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

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Yes the Unity was the United Service Club?

Where abouts in Haslingden was the United Service Club?

Thanks to Jackie Ramsbottom and her press cuttings click here to check out or click here for more or click here for even more. We now know that the Club was definately on Lower Lane, although when previously it had been a pub the address was still given as Communion Street. And also thanks to John Bedford for some earlier notes about when his great great grandmother (Alice Riley) was the landlady of the same building which was then the "Staff Of Life" pub.

So we have now established that the United Service Club was on Lower Lane, Haslingden (in 1912) and previous to that the Club used to be called the National Reserve Club. It was a Club were War veterans met and talked over their war experiences. The objects of the Club according to the rules is to assist in raising and organizing the National Reserve.

Reading the interesting newspaper cuttings, it seems the Club landed itself in trouble and its Secretary at that time was forced to attend a hearing of the Court and the result was taking away the licence from the Club.

Showing the Old Unity Club during demolition of part of Top Of the Town (photo: donated by John Bedford)

And below is a photo of the old Unity Club, showing it as it was in 2003 a private dwelling:

"The Old Unity Club"

Before the building became a private dwelling, it had previously been the Unity Club, also known at one time as the "Th' Looafe and Cheese" and also had been known as the Belt and Braces, and before that it was the United Service Club and before that it was the National Reserve Club. And before that it was "The Staff of Life" pub.

The Staff Of Life is shown in the 1871 Census which at that time gives the address as Communion Street and the licensed beerseller (or landlady) was Alice Riley (head) (Great, great grandmother to John Bedford). Communion Street or the nearby Pocket Street are no longer there now which meant that later it put the property within the confines of what became part of "Lower Lane"


Land League Bazaar Committe


John William Riley

In 1901 approx was about the time when J.W. Riley (grandson of Alice Riley) became the caretaker of the United Service Club. Around 1912 he became the steward of the Irish Democratic League Club, after it had moved to its present premises in George Street (which had been originally the old Haslingden Conservative Club). In the 1911 census it shows J.W. Riley aged 44 and living at 25 Towngate, Haslingden. (Thanks to John Bedford for supplying photo of J.W. Riley and also for supplying the Census material on Alice Riley and also J.W. Riley, these will be scanned and filed under Haslingden Documents shortly).

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I can remember has a lad going into the Unity Club were they used to run Rabbit and Cage Bird competitions etc.

Thomas in his younger days

A email (dated 27th April 2014) from Mike Ryan who was grandson to Thomas Ryan of 18 Rosewood Avenue, the gentleman who was the Secretary of the United Service Club:

"Looks like the Club Secretary brought before the bench was my grandad. I remember the house on Rosewood Avenue well. I think I have a photo of him somewhere. I remember going to the clubs in the 70's when the same practice of "signing in" was carried out. The doorman may as well have written ditto in the book." Mike Ryan

Thomas with Polly and a friend

Mike Ryan has kindly sent in two photographs of his Grandad Thomas Ryan who was the Secretary of the United Service Club which is referred to within the newspaper cuttings above. (Please click over the photos to enlarge)

The two photos of Thomas Ryan above, one as a young man and the other in later days. (Hopefully the alcohol was legally bought). I believe the crossed clubs shown in the earlier photo indicate he was a PT Instructor and certainly he used to exercise with the Indian clubs and was great at twirling them in different patterns. He was an expert on the high bar, and family legend has it that he used to run a wrestling school. He certainly made short work of two chaps who tried to mug him in his later days. The lady on the far left is his (third) wife Pauline (Polly), and the one in the middle is an old friend. (Photos of Thomas and text kindly supplied by Mike Ryan)

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.

Click here