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| Photo: Haslingden Printing Works on John Street has it was in 2003 after conversion to private dwellings. Originally were it shows the red bricked area had large glass windows at the time of the Printing Works. Has anyone got a better photo to offer from the time of the printing works, so I can replace this one? |
I suppose my first recollections of the Haslingden Printing
Works was when our school class from the nearby St. James School were kindly
invited to be shown around the Haslingden Printing Works Limited.
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| Mr. Norman Stevens operating the large "Columbia" Press (Please click over to enlarge) Cutting courtesy of Jeff Stevens |
On entering the premises which was on John Street, opposite
what was then the old Bus Shed (which nowadays is the car park for the Co-op store), everything looked larger than life, and I can
remember (vaguely) those great masses of ironworks everywhere, with some of
them making all sorts of sounds as they where being skilfully operated by the
employees. Some of the pupils were inquisitive and asking questions, like what
job are you doing? And the reply would come back, “I am the compositor” or “I
am the printer” or “I am the Bookbinder”.
Although the Printing Works did all sorts of various
printing like: leaflets, catalogues, business cards, posters and almost
anything the local businesses needed printing, they also did bookbinding and
produced many books as well. I remember them doing Chris Aspin’s book
“Haslingden” which has long been out of print and now much sought after. They
also did the Council diaries each year among hundreds of other things.
Yet probably they are best known for their fabulous little
newspaper which was first called the “Selling News” and then later became the
“Borough News”. I think the little newspaper may have been free at one time
although has time went on (1950’s) I think a charge of “one penny” was made to
help pay for the cost of delivery etc. The Borough News
besides having lots of local advertisers was always well known for their “announcements” notices.
Over the years, they produced lots of stuff for me and I
would regularly go into their office on John Street and leave my order with
George Green whom I think may have been the Secretary of the Company. What a lovely chap who I also knew well from
the good old Ambulance Hall days when they would have dances on a Thursday
nights with live groups. Friendly George could usually be seen sat at the door
collecting the entrance money which would go to help with the funding of the local St John's Ambulance Brigade. Sadly George is no longer with us, but I do
know he played a very important role during World War II and I am sure he was a "Red Beret" being part of the "Parachute regiment”.
The Manager of the Printing Works and also a director of the firm was one of my friend's dad, Mr. Bob Emison and his foreman was Norman
Stevens. I can also remember from later times David Yates, Trevor Edwards.
The sad demise of the firm came about when the
main director Mr. John Landless whom also then owned the Rossendale Free Press,
decided he wanted to sell out the little printing works.
Bryan, (from Jeff Stevens and relating to the Newspaper Cutting above)
Attached is
a Rossendale Free Press cutting from 11th. May 1974, it relates to the transfer
of a Columbia press to the Helmshore Mill Museum.
As depicted
it was used to proof the pages prior to the printing of the 'Borough News and
other products.I always remember it resembled something out of a Hopalong
Cassidy film!
Regards
Jeff.
(from Jeff Stevens)
My late father Norman
Stevens worked for many years as a printer and foreman. Other names I recall
where Bob Emison (father of David) George Green( former Arnhem
parachutist),Adrian and Gwen Perry who I believe were proof and office workers,
another was John Baron(?) a bookbinder.
In recent years I had a conversation with
local historian Chris Aspin,who lamented that his book on Haslingden was a much
sought rarity due to the fact that there had only been one print run.On
inquiring about a further print run the author was told that the type had been
'dissed and melted down to produce that weeks Selling News!
I didn't have the courage to tell him that
it was my father who had done this.
I also used to have a football program
Burnley v Liverpool in the 1947 FA Cup semi final(I think) this had been played
at the Blackburn Rovers ground and the printing for the Rovers programs was in
those days done at the John Street works.
The works had a unique smell of ink and
paper,it must have got into my blood as I later spent 30 odd years in the
newspaper trade.
I will have a look to see if I can find any
more information or photographs.
Regards Jeff
From: Alan Papworth 18th September 2014.
Hi Bryan
Just been reading some of the blogs re H B News. There was a mention of
John Baron who was a friend and my next door neighbour. John worked as a
book-binder and became well known for his skilful binding and restoration of
books.
In the later stages of his career people came from near and afar with
valuable books and documents to take advantage of his skills.
They used to print tickets for all the top dances at the Public Hall and they sometimes printed a few extra for staff and friends which he used to pass
on to me.
