HASLINGDEN YEARBOOK AND MUNICIPAL DIARY from 1907

Borough of Haslingden Municipal Year Books and Diary (Click over to enlarge)

The one on the left belonged to Luke Ralph and dates back to 1907-8  and the one on the right is my own from 1972. Its been a pleasure to read some of the stuff in the old yearbook - to think (108 years old - a proper antique!  Quite a lot of the information regarding Council Committees etc are very similar between the two yearbooks even though its some 65 years between them! There is some fantastic reading about the history of Haslingden and I intend to include some extracts on here very shortly for everyone to enjoy.

Thanks to Marie Ives for kindly loaning me the diary to extract the information. (Uploaded these photos here on 22nd October 2015. 

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(Extracts taken from the Borough of Haslingden - Year Book 1907 to 1908 - Alderman T.B. Hamilton (Mayor) and Walter Musgrove (Town Clerk) - HASLINGDEN'S VERY FIRST MAYOR in 1891 to 1894 although this Year Book is from the Mayor's second term of Office (1907 to 1908). 

(Printed by: A. Glover and Co. Printers of Deardengate)

HISTORICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE BOROUGH

'Tis the Knowledge of Antiquity that can give us a maturity in Judgment, either in Persons or Things." -- Stukely

THE TOWN OF THE HAZELS

It probably may not be generally known that the above title is accredited as being the origin of Haslingden.  So, however, we find in history.  Geographically, it is situated on the edge of the Forest of Rossendale, and in the mountainous district extending from the Southern part of the Hundred of Blackburn to beyond the borders of the County of York.

There are beautiful landscapes, and very extensive, too, from the hills around; and there is, besides, a vast sloping plain toward Manchester, terminated by the Derbyshire Hills.

The "Chapelry" of this place comprises the townships of Haslingden, Henheads, and Higher and Lower Booths.  The waters washing it are the Irwell, Woolley Brook, the Ogden, and the Swinnel.  The latter works several water wheels.  The same may be said, even if not to a greater extent of the Ogden Stream.

From ancient records, such as Dr. Kuerden's M.S.S., Etc., it has been ascertained that in 1253 Henry III., according to an inquisition of that period, a Robertus Haselingden held lands in this place. It is said however, that this may possibly have been the Robert De Holden, to whom the son Adam, in 1256, Henry III., Henry De Lasey, granted for his services, all that land which W. of Reelin, and W. his son, formerly held, and which reverted to the grantor by the felony of W. De Reelin, for which he was hanged at Lancaster on the Justices Iter, or circuit, in 1272. 

Dr. Kuerden says:- "By a charter in French, dated 1301 the same Earl grants to Robert De Holden, and William De Mordrimez held of him in the town of Haselingden.  In 1307 by an Indenture, he conveys to Adam, son of Adam De Holden, part of his waste of Tottington Frith, adjoining Musbery Park, for a yearly rent of 5s.; and in 1328, the Earl quit-claims to Robert De Holden a piece of land which has the name of Brodlieux, which he has by gift and feoffament of Allan Bold."

The family of Holden, after an alliance with such important Lancashire houses as those of the Husseys, Bradshaighs, Bartons, Chorleys, Towneleys, et., closed with Ralph Holden, who died issueless in 1792.  According to an inquisition taken in 1311, after the death of Henry De Lacy, it appears that the rent paid by the tenants at Haslingden for their land, was sixpence per acre; and that Robert and Adam De Holden, being of the orders known as "privileged" paid to the lord even a less sum than that.  The chapelry of Haslingden, together with Rossendale Forest, are in the Manor of Accrington, over which, it being subject to the Honour of Clitheroe, Lord Montague, as lord of that honour, exercises the rights appertaining thereto.

"Holden Hall" supposed at one time to have been "Haslingden Hall," is of very ancient date, and is said to have been the residence of Robert De Haselingden.  Like many other old mansions, it gradually sank into decay.

In Cromwell's days, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, who then sat at Blackburn, suggested that Haslingden should be made a parish, and so to comprise part of Rawtenstall Booth, New-hall-hey, Constable-le-booth, Oaken-head-Wood Booth, and part of Crawshawbooth, in all of that period containing upwards of 300 families.  About the middle of the 17th century, marriages were celebrated here by one Lawrence Rawsthorne, a magistrate of the district, residing at Newhall.  Not long afterwards it was described by a topographer of the time as "Haslingden - a very small town, with a market on Wednesday."

The old Church dates originally from the reign of Henry VIII., but in a later period it was rebuilt.  The front has the same date as the ancient date, bearing the arms of Royle and Townelly, and the cipher of Gilbert Holden. 

ROSSENDALE

As Rossendale has been mentioned in this account, the following particulars will be interest, According to the "Henry De Lacey" extracts (tempt. 4, Ed II) "it was divided into 11 'vaccaries' or cow pastures (since called 'booths') of which the herbage was valued at 10s. each." In the reign of Henry VII. the number of vaccaries had increased to 19, of which the herbage was estimated at advanced rents, ranging from 13s to £13.  In the reign of Henry VIII. Rossendale was disforested.

NEWCHURCH was so called, from having been the first place of worship erected in the forest of Rossendale, in 1512.  Another church was erected and dedicated to St. Nicholas in the reign of Henry VIII., for the behoof of the 80 persons then resident there.  Fifty years after this it was taken down, it being no longer large enough for the population.  The following table of the increase of the population, extending from the time we have just quoted, to 1831, will be found interesting.  In 1464, Edward IV., it had increased to 1,000 souls; in 1650, the Chapelry of Newchurch contained 300 families; in 1798, Bacup alone had 306 houses and 1,426 persons; in 1821 Newchurch, Deadwin Clough, Bacup, and Wolfenden had 1,540 persons; in 1811, 6,830; in 1821, 8,557; and in 1831, 9,196.

According to "a certificate of all the copyhold rents customary estate, and officers by patent, within the survey of the Duchy of Lancaster, for the Northern parts, made in the reign of James I." the Manors of Rossendale, Trawden, aslingden, and Penhull (Pendle) are returned as parcel of the Manor of Clitheroe, and it is stated that "the tenants had compounded with the Lord's Commissioners for heir customs, which were settled by decree, and confirmed by Parliament." This is from the "Duchy Records."

The Municipal Borough of Haslingden is situated wholly within the Haslingden Union to which it gives its name.

By an order of the County Council of the County Palatine of Lancaster, dated June 28th, 1894, so much of the Townships of Haslingden, Higher Booths, Lower Booths of Tottington Higher End, and Tottington Lower End, as are respectively within the Municipal Borough of Haslingden, shall, together with the Townships of Henheads and Musbury, which are wholly within the said Borough of Haslingden, be united and constitued one Township to be called the Township of Haslingden.

This order was confirmed by the Local Government Board by their Order intituled "The County of Lancaster (Haslingde, etc.) Confirmation Order, 1894," and dated the 21st day of November, 1894.

