The Peacock Inn c1930s – 1992

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Jayemturp1
“Terry” Turp was already in the RAF when he met Clare for the first time at the Peacock sometime in July/August 1939 saying “If you take off that ring, I will marry you” ….. Clare was engaged to a gentleman who lived in Grimethorpe, she did remove the ring, she and Terry married on 31 July 1941. Now they had married the brewery would have preferred the license to be granted to Terry, but as he was still a serving member of the RAF this was not to be. Clare retained the license until Terry’s demobilization after the war.
We know Clare and Terry Turp because they were our parents, and Christopher Walton’s great aunt and uncle.

Some of the Parker children were born in Leeds, Grimethorpe and Hebburn, now Tyne and Wear, none were born in Yeadon the only association with the village was Clare’s move there in order to work at the Peacock.
The Parker family moved up to North Shields for work in the ship yards. When Arthur Parker was 16 he fell 100 feet into the bottom of the ship he was working on, after weeks in hospital in a coma he came out and the Parkers moved back to Grimethorpe South Yorkshire to work in the pit where Granddad stayed till he died in 1986 aged 80.
I know of siblings two who stayed up Newcastle area, one was John and the other was Violet who had married James Stark; in Grimethorpe there was Harry, Arthur, Tommy and Clare in Yeadon.
This is correct to my knowledge but Susan Morgan, Nee Parker and her sister Sharon (who are my cousins) have been working on the family tree so they may know more. The Parker family tree has also been researched extensively by Brenda Prosser nee Parker, Harry and Ada Parker’s daughter.

Also Clare Parker’s Grandson Glynn Collins, who still lives in the Aireborough area has more information and has contributed to your Facebook page, correct information regarding the Peacock Hotel and the Turp family is held by Clare and Terry’s Next of Kin, Michael and his sister Jackie Turp.
Susan Morgan is also on Facebook.
Hope there isn’t too much info here and you are welcome to use any of it on your website. thank you for your interest.”

Christopher Walton.
Michael Turp and Jackie Turp
07 March 2014.

valryan85a
What great information about the Peacock and the Turps thanks for the corrections. I can remember going there. The Peacock stood tall and as proud as a Peacock and I could see the bird on the top from my bedroom window at High Royd,
Larkfield Avenue, Rawdon, it was just before the turn in to the Moorfield Bus Garage which was on the opposite side of the Harrogate Road on the right hand side when going up the hill. I would watch the blue Ledgards buses go slowly up the hill past the Peacock. Sadly neither are there any longer but all part of Yeadon’s colourful history never to be forgotten. Had some good night’s out at the Peacock in the 60’s!
23 November 2016.

VicCAD
Hello Jackie!
I was reminiscing about my earlier years, and you popped into my head. I remember our time at Pitman’s College, in Leeds and that made me think about the Peacock Inn. I remember borrowing Diane Priestley’s bike and riding up from Rodley to see you. I have lived in Canada since 1960.
I would love to hear from you!
Victoria Zimmerman ( Chapman )
14 January 2018.

Peter Downey
jayemturp1 is right, as my mother, Pauline Downey ran the Peacock with her then husband Henry Barker, in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Pauline left Henry and married my father Harry Downey and moved to the Queens Hotel, Apperley Bridge. According to my late father, the Peacock was quite the place to go in those days, it had a restaurant/ballroom and there was live music for dancing. Because people weren’t used to dancing in pubs my mother employed people to get the women to get up and dance. Pubs are in the family’s blood, as my great grandmother has the Angel at Morley and my son, James, the landlord of the Woolpack in Esholt.
23 May 2018.

