Before The Central Flats

OLD MAP OF THE AREA

Old Map from c1961 which clearly defines Back Burgess Street, Back Hindle Street, Back Pleasant Street and Far Back Pleasant Street. plus obviously the main thoroughfares of Hindle Street and Pleasant Street. (Thanks to Michael Mullaney for sending in this map. 

PHOTO SHOWING THE NEW FLATS IN RELATION TO THE OLD STREETS

NEW MAP OF THE AREA

Showing the area which was the New Central Development (Map kindly supplied by Jackie Ramsbottom)
(Click over to enlarge)

Here we have a aerial shot of the area before demolition (Photo: Jackie Ramsbottom)

Here we have a aerial shot of the area after redevelopment (Photo: Jackie Ramsbottom)

For anyone young or more recent to the area and who did not know about the old properties which were present prior to the Central Development, I am trying here within this blog to compile the work in a way that you get a "virtual continuation tour made up of photographs" - (where we have them) (eg: up one street and down the next in a follow on way) and that the photos should more or less run how the properties were in situ at the time.

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Our Photo Excursion starts from SPRING GARDENS which was just off Bury Road and close to BEACONSFIELD STREET... This was the far corner of the properties involved in the Central Development clearance scheme. 

SPRING GARDENS

A small area which was at the far opposite corner of the old properties was "Spring Gardens" which you met just off Bury Road and just before you came to the top of Beaconsfield Street. Thankfully we have a photo of Spring Gardens below (Photo: Chris Kirby). It was a row which ran from North to South direction off from Bury Road. It was almost opposite Kirby's Grocers Shop which was on the corner of Bury Road and Warwick Street on the opposite side of the road. Behind Spring Gardens was the old Palace Cinema which in recent times is the Fletcher and Hunton Furniture warehouse.

Spring Gardens, off Bury Road and just before the top of Beaconsfield Street (Photo: Chris Kirby)

And below is another view of Spring Gardens taken from a slightly different angle and shows the rear of Salisbury Street in the background.

Looking down between the houses on Spring Gardens from Bury Road (Photo: Michael Mullaney)

No's 1,3,5 Spring Gardens - 3rd September 1964 looking towards Bury Road

then we came along BURY ROAD 

It all seems a little vague these days, but I can remember going to the barbers on this row along Bury Road and his shop was set somewhere about the middle which was probably opposite the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The barber was a well known character called Tommy Metcalfe a real "jovial" type of guy and always a pleasure to meet up with him. He would have you laughing right from entering his shop!  I had met Tommy previous when he had worked for Les Haworth in Lower Deardengate. I have managed to find a very old photo of the row of houses which used to be on Bury Road, although this one must date back to about 1906. But at least does give you a idea of what the houses looked like.

Tim Kirby remembers that Vera Beever's Tuck shop was at 27 Bury Road and almost opposite Clegg Street (which ran up by the side of the old Grammar School).  He also remembers that Tommy Metcalfe's barbershop was somewhere between Vera's shop and the corner of Bury Road with Bank Street.

Here below is a walking day photograph, but if you look carefully to the back side you can make out Vera's Tuck Shop which would have been on the corner of Hindle Street.

A lovely walking day photo but look in the background and you see Vera's Tuck Shop which was on the corner of Bury Road/Hindle Street (Photo: kindly supplied by Jackie Ramsbottom)

Showing houses on Bury Road  c1906

Further along Bury Road and coming to the opposite corner of the Central development was No.11 Bury Road which was the corner house and adjoined No. 7 Bank Street (See photo below)

Photo shows No.11 Bury Road and No. 7 Bank Street, Haslingden (see notes)

These properties were just on the very corner with Bank Street and almost opposite the old New Inn or much later called the Thorn Hotel and even more recently the Mary Hindle Resource Centre. It is said that Haslingden's very first Post Office was ran from this house shown on the gable end in the photograph and the house was also known as the "Summer House".

(Today that same area of Bury Road from the Bank Street Corner to the Spring Gardens Corner is occupied by: Pentland House, Blackdown House, Quantock House and Pennine House.

So from here we would go down Bank Street (from Bury Road) and pass the Co-op Bank building which more recently was a Hotel called Bank House Hotel, and up until a few years ago had been the Haslingden Conservative Club, We would then come down past what was the old Woolworth's Building (a bank premises prior to this I believe). Below are photos of the original buildings and which were spared during the Central Clearance Scheme. 