Haslingden is the Hundred of Blackburn, Rural Deanery of Whalley, Archdeanery of Blackburn, and Diocese of Manchester.

The part of the Borough formerly in the Townships of Haslingden, Henheads, Higher Musbury Booths, and Lower Booths, is in the Rossendale Parliamentary Division of the County, and the remainder of the Borough is within the Heywood Parliamentary Division.

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway passes through the district and has Stations at Haslingden, Helmshore and Baxenden, within the Borough.

Haslingden is one of the eight Parochial Chapelries into which the ancient Parish of Whalley was divided, and its Church dates from the end of the 13th Century.  The Chapelry then consisted of the Townships of Haslingden, Lower Booths, Higher Booths and Henheads, though this last, strictly speaking, was extra parochial.  The Church was served by a Curate appointed until the dissolution of the monasteries by the Abbey of Whalley, and then by the Vicar of Whalley until about 50 years ago the advowson became vested in the Hulme Trustees, who are the present patrons.  Out of the original chapelry many new parishes and parts of parishes have been formed.  Goodshaw Church built in 1542, as a Chapel-of-Ease to Haslingden, because in 1850 a separate parish.

St. Stephen's Haslingden Grane, was built about 1860; St John's Stonefold, in 1886; and St. Peter's, Laneside, in 1890; and their districts were taken out of the parish of Haslingden.

Haslingden was formerly under the jurisdiction of the Rural Sanitary Authority of the Haslingden Union, but in 1875 the boundaries of a district were settled under the provisions of the Public Health Act, 1875, and a Local Board was established for a part of the present Borough, comprising parts of the Townships of Haslingden, Henheads, Higher Booths, Lower Booths, and Tottington Higher End.  In 1883 the then Haslingden Local Board District was extended by the addition thereto of the Township of Musbury, the remainder of the Township of Henheads, further parts of Higher Booths, Lower Booths, and Tottington Higher End and a part of Tottington Lower End.

The district was incorporated by Royal Charter on the 2nd of June 1891, and the first Municipal Election took place on the 2nd November, 1891, when ten of the eighteen members of the Local Board were elected Town Councillors on the new Town Council.

The first meeting of the Council was held on the 9th of November 1891, when Thomas Bewley hamilton, Esq., was elected the first Mayor.

For the treatment of the sewage of the Urban Sanitary Districts of Haslingden and Rawtenstall, a Provisional Order was issued by the Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (No.7) Act, 1890, forming these two Districts into a united District called the Haslingden and Rawtenstall Outfall Sewerage District.

On the 20th July 1894, a further Provisional order was issued by the Local Government Board's Provisional Order Confirmation  (No.19) Act 1894, by which the United Districts of Haslingden and Rawtenstall were extended so as to include the Urban Sanitary District of Bacup and the name of the United District was altered to the Haslingden, Rawtenstall and Bacup Outfall Sewerage District, and the name of the Joint Board altered to the Haslingden, Rawtenstall, and Bacup Outfall Sewerage Board.

Gas is supplied by the Haslingden Union Gas Company, and the Accrington and District Gas and Water Board.

On the 30th July, 1900, the Bury and District Water (Transfer) Act, 1900 was passed.

The Act constitutes and incorporates a joint Water Board, consisting of representatives from the Councils of the respective Boroughs of Bury, Haslingden, and Rawtenstall, and the Urban Districts of Radcliffe, Ramsbottom, Little Lever, Whitefield and Tottington, and the Rural District of Bury, all in the County Palatine of lancaster, and transfers to and vests in such Board the Water undertaking of the Bury Corporation.

Under the provisions of the Local Government Act, 1894, the Local Government Board issued Order, dated 19th March, 1896, conferring upon the Council the powers of the Appointment of Overseers, and on the 14th November, 1895, a further Order was issued giving the Council power to appoint and revoke the appointment of Assistant Overseers.

By an Order of the Local Government Board dated 5th February, 1897, certain powers and liabilities of the Vestry as set out in Section 6, of the Local Government Act, 1894, were also conferred upon the Council.

Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1902, the Town Council are the local Education Auithority for the purpose of Elementary Education (Part III.) of the Act.

For the purpose of Higher Education (Part II.) the Town Council have in the Borough concurrent powers with the County Council.

A n Order of the Board of Education under the provisions of Section 27 (2) of the Education Act, 1902, was issued on May 15th, 1903, appointing August 1st 1903, as the appointed day for the putting into force in the Borough the provisions of the Act.

Pursuant to Section 17 of the Act a Scheme was duly made by the Town Council and received the sanction of the Board of Education on the 29th day of May, 1903.

On the 20th July, 1906, the Royal Assent was given to the Haslingden Corporation Act, 1906

TRAMWAYS, - The Corporation, under the provisions of the Accrington Corporation Steam Tramsways (Haslingden and Rawtenstall Extension) Act, 1886, gave notice to the Tramway Company in January, 1907, of their intention to exercise the powers of purchase of the Tramsways situated within the Borough of Haslingden on the 5th day of July 1907.  In order to arrive at the amount to be paid to the Tramway Company, Sir Colin Scott Mon Crieff was appointed as Arbitrator by the Board of Trade, and on July 25th, 26th and 27th, the Haslingden and Rawtenstall Corporations and the Tramway Company appeared before him in London with counsel and witnesses. 

The total amount of the award including amounts agreed upon for Haslingden was £14,203

The total amount of the Company's claim, together with certain items agreed, was £24,678 - a difference between the award and the Comapny's claim of £10,475.

In the case of the Rawtenstall Corporation the amount of the Comapny's claim and sums agreed upon was £7,373; the amount of the award was £4,525 - a difference of £3,847 between the Company's claim and the award.

The two Corporations have to pay the Company's costs and the cost of the Arbitrator.

The purchase of the Tramways under the award will be completed on the 1st day of January, 1908..

HEIGHTS ABOVE SEA LEVEL OF PLACES IN AND AROUND HASLINGDEN

Accrington Church 451ft

Bacup Station 805ft

Burnley 376ft

Cowpe Lowe 1433ft

Crawshawbooth 685ft

Cribden Hill 1317ft

Crown Point 1248ft

Deerplay Hill 1474ft

Edenfield Church 656ft

Goodshaw Hill 1237ft

Hambledon Hill 1342ft

Hamer Hill 1435ft

Haslingden Grane Church 860ft

Haslingden Church 843ft

Height End 951ft

Helmshore Church 600ft

Higher Hill 1500ft

Holcombe Hill 1170ft

Holcombe Church 775ft

Newchurch Church 791ft

Knowl Hill 1375ft

Ramsbottom Church 433ft

Rawtenstall Church 557ft

St. John's Church Bacup 849ft

Thievelty Hill 1474ft

Tooter Hill 1420ft

Top O'th Slate 1100ft

Tor Hill 1113ft

Waughs Well 1400ft

Wholaw Nook 1000ft

Whittle Hill 1571ft

DESPATCHES (Just a sample)

WALL BOX COLLECTIONS:

Six collections per day

Market Place: 8.15am.,12.30pm.,2.30pm.,4.45pm., 7.45pm., 8.45pm  (Sundays 5.45pm)

The collection times were very similar at:

Church Street, Acre, Blackburn Road, Station Brow, Carrs, Grane, Grane Road, Sykeside, Laneside, Beaconsfield Street, The Park. 

