In 1961 I bought an O type 7 ton petrol Bedford for £45 and started leading Coal out of Hatfield Colliery
at Stainforth near Doncaster. Heading back to Thorne on the corner where Kirton Lane met the A614
near the canal bridge was a cracking little cafe whose name long since escaped me. It was just a little
place tacked onto a house but their bacon butties and mug of tea was to die for. I seem to remember
the green 8 wheelers of Hanson’s running coal to Keadby power station called there. Heading out of
Thorne on the A614 (well before any motorways) you met the A18 at Tudworth Hall and headed towards
Doncaster (anyone remember the Borstal boys in their striped outfits working the fields at Tudworth Hall farm.)
Carrying on the A18 through Hatfield at Dunsville there was two cafes nearly opposit. I think the one on the left
with a large car park was called the Lindholme (now a hosuing estate) and just a little on the other side of the
road between the row of Bungalows was the Copper Kettle with a much smaller car park. regards Big Al
What was the one in Goldthorpe called ? (on the main road.)
As a kid I remember always seeing ERF KV’s belonging to Harris’s of Northwich all parked around a little shop converted into a transport cafe down a side street (Birch St) off the A57 near Belle Vue, it always surprised me how they found that little place hidden away.
Big Al:
In 1961 I bought an O type 7 ton petrol Bedford for £45 and started leading Coal out of Hatfield Colliery
at Stainforth near Doncaster. Heading back to Thorne on the corner where Kirton Lane met the A614
near the canal bridge was a cracking little cafe whose name long since escaped me. It was just a little
place tacked onto a house but their bacon butties and mug of tea was to die for. I seem to remember
the green 8 wheelers of Hanson’s running coal to Keadby power station called there. Heading out of
Thorne on the A614 (well before any motorways) you met the A18 at Tudworth Hall and headed towards
Doncaster (anyone remember the Borstal boys in their striped outfits working the fields at Tudworth Hall farm.)
Carrying on the A18 through Hatfield at Dunsville there was two cafes nearly opposit. I think the one on the left
with a large car park was called the Lindholme (now a hosuing estate) and just a little on the other side of the
road between the row of Bungalows was the Copper Kettle with a much smaller car park. regards Big Al
Hi Al.
The cafe on the left was the Lindholme,used it many a time for snap and dodgys. 
I remember another cafe opposite so that must have been the Copper Kettle.There was a boozer near both called the Flarepath.
TIPIT:
What was the one in Goldthorpe called ? (on the main road.)
As a kid I remember always seeing ERF KV’s belonging to Harris’s of Northwich all parked around a little shop converted into a transport cafe down a side street (Birch St) off the A57 near Belle Vue, it always surprised me how they found that little place hidden away.
Tipit,do you mean the one off the main road on the left going towards Doncaster nearly out of the village? It was a shop/cafe down a side street and the woman who ran the cafe was called Bet,her husband ran the shop.Good snap in there,I used it a lot when tipping or loading in Manvers.There was another cafe on the other side of the village on the left towards Barnsley as well but I can’t recall the name of it.
I remember a cafe near Belle Vue but it was on the main road on the left.A lot of the houses were being demolished the last time I used it in the 70s.
"Chris Webb:
Do you mean the one off the main road on the left going towards Doncaster nearly out of the village?
That’s the one Chris !
The other one you mentioned on the A57 near Belle Vue still stands … extended and modernised, (It’s the only thing left over from the mass demolition in that area as you say in the early 70’s.)
… But the one Harris’s used, was about 500 yards away behind that one. (Near the old Palantine Brewery.)
By the way Chris, I got the boat over to Douglas for a wedding at Castletown Castle 3 weeks ago. The first time I had ever been to the Isle of Man myself, and the weather then was just like being in the Med. Surprised to see a few lone 40 ft trailers lined up inside the dock, are there many transport firms over their using artics ? I only seen the weekend traffic, so hardly any lorries on the road then.
Hi Al.
The cafe on the left was the Lindholme,used it many a time for snap and dodgys.
I remember another cafe opposite so that must have been the Copper Kettle.There was a boozer near both called the Flarepath.
