Not great photographs but I haven’t seen any photographs of Ropner Park lake in a completely frozen state on Picture Stockton and I doubt that many people will have seen anybody rowing a dinghy on it. The humans are ‘Macky’ of Fairfield and Keith G of Oxbridge.
Photographs courtesy of MF Wilson.
Hi Brian
The “changing rooms” were an absolute nightmare, they were boiling in the summer and Baltic in the winter. I was at Richard Hind from 1966-71, and have played on the pitches when they were waterlogged or frozen, it would never be allowed these days.
The Ropner Park lake froze over on a number of occasions and there have been a couple of heroic rescues on the frozen lake.
I remember the oldies of the time telling us the stories.
Great photos. I was 14 at the time and lived on Hartburn Lane so remember the frozen pond very well.
Brings back memories. I lived in Sydenham Road until 1973, two roads away from the park. Can’t remember the number of time I fell in the lake trying to catch stickleback fish.
I’ve seen it frozen but not to the extent that the ice would bear much weight.
In fact about 20 years ago I stupidly threw a stick onto the ice for my dog, who promptly fell through it. (He weighed less than 20 lb.) Luckily he was only a few feet from the edge so I could drag him out. I was an adult so had no excuse for my stupidity. Luckily the dog forgave me.
In the winter of 62/63 I was going to Holy Trinity CofE Boys school on Yarm Lane. For football we used to be taken by bus to playing fields in Fairfield. But during this winter the pitches were too frozen to play on so for a couple of weeks our teacher took us, walking in a crocodile line, to the frozen lake at Ropner Park; he left us to play, ON THE LAKE! – mostly making slides in the ice, or snowball fights, while he put on proper ice-skating boots and skated around.
Imagine a school doing that these days!
You were dead lucky, and not just because you’re still around to tell the tale!
I was in my final year at Henry Smith in Hartlepool and we girls had to play hockey on a frozen pitch. If anyone fell over they cut their knee on the sharp ridges.
I played soccer for Richard Hind at the field in Fairfield in the snow. Got changed in the brick hut, couldn’t fasten my shirt buttons after we finished 🙂
Hi Brian
The “changing rooms” were an absolute nightmare, they were boiling in the summer and Baltic in the winter. I was at Richard Hind from 1966-71, and have played on the pitches when they were waterlogged or frozen, it would never be allowed these days.