DELIVERIES: 

Three deliveries per day 

Week-days: 7.15am, 2-5pm, 4.35pm (Sats 4.55pm and Sun 8.30am letters only)

POST OFFICES CHARGES

Inland Letters or packets

Not exceeding 4 ozs, in weight 1d (one old penny) and 1/2d (halfpenny, often prounouced "hapepenny") for every additional 2oz. 

Postcards:

6d for 11 (six old pennies), and 3 1/2d per half dozen (Three pennies and one halfpenny), singly 3/4d (three quarters of a penny which would have been one halfpenny plus one farthing) each 

(Please note above: my interpretations of monitary value and how I think they may have been pronounced those days) 

LIST OF INQUIRIES FOR SANCTION TO BORROW MONEY

Oct 29th 1895 - For sanction to borrow £3,100 for Works of Sewerage and £1,700 for the erection of a Fire Station. 

Jan 29th 1896 - For sanction to borrow £7,000 for a Cemetery at Holden Hall.

May 11th 1897 - For sanction to borrow £4,500 for purchase of Public Hall, Public Assembly Rooms, Fire Station and Stables.

Jan 16th 1902 - For approval of the borrowing of £4,500 for purpose of Technical Instruction and £1,500 for Public Library Purposes

Nov 20th 1902 - For sanction to borrow £8,400 for the erection of a Refuse Destructor and £10,000 for works of Private Street Improvement.

July 18th 1903 - For sanction to borrow £3,800 for the provision of a Small Pox Hospital at Copy.

Feb 10th 1904 - For sanction to borrow £3,500 for the provision of a Refuse Destructor on land adjoining Clod Lane. 

Jan 31st 1906 - For sanction to borrow £1,735 for Works of Private Street Improvement, Cross Street North. 

May 7th 1907 - For sanction to borrow £720 for the widening and improvement of Main Road at Carter Place and Acre, and £2,200 for Works of Sewerage in the Grane District of the Borough.

Nov 19th 1907 - For sanction to borrow £8,500 for the erection of a Refuse Destructor at Lincoln Place, £1,000 for Works of Sewerage and £900 for Works of Private Street Improvements.

METES AND BOUNDS OF WARDS

Although examples are given for all the Wards (eg: Town, Holden, Syke, Helmshore, Grane, Acre)

For example purposes I have chosen just to give description in relation to Acre Ward (simply because of its mention in relation to Jumble Holes and more interestingly PAGHOUSE LANE etc. But I would from this account say that all accounts of the various Wards are given in a similar type of brief. 

1)  ACRE WARD - Ward No.6, or Acre Ward, shall comprise so much of the Borough as is included in a line commencing at a point in the centre of the main road leading from Blackburn to Haslingden at or near Jumble Holes, where the said road is crossed by the boundary of the Borough and proceeding thence in an Easterly direction along the centre of the said road to its junction with Blackburn Road near Clough End, thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of Blackburn Road to the junction therewith of Paghouse Lane, thence in a South Easterly direction along the centre of Paghouse Lane and Lower Lane to the point where the footpath leading to Mount Pleasant joins Lower Lane, thence in a North Easterly direction along the said footpath to the junction of the same with the road known as Hudrake, thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of the last mentioned road and High Street to the junction of High Street with the street or road known as Rakefoot, thence first in an Easterly and then in a South easterly direction along the centre of the last mentioned street or road to its junction with the more Southerly road leading to Kirkhill, thence in an Easterly direction along the centre of the last mentioned road and the old road leading from Haslingden to Rawtenstall, to its junction with the road leading to Spout House, thence in an Easterly direction along the centre of the last-mentioned road to its junction with Laund Lane, thence in a South easterly direction along the centre of Laund Lane to the Eastern boundary of the Borough at Height End, and ehnce first in a generally Northerly, then in a Westerly and then in a South westerly direction along the boundary of the Borough to the point of commencement before described. 

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PHOTO ALBUM AND SNIPPETS No.4 (From December 2015 to 25th November 2016)

A REQUEST HAS BEEN MADE BY MIKE WILSON of the Griffin requesting old photos

The group photo is from 1952 - kindly shared by Joyce Thorne

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This was the official "Ale Taster's Cup" and the position of official Ale Taster for Haslingden during 1896 and 1897 was held by Richard Ashworth (Authorized Ale Taster for Haslingden)
(Item currently on Ebay 20th November 2016) 

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Thanks to Bernard Rostron (Chairman) and the Friends of Helmshore Textile Museums, for kindly allowing their films which include “The Green Valley”, Walking Day and Mayor’s Sunday. To be offered for view to the general public from the Haslingden Old and New Blogsite (10^th November 2016). The filming was originally done in Kodachrome and recorded on video.  It has been previously transferred from video to DVD, and I have now converted into a VOB file (MP format) so that it can be played from Google Drive hosting . 

The silent films which are in two parts were taken around 1949/1950 by Maurice Edmundson. Maurice who came from Helmshore but later moved to Essex was an Inspector of Schools.  Maurice was also a Trustee of Higher Mill which is the ancient part of Helmshore Textile Museums.  Sadly he died about six years ago. The fabulous films contain lots of local interest including:

Film 1 – Green Valley (1949-50) (duration 15 mins 10 seconds)Haslingden single decker bus showing a sign Helmshore via Flaxmoss and passing by Musbury Church etc. Also views over Helmshore Greens Lane and Broadway areas

Ravenshore Cottage and train going over the viaduct, also children playing down in Ravenshore (Little Blackpool) just beneath the viaduct. 

Alden Road showing Horse pulling milk float with old alluminium milk churns

The Tor shows various farms around the Tor area, and shows a horse pulling the plough, also shows cows, sheep and poultry, Also lambs being fed. 

Cattle Auction Shows the auction which was at Bentgate and cows and horses being herded into cattle wagons and also cleaning the cattle trucks.  Also a rare footage of cattle being loaded into cattle trucks at Helmshore Station. 

Large Chimney of local mills where people worked, and showing the local factory whistle going off to tell everyone that work was over and showing workers leaving the factory.  Also some footage showing the Canteen and Recreational areas.

Helmshore Memorial and Park Shows flowers and children blowing “docks” 

Musbury Church film of the Church and passing by some very special footage of cattle being driven up Helmshore Road past Musbury Church, having previously arrived by train to the Station and being led eventually up to the Cattle Mart at Bentgate.