[/quote]
Lindolme RAF station was nearby (now a prison) and flarepath would relate to the wartime bombers coming back from raids.
In about 1948 my Dad would take me with him to a farm on Hatfield moors, Dad was an agricultural engineer and we would go to
repair their tractors (think the farmer was Lyons) They had a large collection of aircraft equipment including machine guns that
the crews would throw out to lighten the aircraft to keep them in the air. regards Big Al
TIPIT:
[
There are quite a few firms over here with artics Tipit.Graylaw Freight ,based at Skelmersdale,is the biggest.Then there is Edmundsons who are or were Preston based,they’ve been here for years.ICD is another which belongs to Mezeron,a shipping company based in Ramsey who run daily to Glasson Dock,Lancasterwith “Silver River”.The brewery over here,Heron and Brearley,have bought a few transport companies as well,a tipper firm called Onchan Haulage and a local distribution company all under the banner of Trade distribution.Most of the work is shunting trailers ex uk off the dock,Graylaw do the Tesco job,Edmundsons M and S and various other trailers with building materials etc.It’s busier over here than you might think.A lot of tippers too,Cemex own a gravel pit at the northern tip and run DAF CF 8-leggers as well 8-leg mixers.JCK have a load of DAF tippers and do all the heavy haulage and there are a lot of owner drivers too.No tachos used here,only work sheets as we are not EEC/UK regulated but it won’t be long before they are installed I don’t think,as they are on about operators licences etc…Shell and Total have depots here in Douglas and Peel.
We could have had a pint if I’d known… 
Chris Webb:
TIPIT:
[There are quite a few firms over here with artics Tipit.Graylaw Freight ,based at Skelmersdale,is the biggest.Then there is Edmundsons who are or were Preston based,they’ve been here for years.ICD is another which belongs to Mezeron,a shipping company based in Ramsey who run daily to Glasson Dock,Lancasterwith “Silver River”.The brewery over here,Heron and Brearley,have bought a few transport companies as well,a tipper firm called Onchan Haulage and a local distribution company all under the banner of Trade distribution.Most of the work is shunting trailers ex uk off the dock,Graylaw do the Tesco job,Edmundsons M and S and various other trailers with building materials etc.It’s busier over here than you might think.A lot of tippers too,Cemex own a gravel pit at the northern tip and run DAF CF 8-leggers as well 8-leg mixers.JCK have a load of DAF tippers and do all the heavy haulage and there are a lot of owner drivers too.No tachos used here,only work sheets as we are not EEC/UK regulated but it won’t be long before they are installed I don’t think,as they are on about operators licences etc…Shell and Total have depots here in Douglas and Peel.
We could have had a pint if I’d known…
Chris, when I worked on the Isle Of Man in 1994 at Peel “B” power station there used to be a firm that
ran an AEC Matador pulling a 4 wheel trailer, is it still about. I remember Econofreight delivering a very
large diesel engine to go in the new power station at Peel and they had to call on this guy to help
shunt it in. I used to use Mancrane Hire, are they still around ? I lived on the TT course at Bradda Bridge,
quite handy when it was race week as there is an under pass and I could still get to Peel. regards Big Al
TIPIT:
As a kid I remember always seeing ERF KV’s belonging to Harris’s of Northwich all parked around a little shop converted into a transport cafe down a side street (Birch St) off the A57 near Belle Vue, it always surprised me how they found that little place hidden away.
Hi Tipit, used to watch all the wagons round there myself when I was a kid. There was another cafe not to far away from there on Redgate lane corner of Ashmore street I think it was (the one way street to Hyde road) Think it was called Mays. Used to go to Ardwick Green park at night time to see all the overnighters parked at the back. Hyde road was full of transport digs in those days.
Yes your’re right they built a new stretch of road, that is the old Flouch crossroads that you can see.
Hi Chris, that certainly sounds very much like the one I was thinking of,remember the teapots, cheers.
Nice one deesider, soon as you said whitewashed prefab I remembered it. With you being in Flint, do you know if Woolleys on the A548 is still going?
