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Welcome to our "Any Answers?" page

The page consists of unanswered questions which have been sent in to You and Yesterday via the Contact Us page or posted on one of our forums.

If you know the answer or can help, please login to the site and leave your comments underneath the item in question by clicking the 'edit' link at the top. If you have a question of your own, please feel free to add it at the bottom of the page.

We hope you find this page helpful.

Nestle factory, Ashbourne

Does anybody know anything about the site where the old Nestle factory was in Ashbourne, my query is what was this land used for before the nestle factory, please can anyone help me with this?

Posted by Yeomansg

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Bemrose book

I have got a old book called THE HOUSE OF BEMROSE 1826 - 1926. I have had it for over 20 years and would like to know a bit more about it. Thanks

Posted by Gary Chadwick

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Pinxton jugs

I would like to ask if someone could help me and my father as we are trying to find out if the five jugs my father has are antiques. They stand about 10inches and are signed "Pinxton" on the painting on the jugs. One of them has been stuck together quite badly but the rest are okay. I hope you can help me and my father.

Thank you,

Andrea

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Pony Rides

My father used to give pony and donkey rides in the streets of Derby and district. There must be hundreds of people out there who had their first ride on one of his ponies or donkies. My job was to lead the nervous kids, the braver ones went on their own.

TruckerJim

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Canal Street Pub

Many years ago, when I lived in Devonshire St. an old friend of mine, who is now in the USA, used to live in Canal St. not far away. I've been saying there was a pub with its own brewery in the Canal St. area but I can't remembder where. Does Y&Y or the DET have info which could answer my question?

Regards, Tony Lintott

Peter Seddon replies:

Dear Tony

The best source for queries of this nature is Maxwell Craven's excellent book The Illustrated History of Derby's Pubs. It suggests that the Canal Street area had quite a few pubs over the years, and two of them in Canal Street itself fit your description.

The first and best candidate is the 'Barleycorn' which stood on the north side of Canal Street. When only a simple beer house it was taken over by Offilers in the mid-1930s and they brewed on the premises. A full licence was granted in 1950 and the pub continued serving until 1961. It was sold in 1963 pending clearance.

The other candidate, although it seems rather too early, is the 'Queen Adelaide'. This became an Offilers pub in the 1920s, and again beer was brewed on the premises, but only until 1942. It received a full licence in 1950 and closed in the mid 1960s.

Could either of these be the pub you were thinking of? Perhaps you can let us know.

Regards,

Peter Seddon.

Belper Folk Club

Does anyone have any fond memories, little anecdotes about Belper Folk Club? As a committee member I'd be interested to hear and share them.

John

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Bread deliverer

Hi, my name is Yvonne and I live in Australia. I was wondering if anyone knows what company/companies delivered bread to the homes of Spondon, Derby in 1968. Or if anyone knows the name of the man that delivered the bread in 1968. His name was John and he was in his early 20's, tall with black hair. If anyone knows the answer could you please let me know. Any info would be greatly apreciated. Thank you

Yvonne

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Derby Cables

Both my grandfathers worked at Derby Cables and I am trying to find information about them. Their names were: Herbert Edward Sutton and Ronnie Limbert. If you knew them (or know somebody that might) please contact me:

tim.e.sutton@hotmail.com

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Ink jar

I have an ink jar (?) which was manufactured before 1841 (it is marked "J. Bourne" without the words "& Son". I bought it some years ago and wonder if you can tell me if these jars/inkwells had either a cork or wooden stopper? This one does have a stopper but I cannot tell if it is cork or wood. I wonder if you could also tell me its purpose. I do not think it is an ink jar as it has no pouring lip. It is 4-1/2 inches tall, 3" across the bottom, and the opening measures almost 2". I would be most grateful if you could enlighten me.

Sincerely,

Jill Bhatia

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Joseph Mason Paints

Does anyone have any information about Joseph Mason, the paint manufacturer, please? The last known address I have is Nottingham Road, Derby. Are they still trading or have they been taken over by another company? Any information would be appreciated.

From Adrian Pickard.

Peter Seddon replies:

Dear Adrian,

Possibly you have already seen it, but quite a full article on Joseph Mason Paints has been posted on the You and Yesterday site. It can be found by clicking the following title: Joseph Mason And Co: Paintworks boss was the perfect gentleman. Hope this may add to your knowledge.

Regards,

Peter Seddon

Marjorie Bates

My parents have found an original picture that had been done by Marjorie Bates titled "Exchequer Gate Lincoln". Could you please provide any information you may have on it.

Posted by Peter Stone

Peter Seddon replies:

Dear Peter,

I'm sure you will already have read the article about Marjorie Bates posted on this site - Bates, Marjorie - Forgotten Derbyshire Artist - but here is a little more background.

Among her most popular subjects were town scenes - she would travel around the country to tourist towns in particular and paint a landmark. The reason she did this was that she had established contacts with postcard and calendar manufacturers, and many of her original paintings were printed as postcards for sale to visitors at tourist hot-spots. Lincoln was just such a place. Most were done between the two World Wars and it is likely your Lincoln picture comes from that period.

Now to your picture in particular. I'm sure you are correct in stating that it is an original, but in general with Bates work it is wise to check thoroughly. Many of her paintings were made into prints by a local firm in Nottingham, and these were sold to the public as reasonably priced pieces of artwork for the living room wall. They were often framed for sale by Boots the Chemists at the time their larger shops had picture departments.

These prints carried a facsimile Bates signature and are printed in such a way that they appear very realistic - indeed a dealer on his website says that 'Bates prints are often mistaken for originals'. One of the subjects that did appear as such a print was the 'Exchequer Gate Lincoln' so it is worth checking your parents' picture carefully. Examination through a magnifying glass can sometimes help - an original will have texture to it, whereas a print will be essentially smooth.

Finally a quick note on values. Bates postcards sell for £1 to £10 and the prints generally command only £5 to £20 as decorative items. Art auction records list a portrait by Bates which sold for £2,000+, but records suggest that a townscape original would be more likely to be in the £100-£200 range at most. If selling at auction it makes sense to choose an auction room in the town depicted in order to achieve the best price.

Hope that may help in some way,

Regards,

Peter Seddon.

Peartree Secondary Modern School

Has anyone got any photographs of Peartree school or any memories from the 1940s and 1950s. I attended there from 1949 until 1953, is the school still standing after all these years?

Aitch

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