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Posters for the weekend events by courtesy of Val Peill and Sandra Clayton.
The sports were to take place in Mr Burkill’s Town End Field, where there was a “splendid grass track”.
The crowd at the sports. Cutting kindly supplied by Valerie Mercer.
From Saturday 13th to Monday 15th July 1907, must have been one of the greatest weekend’s in Winteringham’s history. Traditionally the 14th
July had been the date of Winteringham Fair - a tradition going back centuries according to the various directories, and whether the opening of the
North Lindsey Light Railway from West Halton to Winteringham was planned deliberately for this weekend is a matter of conjecture. If not, then it was a happy coincidence!
 The very first passenger train steamed into Winteringham Station on Saturday 13th - a village sports special -
disgorging its crowds of passengers on the pristine station platform before they all posed for the obligatory celebratory
photographs (there are more than one in existence), then off to the sports and fair! (click photo for larger version).
Meanwhile two ferries - the Isle of Axholme and the Atalanta tied up on the southern bank of the Humber just east of
the Haven mouth, and after some trepidation from the passengers regarding disembarkation onto the mud, Routh and Waddinghams came up with the solution of duck boards. (Click here and here for photos) On the Atalanta was a
band - believed to be the East Hull Prize Silver Band. Presumably they entertained at the sports and fair that day
(Saturday) but they certainly gave a concert on the Sunday. This concert was advertised as a “Grand Sacred Concert.” Sundays were supposedly
a day when no work or entertainment took place, however, provided that the concert was of SACRED music, then this was OK! As can be seen
from the programme of music printed on the reverse of the cards, most of the music played would stretch the meaning of the word “sacred!”
A poster advertised this event with running races, cycle races, tug of war, high jump, (all with quite valuable prizes of over £40). There was a 2 mile
championship cycle scratch race. On Monday local sports were held.(the sports on Saturday must have been open to everyone.) (This information from Sandra Clayton and Val Peill)
Monday saw the first timetabled passenger train steam into the station, again crowded with people, and again photographs of the event were taken
(unhelpfully also labelled “The First Train into Winteringham Station”).
Below are featured postcards of a variety of subjects, none of which has anything to do with Winteringham, nor even Hull (apart from one of the band
itself). However, each one is overprinted on the reverse with details of a “Grand Sacred Concert” at Winteringham on Sunday July 14th 1907, so
perhaps these were on sale in the village at the time to aid band funds. The exception is the post card of the band itself, and a handwritten message on the reverse.
Hull East Prize Silver Band - played at Winteringham on July 14th 1907
The Hull East Prize Silver Band ask Mr A Park of Ravendale Road Scunthorpe for a place to practice before a contest. This is the reverse side of
the card above.
Each postcard below was printed with this detail of the Grand Sacred Concert on the reverse (see below for enlarged version)
Sir Thomas Lipton
Kinnaird Head
Off Monkseaton
The Lizard Head
Unknown Edwardian Beauty
Another unknown Edwardian Beauty
(NB: This is not an original poster, but a “copy” produced to look as similar as possible to the original)
Note that this is for the “official” opening of passenger services on the Monday following the First Train - the Sports Special. The fares are at the
exact rate of 1d a mile. “Parliamentary” trains had been required to provide third class travel at 1d a mile in the Railway Act of 1844. Eventually
second class was phased out for almost all rail travel, hence giving rise to rail journeys being First Class or Third Class.
Note that the list of times in the poster are laid out as on the original - they are centre-formatted and with no “0” in the tens of minutes column,
giving an unusual appearance to our modern expectations of a timetable layout.
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