Peter Haste
In the early 60’s, I worked as a barman at The Peacock several nights a week with my brother-in-law Roger. It was a magnificent old building like a manor house inside with wood panelled walls and dog-grate fires in the main lounge. Entrance up a few steps and through the revolving doors took you into a large hall with Clare’s bar to the left (cocktails etc.) and the lounge to the right, the long bar served the lounge and also served punters in the hall from the end of the bar with a small hatch at the back of the bar which served the ballroom but via waiters only. I was always at home at The Peacock as I’d known Jackie Turp for years, a really good mate and Mick was a great lad. Originally there was a large rose garden at the back full of hybrid tea rose bushes and winding paths, one summer Mick and I were racing round the rose garden, I was on Mick’s drop handlebar bike flat out and hit a double bench seat that someone had pulled across the path – I carried on at great speed but the bike didn’t.
Terry Turp was a great boss, really fair, he usually socialised with regulars in the lounge ’till about 8pm then caught my eye as he approached the bar which was my cue to pass his favourite brandy to him at the private end of the bar and he was away to his quarters. About once a month, usually a Tues or Weds Jack Charlton came in with a couple of football player/managers I think they must have had regular meetings somewhere, really friendly Jack not only loved his beer but smoked like a trooper. I’ve lived down South for years and came back to Yorkshire on business in the 80’s, stopped with a mate in Otley and we visited The Peacock one evening-what a shock-it was open plan and a cluster of vegitation in what had been the ballroom with a ladder shrouded in mist. The young lady that served me it was the younger Turp sister (Evonne/Yvonne?) who recognised me from years before and seemed to be running it. Lots of memories of The Peacock, too many to list here, could write a book.
Peter Haste.
15 June 2018.

JM TURP
Victoria, if you have an email address please post so I can contact you. I had no idea these comments were here, it’s that long since I looked. We all must be in our 70s!
It never occurred to me people would comment on my post about the Peacock, I didn’t look until this past week. Many thanks, you might try and email me on: jglanville@tiscali.co.uk
Jackie
31 July 2020.

Susan Fleck
Hi, I am Susan Fleck, Granddaughter of John and Mary Ellen Parker.
My mum died in October and we have been doing some research into the family tree. We were struggling greatly with granddad’s family as my memory was poor. But recollections of Auntie Clare and the Peacock have turned up trumps. Thank you all.
14 December 2020.

jayemturp1
As a contribution to my book about our parents time at the Peacock Hotel, Maurice Burton from Guiseley had his memories:

“Well do I remember the Peacock which attracted so many couples from not only neighbouring Rawdon, Yeadon, Guiseley, but from Leeds and Bradford, which in the early years before the motor care became the main mode of transport, appeared as far away from their homes in the City, as Majorca is today.
The Peacock at the weekends became their Mecca. Even the busses stopped outside in recognition, so its passengers could alight without having to walk too far. The only energy we exerted was in negotiating the three steps before one opened the stately oak door which led into the long carpeted corridor, complemented the original oak wall panelling and Tudor light fittings.* It looked posh but homely.
On the left was Clare’s cocktail bar for the well to do, or the courting couples where the boyfriend needed to impress. It was always a penny or two dearer but it was mainly bottled beer or shorts, draught was across the corridor on your right as you came in.

The main bar was a delight. In winter large glowing fires gave that Christmas feeling in the depths of late January. Oak tables and chairs, highly polished brasses, especially the hand pulled bar pumps glistened, as did the bar staff. Male and female – young and middle aged, always had a smile and appeared to know everyone. Especially the barmaid with the low cut dress or blouse – cheered you up even in the depths of winter.
The clatter of the pint of mild or bitter brigade – halves only for the ladies – was only broken by the music and laughter from the Ballroom, which one could see, through the serving hatch which supplied them with liquid refreshment.
G & T and mild and bitter seemed to merge together in the ballroom, especially on Saturday and Sunday evenings when you had to be in your seat by the latest 8pm or it was standing room only. It was always advisable to use the toilets which were off the entrance hall right in front of the Ballroom, before one took your place for the evening. The crowds were so dense that they even blocked the entrance and exit, and there was always a queue in the toilet at the best of times.

The piece de resistance was the Wallis family, which appeared regularly at the weekends, and sometimes in the middle of the week. One laughed ones’ troubles away at Peter (Machine Gun) Wallis’s fast, cheeky, sometimes rude jokes, which appeared to offend no-one, and their Christmas Pantomimes were a riot – especially I remember Dick Whittington.
After their performance – back to the serious business of dancing, and by the time the last waltz was announced, there were as many dancers on the floor as there were at 8pm. No drunkenness, no bad language. No flashing lights and one could always “chat up the birds” because you could always speak above the band.

The Peacock alas is dead, they tried to create it’s “Images” but no one ever will!

Maurice Burton
March 1992”
18 May 2014

Rosie Manton
Thanks for this. I well remember the Wallis Family- was a friend of Nancy´s son. Been trying to locate him.
Sad to see the Peacock finally closed its doors. Happy times.
22 July 2021.