Ray
Hi boys
Deesider:
dessert driver:
Hi boysflishflunk:
Hiya Chris,
The Dunkirk was on the way to Queensferry, but on the left hand coming from Stanlow between A41 and A540. Just had a thought, if you went to where the M56 (until recently) ended then turned right, back towards Stanlow refineries, it was just up there on the right hand side. Handy place for going back to Manchester on a Dodgy, so I’ve been toldYour right boys that was the Dunkirk but who remembers the cafe behind the garage on the opersite side of the road two hundred yards towards Stanlow? We used to stop there most weeks after collecting steel from shotton for the continent mid 70s till mid 80s but for the life of me cannot remember the name.
Regards Keith.
…That would have been “Joyces” transport cafe, (behind the JET filling station.)
A whitewashed prefab type building in the middle of the large parking area.
[/quote]
Thanks Deesider youv’e put my mind at rest, still in that area do’s anyone remember The Quakador hotel 200yards towards Stanlow by the roundabout. It was distroyed by fire.
Regards Keith.
Ray,
Woolleys cafe was demolished, only last year, and a sales site for static caravans is now there. The cafe was open until a few years ago, I think, but whenever I passed the parking ground was usually empty. I personally think the beginning of the end for them was the closure of the Kwik Save warehouse in Prestatyn all those years ago- they lost most of their passing trade at a stroke… 
Keith, yes- I remember that hotel by the A5117/A41 roundabout.
It was as you say destroyed by fire. It was a strange looking building - slabs of grey concrete,put together like huge Lego bricks…
Needless to say, there’s a housing estate on the site now. 
Big Al:
Chris Webb:
TIPIT:
[There are quite a few firms over here with artics Tipit.Graylaw Freight ,based at Skelmersdale,is the biggest.Then there is Edmundsons who are or were Preston based,they’ve been here for years.ICD is another which belongs to Mezeron,a shipping company based in Ramsey who run daily to Glasson Dock,Lancasterwith “Silver River”.The brewery over here,Heron and Brearley,have bought a few transport companies as well,a tipper firm called Onchan Haulage and a local distribution company all under the banner of Trade distribution.Most of the work is shunting trailers ex uk off the dock,Graylaw do the Tesco job,Edmundsons M and S and various other trailers with building materials etc.It’s busier over here than you might think.A lot of tippers too,Cemex own a gravel pit at the northern tip and run DAF CF 8-leggers as well 8-leg mixers.JCK have a load of DAF tippers and do all the heavy haulage and there are a lot of owner drivers too.No tachos used here,only work sheets as we are not EEC/UK regulated but it won’t be long before they are installed I don’t think,as they are on about operators licences etc…Shell and Total have depots here in Douglas and Peel.
We could have had a pint if I’d known…Chris, when I worked on the Isle Of Man in 1994 at Peel “B” power station there used to be a firm that
ran an AEC Matador pulling a 4 wheel trailer, is it still about. I remember Econofreight delivering a very
large diesel engine to go in the new power station at Peel and they had to call on this guy to help
shunt it in. I used to use Mancrane Hire, are they still around ? I lived on the TT course at Bradda Bridge,
quite handy when it was race week as there is an under pass and I could still get to Peel. regards Big Al
Eyup Al.
That Matador was still working a few years ago,although I’ve never seen it having only lived here three years.It belongs to a Cpt Steve Carter who owns the Laxey Towing Co.He moved some old steam locos and trams on a low loader apparantly.He moves Liverpool pilots between ships in Douglas Bay when the weather is bad for Mersey pilotage.The tug is called “Wendy Ann” and the pilot boat is “Girl Mary”.That crane company Mann Crane Hire,is still going as well.
You mean Braddan Bridge Al,(Bradda is at Port Erin ) and the road you used,the “access road” is still there and used in race weeks for drivers who need to go to the hospital and also other parts of the island,albeit a long way round when the roads are closed.
This is the Pilot boat “Girl Mary” that tranships Mersey Pilots between vessels.I can see it all happening from my front room window.I look on the internet and watch for the ships approaching from Liverpool and other directions and then look for them out of the window.And I don’t even get wet!