The End – Now please be patient here and let the video continue in readiness for 

Walking Day (St. Thomas) – Part of film only – On completion of this video then See the next film for Part two (Walking Day and Mayors Sunday) which will be available by the second link

Film 2 – Walking Day (part) and Mayor’s Sunday (duration 8 mins 13 seconds)

Just a short part of the film showing the finish of the Walking Day film before the commencement of:

Mayor’s Sunday – features the parade for Mayor Frank Mitchell and Mayoress Mrs. Mitchell

Shows the parade assembling at Tanpits and Wavell Mill and going into the Springhill Methodist Church for the Service and then later leaving the Church before heading into the Helmshore Park where the Mayor gives address at the Memorial.

Also the film shows: Mayor and Mayoress’s from other areas, Town Clerk, Mayor’s Vicar, Mace Bearer, Police Officers, St. John’s Ambulance, the Guides, Brownies, Church Lads Brigade, Inside of Springhill Methodist Church,  going past Snig Hole and Bridge End before entering into the park and finishing off with photos at the Memorial. 

Click here for   GREENVALLEY

Click here for   WALKING DAY AND MAYOR’S SUNDAY

After one week this page will be archived, yet the links can still be accessed from the HASLINGDEN ON FILM section in the left hand column of the Blog.

Two groups of Haslingden children whom raised monies for the disabled and shown here handing it over to Coun and Mrs. Mitchell (Mayor and Mayoress) - September 1962 - Click over to enlarge  Uploaded here on 15th November 2016

Haslingden Youth Club - Coming of Age Ball - October 1962 - Click over photo to enlarge (Uploaded here on 15th November 2016)

Haslingden Choir at St. Mary's Rawtenstall - Click over photo to enlarge (Uploaded here on 15th November 2016)

Mayors Ball 1962 with Coun Frank Mitchell Mayor and Mrs. Annie Mitchell - Mayoress - Click over to enlarge (Uploaded here on 15th November 2016)

Haslingden Council School - 10 year olds (Click over photo to enlarge)

Haslingden Choir last service at St. Stephen's Church, Grane Road (Click over to enlarge)

Haslingden Mayor's Trip to Ambleside c1936 (Click over to enlarge)

1963 - Annual Children's Ball - Mayoress Annie Mitchell (Click over to enlarge)

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Thanks to Bernard Rostron (Chairman) and the Friends of Helmshore Textile Museums, for kindly allowing their films which include “The Green Valley”, Walking Day and Mayor’s Sunday. To be offered for view to the general public from the Haslingden Old and New Blogsite (10^th November 2016). The filming was originally done in Kodachrome and recorded on video.  It has been previously transferred from video to DVD, and I have now converted into a VOB file (MP format) so that it can be played from Google Drive hosting . 

The silent films which are in two parts were taken around 1949/1950 by Maurice Edmundson. Maurice who came from Helmshore but later moved to Essex was an Inspector of Schools.  Maurice was also a Trustee of Higher Mill which is the ancient part of Helmshore Textile Museums.  Sadly he died about six years ago. The fabulous films contain lots of local interest including:

Film 1 – Green Valley (1949-50) (duration 15 mins 10 seconds)Haslingden single decker bus showing a sign Helmshore via Flaxmoss and passing by Musbury Church etc. Also views over Helmshore Greens Lane and Broadway areas

Ravenshore Cottage and train going over the viaduct, also children playing down in Ravenshore (Little Blackpool) just beneath the viaduct. 

Alden Road showing Horse pulling milk float with old alluminium milk churns

The Tor shows various farms around the Tor area, and shows a horse pulling the plough, also shows cows, sheep and poultry, Also lambs being fed. 

Cattle Auction Shows the auction which was at Bentgate and cows and horses being herded into cattle wagons and also cleaning the cattle trucks.  Also a rare footage of cattle being loaded into cattle trucks at Helmshore Station. 

Large Chimney of local mills where people worked, and showing the local factory whistle going off to tell everyone that work was over and showing workers leaving the factory.  Also some footage showing the Canteen and Recreational areas.

Helmshore Memorial and Park Shows flowers and children blowing “docks” 

Musbury Church film of the Church and passing by some very special footage of cattle being driven up Helmshore Road past Musbury Church, having previously arrived by train to the Station and being led eventually up to the Cattle Mart at Bentgate.

The End – Now please be patient here and let the video continue in readiness for 

Walking Day (St. Thomas) – Part of film only – On completion of this video then See the next film for Part two (Walking Day and Mayors Sunday) which will be available by the second link

Film 2 – Walking Day (part) and Mayor’s Sunday (duration 8 mins 13 seconds)

Just a short part of the film showing the finish of the Walking Day film before the commencement of:

Mayor’s Sunday – features the parade for Mayor Frank Mitchell and Mayoress Mrs. Mitchell

Shows the parade assembling at Tanpits and Wavell Mill and going into the Springhill Methodist Church for the Service and then later leaving the Church before heading into the Helmshore Park where the Mayor gives address at the Memorial.

Also the film shows: Mayor and Mayoress’s from other areas, Town Clerk, Mayor’s Vicar, Mace Bearer, Police Officers, St. John’s Ambulance, the Guides, Brownies, Church Lads Brigade, Inside of Springhill Methodist Church,  going past Snig Hole and Bridge End before entering into the park and finishing off with photos at the Memorial. 

Click here for   GREENVALLEY

Click here for   WALKING DAY AND MAYOR’S SUNDAY

After one week this page will be archived, yet the links can still be accessed from the HASLINGDEN ON FILM section in the left hand column of the Blog.

CLICK HERE for the Haslingden War Heroes Blog

Above are members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church WW1 Soldiers

Dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in that War (Please click over to enlarge photos)

Above are members of the St. James Church or its schools who gave their lives for their country in the Great European War 1914-1919 "Their name liveth for evermore"

Above are members of the St. Stephens Church WW1 Soldiers

Dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in that War (Please click over to enlarge photos)

Above are members of the Haslingden Workingmens Club WW1 Soldiers

Dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in that War (Please click over to enlarge photos)

Above are members of the Irish Democratic League Club WW1 Soldiers.

Dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in that War (Please click over to enlarge photos)

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Another beautiful poem written by a Haslingden soldier serving in South Africa in the late 1890s. The original is done in pencil on writing paper and penned in script.  We are indebted to Jane Siddall for kindly sharing these rare “soldiers poems”.

Spartan Mother

“One more embrace; then o’er the main

And nobly play the soldiers part,”

Thus speaks, amid the martial strain,

The Spartan mother’s aching heart,

She hides her woe,

She bids him go,

And tread the path his father’s trod,

“Who fights for England, fights for God”.

Helpless to help, she waits, she weeps,

And listens for the far-off fray,

He scours the gorge, he scales the steeps,

Scatters the foe-away; away!

Feigned, as their flight,

Smite! Again smite!

How fleet their steeds! Now nimbly shod,

She kneels, she prays; “Protect him God”,

The sisters sigh, the maiden’s tear,

The wife’s the widow’s stifled wail,

These nerve the hand, these brace the spear,

And speed them over veld and vale.

