Haslingden Old and New...

Haslingden derives from Hazeldean or Valley of the Hazels. It lies 19 miles north of Manchester in the County of Lancashire. A area at one time noted in particular for its Stone, it also played a big part in the Woollen and then later Cotton Industries from the 18th and through the 19th and early to mid 20th Century... It is steeped in Local History and can also boast to have one of the most beautiful Natural Valleys around, where thousands come and visit annually

Thursday, 16 October 2008

Haslingden By-pass

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Thanks to Charles Ashworth for allowing us to use his

By-pass construction photos within the blog:

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

By-Pass construction related

Photo: thanks to Charles Ashworth

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More photos shown here:

unknown photographer

This shows the last photos before the sad destruction of the North Hag Tunnel.
Here was the stretch that ran past St. James and St. Marys Football Grounds
on approach to the "North Hag Tunnel"
(Photographer: unknown)

Here is a old photo taken from within North Hag Tunnel looking out and showing
CWS Brittania Mill with first chimney and in the far background it looks
like Clough End Mill (Hud Hey Road)
Photographer: unknown

Sadly the last photos showing the cutting through of North Hag,
with Hutch Bank Quarry in the near background
Photographer: unknown

The area directly below Victoria Park which is now a housing estate

Another photo (more wide) of the area directly below Victoria Park

leading on to Park Avenue on the RH which is now a housing estate

This was land which used to belong to Sykeside Mill and boundary to Broadway,

nowadays it will be part of the Tesco Car Park, houses on the top are

Ventnor Road and Sykeside House lower down.

These are showing the rear of Fields Road Sykeside

This shows the area around the old Fields Road Mill and to the right the old Sykeside Mill

The area now partly covered with a new housing estate, and Tescos to the right hand side of the road.

Shows Woolpack (White building) with J and E Transport grey garage to the left hand side.

Making the roundabout at Road End

Road End traffic lights and before roundabout was built

This is the area close to the cattery and almost opposite Sykeside House

looking over towards the Woodpack, with the construction of the roundabout area

This photo is looking back from the Mayfield area towards Sykeside Mill (Now Tescos)

Shows the by-pass around 1981

Another photo of opening day with the coaches taking the dignatories on a first run of the new by-pass
whilst passing the old Sykeside Mill (now Tescos)

This is looking towards Rawtenstall and the swingback from the roundabout

close to the Woolpack

This is showing the area which runs parallel with Rising Bridge Road
and Carter Place on the far right hand side, taken from Hud Hey Bridge

This is yet another photo from the roundabout area at Broadway

Dignatories and spectators at the opening ceremony below the roundabout at the Woolpack

Dignatories and spectators at the opening ceremony below the roundabout at the Woolpack

Dignatories and spectators at the opening ceremony below the roundabout at the Woolpack

This shows the exit leading onto Grane Road with Hutch Bank high in the background

This shows in part the old railway track (Southbound), top Church etc

Another photo showing from Mayfield South to Sykeside

Another photo from Hud Hey towards Carter Place (right) and Rising Bridge.

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Another photo from the opening day of the By-Pass

Photo: Rossendale Free Press

A fabulous before and after photo....

Above: Two lovely photos above kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby

They depict the (top photo) OLD (before the by-pass)

and the (bottom photo) NEW (after the by-pass was built)

And here below we have some great photos of the

NORTH HAG HILL (or Bonk) together with the North Hag Tunnel and

showing the destruction of North Hag to make way for the new by-pass

Photos: thanks to the late Arthur Kirby

We are also fortunate to have some realtime footage

showing some of the clearance for the Haslingden By Pass

from the Joe Belshaw Collection.

I have now included by clicking HERE

the motorway related content appears at the beginning with the

removal of part of Victoria Park, but the main motorway construction

is shown between 4:12 to 8:53 minutes into the film.

Request for Photos and Sending photos for the Blog

We are constantly struggling to find photos to fill the header on the front page and so your photos would be a absolute delight to receive and as long as they are yours and of historic value, we have no problem showing them on the blog, so many people get so much pleasure from these. The feedback has been quite remarkable. So please send your scans of the photos in so they can be put on the blog and subsequently filed within the blog, and can then be seen by the thousands who are watching on a regular basis. This way hopefully the photos will be preserved for not just us but also for the future generations of Hazeldeners, Haslingdonians, Ex pats and friends. Thank you.....

Also just as important as photos are memories or stories of the past and other snippetts of information which may give pleasure together with any posters, programmes and scans of memorabilia pertaining to Haslingden.

If at all possible can photos being submitted to the blog as jpeg images (or another image type file if preferred), and be sent to me in a "full" or at least "large" resolution size (eg: the original size which they are scanned at) and without any reductions in size, before sending through to me. If I have them in full resolution I can do far more with them especially when it comes to showing enlargements etc eg "click over the image to enlarge" etc.

Don't worry should this be a problem, I can still show them in smaller resolution sizes, because even small photos are better than no photo.

Thank you.

Bryan.

Preserve the past in words and pictures

Over the many years there must be lots of interesting facts and tales what have gone on within our Haslingden and Helmshore, some vintage, some old and some new....

And here in our blog we are trying to re-introduce some of this precious information and where possible also offer photographs...

As they say its probably only the tip of the iceberg, but its got to be worth "Passing it on or sharing it before it gets lost forever" ... Have you something you want to share? If so please let us know.