Here’s one for you Lancs lads,a cafe in Manchester (or maybe Salford,better get it right ) .When you came off the end of the Mancunian Way and did a right towards Eccles you went under a railway bridge with CLC (Cheshire Lines Committee) engraved on it and Water street was on your right.You went up to the second set of lights and turned right,going towards the A6 and the East Lancs.The road was called Oldfield Road,and on the left,maybe L’pool Road or Street,on a corner was a boozer which I think was called The Ship and you could turn left and down there on the right was a cafe where they fed you with the best pie,peas and chips I’ve ever tasted.It would be in the 70s and a lot of the old terraced houses were being cleared so there were a lot of tipper men in the cafe.IIRC the boozer was burnt down by a Salford gang in the 80s,can’t remember the ar******'s name but I read about him in a book about Manchester gangs.
The other two cafes I remember in that area have been mentioned before on this forum.One was in a big lay-by on the A57 as you went under what was the M63 on the left near Barton Airport and the other was out past Cadishead on the right,I always called it the Wooden Hut,run by an American where they did a nice big toasted fried spam sandwich amongst other things.I think it’s still open which if true is great to know as I used it in the 60s and 70s.
I’ve had some dodgys on both of them. The drivers digs on Hyde Road were called Jimmys I think although they were too near Sheffield for me to use.
Where abouts on the A5 was the Blue Boar? i remember the the old one which is now the night owl, was it the rendevous or something? the one further up from there that was on both sides was known localy as Turtens, i remember a Blue Boar on the A45 it was where the Texaco is as you come from the M45, first on the left. Then on the other side you had Bobs at stretton on dunsmore, and who remembers the Blue Star which was about 2 miles past Bobs?
Heres a pic of Bobs as it is Today.
Sugar Ray:
Where abouts on the A5 was the Blue Boar? i remember the the old one which is now the night owl, was it the rendevous or something? the one further up from there that was on both sides was known localy as Turtens, i remember a Blue Boar on the A45 it was where the Texaco is as you come from the M45, first on the left. Then on the other side you had Bobs at stretton on dunsmore, and who remembers the Blue Star which was about 2 miles past Bobs?Heres a pic of Bobs as it is Today.
somebody save it !!!
Chris Webb:
TIPIT:
[There are quite a few firms over here with artics Tipit.Graylaw Freight ,based at Skelmersdale,is the biggest.Then there is Edmundsons who are or were Preston based,they’ve been here for years.ICD is another which belongs to Mezeron,a shipping company based in Ramsey who run daily to Glasson Dock,Lancasterwith “Silver River”.The brewery over here,Heron and Brearley,have bought a few transport companies as well,a tipper firm called Onchan Haulage and a local distribution company all under the banner of Trade distribution.Most of the work is shunting trailers ex uk off the dock,Graylaw do the Tesco job,Edmundsons M and S and various other trailers with building materials etc.It’s busier over here than you might think.A lot of tippers too,Cemex own a gravel pit at the northern tip and run DAF CF 8-leggers as well 8-leg mixers.JCK have a load of DAF tippers and do all the heavy haulage and there are a lot of owner drivers too.No tachos used here,only work sheets as we are not EEC/UK regulated but it won’t be long before they are installed I don’t think,as they are on about operators licences etc…Shell and Total have depots here in Douglas and Peel.
We could have had a pint if I’d known…
As a matter of interest – I assume Isle of Man is not in the EU, so is there a permit allocation for International Traffic to & fro the island ■■
Check this out.
Good one Sugar Ray,bit of history.
Deesider:
Woolleys cafe was demolished, only last year, and a sales site for static caravans is now there. The cafe was open until a few years ago, I think, but whenever I passed the parking ground was usually empty. I personally think the beginning of the end for them was the closure of the Kwik Save warehouse in Prestatyn all those years ago- they lost most of their passing trade at a stroke…
Thanks for that Deesider, shame another good cafe has bit the dust. Didn’t Coopers of Prestatyn frequent there as well?
Allways seemed to be very busy in the mornings and quiet in the afternoons when I used to go that way. What I do remember was the man that ran the place, (he may have owned it) Name of Peter, seen him there in the late 60s, 70s, 80s and even early 90s, which would have been the last time I was in there. Passed a few times since but it was allways on a Sunday.
Just thought wasn’t there another one just up the road called The Teapot?
Ray