What is to him,

Or life or limb,

Who sends the chain, and breaks the rod,

Who falls for freedom, falls for God.

And should it be his happy fate,

Hale to return to home and rest,

She will be standing at the gate,

To fold him to her trembling breast,

Or should he fall,

By ridge or wall,

And lie neath some green southern sod.

“Who dies for country, sleeps with God.

No 3714 Private John Thomas Lambert, E Company,

2^nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers,

Convalescent Camp, Mosi River, South Africa. 

(Undated but from the 1890s)

“Spion Kop”

These lines are dedicated to those Brave Comrades who nobly and gave their lives in the ever memorable Battle of Spion Kop which took place on January 24^th 1900.

1)      Will you kindly pay attention,

         To my story, sad but true;

         A few words I will mention,

         That concerns both me and you.

2)      It was on the 23^rd of January.

         As we rested behind Three Tree Hill,

         That the order came along the line,

         Which caused many a heart to thrill.

3)     Spion Kop had to be taken,

        By the lads of the Lancashire Brigade,

        With the Twentieth in front to hear the brunt,

        The assault had to be made.

4)     The Kings Own and the Fortieth,

        Who never yet knew fear,

        With the T.M.J’s and the Sapper Boys,

        Gave their aid the hill to clear.

5)     Along the uneven ground we marched,

        In silence deep as death;

        And when we got to the hill,

        We halted to take our breath.

6)     With bayonets fixed, we crept along,

        And pressed on with a will,

        For to uphold Old England’s honour,

        And to avenge Majuba Hill.

7)     When the summit we had gained,

        Many a heart was beating fast.

        And in the damp cold morning air,

        The challenge came at last.

8)      Halt! Who goes there? A voice rang out,

         In a tongue both strange and queer;

         A rifle shot, a bayonet charge,

         And a gallant “British Cheer”.

9)       On, on we charged; the enemy fled,

          The hill was ours at last;

          All hopes rose high as the morn drew nigh,

          For the danger that was past.

10)     Alas our hopes were soon dispelled  

          As we soon found to our cost,

          For the Boers again tried to retake,

          The position they had lost.

11)     As through the clouds the sun appears,

          Driving the mist away,

          All hearts beat fast, for low at last,

          We hold the Boers at bay.

12)     The Lancashire’s and Engineers,

          And T.M.J’s as well,

          Line the trenches all around,

          Their lives to dearly sell.

13)     The battle raged both fierce and fast,

          Throughout the livelong day;

          And ere the sun set in the west,

          Many a soul had passed away.

14)     Their’s many a mother in dear old England,

          Who will often shed a tear.

          When she thinks of her boy – her hope and joy,

          But from whom she no more will hear.

15)     Far, far away, over the hill,

          In Natal a resting place they’ve got,

          And these they lie, side by side,

         On the heights of Spion Kop.

Composed by M. Walsh, 2^nd Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers 

written by a Haslingden soldier in the Boer War

 We are indebted to Jane Siddall for kindly sharing this rare “soldiers poem” from the Boer War.

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5th Battallion of the East Lancs Regiment WW1 at the Haslingden Drill Hall, Bury Road.

Inspection of troops for WW1 - taken from behind the Clarence Pub

S.S.Stotts Munitions WW2 (Click over to enlarge)

Showing two ladies welding war munitions at S.S. Stotts for WW2. The lade on the right is  Veronica Arthur.
Photo: Kindly sent in by her daughter Eileen Webster and uploaded here on 4th Nov 2016

A photo of the WW1 Naional Reserve taken at Market Place

Riley - 33 - Palatine - WW1 - taken at Rifle Street

1940 - Home Guard - Haslingden

Deserted Church and farmhouses - Haslingden Grane (Click over to enlarge)

Watercolour by J. Warburton 1962

Owned and kindly shared to us by Jacqueline Ramsbottom

This item has also now been placed in the "Haslingden In Art" blog. 

Church Procession - Warship Week 1946 (Click over to enlarge)
features: A. Watson, John Halstead, Ivy Hill, A Parker, R. Green, M. Hindle.

Uploaded here on 26th October 2016.

View looking up Charles Lane from the end of Prospect Terrace (Click over to enlarge)

Watercolour kindly shared by Allan Bradshaw who's late cousin did the painting in the 90s.

Victoria Park (Click over to enlarge)

Watercolour kindly shared by Allan Bradshaw who's late cousin did the painting in the 90s.

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A old menu from the Railway Hotel(Click over to enlarge))

The Railway was at the bottom of Station Road (No.16) and the menu was from sometime during the period 1905 and 1915 when J. Whittaker was the Proprietor. He was the Great Grandfather to Fiona Balchin who kindly shared this with us. (uploaded here on 18th October 2016) also will be archived in the Pubs Blog. 

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Haslingden County Secondary School 1960 (Click over photo to enlarge)

Front Row: Tommy Barnes, John Simms, David Desforges, Stanley Ratcliffe, Harry Yeadon, David Siddall, Donald Hendry, Cameron Haddock.

2nd Row: Lesley Brennand, Jean Pitman, Jean Hargreaves, Pauline Ashworth, Miss Swires (teacher), Kathleen Shanks, Olwyn Catterall, Sandra Cockerill, Carol Lord.

3rd Row: Janet Kenyon, Wendy Haig, Marian Ducworth, Elizabeth Holmes, Margaret Bargh, Olwyn Barlow, Anne Meynall, Joan Miller, Ann Kershaw, Bernice Cronshaw, Sandra Higson.

4th or back Row: Bill Gardner, Frank McCracken, Brian Lees, Jimmy Barnes, Stephen Britten, Brian Till, John Cassidy, Derek Gillam, Gordon Eastwood, David Smith.

Thanks so much to Barbara and Donald Hendry and Sandra Smith for this great photo and also for naming most of the students.  (uploaded here on 17th Oct 2016.)  This has also now been included within the Haslingden County Modern School Blog

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Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) has kindly shared with us the following photos:

(Click over the above photos to enlarge)

Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) has kindly shared with us the above three photos which have been uploaded on 11th October 2016.  

The top photo shows Blackburn Old Road and the Farmers Glory Pub, the middle photo shows the dismantling of the old boiler at the Rising Bridge Mill and the bottom photo shows some of the men on Walking Day with Lorraine's dad Jim Eke at the front of the party.

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I have just received this email from Joseph Hiluta (received 8th Oct 2016)

Hi Bryan
I'm Michael Hiluta and I haven't seen this photo of my brother, Joseph for many years........
So the two BIG boys are(from left) Michael ROUINE, still here in Haslingden.Next is Francis WALSH(formally of 41 Pine st.)moved down south somewhere, he had very blond hair!! and standing next to him is Joseph HILUTA, and the next boy could be Charles GOWERS
Hope this has jogged someone's memory
All the best, Michael

Photo: Jan Kosyl - St. Mary's 1959

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I have just received this email from Mavene Kullerud in Norway: (received 7th Oct 2016)

Looking up my fathers family and see there is mention of a brass foundry that he seems to have owned either in Haslingden or Altham, he was born 1807 so perhaps can add at least another 20-30 years onto that. His name was Francis Hargreaves married to Ellen, three children John, Alice and  Ellen, this last daughter married to my great grandfather Thomas Holt of Love Clough. Have tried many different websites to get hold of as much about them as possible so hoping you can perhaps come up with something.