Regards Alan
From: Paul Schofield 12th November 2014
Hello Bryan,
I have unearthed a photograph of my father, Harry Schofield with two work mates sat on the stop of the Haslingden Printing Works. He is the one in the middle, the gentleman to his left is Frank Barnes, who happens to be the Grandfather of my friend John Barnes who I have known since we started at St. James School in 1960. I don't know who the other gentleman is.
From his age I estimate it would have been taken just prior to the Second World War. He was a compositor and worked there after the war. By 1955 he had moved to the Rossendale Free Press.
Regards, Paul
From: David Emison
Dear Bryan,
The person second on the left of the photograph of five members of the staff of Haslingden Printing Works sent in by Paul Schofield is
Jim Sagar. He worked at HPW and then moved to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.
In later years he owned the sweet and ice cream shop in Blackburn Road near the
top of Townsend Street. He was my dad's best man!
Below is a short article kindly written by Dr. John Dunleavy on some of the history of the "Selling News" (article published here on 7th July 2015)
THE
SELLING NEWS
John Dunleavy
JOHN
DUNLEAVY was born in Haslingden and educated at St Mary's school. His first job
was in the Haslingden Printing Works, publishers of the local journal the Borough
News.
His apprenticeship completed he worked as a journeyman compositor for
some years before going on to higher education in Oxford
His
career change subsequently led him to places as far apart as New
York , Melbourne , and ultimately Budapest
I first became employed in the production of the local weekly on leaving
school in the early 1950s. At the Borough News (or Selling News} office as an apprentice I was expected to help not
just with the production of the paper but also apply my mind to other types of
commercial printing. These ranged from council minutes, business reports,
wedding invitations, auctioneers' sales, and so on.
The demands made on a small printing office by the production of a
weekly paper were quite significant. The energies of all the staff were
utilised for part of the week in the task of compiling the News. Wednesday evening was the time when the paper 'went to bed.'
On the overseer giving the order that all was well, the press began to roll.
The press was a hand-fed, flat-bed machine, this was still an age when most
industry was labour-intensive. Not all
the copies would be printed on Wednesday, though a significant number had to be
ready for early Thursday. The distribution of the paper was entrusted to an
army of pensioners, elderly men who could be seen on Thursday mornings, laden
down with heavy canvass bags, setting off in all directions. Sales numbered about
4,000, and the price to the customer was one penny. A percentage of the sales
went to the distributors, a welcome supplement to their pensions.
With sales at 4,000, few houses in the district went without a Borough News. I liked to muse on the success of the
paper and I hope my guesses might to be of interest to the reader. Page one of
the paper, like so many at that time, was made up of adverts. Pride of places
went to the two cinemas, the Palace and the Empire. Both were owned and managed
by Bert Hoyle, and the programme changed twice each week. On Saturday evening
patrons had the choice of two houses. While the cinemas occupied much of page
one, others items - such as sporting fixtures - competed for what remained of
that page.
As a newspaper registered at the GPO, the editor was obliged to provide
three pages of news to five of advertisements. He was not always able to stick
to this requirement all that rigidly. A glance at the contents is helpful here.
From page two onwards readers might learn of other events in the town, notably
dances, concerts, whist drives, jumble sales, and sporting events. What may
come as surprise to the modern reader was the role still played by the churches
and chapels each weekend. Announcements of special preachers and musical events
(the annual sermons were still considered to be a key event in the calendar)
indicated there was still a significant interest in organised religion. Easter, Christmas, and other religious
festivals often merited the engagement of soloists and musicians. The Messiah and such works were
invariably offered in some churches and Sunday schools. .
All of these announcements provided the editor with revenue which was
essential to the paper. Without this source it is unlikely the News
and its rivals would have existed for very long. The penny sales would never
have been sufficient. In addition to the paid announcements placed by agencies
such as the churches, a local business the Haslingden Industrial Co-operative
Society still paying dividends, were regular users of column space. A local
undertaker, Norman Kirby, was a regular advertiser who seemed quite impervious
to strong feeling when he inserted a headline in bold type:
WHY
LIVE AND BE MISERABLE WHEN YOU CAN DIE AND BE BURIED FOR £19 19s 11d?
