Mum’s Diary
Got up late & did nothing all morning. Went to work in aft. Mr A seemed pleased to see me. Everything seemed in a muddle. Malcolm came to see me at night. R rang. P’s throat worse. Had appointment from Dr. Pryor – Sept 15. 1.50.
Roger’s/My Diary
Left Castleton this morning & walked some of the way to Hathersage with Roena & Darius from Taunton but as they were going to Eyam they had to turn off. Went up to the remains of Peveril Castle. They’re not very impressive.We found a woman’s purse & met her as she were leaving. Sat in a pub called the Travellers Rest which serves draught cider. Got talking to a bloke. Walked to Hathersage along the road and got here about 4. Booked in.Then I rang up Eyam & am going there tomorrow. Dad will pick me up on Saturday from somewhere in Matlock if I can spend the night there.
Notes
Lay-in and Lazy Morning
Mum noted that she got up late and did nothing all morning. It is perhaps worth noting that she was still recovering from surgery for a renal stone which she had had at the beginning of August. She had been home for just over ten days, see Chapter 116.
Mum Worked for Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens
During this period, mum worked as part-time medical secretary for the private practice of two surgeons, Mr Ashken and Mr Stephens, see Chapter 121. This practice was based at 41 Newmarket Road. She worked all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and half day on Fridays. On this occasion, however, although it was a Tuesday, she only went in in the afternoon. This was because she was recovering from surgery and this was her first day back. She noted that Mr Ashken (Mr A) was pleased she was back. She thought everything seemed “in a muddle“, presumably because she had not been there!
Malcolm Carter
Malcolm refers to Rev Malcolm Carter. He was a Methodist Minister who became mum’s friend and confidant, see Chapter 114. From Merseyside, he served in the ministry there and in Darlington and East Anglia. He was Minister at Court Hey Methodist Church from 1978 to 1986. He was the Methodist chaplain to Walton Prison, now HM Prison Liverpool, for 20 years. I found a YouTube video of him taking a service at Wonford Methodist Church in Exeter in July 2024. When he was in Norwich, he was mainly based at Bowthorpe Road Methodist Church. On this occasion, he visited mum at night.
I Phoned
R refers to me (Roger). Mum noted that I rang. I was away on a youth hostelling holiday in the Peak District on my own, see Chapter 122. My suspicion is that the price I paid for being allowed to do this was agreeing to phone home regularly, probably every day! It is interesting to note that I did not note this call.
Tricia’s Sore Throat
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). On the previous Friday, mum had noted that she had a sore throat. On this day, she noted it was worse. Ailments such as coughs, colds and sore throats were relatively common within the family, see Chapter 116.
Appointment with Dr Pryor
Mum noted that she received an appointment from Dr Pryor, presumably by post. She was due to see him on her birthday, 15 September at 1.50 pm. Following her renal surgery, she was found to have hypercalcaemia. The surgeon, Mr Ashken, had referred her to Dr Pryor for this. Dr Pryor had seen her in the hospital just before she was discharged and had said he would see her privately in four to five weeks, see Chapter 116.
Dr Jack Pryor
Jack Sidney Pryor was born on 4 July 1933 and he died on 21 December 1988. He was a consultant physician, with a special interest in renal diseases, at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital, Norwich. Born in London, he received his medical training at Charing Cross Hospital, where he was later to return as a senior medical registrar for a period of three years from 1966. In 1969 he was appointed senior lecturer in medicine at Charing Cross Hospital.
Then, in 1970 he was appointed head of the department of experimental therapeutics at Sandoz in Basle, Switzerland, and was responsible for designing studies in the early stages of the development of new drugs. In May 1971, he was appointed consultant physician in renal diseases at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, a post he held until his sudden death in December 1988. In 1958, Jack Pryor married Bridget Egan, a nursing sister at the Brompton Hospital. They had one son, Robert.
Date Correction
One feature of this diary entry is that I initially wrote the date incorrectly as 23nd and changed it later to the 24th. I must have lost track of days as I made these corrections from Wednesday 18 to Friday 27 August 1976.
Castleton Youth Hostel
I had stayed at the youth hostel in Castleton the previous three nights. At that time, the youth hostel was in Castleton Hall. I stayed here with my father in the late sixties, see Chapter 92. Castleton Hall is no longer a youth hostel. However, in 2023 when my wife and I did what I referred to as a “nostalgic walk” in the Peak District, we stayed in a place called Haddock Hideaway, a self-catering cottage which is actually part of the old youth hostel.
Roena and Darius
I left Castleton in the morning. I walked some of the way to Hathersage with Roena and Darius, a brother and sister from Taunton in Somerset, who I had met the previous day. However, as they were going to Eyam they had to turn off.
Peveril Castle
Presumably before we left Castleton, we went up to the remains of Peveril Castle. I thought they were not very impressive! While I do understand this comment, it is a little harsh. When we went in 2023, we found that we had to pay and the site is completely enclosed. I don’t think either of these were the case in the seventies. In 1976, I noted that we found a woman’s purse and met her as we were leaving.
Travellers Rest
I noted that I sat in a pub called the Travellers Rest and that this served draught cider. Travellers Rest is a pub in Brough on the main road from Hope to Hathersage. My understanding is that it was relatively uncommon to find a pub with draught cider in the seventines. Certainly, it was less common than it is now. However, I am not sure why I remarked on this as I don’t particularly like cider! I noted that I got talking to a “bloke”.
Hathersage Youth Hostel
I finished walking to Hathersage along the road arriving about 4pm. I booked in. This hostel had opened in 1970. For more details of Hathersage youth hostel, see Chapter 92. Then, I rang up Eyam and arranged to go there the next day. I also spoke to dad and arranged that he would pick me up in Matlock if I could organise to spend the night there.
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