 I live in Norway and hoping to give all my finds to my son who will shortly be 50 ! Thanks, Mavene Kullerud

Please let me know at bryan.yorke@sky.com if you have any info for Mavene

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This is a photo kindly shared to us by Marie Ives (uploaded here on 7th October 2016)

"I have recently found some old photos that were my Dad's.  Here is one of my Dad's brother, Bill (Clark) standing centre, whilst taken on Laund Hey surrounded by a few of his lady friends.  I think my Dad took the pictuere as the lady on the left with the dark hat, I think is my Mum.  Dad was born in 1905 and Billy 2 years later so this would be about late 1920's.  Laund Hey looked a busy place on that day, whatever the occasion was, I dont't know.  If I find any more I will pass them on to you. Sincerely Marie Ives.

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Received this photo and email from Jan Kosyl (30th September 2016):

This photo and the following email kindly sent in by Jan Kosyl on 30th September 2016. The above event relates to St. Mary's 1959.

"I wonder if anyone can shed light on this photo?  Why are we being assembled, who are the boys in the line up? and who are the big boys at the head?  I am the one near the back looking for an escape route.  Why are we in uniform?
Regards Jan Kosyl.

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Photo from 2003
Uploaded here on 29th September 2016

Click over photo to enlarge
Training at Haslingden Fire Station 25th January 2004
(Uploaded here on 28th September 2016

Click over to enlarge
Uploaded here on 28th September 2016

Click over photo to enlarge
Uploaded here on 27th September 2016

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From: Jan Kozyl (15th September 2016 11:32)

Hi Bryan

Thank you for uploading my photo on to your website.  I've attached another photo that may interest you.  It is a mememto of my First Communion at St. Mary's, showing the front and back of the small card.  I wondered if any of your readers have also kept theirs.  Mine was found recently as it has been kept by my mother.

Kind regards, Jan Kozyl.

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From: Wendy Addison (20th September 2016 14:52)

Hello Bryan,
I'm conducting some ancestral research for my Great Grandmother and have possibly found her in 1871, aged 11 living at 4 Regent Street, Haslingden.

Of interest is that there are other "boarders"/scholars also living at this address, alongside a Schoolmistress and a Music Teacher (see my highlights in red). The same pattern follows in future census records although my ancestor seems to have left by then.

Was this a school of some sort?

With many thanks, Wendy.

(Click over to enlarge)

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Click over to enlarge

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Email from Thomas Michael Parkinson on 6th April 2015 reads:-

I love your blog!  My paternal grandfather was born in Haslingden 3rd October 1882 and lived on Eliza Street.  According to family lore he came to the United States early in the 20th century to work in spinning mills in Rhode Island, based on skills he learned in the mills of Haslingden.  I have no information on the circumstances of his deciding to leave, but wonder if there was any active recruiting by New England mill owners of skilled workers in the Manchester area.  Perhaps something was publicised in the local newspaper?

Tom (Thomas Michael, son of Thomas William) Parkinson.

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"Zeppelin" (Chris Aspin - 21st September 2016)

September 25th will be the 100th anniversary of the World War 1 Zeppelin raid in Rossendale. Bombs fell on Helmshore, Irwell Vale and Holcombe.

To mark the event, Helmshore Local History Society has put a display in the window of the fruit and veg shop in Broadway Crescent, Helmshore.

Best Wishes,

Chris Aspin

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(Click over to enlarge)

I took this on the early morning of 21st September 2008

Sun rising at the base of the TV mast at Cribden End (taken from Top O'th Slate)

(Click over image to enlarge)

Laund Hey - Near Cribden End

Haslingden also has bomb craters scars which were made many years later at 0145am on 16th April 1941, but these were not made by Zeppelins but conventional German bomber aeroplanes

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Bill Goldsworthy (Click over to enlarge)
A "Haslingden" ex pat and this cutting was kindly sent in by Harold (Sam) Stott.
Newspaper Cutting: Coventry Telegraph Friday April 4th 2014

I asked Sam if this was the Mr. Goldworthy who had the herbalist shop up on Church Street and he replied:  I'm not sure but I think Bill has (had?) a brother who took over the shop from his father.

Sheila Calder has kindly been in touch on 22nd Sept 2016:  "Just saw the article on my Uncle Bill.  Sadly he passed away just last year; almost reached the great age of 101! Amazing!
It was my grandfather John Goldsworthy that had the herbalist shop; that was where my mom and my Uncle Bill and Uncle John grew up.  The shop closed once Grandad Goldsworthy passed away, in the early 70's. - Regards and best wishes from a very sunny Niagara Falls, Sheila."

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Uploaded 22nd September 2016 (Click over to enlarge)

Uploaded 21st Sept 2016 (Click over to enlarge)

1929 Football Team from either Haslingden or Accrington (Click over photo to enlarge)

Back Row: Mr. C. Hill, G Rudge, A Rushton, N. Grimshaw, J. Pickup and B. Mason.

Front Row: A Parkinson, J. Hodgkinson, W. Wilkinson, H. Dobson, Jim Eke (my dad), H. Bell and A. Morris.

Photo: kindly shared to us by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke)

Bryan Yorke replied: Lorraine, I am wondering maybe thats Clemont Hill "Clem" - the headmaster of the Haslingden Modern School or Secondary Modern School, certainly looks very much like him, also names like Grimshaw (Acre family) and other Rising Bridge names Rushtons and Hodgkinson

Les Horrocks kindly replied:  I think this photo could be from Stonefold School, as my mum used to talk about Mr. Hill and she would have been there aged 7, in 1929.  Like you say the names are familiar to families from Rising Bridge, Stonefold and Acre, and certainly from my recollections in the sixties.  Fantastic site by the way,  regards Les Horrocks. 

(Click over to enlarge) 

Uploaded 18th September 2016 

St. Peters Church Walking Day (Click over to enlarge)Photo: Kindly shared by Joan Lord and uploaded here on 14th September 2016

Haslingden Secondary Modern School A - 1948-1949 (Click over to enlarge)Photo: Kindly shared by Joan Lord and uploaded here on 14th September 2016

Haslingden Secondary Modern School A - 1948-1949 (Click over to enlarge)Photo: Kindly shared by Joan Lord and uploaded here on 14th September 2016

Rear: John Barnes, John Lord, Gerald Ainsworth, Colin Trippier, Bob Maden, Colin Maden, Terry Marsden, John Brockbank, Jim Haworth, Keith Halstead, George Tomlinson.
Centre: Brian Booth, Doreen Maunders, Janie Trickett, Prudence Whalley, Betty Barnes, Jean Tattersall, Florence Grey, Freda Smith, Sheila Hayhurst, Alice Barnes.
Front: Irene Maychell, Margaret Gibbons, Dorothy Bispham, Audrey Byeres, Dorothy Crompton, Joyce Cockerill, Phillys Bodycombe, Margaret Hodgkinson, Doreen Mason, Jean Lancaster.