The News had the inevitable
Births Marriages and Deaths column; closely followed by thank you notices. And
there were anniversaries of the death of loved ones to be recalled. These
invariably included a few lines of poetry, some from eminent poets others from
more obscure wordsmith's. Keeping his eye of the revenue margin, it would seem
the editor rarely ever vetoed the lines contained in the verses submitted for
inclusion in future issues.
'The
trumpet sounded,
The Angel said come;
The
pearly gates opened
And in walked Mum.'
Throughout this story I have been describing a paper that started life
in the early 1920s as the Selling News. When
and who determined the change of title I have been unable to discover. It may
well have been early in the war years when the government decided to ration
newsprint. Publication of free papers such as the Selling News were prohibited.
Henceforth what were deemed newspapers by the GPO - and Borough News was one of these - were obliged
to have adverts and news in the ratio of five to three.
Editors were exhorted to try and economise on the use of newsprint.
Examining a press cutting from this period in common with other papers the News editor reduced the width of
columns, and dispensed with columns lines. The practice of inserting ornate
decoration around adverts was also discontinued.
Finally, to what did the Selling
News owe its success? After all there were alternatives such as the Haslingden Guardian, and the Haslingden Observer. The former was printed in Rawtenstall, while
the latter was printed on the press of the Observer
& Times at Accrington . Both these
papers employed reporters and had news stories, though neither attracted many
advertisements from Haslingden.
The secret of the News was its
ability to provide a service to its readership under the heading of Sales and
Wants. Week after week readers would turn to that section where articles such
as house furnishings, clothing, books, bric- a- brac, records, electrical
gadgets - the sort of things that these days might be found in a charity shop -
were obtainable at modest prices. This after all was still an age of austerity,
and though the war had been over for several years, people were still prepared
to accept second hand articles for use until such times as the pre-war levels
of production were restored and consumers were able to enjoy brand new
goods.
**********************************************
Haslingden Borough
News remembered.
J Dunleavy.
__________________________________________________________________
Haslingden Borough News
Every Thursday. Price 1d
Registered as the GPO In
which is incorporated
as a newspaper the Selling
News
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Local journals are not as popular
as they once were. Many readers will recall how years ago most towns had not
just one but several papers. Haslingden,
a town in east Lancashire , had several to its
credit. Not all enjoyed a lengthy existence: how many now are able to recall the
Haslingden Guardian, or even the Haslingden Times, a journal
that perished in its infancy? Not all of these were published and printed in
the town, though the Haslingden Borough
News, had the distinction of being printed and published in the town and
was unique in that its front page displayed the town's coat of arms with its
motto, 'Nothing without labour.' This brief exercise is nothing more than an
exploration of the part played locally by the Borough News, a journal that was invariably referred to by its
original title as the Selling News.
A study of this journal is hampered by the absence of a complete file.
An enquiry to the British Newspaper Library at Colindale brought the
information that their 'run' of the Borough
News started in 1959, leaving many years unaccounted for. The information
carried by the journal suggests in the early 1920s it started using the title
of the Borough Selling News.
The Selling News and its
successor were printed in the office of the Haslingden Printing Works in John Street . Among
those who first aroused the curiosity of the writer was the late George
Hadfield who was not only a director of the company but was a working
compositor. He was among those who started the paper as a freebie, given away
each week. Such publications were possible thanks to local tradesmen, community
groups and numerous individuals who were prepared to buy advertising space. All
of this changed with the outbreak of war in 1939. The government imposed
stringent restrictions on the use of paper and banned free publications. In
future the imposition of a price became obligatory. While advertisements were permitted
such papers had to carry a quota of news. An eight page journal for instance
was to provide three pages of news. The distribution of the paper was unique in
that instead of dealing with local news agents, a number of retired men
assembled each Thursday in John
Street and laden with canvas bags undertook to
supply all districts with the paper.
The paper had originated as an advertising medium and this was reflected
in the pages throughout its sixty year run. The space allocated to news reports
was always far below that occupied by advertisements. After all the latter
brought in revenue. and the readership had come to expect advertisements rather
than news.
