(Many thanks to Jackie Ramsbottom for sending in this photo of the "workers" just before it was demolished).
I suppose my first recollections of Haslingden Workingmen's Club, Spring Lane, was once a week, getting a nice suprise when my dad would go off there for his game of snooker, and it felt so special to get a treat which was a bag of crisp made by either firms of the name Rishy (XL Crisp), Bensons or even Smith's Crisp, and it would have had a little salt bag with twisted top, very much like the shape in miniature of what ladies used in their washing and called a "dolly blue", I would try and stop awake excitedly awaiting those crisp, but more often than not would drop off asleep and I would then get my treat the following morning. To think that those days little things (or where they big things?) seemed so much more exciting and worthwhile and yet today we just take things like that for granted. It really meant something special then.... and how values have changed... What was once one bag of crisp per week, could now be two bags per day. Also going to their Annual Christmas Parties which started for me when I was about 6 or 8 years of age. I can clearly remember being met at the door by Peggy Flynn the stewardess and then chatting with her husband Tommy who was behind the bar.....
My father at the time played snooker on a weekly basis for the "Workers", and very occasionally he would let me go with him to watch. Sometimes I also managed to go to some of the away games, at places where they did not sell alcohol. I remember going to St. Peters Church Hall, and also the Liberal Club at the bottom of Park Street, a beautiful old building with wide steps with timber polished balustrade from where you would go upstairs into the main room where there was two full size snooker tables. I must have gone with him many times because I can still remember some of their (Haslingden Liberal Club) players from that time (Mr Duxbury - the Auctioneer and later his son), Veril Riley, Josh Knowles, Ernie Taylor.... Another place I remember going to was Townsendfold Social Club which them days seemed a million miles away!!
Back in the 50s and possibly into the 60s top snooker/billiard players would visit the "workers" and do exhibitions. From memory my father used to tell me about the famous names such as Jackie Rae, and Fred Davis (top man in billiards those days), and John Spencer would also come to the Club.
When we first got married I remember us going on many a Saturday night, where we would play bingo, whilst sat on the well upholstered seating which bordered the full perimeter of the snooker room.....
There where also concerts at the Club and I can remember a great local performer "Willie Horan" a local popular drag act, who would from time to time pack the Club. Jimmy Hill was the pianist at the Club and he was also in the "workers" snooker team along with my dad, and also Jimmy Collinge, Dick Garnett and others.
Nearer to the latter days of the Club, I remember attending a Charity function which was organized by Jimmy Paton and can even remember him saying to several of us that were sitting with him at the same table, "we have all these variety acts coming and appearing here tonight, but we need a "name personality" to do the raffle etc.", no sooner had he mentioned it to us that he jumped up and proceeded to the phone and there and then rang Granada Studios in Manchester, and asked if "Tony Wilson" the newscaster would be able to appear at the event..... its was quite unbelievable when I think back, but sure enough Jim managed to persuade Tony who said he would come straight after presenting the evening news, which he did, a couple of hours later. What a fabulous chap he was, I remember him asking one of the variety acts if he did'nt mind if he could use his guitar for a number or two, and up Tony got to the stage, and what was to come was a real treat..... I don't think anyone was ready for Tony Wilson (the great local newscaster of the day) to play out some raunchy heavy blues, before us and it was really quite superb.... he brought the house down.
After witnessing that evening, that great mans kindness, and enjoying such insurmountable skills he provided that night, I couldn't help but then be attracted by various news reports over the years of Tony's career. I was never suprised that he later took time out from television to open and promote Factory Records with such involvement towards Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, and the list goes on and on. In later years his energies furthered and he opened up the famous Manchester Hacienda.... It was such a tragedy that he died in August 2007, but what a legacy that man left us.
Going back in time! I can sort of remember sometimes when going home from the "Top Church School (St. Jame's) would go through the Churchyard, and then follow the pathway past a long row of cottages which overlooked Blackburn Road (been demolished years ago) and then would go past the "Workers" Club on the right, and then it was all waste ground at the side of the Club (long before the West View Estate was even thought of). And I remember somewhere around here there was some very large "air raid shelters", or at least that is what I was lead to believe they were.
Also just to the right hand side of the Club, was the "Spring Well", a natural Spring well which is fed from the side of Cribden, the well is still in the same place today. In the past I would often take refreshment here! (so pure a water!). This same waterway in the distant past would have been collected higher up, by the Baxters Brewery, before reaching this point. On the opposite side of Spring Lane and almost directly across from the Club was a couple of terraced properties (still there today) and one of them used to be the stewards house, and was owned by the Club. Spring Lane itself in those days was a steep cobbled road with well worn shiny "setts", and it was one of the last places in Haslingden to receive a tarmac covering (probably in the 80s).