Hargreaves Mill c1960 (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Joan Lord and uploaded here on 14th September 2016

Porritts and Spencer Christmas party (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Joan Lord and uploaded here on 14th September 2016

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Hi Bryan,

                   Thanks for passing on my email to Damian Entwistle,I'm wracking (or is that wrecking) my brain thinking about all the good times I had at the Entys,Damian has been in touch and said "you should have seen my dad's eyes light up when I told him that you had been in touch",honestly you have no idea the joy your blog brings to so many people...THANKS...Also since the Jimmy chip email I have been in touch with Jim and Enids daughter (you left her email address on your reply to  me) it seems a relative of mine lives only a few doors away from Enid so I'm also in touch with her...The tales I could tell!!! and that goes for the tales others could tell about me...THANKS AGAIN.........

                                     Sam (Stott) - Australia  (12th September 2016)

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(Click over to enlarge)

Slate Quarry and Greenhouses (Click over to enlarge)

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Vicky Hall has kindly shared the following four photographs

Click over photo to enlarge

All the above four photos kindly shared to us by Vicky Hall.

 The top photo shows Vickie's dad Derek Hall at  Nursery in 1949.  And the three lower photos show Vickys class photos at Haslingden County Primary School between c1951 to 1955

(uploaded here on 11th September 2016

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Click over to enlarge

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Request for information from Damian Entwistle (10th September 2016)

I have been researching my Grandfather's company J and E Transport for over 5 years and I need a couple of jigsaw pieces to put the potted history together.  I am trying to locate a fire which he had in the 1920's which destroyed his first lorry and gave him 80% burns.  I have been trawling through the Haslingden Observer in the library, but to date have drawn a blank.

Any information or pointers in a different direction would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks and kind regards, Damian Entwiste.

(contact details for Damian are available via bryan.yorke@sky.com

Response: from Michael Mullaney (11th September 2016)

It was well before my time but I believe that the fire to which Damian is referring was in what had been the old tram shed at Rawtenstall so its more likely to have been reported in the Rossendale Free Press than in a Haslingden paper.

The old tram shed was behind what is now the old town hall there are plenty of old photographs showing its location.  The site had the new town hall extension built on it.  In fact any old maps of Rawtenstall circa 1900 should show its location very clearly.

I understood that there was more than one wagon and the compensation enabled John Entwistle senior to firmly establish his transport business.  Rossendale Free Press on micro film at Rawtenstall Library also maps and old photographs.

Michael.

Also another response: from Harold (Sam) Stott (Australia)

Private response sent direct to Damian

Response: from Jackie (12th September 2016) offering a copy of the following article

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(Click over photos to enlarge)

Dawn Rothwell Siddle has kindly shared the above photos with us.  From left hand side: 1) is showing Dawn on a St. Mary's Procession and not very happy! 2) St. Marys whilst in the Wendy House which was whilst in Sister Philomena's Class in 1957/58, and 3) shows her photo with Seamus Clarke and taken in 1958/59.

Uploaded here on 10th September 2016

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Stonefold Church (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) and uploaded here on 9th September 2016

Kearns Allens Works shown from aeroplane (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) and uploaded here on 9th September 2016

Lower Baxenden (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) and uploaded here on 9th September 2016

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Photo uploaded here on 9th September 2016 (Click over to enlarge)

Hello, I like your blogs, I'm living in Spain. I would like to add these two photographs.

A photograph of my grandfather "Ralph Holden Ellston and his colleagues" he is the one on the left.

The other photo is of "The Holden Family".

Regards, PIL Ellston. 

The photos are kindly shared by PIL Ellston and uploaded here on 8th September 2016

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Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke) has kindly shared the following photographs with us

Rising Bridge Post Office in the 1950's  (Click over to enlarge)

Uploaded here on 8th September 2016

(Photo: kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke)

Snowed Up in the 1950's showing the snowed up train beneath Rising Bridge together with the school high up on the left hand side.  (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 8th September 2016
(Photo: kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke)

Snowed Up in the 1950's outside Rising Bridge Post Office  (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 8th September 2016
(Photo: kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke)

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Below is a St. Mary's School photograph kindly shared by Jan Kosyl and uploaded here on 8th September 2016

Hi Bryan 

My name is Jan Kosyl. I attended St Mary’s Haslingden from 1956 to 1963. I thought you might be interested in the attached photo from Sister Philomena’s class. There is a very similar photo on your website on this page: http://haslingdens.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/new-photos-to-blog_19.html. It was taken in 1958. I am 3^rd from the left, with the tea cup. I don’t know the names of the other children and would be interested to know if any of your viewers know their names. 

Kind Regards

Jan Kosyl

Myra suggest the other pupils are from L to R: Anne Grennigan, Denise Holden, Jan Kozyl, Roland Parkinson

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(Uploaded here on 8th September 2016)

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Below is Photo kindly shared by Lorraine Hooper (nee Eke)

(Lorraine's parents had the Rising Bridge Post Office in the early 1950s before moving to Somerset in 1958.

(Uploaded on 7th September 2016 - Click over photo to enlarge)

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(Uploaded on 6th September 2016)

Joan Lords has kindly shared her photo of Kirk Hill Bar (3rd September 2016)

Kirk Hill Bar (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Joan Lords

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Terry McGuire has kindly shared his St. Mary's Communion Photo from 1959/1960 (3rd September 2016

St. Mary's Communion photo from 1959/1960 (Click over to enlarge)

Kindly shared by Terry McGuire.

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Request kindly made by Julie Ashworth-Scott (3rd September 2016)

Please could I ask members to take a look at the photo below and see if they are familiar with them. It's a photo and was found in Tesco in Rawtenstall and handed into customer services for safekeeping. Would like nothing more than the owner to be reunited with it. Thank you for reading.

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Request kindly made by Vicky Hall (3rd September 2016)

Hi, I have been researching my family that lived in Haslingden, I believe they lived at Cribden Flat Farm in the 1930s. The family is William Riley born 1891, he married Lizzie Bentham in 1922.  They had 5 children, the oldest being my wonderful Nanna Doreen Hall (nee Riley) born 1923 followed by Stanley 1924, William (known as Frankie) 1926, May 1933 and lastly Donald born 1944.  Both my father and uncle were born in Haslingden, Derek and Duncan Hall. If anybody has any memories or photographs they could share with me I would be most grateful.

Many thanks, Vicky Hall.