This is the whole of Bank Street as it was in c1965.

This photo shows the whole of Bank Street how it used to be back in 1965 and before the Central Clearance Scheme.  In fact you can still see the No.7 Bank Street with the occupier stood at her back yard gate. More or less where the lady is stood is now the entrance to the Car Park which is at the rear of the Library.  At that time the Co-op Bank was still being used (where the British Railways lorry is parked), then you have the Woolworths building.

Woolworths - Higher Deardengate Entrance

Here is the old Woolworths building, which is currently National Health Offices, but here at the right hand side you can just about glimpse the street which led up to the Burgess Street houses, which nowadays has the Car Park built over at the rear of the Library.

BURGESS STREET

Burgess Street off Higher Deardengate 2003

Burgess Street set off with shops and then the houses where attached but set further back, and it was regularly called "Burgess Nook".  I think there were about ten houses in this street. The whole area is now covered by the Car Park which is to the rear of the Library.

Burgess Street off Hgh Deardengate (Photo: Jackie Ramsbottom)

Burgess Street, off Higher Deardengate (Photo: Chris Kirby for The Late Arthur Kirby)

Sad demise of part of Burgess Street (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Tim Kirby

(9th August 2015 - John R. Edwards kindly added:-

"I used to live at no.3, for 17 years, all the houses on Burgess St. had a back door leading onto Back Burgess St, aka, Burgess Nook accessed via a narrow ginnel between the Yorkshire Bank and the Library.

At the junction of the first yard, which led to the back doors of 1,3,5 and the detached building that was Hesmonhalgh's (Florist Shop) store room, was the last gas lamp in the town, I often used to climb the pipe. Further up the back the width increased and provided plenty of room for the tippler lavatories and coal holes and washing lines. On the right was the wall to the yard at the rear of the Library, which was the Haslingden Waterworks store, with hydrants, pipes and hole covers. Further up was the the St. James' Boys Brigade Drill Hall, where the roof was so low it was easy for me to climb onto. Access to Bury Rd. was blocked by the big house on the corner of Bank St. and Bury Rd.

John R Edwards.

BACK BURGESS STREET

Back Burgess Street would be accessed from the small ginnell which runs to the left hand side of the Library and it had at least one house if not four houses which were back to back with Burgess Street.

(Photo: Robert Wade - 16th August 2015)

This is a great modern photo showing the Car Park etc and was kindly taken by Wadey and you can see Burgess Street opening onto Deardengate, also the smaller old building to the left hand side was Hesmondalgh storeroom (Flowers and Groceries).  Also between this building and the Library is a ginnel which was the original entrance to Back Burgess Street.  More of Wadey's photos of the Central Development Flats can be seen from the link provided right at the end of the blog.

So moving on we passed the front of the Library and we arrive at: 

HINDLE STREET - (Entry from Higher Deardengate)

(New Hindle Street) In relation to what's built on the old Hindle Street nowadays we have: Starting off from the side of the Library, some of the current car park on both sides, We have several of the present garages, we have Cleveland House and part of Blackdown House.

This was and still is the start to Hindle Street at the bottom side of the Library.

This photo above was and still is the main entry into Hindle Street from the Deardengate Side although today instead of a long cobbled (setts) Street leading a thoroughfare to Bury Road, it leads onto the Car Park to the rear of the Library with access to the garages and also to Pentland House and the rear of Cleveland House.

(Old Hindle Street) This street ran up by the bottom corner of the Library - or the Mechanics Institute as it was once called) and was one of the main streets that linked from Higher Deardengate to Bury Road. As you can see from the photos it was not that wide and could only take single traffic vehicles, whereby neighbouring Pleasant Street was almost double the width.

Hindle Street from the bottom side of the Library - This wall is now part of the Car Park

This is Hindle Street which ran along the bottom side of the Library from Higher Deardengate to Bury Road.  In the above photograph at the right hand corner is were the entrance to the Church Lads Brigade was. It was owned by St. James Church and served for many years as the "Drill Hall". (see photo below)

Church Lads Brigade "Drill Hall" on Hindle Street

This photo shows the actual Drill Hall for the Church Lad's Brigade where they would practice etc. The photo more or less continues on from the photo (further above) and you can make out the wall and the street light and telephone pole on the left of this photo.

Prior to it having been the Drill Hall for the CLB it was the St. Andrews Hindle Street Mission (See photos below).