Closeby to the Club was the Baxters Brewery (pre: Beverleys, Wilsons). I can remember the building well from my childhood days, but not has a brewery. I would pass the building regular and it would have wagons either delivering or picking up large bales of cotton waste...
It was so sad for some of us when that Club closed down.
Lots and lots of happy memories.....
Another photo here which shows the "workers" in situ and also the long row of houses which have long been demolished which overlooked Blackburn Road.
I suppose my first recollections of Haslingden Workingmen's Club, Spring Lane, was once a week, getting a nice suprise when my dad would go off there for his game of snooker, and it felt so special to get a treat which was a bag of crisp made by either firms of the name Rishy (XL Crisp), Bensons or even Smith's Crisp, and it would have had a little salt bag with twisted top, very much like the shape in miniature of what ladies used in their washing and called a "dolly blue", I would try and stop awake excitedly awaiting those crisp, but more often than not would drop off asleep and I would then get my treat the following morning. To think that those days little things (or where they big things?) seemed so much more exciting and worthwhile and yet today we just take things like that for granted. It really meant something special then.... and how values have changed... What was once one bag of crisp per week, could now be two bags per day. Also going to their Annual Christmas Parties which started for me when I was about 6 or 8 years of age. I can clearly remember being met at the door by Peggy Flynn the stewardess and then chatting with her husband Tommy who was behind the bar.....
My father at the time played snooker on a weekly basis for the "Workers", and very occasionally he would let me go with him to watch. Sometimes I also managed to go to some of the away games, at places where they did not sell alcohol. I remember going to St. Peters Church Hall, and also the Liberal Club at the bottom of Park Street, a beautiful old building with wide steps with timber polished balustrade from where you would go upstairs into the main room where there was two full size snooker tables. I must have gone with him many times because I can still remember some of their (Haslingden Liberal Club) players from that time (Mr Duxbury - the Auctioneer and later his son), Veril Riley, Josh Knowles, Ernie Taylor.... Another place I remember going to was Townsendfold Social Club which them days seemed a million miles away!!
Back in the 50s and possibly into the 60s top snooker/billiard players would visit the "workers" and do exhibitions. From memory my father used to tell me about the famous names such as Jackie Rae, and Fred Davis (top man in billiards those days), and John Spencer would also come to the Club.
When we first got married I remember us going on many a Saturday night, where we would play bingo, whilst sat on the well upholstered seating which bordered the full perimeter of the snooker room.....
There where also concerts at the Club and I can remember a great local performer "Willie Horan" a local popular drag act, who would from time to time pack the Club. Jimmy Hill was the pianist at the Club and he was also in the "workers" snooker team along with my dad, and also Jimmy Collinge, Dick Garnett and others.
Nearer to the latter days of the Club, I remember attending a Charity function which was organized by Jimmy Paton and can even remember him saying to several of us that were sitting with him at the same table, "we have all these variety acts coming and appearing here tonight, but we need a "name personality" to do the raffle etc.", no sooner had he mentioned it to us that he jumped up and proceeded to the phone and there and then rang Granada Studios in Manchester, and asked if "Tony Wilson" the newscaster would be able to appear at the event..... its was quite unbelievable when I think back, but sure enough Jim managed to persuade Tony who said he would come straight after presenting the evening news, which he did, a couple of hours later. What a fabulous chap he was, I remember him asking one of the variety acts if he did'nt mind if he could use his guitar for a number or two, and up Tony got to the stage, and what was to come was a real treat..... I don't think anyone was ready for Tony Wilson (the great local newscaster of the day) to play out some raunchy heavy blues, before us and it was really quite superb.... he brought the house down.
After witnessing that evening, that great mans kindness, and enjoying such insurmountable skills he provided that night, I couldn't help but then be attracted by various news reports over the years of Tony's career. I was never suprised that he later took time out from television to open and promote Factory Records with such involvement towards Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, and the list goes on and on. In later years his energies furthered and he opened up the famous Manchester Hacienda.... It was such a tragedy that he died in August 2007, but what a legacy that man left us.
Going back in time! I can sort of remember sometimes when going home from the "Top Church School (St. Jame's) would go through the Churchyard, and then follow the pathway past a long row of cottages which overlooked Blackburn Road (been demolished years ago) and then would go past the "Workers" Club on the right, and then it was all waste ground at the side of the Club (long before the West View Estate was even thought of). And I remember somewhere around here there was some very large "air raid shelters", or at least that is what I was lead to believe they were.
