End of an era as Maidenhead
Welcome to Remember When, our weekly delve into the Advertiser archives to see what was making headlines 25, 30, 35, 40 and 50 years ago this week. You can also take a look into the past by visiting our online archives at baylismediaarchive.co.uk
1977: The closure of St Luke’s Hospital approached – ending nearly a century of service to the town by Maidenhead Hospital.
Senior nursing officer Betty Southgate – who had worked at the hospital for more than 30 years – spoke of her disbelief at the closure.
She said: “I never thought it would happen, to be honest. I am extremely sad, having worked here so long and I have had a very loyal staff.”
1987: Marlow Library was brought to a standstill as fascinated adults stopped to see what was going on in the children’s corner.
The eye-catching activity, arranged as part of the children’s holiday specials, was a visit of owls from the Saunderton Wildlife
Sanctuary.
1992: The future of the Station Approach site in Maidenhead was under discussion following a fire which gutted derelict buildings.
Acting under emergency powers, the district council moved in to begin demolition and clear the site, closing part of Grenfell Road in the process.
Plans to redevelop the town centre site had been thwarted for more than a decade due to problems of access and land owner
ship, meaning it had become increasingly delapidated.
1992: Owners of the most picturesque front gardens in Maidenhead were awarded special plaques for their green-fingered efforts.
Councillors spent a busy month viewing private gardens in their ward as part of the new Royal Borough in Bloom campaign.
A total of 500 awards were handed out.
1997: Staff at Maidenhead’s Magnet Leisure Centre were ready for a holiday after a bumper year of summer activities for kids.
More than 15,000 youngsters had dashed through the doors since the first day of the summer break to take part in everything from swimming sessions, kids aerobics and trampolining to special art and craft classes.
1997: Early worries about the weather were soon forgotten as the 64th Littlewick Show got underway alongside the Ascot Road.
About 9,000 visited the country fair, which featured a historic reenactment of Saxons being forced out of their land by the Vikings.
1997: Timbertown returned with a Back to the Future theme.
Youngsters constructed timber buildings from various periods of history, including the Egyptian pyramids, a Roman villa, Henry VIII’s castle and a space station.
The centrepiece of the the
‘town’ was a time machine, allowing the children to visit all the different buildings.
As always, the event concluded with a party, followed by the creations beings razed to the ground.