Vicar on his bike for Pentrich historical record This vicar on his precarious motorized bicycle is just one of over 100 images collected by Pentrich Historical Society as part of their Photographic Archive Project, being launched to the wider Derbyshire public this month. (July 2001) Pentrich Historical Society (PHS) borrowed the photograph (shown above), just long enough to scan and store it in a computerized archive, before returning it safely to owner Mrs. Monica Pickering of Swanwick. The vicar in question was her father Revd Frederick John Boston, incumbent at Pentrich from 1946 to 1955. He became a familiar sight on his powered bicycle after an accident forced him to give up conventional motorcycling. “He was ill for some time after the accident” recalls Mrs. Pickering, “but he still needed to get to parishioners in Lower and Upper Hartshay. At the time you could buy these attachments for ordinary bicycles I think it was called a Mini-Motor and that became his transport in the early 1950s.” Pentrich Historical Society are looking for more images to borrow and record, together with stories about the people and places in them. Pictures of houses, people and events from any era are welcome even family wedding snaps can help piece together the histories of local people. Society member Neil Matthews, responsible for collecting the pictures, said : “We know that people used to come to Pentrich at weekends for walks and picnics, and we know that many old village families now have descendants in other parts of the county. Our hope is that by safely recording the pictures they may have saved, we can preserve parts of our history which could otherwise be lost for ever.” Once stored on a computer, the PHS plans to stage a Pentrich Picture Show to which all photo contributors will be invited. The society will also help people looking for clues about Derbyshire ancestors, and other historical researchers. If you have pictures you think could help the project, contact the society in the first instance by writing to Neil Matthews c/o Pentrich Historical Society, Village Hall, Main Road, Pentrich, DE5 3RE or by emailng details to us. PRESS USE ONLY For further details on the photo archiving project, contact PHS secretary Neil Matthews mail@pentrich.org.uk ADDITIONAL INFO: In April 2003, we were contacted by David Batchelor who informed us that the vicar is in fact riding a two-stroke petrol-engine-assisted bicycle & that the motorized attachment was called “The Power Pak” which held 2 or 3 pint of a Petrol & Oil mix & was very econimical; David’s own father had one & David says he used to ride the bike around the garden as a child & one tank load would easily last a week. |