Also just to the right hand side of the Club, was the "Spring Well", a natural Spring well which is fed from the side of Cribden, the well is still in the same place today. In the past I would often take refreshment here! (so pure a water!). This same waterway in the distant past would have been collected higher up, by the Baxters Brewery, before reaching this point. On the opposite side of Spring Lane and almost directly across from the Club was a couple of terraced properties (still there today) and one of them used to be the stewards house, and was owned by the Club. Spring Lane itself in those days was a steep cobbled road with well worn shiny "setts", and it was one of the last places in Haslingden to receive a tarmac covering (probably in the 80s).
Closeby to the Club was the Baxters Brewery (pre: Beverleys, Wilsons). I can remember the building well from my childhood days, but not has a brewery. I would pass the building regular and it would have wagons either delivering or picking up large bales of cotton waste...
It was so sad for some of us when that Club closed down.
Lots and lots of happy memories.....
Another photo here which shows the "workers" in situ and also the long row of houses which have long been demolished which overlooked Blackburn Road.
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Haslingden Workmens Club at one time must have had a Library Section Scan: thanks to Marie Ives and uploaded here on 26th February 2016. |
This is a email I received from Chris Reid on 10th January 2012:
Hi Bryan, I have just finished reading your blog on the hwmc. we must have spoken or met that night tony wilson appeared as i was on the committee with jim patton who i had known all my life. we had just had the club refurbished. tony wilson actualy got up on stage to play a guitar, not succsessfully. however. i helped jim run the club for a good while before i left haslingden.
there were some great nights there. i was gutted when the club closed as i was in canada at the time. i used to take horses to drink at the well on spring lane, i often wonder if it is still there running. i think it is time i revisited haslingden with a new pair of eyes. i am sure we must be close to the same age 55. i can only thank you for the time and effort you have put in to the site.it has helped me no end to restore my memory. if i can recall anything more as i read through i will e-mail you. please feel free to post any info i send that you consider useful.I think there should be a list of town characters and some of their antics.
all the best
chris reid
Response: "Housey Housey" them days not "Bingo"
there were some great nights there. i was gutted when the club closed as i was in canada at the time. i used to take horses to drink at the well on spring lane, i often wonder if it is still there running. i think it is time i revisited haslingden with a new pair of eyes. i am sure we must be close to the same age 55. i can only thank you for the time and effort you have put in to the site.it has helped me no end to restore my memory. if i can recall anything more as i read through i will e-mail you. please feel free to post any info i send that you consider useful.I think there should be a list of town characters and some of their antics.
all the best
chris reid
Response: "Housey Housey" them days not "Bingo"
Hi Chris,
Like you say it was a really great Club and held special memories for me (like yourself), especially going to the Christmas parties as a child etc etc. I then became a member at the start of drinking age, and went regular on Sat nights when I got wed, it was a sort of bingo night (I think they called it housey them days - not bingo)
Yes the Spring is still there and running. Well it was a couple of years ago.
I am a little older than you at 64, and have for the past 3 years been living in Burton In Kendal in Cumbria, but I do get chance usually at least bi-monthly to visit the old place.
I am extra pleased this is helping you to get better with your memory illness, that makes it all the more worthwhile.
Keep remembering!
All the best,
Bryan.
I know that up to 1980 whilst the working mens club was still open, the properties opposite were numbers 2 & 4 Spring Lane with Spring Cottage adjacent to the club.
Number two was in 1980 owned by Ida & Peter Riley who sold to a young couple from Manchester in the same year. Ida & Peter moved to wardened bungalows closer to town.Number 4 was the old club stewards house which had been empty for some years. In 1984 number 4 was bought by Mrs Anne Lees, who was determined to renovate the property with its far reaching views over the valley. Number 4 also owned the walled garden to the side of the house. Unfortunately due to ill health Mrs Lees did not complete the work on the house and sold to her neighbours in 1986.The following year both properties were renovated into the Pagg house as seen in your blog.Like you say it was a really great Club and held special memories for me (like yourself), especially going to the Christmas parties as a child etc etc. I then became a member at the start of drinking age, and went regular on Sat nights when I got wed, it was a sort of bingo night (I think they called it housey them days - not bingo)
Yes the Spring is still there and running. Well it was a couple of years ago.
I am a little older than you at 64, and have for the past 3 years been living in Burton In Kendal in Cumbria, but I do get chance usually at least bi-monthly to visit the old place.
I am extra pleased this is helping you to get better with your memory illness, that makes it all the more worthwhile.
Keep remembering!
All the best,
Bryan.