Photo: showing the Interior of the St. Andrews Hindle Street Mission - Prior to it being the CLB Drill Hall 

And the following photo shows a event relating to when it was St. Andrews Hindle Street Mission

Photo: Whit Procession c1910 - St. Andrews Hindle Street Mission. (Click over this photo to enlarge)

Hindle Street - No.8 on right (Michael's family home), and No.27 on left (his Grandad Walsh home)

Chapel is St. Andrews Mission, which later became the Church Lads Brigade, drill hall.

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney.

Hindle Street, Nos 33,31,29 and 27 (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney

8 Hindle Street and also showing the entry into Back Hindle Street,

and also showing the old CLB drill hall

Photo: Thanks to Michael Mullaney for sharing

Top end of Hindle Street

The above photo is a continuation of Hindle Street of the next row further on from the CLB Drill Hall (or the Mission).  At this crossroads shown here you could turn left and after 20 yards would then turn right into Back Hindle Street (see more information on Back Hindle Street further down)

So getting back to this photo, after the five houses shown above on the left you would have reached Bury Road with the Old Grammar School in the background on the opposite side of Bury Road at the junction with Clegg Street (today this area has the new properties built on the school ground which are called "Old School Mews".  So if you were to walk to the top of here and turn right and immediately turn right again you would come down Back Pleasant Street at the point shown in the photograph further down and marked Back Pleasant Street.   

Top of Hindle Street (off Bury Road) Click over to enlarge

Photo: Kindly shared by Michael Mullaney

Hindle Street, Bury Road side (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney

BACK HINDLE STREET (No photographs available at present)

Was accessed from just above half way up on the left hand side of Hindle Street, where you would turn left shortly after passing the drill hall (has shown in the photograph above), and after only a few yards after turning left you would then turn up to your right and this was Back Hindle Street which included Nos: 2,4,6,8,10, and 12 these houses were all "Back to Back" houses with the top of Hindle Street, the last house you met was No.23 Bury Road before reaching Bury Road itself. 

BELOW: Now I want to show the opposite side of Hindle Street coming up from Deardengate and leading through to Bury Road. 

To start with we still have what was the Old Co-op Building (shown in the photo below) which long ago was the Co-operative showrooms and sold furniture, ovens and general appliances.  But much earlier than that it was a Billiard Room. In more recent times after the Co-op its been another furniture warehouse and today I am told it is a large shop selling household provisions.  Here below is a photo from when it was the old Co-op Showrooms (Furniture, Ovens etc) Building still there today but obviously "change of use"

This is the old Co-op Building which today is a large shop selling Household provisions

Photo: Hindle Street just at the start from Deardengate on the opposite side to shown earlier.

With the photos above we have now completed almost the full views of the Old Hindle Street, so the next on would be to come down along the back of Back Pleasant Street, and so we start from the Bury Road almost straight opposite where the Grammar School stood the street known as  BACK PLEASANT.

Back Pleasant Street

Back Pleasant Street (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney

Photo: Back Pleasant Street - Higher Section (Bury Road Side) (kindly sent in by Chris Kirby)

The photo above is a absolute cracker! and kindly sent in by Chris Kirby it shows Back Pleasant Street with the Grammar School at the top. On this section of Back Pleasant Street was Nos 8 and 10 and 12 and 14 and 16 and 18, then No.20,then two through houses and finally Nos 26, 28 and 29.  It does look according to the map that were you get for example the Nos 8 and 10 etc that these were Back to Backs and at the same time possibly where you had two houses one on top of the another, so I would presume this was the case with the houses which lie above and below the railings. (Please check with the map above which shows just how these houses were placed and their official address numbers.

On this next photo below you are at the junction which is following on, or the bottom edge of the previous photo. If you was to turn into the intercepting alleyway shown here you would come back into Hindle Street and then cross over Hindle Street and into the alleyway where shortly you could turn right and up onto Back Hindle Street. Its more or less shortly after the top side of the old CLB Drill Hall.

By the way "talk about raised manholes" this one would certainly qualify for a rosette!

View looking from Back Pleasant Street towards Back Hindle Street access (Photo: Michael Mullaney)

This photo is of Back  Pleasant Street (Lower Section - Deardengate) (photo: kindly sent in by Michael Mullaney

Above is the lower section of Back Pleasant Street (Deardengate side) which comes out between the old co-op furniture place (now a general provisions shop) and at the other side is the shop just above Cissy Greens.

