All were assembled outside at 11.00 for the customary group picture and then to be educated on the past history of the Hotel and lake and the daring acts performed by Captain Web at the grand fetes held on the lake side.
BLACKPOOL OF THE POTTERIES
Christmas Sqwalk 28th December 2022 - 5.25miles (Scroll to the bottom of page for the route)
Rudyard offered ordinary (SQUARRITE) folk a wealth of distractions away from their everyday lives.
The Squarrites and guests started to arrive at the Hotel Rudyard on a very damp Wednesday morning from 10.00. As soon as it was clear all had arrived, breakfast was served with the minimum of fuss and all orders were correct. A tea and coffee station was provided to ensure all were well lubricated and warm for the challenging weather outside. No payments for breakfast were taken in the morning which made for an easy getaway.
Up for it
Yup, Barb, Zoe, Tony, Chris, Brolly, Mrs Brolly, Keithee, Mothy, Margy, Malcolm, Lynn, Scott Maynard and two boys, Darkside plus dog, Better Half of Darkside, Pedro, Goosey, Jacko, Matt and Charlotte, Turk and Turkish Delight, Tom, Andy, Ben, Duncan, Stuart, Anne Marie, Janet and Mo, Tom Flacket, Steve and Sue.
Nails, DC, Linda and Barbara, Digger and Diggeroo, Nigel and Jen failed to make it.
Rose joined us for the brekky only, whilst Will n Ann turned up for both brekky and lunch.
And around 6-7 dogs joined us for the day for a jolly good run around.
We all set out in a clockwise walk around the lake and stopped at Cliff Hall for some more interesting facts about the hall and the troublesome Fanny Bostock.
The weather started to improve for the remainder of the walk and the easy return to the dam.
Offers of an extension to the walk were politely rejected as all then picked up the pace to return to the Hotel to get dry and be the first to the bar where a good selection of craft beer was on offer.
Offers of an extension to the walk were politely rejected as all then picked up the pace to return to the Hotel to get dry and be the first to the bar where a good selection of craft beer was on offer.
From 13.30 the food started to arrive with advice to shout out names due to the amount of age related memory loss in the group and individuals probably not knowing what they had for breakfast let alone what they’d ordered for their lunch. All meals were finally served to the relief of Pedro and it’s still a mystery why one burger meal needed to be served last away from the other burgers ordered. All orders were settled with no errors and a thank you tip was given to the hard working Rudyard team out of the Tea/coffee station surplus.
Thank you for all your support in making this a smooth operation and I may even do it again 😊
Best regards
Brolly
Thank you for all your support in making this a smooth operation and I may even do it again 😊
Best regards
Brolly
Brollypedia Rudyard
HISTORY OF THE DAM
The Dam was designed by John Rennie and construction started in 1797 with Hugh Henshall as resident engineer.
Shortly after the Dam was completed, cracks were found at its ends necessitating the Dam to be extended with wings at each end to reinforce the structure.
HISTORICAL EVENTS
The subsequent managers were told to do all they could to maximise train ticket sales and therefore various events were organised to attract the public. Apart from what was to become the permanent entertainment of stalls on the Dam Head along with local tea rooms, boating regattas were organised with brass bands frequently playing on the dam head.
The North Staffs Railway Traffic Committee decided in October 1850 to convert the existing water bailiff’s house into an inn which we know today as the Hotel Rudyard
RUDYARD KIPLING’S PARENTS
The famous author Rudyard Kipling owes his name to Rudyard Lake. His father John Lockwood Kipling was working in Burslem and met Alice MacDonald in 1863 and courted her at Rudyard Lake.
CLIFFE PARK HALL
Cliffe Park Hall, located on the northwest side of the lake was built by John Haworth in 1811 at a cost of £25,000.
John Haworth, the son of wealthy merchants, died in 1831 and left the Cliffe Park estate to his cousin (and lover) Fanny Bostock.
1849 marked the opening of the North Staffordshire Railway “Churnet Valley Branch” and from 1851-1856, Fanny fought a five year long court action against the North Staffordshire Railway to try and prevent their popularisation of the lake and reduce the influx of visitors by rail that they encouraged.
In 1903, the NSR acquired the Cliffe Park estate with the intention of constructing a golf course on the land between the hall and the lake. A year later they secured an act of parliament to allow commercial activities on the lake.
After overturning the Bostock act of 1856, the NSR were now empowered to rent out motor launches and rowing boats, and by 1905 a golf course had been laid out.
Their intent was to demolish the hall and build a new club house, however the money for this was not forthcoming and it was decided to use the hall itself as the clubhouse, with only changing rooms and locker rooms being added to the existing building.
A new railway station, ‘Rudyard Lake Station’ (later renamed to ‘Cliffe Park Halt’) was built at the north end of the lake to serve the course.
The golf course, enlarged from nine holes to eighteen in 1908, closed in 1926 which was probably due to the general post-war conditions and reduced train services, together with the availability of newer golf courses that were more easily accessible from the local towns.
Cliffe Park Hall was then let privately until 1933 when its then current owners, London Midland and Scottish Railway (NSR’s successors) leased it to the Youth Hostels Association, and it became known as Rudyard Lake Hostel.
Cliffe Park Hall opened it’s doors as a youth hostel on the 1st June, 1933. Rudyard Lake Hostel proved to be one of the YHA’s more popular venues.