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| Three of the final stalwarts to the Club Jim Patton, Laddy Pilling and Ronnie Clough Photo: Kindly shared to us by Peter Fisher |
Haslingden & Dist Snooker League Fixture Handbook 1958-1959
It was a thriving snooker league back in the 1950s and 1960s and thankfully I was able to attend some of the Workers (Haslingden Workingmens Club) matches whilst supporting my dad's team.......
In email conversation only this week we have been privileged to receive several photo contributions from Geoffrey Heap who I personally can remember from when he was with the St. Peter's Scouts. But I also mentioned to him that I thought I could remember his dad playing for the St. Peters Church Snooker team, at times playing against my dad on the opposite team.
He confirmed back that this was the case and memories came flooding back for me and obviously for Geoff as well.
I am not sure how old I was but would have thought perhaps about 12 or 13 and although I wasn't allowed to go to the Clubs that sold alcohol, my dad did used to take me along to watch and support the Workers when they played at alcohol free clubs such as: The Liberal Club on Park Street, and St. Peter's in one of the schoolrooms at the back of the Church, and rarely we would catch the bus to Rawtenstall and then another bus over to Townsendfold Social Club (with this last one! was I supposed to be there or not!! - alcohol or non alcohol?)
They were cracking nights watching my dad (the team Captain), and his mate Jimmy Collinge, Bob Fisher, Jimmy Heald (who also played the piano at the Workers), Joe Clarkson and George Garnett amongst others. I think they were a pretty good team and always did well in the league as I remember.
At the Liberal Club I remember some of their players which included Josh Knowles (Brian's dad), Mr. Duxbury (the Auctioneer) and later his son (also Auctioneer), Veril Riley, and one guy who stood out to me, he seemed a great player and ever so young for that team and that was Ernie Taylor (carpets etc) at St. Peter's I can only just about remember Mr. Heap, but remember better a really tall chap with glasses who was another friend of my dad's in snooker and that was Frank Riley (lived on Townsend Street)
It was great to hear a couple of stories from Geoffrey about when he also used to go and watch his dad playing with the St. Peters Snooker team. I have printed the tales here for all to enjoy....
The following tales are submitted by Geoffrey Heap:
Yes my dad was captain of St. Peter's Church Institute snooker team and I also used to go with him to watch the team play, when aged 13 and 14. I then played for the team when I was 15 and 16 and yes a Frank Riley played for the team.
I have a couple of vivid memories of those days - I remember us playing an away match against The Irish Democratic League, a game the team needed to win to finish top. My dad and I arrived at the club early and the only other person there was the Steward, who happened to be playing the one armed bandit, which was one of the old tic tac toe machines. As usual dad wanted a drink and the steward had to leave the bandit in order to serve him. At most matches, my dad used to let me have a few tanners to 'lose' on the bandits and this night was no exception; as soon as the steward walked away from the machine, I began to feed it with tanners, three or four coins later the jackpot dropped, well ten bob in tanners did, the rest of the £5 had to be collected from the bar. I walked quickly towards the bar, with a broad grin on my face, to be met by a stony faced steward who very ungraciously paid me the £4.10s. I then asked my dad what I should do with the pocket full of tanners and he suggested that he would keep hold of them until our next away match. I agreed but asked to keep a few back as I had not had much of a play on the machine. By this time the IDL team had arrived and we could see the steward in deep conversation with them, no doubt expressing his annoyance at having to be pulled from the bandit to serve my dad and by rights the jackpot should have been his.
I walked back to the bandit and proceeded to try my luck again, fully expecting to quickly lose the lot, unbelievably I hit the jackpot again, this time I dispensed with the broad grin and sheepishly asked the steward for my winnings, if looks would kill I was lucky to leave the club alive, needless to say I remained at dad's side for the rest of the evening. To cap it all we won the match, thus denying the IDL the title. By the end of the evening the atmosphere felt quite tense and we thought about asking for a police escort when we left the Club!
A match against Loveclough Printworks is also etched in my memory. This club used an old set of snooker balls, the colours of which were very faded, green and blue looked the same colour, the reds all looked like pinks and so on. Dad was in the middle of a nice break when he nominated "blue" and potted it; to our amazement the referee called 'foul stroke five away', dad asked why and the ref, pointed out that the green ball had been potted. Dad lost his temper and eventually had to go outside to calm down and have a fag.
Haslingden and District Snooker League
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Notification from Brent Cleever on Jan 31st 2021
I came across your blog page and thought I might contribute to the discussion.
I believe the whole property was sold around 2000.
The Working Mens Club I think stopped trading mid 80's but stood empty for many years becoming derelict and was demolished in the 90's.Please find attached a photo of that sad day.Hope this is of interest.