Description of the Arms of the Borough (shown above) - The Arms and Crest of which the following is a description, were assigned to the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Haslingden, by grant from the Herald's College, dated 25th March, 1892 and are therein described as follows: Quarterly Or and Argent on a fesse wavy Azure between a Lion rampant purpure, holding between the paws a Quatrefoil ermine, in the first quarter; six Eagles displayed three, two and one; Gules in the centre chief point a Rose of the last barbed and seeded proper, in the second; a Cog-wheel Sable, in the third; a Pick-axe in bend surmounting a spade in bend sinister, entwined by a Chain in arch all proper in the fourth; a Shuttle fesswise of the first tipped and furnished with thread pendant of the second and for the Crest, on a wreath of the colours upon a Mount a Rock thereon, a Moorcock holding in the beak a Sprig of Hazel, between two branches of Hazel fructed all proper.

Haslingden in its own right was incorporated as a Municipal Borough in the year 1891 and ran most of its affairs from the Municipal Offices, Bury Road (now Car Park) - see photo below. Sadly in 1974 it lost most of its former Independance by being swallowed up to form part of the (then) new Rossendale Borough Council...

The government of the place in 1825 was thus described: 'The district is formed into six divisions called posts or stations, and the executive consists of a constable and six churchwardens. Each churchwarden is charged with the care of a station and is made responsible for its good order.' The system appears to have been successful at the time. It was not till 1875 that a local board was formed. The district ruled by it was extended in 1883 so as to include parts of Haslingden, Henheads, Higher and Lower Booths in the parish of Whalley, and also Musbury and part of Tottington in Bury. In 1891 a charter of incorporation was granted, the council consisting of a mayor, six aldermen and eighteen councillors, chosen by six wards named Town, Acre, Syke, Helmshore, Holden and Grane. The borough area was consolidated into a single township, called Haslingden, in 1894.

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company's (later LMS) line from Clifton to Accrington did run northward through the township, having stations at Helmshore and at Haslingden, it was opened in August 1848.

Dr. Aikin, writing in 1795, says:—Haslingden has been greatly improved within the last twenty years, chiefly from the increase of the woollen manufacture, though much of the cotton trade has likewise been introduced within a few years, particularly the branch of making twist for warps, for which purpose alone several factories have been erected in its neighbourhood. . . . The people were (forty years since) chiefly employed by moneyed men at Rochdale; but now the trade is supported by capitals acquired on the spot by the industry and enterprising spirit of the manufacturers, who have erected inns for the entertainment of travellers, shops and handsome houses for their own residence. A square is lately planned here, and some capital houses are already built in it. . . . A number of mills for carding cotton and sheep's wool and spinning them into cotton twist and woollen yarn for the flannels made here, are erected upon the Swinnell. There is also a corn mill on the river, formerly belonging to the Holden family, now extinct.

Haslingden was one of the chapels existing when Whalley was bestowed on the monks of Stanlaw, and in 1296 it was found that its tithes were worth 5 marks and the altarage 4 marks; the chaplain had a stipend of 4 marks, and the chapel had an endowment of 1 oxgang of land. The church, which is now called St. James's, was rebuilt in the time of Henry VIII and again in 1780, after having fallen down. There was no regularly founded chantry, but in 1548 the names of two priests were recorded in the bishop's visitation list, and the same in 1554; later there was only one minister, the curate. His fixed income was £4 a year out of the rectory of Whalley. The Commonwealth Church Survey of 1650 fails to give any account of the income of Haslingden Chapel, but in 1717 it had £17 8s. 7¾d. a year, including £11 10s. out of the rectory, various fees and the Easter roll. There were six chapelwardens. In 1719 George Hargreaves and others gave £200 to augment the endowment, and with later increments the net value is now £368. The vicars of Whalley formerly presented the curates, but about 1848 the Hulme Trustees acquired the patronage. The benefice is styled a vicarage. In the 16th century the north chapel was acquired by the Rawstornes of New Hall in Tottington. The south chapel belonged to the Holdens of Holden. 'In 1857, during alterations, there were found in a cavity under the floor of the church where the altar anciently stood a skull and crossbones with traces of gilding upon them, and therefore believed to be the relics of St. James, the patron saint.' A large 'plague stone,' with two holes in it, was found in the churchyard. The entries in the registers begin about 1620, but are only fragmentary until 1653.
From: 'Townships: Haslingden', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 (1911), pp. 427-433. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53147

Haslingden On Film

St. Mary's Class of 1951 at a 1991 re-union - kindly sent in by John McGuire.

St. Marys Class of 1951 (1991 Re-Union)

Films kindly given to us by Bernard Rostron - Chairman of the Friends of the Higher Mill Museums - Three films which were filmed by the late Maurice Edmundson:

Green Valley and part of the Walking Day (St. Thomas)

Walking Day (St. Thomas and also Mayor's Sunday

Films kindly sent in by Dave Rothwell (copyright: D. Rothwell)

HGS Staff versus Pupils Hockey Match 3:48

1964 St James Sports Day 3:50

HGS Camp 1965 31secs

HGS Rag Day 12secs

A film by the BFI

Haslingden Peace Celebrations July 19th 1919

Check out DJ Drone on Haslingden Grane (You Tube)

Haslingden Carnival 1950s - Shows Willie Horam and Georgie Berry as the King and Queen.

"Old School Ties" (Haslingden High School) first broadcast on Radio 4 in 1988 -

Images added by Chris Kirby.

"Old School Ties" Programme 2 - BBC (period of students 1940s to 1960s) Images added by Chris Kirby.