According to the map there are three official addresses to the properties on this photo which are back to back houses with (Hindle Street) the rest are through houses. The numbers are No. 2,4 and 6 Back Pleasant Street which are possibly the houses shown here with the steps to their respective front doors.

Back Pleasant Street (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Thanks to Michael Mullaney for sharing with us.

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PLEASANT STREET (The street which runs between the banks and goes up by the Owd Tack.

(New Pleasant Street) In relation to what's built on the old Pleasant Street Street nowadays we have:

(Old Pleasant Street) - The photo below shows the start of Pleasant Street from the Higher Deardengate end, going between the two Banks (TSB and Martins). You can still see the old stone setts in this photo (from the 60s)

Bottom of Pleasant Street starting from Higher Deardengate

Pleasant Street c1965 between the TSB and the Owd Tack

Some of Pleasant Street’s original buildings are still there on the left hand side between the Trustee Savings Bank on the corner of Deardengate and the “Owd Tack” pub,  but from the pub onwards you need to check out the following photos to try and get an idea of how it looked.

This photo is from the 1950s and shows Pleasant Street (North Side) photo: kindly sent by Joan Merrill - Click over to enlarge

If you look to your left hand side of the houses you will notice a cream painted house, and then we had another couple of houses and then it was the "Owd Tack" (Forresters Arms), so when the demolition took place all these houses from that point were knocked down in preparation for the development of the Central Flats.  

Shop just before demolition and ginnel next door half way up Pleasant Street. (Photo kindly sent in by Michael Mullaney)

I think this was Jayne Elson's Mums Shop which was in the first third walking up Pleasant Street and just before demolition. It was a cracking general grocers for that area. This ginnel was the only pedestrian access you had which would lead from Pleasant Street into Back Pleasant Street. 

Photo: Top End of Pleasant Street with Ebenezer Baptist Church in Background.

The photo is a little grainy but you can get some idea of the top end (Bury Road End) of Pleasant Street and how it looked up to the Ebenezer Baptist Church (long before the Church had the top levels  removed).  So to sum up you had Ebenezer at the top of Pleasant Street, whereby you had the Grammar School at the top of Hindle Street.

Top of Pleasant Street

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby

Bottom of Pleasant Street c1965 showing the shops at the bottom

A photo showing the Martins Bank (later Barclays) at the bottom of Pleasant Street.

(I am sure I have a better photo than this and will change it over when I find it!) This photo is from the bottom end of Pleasant Street which adjoins Higher Deardengate. You can make out the Old Martins Bank at the bottom on the corner (opposite the Trustee Savings Bank) and the other old shops next to the bank and these properties where demolished.  These properties where almost opposite the "Owd Tack" and when they were demolished, some new shop units were built. One of the new modern shops was called "Chicken Fayre" and sold chickens which had been cooked on the "Spit".  I think that shop was later taken over by the Florist which it is today. And originally just lying behind these modern shops was a small building which was Harry Parkinson's Bookmakers.

You can then catch a good amount of what the continuation houses looked like from the earlier photo which showed both sides of Pleasant Street and the Ebenezer Baptist Church in the background.

A photo of the shops that replaced the ones in the photo above which are opposite the "Owd Tack".
(photo: Brian Smith/Jackie Ramsbottom) - Click over to enlarge

A more modern photo showing the bottom of Pleasant Street
Kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby

So now we come down from the Bury Road End into what was Far Back Pleasant Street in the 1960's

Back Pleasant Street with the Grammar School (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney

Far Back Pleasant Street - from Bury Road c1960s (Photo: The late Mr. Arthur Kirby)

Far Back Pleasant Street from Bury Road (Photo: Tim Kirby)

This was Far Back Pleasant Street in the 1960s and was a thoroughfare which starts on Bury Road across from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and goes the full length through to the "ginnell" which came out between what was the Saddlers on one side and the Boot and Shoe shop on the other side of the ginnell, but in the 1960s the shops would have been (I think!) the Grocers Florist and Fish Shop belonging to Ted Openshaw on one side and Relay Vision (Televisions) on the other side.  The Ginnell comes out straight opposite the entrance to the Commercial Hotel.

Far Back Pleasant Street on the bottom end which came out opposite the Commercial Hotel. Built for handloom weavers in the early 1800s and were back to back with those in Pleasant Street. Note outdoor toilets

Far Back Pleasant Street (lower half) showing passage through to Manchester Rd.