When the writer first became acquainted with the Borough News page one was given over largely to advertisements for
the town's two cinemas. The Empire
and the Palace were owned and managed
by Bert Hoyle. Patrons were offered films on six days a week, a change of
programmes taking place each Thursday. Patrons
complained the films were rarely ever recent releases, having been shown already
in the larger, neighbouring towns. How
often the cry of 'that's as old as Adam!' was raised on Thursday evenings when patrons
learned of the programme for the coming week. In answer to its critics the
management maintained the availability of films was determined by the extent of
the resident population if that was the case then Haslingden filmgoers were
destined to be disappointed, neighbouring towns such as Rawtenstall and
Accrington boasted of having much larger
populations. Gone with the wind proved
to be one of the most lucrative films made in the 1940s, yet it was to be many years
before it was shown in Haslingden. Most local filmgoers anticipating a long
wait prior to its Haslingden debut reportedly were prepared to travel to
neighbouring towns to satisfy their curiosity about this blockbuster movie that
proved to be such a box office success.
The rest of the front page was devoted to a number of smaller display adverts,
among these was one for the fixtures of the Haslingden Cricket Club. But this was a seasonal game, the Lancashire
League team began its fixtures around Easter and finished in the autumn. This freed
up more of page one for other advertisers others, and these usually consisted
of announcements regarding a forthcoming event, such as a concert staged by a
local amateur society or a Sunday school. Occasionally there might be a notice
from the Haslingden Borough Council, the town at that time having its own local
government.
Inside pages were given over to paid announcements, in particular
births, marriages and deaths. Of these the death notices were supplemented by
reports of local deaths, and frequently followed up by accounts of funerals.
Names of mourners, floral tributes and (in the case of Roman Catholics)
spiritual offerings were listed.
Following on from all this was what was termed 'Legal notices.' These
invariably ran along the lines of:
I, John Smith, of
Haslingden, will no longer be responsible for any debts incurred by my wife,
Edith Smith. after the appearance of this notice.
(Signed) John
Smith.
This practice seems to have been
observed for some years, yet such advertisements had no legal validity. Locally
they were read with close interest since if anything they were informing the
public that not all was well in the Smith household. Not surprisingly such
announcements frequently proved to be a prelude to a legal separation. In any
event such publicity was grist to then mill of the gossipmongers who were now
likely to regard the Smiths in a different light.
News reports fell into two
categories. There was a column headed
'News in brief.' Lacking its own reporter the News was obliged to rely on other local papers for much of its
information. Titles appearing in Rawtenstall, Accrington and Blackburn
were scoured for stories that might have
a bearing on Haslingden. These might be supplemented by referring to the
evening journals published in Blackburn or Manchester , though neither were inclined to
give much coverage to Haslingden.
The other source consisted of reliance on stories brought in by local
people. These varied widely in numbers and content. Most often they reported
events promoted by the Sunday schools and other local agencies such as the clubs
of which there were a great number at this time. Sports enthusiasts liked to
see accounts of the various cricket and football fixtures receiving some
attention in the local weekly though again much depended on the readiness of
individuals to bring in stories.
The News originated as an
advertising journal. Readers seemingly continued to perceive the medium in this
way throughout its existence. One of the most popular features of the paper was
a column headed 'Sales and Wants.' Household items such as pianos, beds, tables,
kitchen cabinets and so on appeared week after week. The appeal of this column
was a reflection on continuing shortages after the second World War. Many items
we now take for granted were in short supply, often unobtainable.
Hence it was a case of accept used
items or do without.
There was also the serious housing shortage to consider, a problem persisting
long after 1945. Some home-seeker exasperated by the lengthy waiting list for
new rented properties often decided to rent rooms, or try and purchase a home.
Houses for sale were sometimes advertised along with a price tag, while other property
owners were prepared to gamble on determining the value of their home by
resorting to a sale by auction.
No consideration of the News
as a popular weekly journal would be complete without some indication of the other items were to be found among the
advertisements. Having already mentioned the cinemas, no attention has been
paid to the religious institutions of the town. 'Churches and chapels'
advertised not only the weekly services and Sunday schools, but also
acknowledged some of the highlights of the church year, such as Christmas and Easter.
And there was also what were termed 'the sermons.' These were usually linked to
an anniversary or a jubilee when some eminent clergyman was invited to preach and the services were enhanced by special
music rendered by soloists accompanied by choir, organ and instrumentalists.
For the nonconformist churches especially the sermons provided an important
source of revenue. Silver collections were expected at the services, while an
additional source of income was made possible by utilising the services of
soloists and musicians who might be prepared to participate in a secular concert
on the Saturday evening.
