Walter and Nellie Minett

A hobby which started in1980 has developed over 20 years into a comprehensive collection of photographic slides portraying Methley’s past.  At which point they decided tokeep a record of the village having witnessed how much of it had been demolished.  Our local historians have by now given a number of ‘magic lantern’ shows using their slide collection for the benefit of the village, each show being varied to suit the audience. The collection was put together after an appeal  for old photographs was made.   It didn’t end there however, they both spent a considerable time searching through libraries and archives and were able to draw on this material to produce their book - Methley in Times Past.  This was to be one of the forerunners of many books of this nature.

Former schoolteacher Nellie Minett who had to forgo at place at Oxford University on grounds of expense continued to add to the collection by gathering and recording information from older inhabitants of the village. Both were fully aware of the need to record more recent developments to the surroundings which will in time become history........

Sadly Walter Minett died on the 1st March, 2001. Nellie Minett died suddenly on the 11th January, 2002  The funeral service on the 17th January at her beloved Chapel was full of former friends who attended to pay tribute for her contributions to the community of this village. 

Hannah Firth came to this village as a 4 year old with her family in 1905, educated at Mickletown School and then on to Castleford Grammar School before taking her teaching certificate. It comes as no surprise to learn that Hannah Firth cycled to and from Castleford Grammar School daily.  She was to marry Willie Hyatt a popular milkman and local Councillor and she started teaching at Mickletown Schhol after the war.   Hannah Hyatt was a beacon of encouragement to all pupils at the school, indeed her patience in trying to teach this writer to sing ‘Where the bee sucks there suck I’and many more reluctant boys the same song deserves more than just a mention.  The important thing was that she taught equally to all the pupils.

Her affection for the school, its former pupils and the village as a whole was well known and did not diminish when she moved to Cumbria later on in life to be near to her daughter Anne. Hannah continued to drive her car  well into her 80’s, a regular journey would be the weekly shopping trip into Castleford with my Aunt Edna (Kaye) who always considered it a treat.    On the 9th September, 2000 Hannah Hyatt died at Levens in Cumbria at the age of 98.

Goodbye to the life I used to live
And the World I used to know
And kiss the hills for me, just once
Then - I am ready to go.

Barry completed his National Service in the REME and went on to work in Engineering culminating as a Foreman at the NCB Workshops at Allerton Bywater.  In 1956 he married Kathleen, a Ripon girl, sadly Kathleen died in May 2001, Kathleen had been affected by a stroke from being a young woman.   In later years Barry was to apply his interest in photography to his affection for this village.  Although not regarded as part of the established local history circle, he maintained a photographic record of the northern area of Methley.

  The crown of his local history achievements (in my view) being a step by step photographic record of the stages of construction of the new canal. I have used a number of his pictures on this site with the permissiopn of his daughter Carol.   Barry’s tragic death in September 1999 occurred whilst he was out ‘on location’ with his camera looking for photographic subjects for his collection.

Ivor Cookman
     I suppose everyone in the age range 20 - 50 who has lived in the village will remember Mr. Cookman, Sir.  I didn’t know him as teacher.  However, I did suffer at his hands when he took on rugby training as a night school subject -  he certainly didn’t go there to make anybody feel comfortable.   He and I  played alongside each other in the front row at Castleford RUFC in the early ‘60s and what I can tell you, was that his superb physical fitness more than made up for his lightweight appearance.  He didn’t always come off best though, and often when I see him I am reminded of the day he and his front teeth parted company in a tough match v Bramley.
So, after teacher training college and national service Cookman the younger was thrust upon Mickletown school where shortly afterwards the primary and secondary systems were rationalised with the introduction of the new schools at Little Church Lane and Royds High School.  This is when all you 20+ somethings were taught about the three field system and long division by one Ivor Cookman, Sir.    Round about the same time he joined the Castleford Rugby Union Club where he continued his interest in singing developed at those earlier institutions, a talent that was to stand him in good stead after becoming a lay preacher at St Oswalds.  What a benefit that was to the village in the light of later events when the church authorities were unable to appoint a rector for such a long period of time.
I always enjoy a pint with Ivor  not only to learn what is happening at the church but to mull over old times, what I am pleased to report is that to prove his affinity to the village, like so many of its sons, he prefers not to pay a lot for his beer, hence his preference for the clubs. Presumably the same motivation led to his interest in bee keeping and producing his own home made honey, all of which is tantamount to saying the values of thrift in Methley are alive and well.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I learn from him and I suspect most of those former pupils would agree, and that is not to accept the meaning of defeat but if it should be inevitable, then he would teach us to accept it with good grace.                         Four aces king - beat that Sir