The famous author Rudyard Kipling owes his name to Rudyard Lake. His father John Lockwood Kipling was working in Burslem and met Alice MacDonald in 1863 and courted her at Rudyard Lake.
CLIFFE PARK HALL
Cliffe Park Hall, located on the northwest side of the lake was built by John Haworth in 1811 at a cost of £25,000.
John Haworth, the son of wealthy merchants, died in 1831 and left the Cliffe Park estate to his cousin (and lover) Fanny Bostock.
1849 marked the opening of the North Staffordshire Railway “Churnet Valley Branch” and from 1851-1856, Fanny fought a five year long court action against the North Staffordshire Railway to try and prevent their popularisation of the lake and reduce the influx of visitors by rail that they encouraged.
In 1903, the NSR acquired the Cliffe Park estate with the intention of constructing a golf course on the land between the hall and the lake. A year later they secured an act of parliament to allow commercial activities on the lake.
After overturning the Bostock act of 1856, the NSR were now empowered to rent out motor launches and rowing boats, and by 1905 a golf course had been laid out.
Their intent was to demolish the hall and build a new club house, however the money for this was not forthcoming and it was decided to use the hall itself as the clubhouse, with only changing rooms and locker rooms being added to the existing building.
A new railway station, ‘Rudyard Lake Station’ (later renamed to ‘Cliffe Park Halt’) was built at the north end of the lake to serve the course.
The golf course, enlarged from nine holes to eighteen in 1908, closed in 1926 which was probably due to the general post-war conditions and reduced train services, together with the availability of newer golf courses that were more easily accessible from the local towns.
Cliffe Park Hall was then let privately until 1933 when its then current owners, London Midland and Scottish Railway (NSR’s successors) leased it to the Youth Hostels Association, and it became known as Rudyard Lake Hostel.
Cliffe Park Hall opened it’s doors as a youth hostel on the 1st June, 1933. Rudyard Lake Hostel proved to be one of the YHA’s more popular venues.
GUNGA DIN BY RUDYARD KIPLING
You may talk o’ gin and beer
When you’re quartered safe out ’ere,
An’ you’re sent to penny-fights an’ Aldershot it;
But when it comes to slaughter
You will do your work on water,
An’ you’ll lick the bloomin’ boots of ’im that’s got it.
Now in Injia’s sunny clime,
Where I used to spend my time
A-servin’ of ’Er Majesty the Queen,
Of all them blackfaced crew
The finest man I knew
Was our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din,
He was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You limpin’ lump o’ brick-dust, Gunga Din!
‘Hi! Slippy hitherao
‘Water, get it! Panee lao,
‘You squidgy-nosed old idol, Gunga Din.’
The uniform ’e wore
Was nothin’ much before,
An’ rather less than ’arf o’ that be’ind,
For a piece o’ twisty rag
An’ a goatskin water-bag
Was all the field-equipment ’e could find.
When the sweatin’ troop-train lay
In a sidin’ through the day,
Where the ’eat would make your bloomin’ eyebrows crawl,
We shouted ‘Harry By!’
Till our throats were bricky-dry,
Then we wopped ’im ’cause ’e couldn’t serve us all.
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!
‘You ’eathen, where the mischief ’ave you been?
‘You put some juldee in it
‘Or I’ll marrow you this minute
‘If you don’t fill up my helmet, Gunga Din!’
’E would dot an’ carry one
Till the longest day was done;
An’ ’e didn’t seem to know the use o’ fear.
If we charged or broke or cut,
You could bet your bloomin’ nut,
’E’d be waitin’ fifty paces right flank rear.
With ’is mussick on ’is back,
’E would skip with our attack,
An’ watch us till the bugles made 'Retire,’
An’ for all ’is dirty ’ide
’E was white, clear white, inside
When ’e went to tend the wounded under fire!
It was ‘Din! Din! Din!’
With the bullets kickin’ dust-spots on the green.
When the cartridges ran out,
You could hear the front-ranks shout,
‘Hi! ammunition-mules an' Gunga Din!’
I shan’t forgit the night
When I dropped be’ind the fight
With a bullet where my belt-plate should ’a’ been.
I was chokin’ mad with thirst,
An’ the man that spied me first
Was our good old grinnin’, gruntin’ Gunga Din.
’E lifted up my ’ead,
An’ he plugged me where I bled,
An’ ’e guv me ’arf-a-pint o’ water green.
It was crawlin’ and it stunk,
But of all the drinks I’ve drunk,
I’m gratefullest to one from Gunga Din.
It was 'Din! Din! Din!
‘’Ere’s a beggar with a bullet through ’is spleen;
‘’E's chawin’ up the ground,
‘An’ ’e’s kickin’ all around:
‘For Gawd’s sake git the water, Gunga Din!’
’E carried me away
To where a dooli lay,
An’ a bullet come an’ drilled the beggar clean.
’E put me safe inside,
An’ just before ’e died,
'I ’ope you liked your drink,’ sez Gunga Din.
So I’ll meet ’im later on
At the place where ’e is gone—
Where it’s always double drill and no canteen.
’E’ll be squattin’ on the coals
Givin’ drink to poor damned souls,
An’ I’ll get a swig in hell from Gunga Din!
Yes, Din! Din! Din!
You Lazarushian-leather Gunga Din!
Though I’ve belted you and flayed you,
By the livin’ Gawd that made you,
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
