Kendal Oral History Group aims to compile a picture of earlier times through the recorded memories of the area’s older residents. Mr Ashton T Gates was born in 1907 and interviewed in July 1998

MY STEPFATHER managed a wholesale newspaper and tobacco firm then, in 1932, he was approached by the then area manager of the London, Midland and Scottish railway to see if we would start an agency in the town for them.

He said something I’ve never forgotten and it's years and years ago. He said to my father and I: “One of these days Kendal Station will become an unstaffed halt and the main station will be Oxenholme.”

We’re still agents for the railway more than 60 years on.

Time went by and we decided that tobacco wasn’t very popular so we scrapped it altogether and Terry, my brother, sold the wholesale business to a firm in the North East and Michael, my son, changed the retail business into a full travel agency.

I’ve always been very keen on the railway. I put it down to my great grandfather, who used to take me to Oxenholme in a push chair to watch the “puffers.”

After the war I had 60 miles on the footplate of a steam engine on two occasions – 30 miles each time and I had a go at the controls as well.

We used to offer charters to pubs, so that once a year all the good customers would have a trip out. It was from Kendal to Keswick, Cockermouth, Maryport, Silloth, Carlisle and back over Shap.

Another one was to Harrogate, which used to go out via Hawes and that way and come back via Skipton.

Another one, don’t ask me why, was to Barrow.

The biggest party we ever arranged was 200 from the Provincial, who were going to a special occasion in London.

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