Haslingden Industrial Co-operative Society resorted to the advertising
columns of the News frequently. Apart
from offering a wide range of services to its members through its numerous
retail outlets located in most parts of the town, 'the Co-op' was a great
employer of labour. In its heyday the society attracted and retained members by
offering a generous dividend based on a record of sales. After World War II societal
changes came to be reflected in declining profits and a diminution of members.
The appeal of the co-op and its quarterly 'divi payments' failed to respond to
the challenges presented by newer, more aggressive commercial retailers.
Not surprisingly as an advertising medium the News rarely ever provided
its readers with an opinion column. Some chose to give vent to their feelings
by addressing a letter to the editor on matters of local concern. These in turn
might provoke the editor to pen a reply, though this was a rare event. However the writer recalls distinctly the arrival in the printing office
one day of a letter purporting to come from a Mr. L. Ipra Loof,. The
correspondent claimed he had recently visited the
town as the guest of an acquaintance
at Manchester University
The delivery of a letter to the News
was not a regular event and this aroused the suspicion of the editor that all
was not quite right. On referring the matter to one of his of his colleagues
the editor was advised to establish the credentials of the writer. Having
studied the name - or nom-de-plum - of
the writer it dawned on the editor that the correspondent was emulating others
who were inclined to take up their pen at this time of year in an attempt to
embarrass journal editors. The News
editor, a well meaning retiring man having considered the matter determined to
give as good as he got. He dismissed the
April prank - for such it was - in just a few words. That was certainly an interesting
find made by your friend, he observed:
he should have crowned himself with his discovery!
__________________________________________________
In
Memoriam
Haslingden Borough News
Born
1922
Expired
1984
Gone but not forgotten
_____________________________________________________________________
Bob Emison
"Bob Emison was born in Haslingden in 1902. He attended the Wesleyan Day School to the age of twelve when he went to work half-time at Grane Manufacturing Company. At the age of thirteen he became an apprentice at Haslingden Printing Works, John Street. Apart from his wartime service in the RAF he spent the whole of his working life there and ended his career as Managing Director in 1967. As the works apprentice he printed the first copy of the Haslingden Borough Selling News in 1921 and the last copy in April 1974. Bob was a passionate Methodist both at Salem and Manchester Road Chapels. He was a Scout Leader with the 40th Rossendale (St Peter's) Scout Group and a Special Constable.
Bob died in 1975
Haslingden Printing Works Ltd - (Click over to enlarge)
Shows members of staff at the retirement of George Hadfield.
Presentation made by Harold Wareing - the Manager
Photo: Kindly shared with us by David Emison
Haslingden Printing Works Ltd - (Click over to enlarge)
Shows members of staff at the retirement of George Hadfield.
Presentation made by Harold Wareing - the Manager
Photo: Kindly shared with us by David Emison
**********************************************
**********************************************
GEORGE HADFIELD, FROM APPRENTICE TO MASTER PRINTER
by John Dunleavy.
George Hadfield's introduction to the world of work was by way of the printing office in John Street north west of England
The member of a Scottish family George appears to have been well read, and keen to learn. The family took their annual holidays in the north of Scotland , a venue that owed its popularity to Queen Victoria
George and his family joined in the general elation, though the young visitor from Haslingden was dismayed to encounter a queen attired not in rich robes and still less wearing a crown: instead George and his party had to be satisfied with a passing glimpse of Victoria in her customary black dress (or widow's weeds), set off with a white bonnet made of lace. "Well, if that's the Queen [grumbled George], I'd prefer my own mother any day!'
George was a man who clearly enjoyed travel and over the years I listened with pleasure to his numerous anecdotes. He was also knowledgeable about politics at local and national levels. In his younger days Rossendale, which included Haslingden, was represented at Westminster
Situated at the corner of Park Street Manchester Road
George was a member of a large family, all of whom seemed destined to prosper in choice of careers. One brother, for instance, was a clock maker who ran his business from his home in Piccadilly Street
The coming of war in 1914 impinged on the lives of millions and like many of his contemporaries George joined the army. He saw service in what was termed the western front, in particular the small area maintained by Belgium Newton Wells Street
The war over George was able to resume his printing career, and returned to the printing works in John Street
The present writer having left school without any preparation as to what he might do, on an impulse paid a visit to the works and was conducted round by the manager, Harold Waring, Bob Emison, the overseer, and George. The latter made the greatest impact by enquiring whether any other members of my family had ever been in print, and on being assured there were none, George confided in me that printers usually ended up going mad!
A lovely man!
