🥈 David Reginald Jones
3 🥉 Paul Cowley
4 Nick Hill
5 Ann Whitworth
6 Joy Dowdeswell
7 Alison Barham
8 Donna Johnston
9 Margaret Gadsby
10 Julie Leigh

Quite a difficult one this week wasn't it? Not many knew about Dennis Copperwheat, we had several suggestions for John White's factory locations - and HE Bates having three plaques in the town certainly didn't help! Hope it didn't cause you too much of a headache... here are the answers...

1 17 Moor Road

2 Skinners Hill (at the foot of The Green)

3 15 Essex Road

4 28-30 Church Street

5 Rectory Road (Queen Street corner)

6 46 Park Avenue

You can find details of all of them, and more, on the Rushden Hearts and Soles website. Part 1 is here: https://bit.ly/40sru5h
And you can follow the link at the bottom of that page to see Part 2

Well done if you managed to crack this one – and a big thank you to everyone who took part in the quiz tonight. Hope to see you back here next week for another 👍😊

-------- Here’s our original post from earlier this evening…

Welcome to another ! This week we have SIX blue plaques that are located around Rushden to commemorate the historical significance of certain buildings and locations.

Please send us a private MESSAGE before 10pm if you can tell us...

🔸 On which roads will you find each of the six plaques? (Please list your answers 1-6)

We'll reveal the winners and answers at around 10.15pm. Good Luck!

It's a reminder and a clue all-in-one! But SIX pictures to puzzle over this evening, so don't say you weren't warned... 😂