Photo: Thanks to Michael Mullaney.

32 Far Back Pleasant Street (from English back)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Michael Mullaney

According to the 1961 map which is shown above their was 9 Back to Back Houses with (Pleasant Street) and which are subsequently officially called Far Back Pleasant Street and the numbers were 10,12,14 and 18 on the lower side (Deardengate side) and Nos. 32,34,44,44a and 46 Far Back Pleasant Street which were on the higher side (Bury Road side)

On the other side access was gained into Salisbury Street and further down was also the boundary to Tommy Tattersall's builders yard which is now the Car Park which runs at the back of the Manchester Road Shops.

This is the area which was Tattersalls builders yard which was accessed from the side of what was Burgess butchers.

In this photograph it shows what originally was the builders yard and is now the Car Park to the rear of the Manchester Road Shops and accessed from Dale Street and Salisbury Street.

Photo kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby

Shows Hindle Street towards Bury Road and the Grammar School,

and also shows the next street along (east direction) from Hindle Street which was Back

Pleasant Street again looking up towards the old Grammar School

Old houses demolished in 1968 and also at a later date the School was demolished)

Photos kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby

Here we have two more photos showing in the top photo looking from the

top of Pleasant Street, towards Bury Road with the Ebenezer Baptist Church

and the bottom photo shows Spring Gardens again looking towards

Bury Road and the large house at the back "Leighbank" which was

the home of photographer Arthur Constantine and also the childhood

home to Tim Kirby

Interesting "snippets"

(6th August 2015 - Michael Mullaney kindly added:- 

Far Back Pleasant Street was the back of Pleasant Street on the Palace Cinema side.  It ran from Bury Road through to Manchester Road and coming out at the tunnel directly opposite the crossing to the Commercial.
Pleasant Street was made up of "through" houses and also some "Back to Back" houses, and these houses on the back formed "Far Back Pleasant Street" and likewise Back Pleasant Street.
My ancestors came back from America and lived at 32 Far back Pleasant Street which looked along what is now the back of Salisbury Street behind the flats. There was also a street which cut Pleasant Street in half and came out on to Salisbury Street and what was then a builders supply yard and where the car park is now.  A very mixed community.  On those houses which fronted Bury Road you had the gentry with families like the "Woodcocks", and at the other of the scale like next door were the Irish labouring class.
Michael Mullaney

(9th August 2015 - John R. Edwards kindly added:-

"I used to live at no.3, for 17 years, all the houses on Burgess St. had a back door leading onto Back Burgess St, aka, Burgess Nook accessed via a narrow ginnel between the Yorkshire Bank and the Library.

At the junction of the first yard, which led to the back doors of 1,3,5 and the detached building that was Hesmonhalgh's (Florist Shop) store room, was the last gas lamp in the town, I often used to climb the pipe. Further up the back the width increased and provided plenty of room for the tippler lavatories and coal holes and washing lines. On the right was the wall to the yard at the rear of the Library, which was the Haslingden Waterworks store, with hydrants, pipes and hole covers. Further up was the the St. James' Boys Brigade Drill Hall, where the roof was so low it was easy for me to climb onto. Access to Bury Rd. was blocked by the big house on the corner of Bank St. and Bury Rd.

John R Edwards.

PHOTOS OF THE "OPENING CEREMONY" OF THE NEW CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT 

Here is a nice aerial view of the new Central Development

Again here is the finalized map showing the new Central Development (Click over to enlarge)

The opening of the Central Flats outside of Mendip House in September 1967 - Note Pleasant Street old buildings still in the background on this photo

September 1967 - The opening of Mendip House September 1967
by our MP. Rt Hon Anthony Greenwood M.P.

Passing Mendip House on opening day September 1967 with Rt Hon Anthony Greenwood M.P. , the Mayor Alderman Hubert Sanderson and his daughter the Mayoress Mrs. Joan Davison and finally Alderman Albert Bussey

Robert Wade has kindly taken twenty modern day photographs of the Central Development Flats which can be seen by clicking here


Thanks to the following who have so kindly contributed to this blog with text and photographs etc: John R. Edwards, Chris Kirby for The late Mr. Arthur Kirby, Tim Kirby, Joan Merrill, Michael Mullaney, Jackie Ramsbottom, Robert Wade (Wadey)

THAT FINALIZES THE BLOG - PLEASE ENJOY