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The following photo kindly shared by Lynn Morley-Cropper

St. Mary's School Student photo - 1975 (Click over to enlarge)

Mrs. Grogan's Class - Photo kindly shared by Lynn Morley-Cropper and uploaded here on 30th August 2016

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Robert Stevens has kindly shared the following four Rose Queen photos:

Click over photo to enlarge
Photo: Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

Click over photo to enlarge
Photo: Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

Click over photo to enlarge
Photo: Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

Click over photo to enlarge
Photo: Kindly shared by Robert Stevens and uploaded 29th Aug 2016

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John Simpson has kindly shared with us some interesting information in regards to the recent request from Caroline Leathwood from Huddersfield on "Postcards in Code".

The Ralph Duckworth was John Ralph Duckworth (1885-1960), who was the son of John and Maria Duckworth who lived at Spring Gardens on Bury Road. Minnie's father was vicar of St. Stephen's, Grane for a few years in the early 1900s.  JRD worked in the probate registry in Manchester and after their marriage the couple lived in the North Manchester suburbs.  They had two children: Joyce Holden Duckworth and john Storey Duckworth.

One of JRD's sisters was Beryl who married Thomas Woodcock and was the late Graham Woodcock's mother, making him Graham's uncle, and great-uncle to Thomas Woodcock, Garter King of Arms at the College of Arms in London.

One of JRD's ancestors is commemorated by the drinking fountain which used to be in Hargreaves Street and is now in St. James Close.

I'll email the herald as he probably will be interested to hear about these cards.

John.

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Robert Stevens has kindly shared more Rose Queen photos (28th August 2016)

St. James Rose Queen Margaret Hunt at the old sports pavillion down Prinny Hill
Click over photo to enlarge - Photo kindly contributed by Robert Stevens and uploaded here on 28th August 2016)

St. James Rose Queen Margaret Hunt, at the old sports ground down Prinny Hill with Lamberts old mill in the background
Click over photo to enlarge - Photo kindly contributed by Robert Stevens and uploaded here on 28th August 2016)

St. James Rose Queen Margaret Hunt, going past the old fire station and Public Hall on Regent Street.
Click over photo to enlarge - Photo kindly contributed by Robert Stevens and uploaded here on 28th August 2016)

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Documents kindly shared by Joyce Thorne (28th August 2016)

The following event was witnessed on 21st July 2016 just gone and was a service of celebration to mark the EXERCISING OF THE FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH of Rossendale by the 2nd Battalion

(Click over to enlarge)

But how many of us can remember back to 1966 when the Freedom March through the BOROUGH OF HASLINGDEN took place on Saturday 28th January 1967 and here below is the original letter of request from the Commanding Lieutenant Colonel of the then 4th Battalion - The East Lancashire Regiment (TA)

(Click over document to enlarge)
Documents kindly shared by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 28th August 2016

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Photos kindly shared by Robert Stevens (26th August 2016)

St. James Rose Queen - Early 60s - The Queen is Margaret Hunt (Click over to enlarge)
Photo taken down on the St. James Sports field bottom of Prinny Hill.
Photo kindly shared by Robert Stevens (26th August 2016

St. James Rose Queen - Early 60s - The Queen is Margaret Hunt (Click over to enlarge)
Photo taken down on the St.James Sports field bottom of Prinny Hill.
Photo kindly shared by Robert Stevens (26th August 2016

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The following photo has been kindly shared by Deborah Armstrong (25th August 2016)

Members of Haslingden Judo Club (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Deborah Armstrong on 25th August 2016

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The following photos have been kindly shared by Robert Stevens (25th August 2016)

 Haslingden County Primary School c1958 (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

Haslingden County Primary School c1958  (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

St. James Walking Day (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

St. James Walking Day (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

St. James Walking Day (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

All four above photos are of St. James Walking Day  (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Robert Stevens

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Photo below kindly shared by Jeff Stevens (25th August 2016)

St. James's Walking day c1971 (Near Big Lamp) - Little girl holding hands is Julie Stevens (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Jeff Stevens on 25th August 2016

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Request for information from Caroline Leathwood, Huddersfield (24th August 2016)

Hello,

I wonder if I could please ask for your help?

I have a very strange story!

For years I have collected old postcards. 18 months ago, I found an old postcard at my local market in Huddersfield. I was shocked to find that the back was written in a strange code... I'm going to cut a verrry long story short here but basically this postcard was the start of an obsession! I cracked the code and managed to find a few more postcards from the same seller the following week, all in the same code. They were all between a couple named Ralph Duckworth and Minnie Storey-Bates, who both lived in Haslingden. I wrote a blog article about the cards 12 months ago -

https://100yearsofstories.wordpress.com/2015/09/25/the-secret-code-of-ralph-and-minnie/

So, after finding the cards I became obsessed with finding more!! Ralph had made reference to sending 'a hundred more' and I longed to find them! I scoured flea markets and eBay for 18 months but my search was fruitless as you can probably imagine. What would really be the chances of finding more?! I came across more coded postcards in my search, which are all fascinating but they didn't intrigue me as much as those between Ralph Duckworth and Minnie Storey-Bates from Haslingden...

So I pretty much gave up looking.

And then what should 'wash up' at my local flea market last week?!

Not just the 100 cards from Ralph ... But 400!!!!!

I bought the entire collection and I'm still in shock! What are the chances?! It's incredibly strange they should fall into my hands and if I believed in fate then I'd say this was indeed fate!!

All the cards were posted between 1904-1913, when the couple married in Delph.

I know a few bits and pieces about Ralph and Minnie, from ancestry.com and the content of the cards themselves. But I would love to know more!! They make reference to lots of places and people local to Haslingden. I get the impression they were very much in 'high society' in Haslingden!

If you know anything at all about the names - literally anything! - I would be so grateful if you could help me to learn more.

Sorry if my request is a little odd. I have to try and rein myself in when talking about it as I find the whole story so fascinating and i struggle not to ramble, hee!!

Thanks for reading this far.

Caroline Leathwood, Huddersfield.

If you do have any information to help Caroline, please let me have it at bryan.yorke@sky.com and I will then pass it on direct to her.

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Request from Chris Aspin (22nd August 2016)

Chris is still busy compiling local psychic events, and he is requesting that if there is anyone out there that has first-hand accounts of strange encounters he would love to hear from them.  He can be contacted as follows:- 

Chris Aspin, 21 Westbourne, Helmshore, Rossendale, BB4 4QD

or Telephone: 01706 227129

or email direct at: chris_aspin@yahoo.co.uk

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Short Stories kindly shared to us by Denise Humphreys (nee Holden) (22nd Aug 2016)

By the way a little story about the cinema which used to be a laundry.  In the early 1900's my great gran, Granny Ward ran the laundry.  One night she was working late when a "gentleman" appeared dressed in 19th century clothes and wearing a top hat.  He did not say anything and wandered around.  She followed him but when he went into the cellar she decided not to go.  When she told this tale to some of the local women (in the Co-op) they said it sounded like a vicar who committed suicide in the cellar many years ago.  She never saw him again. 

On a footnote my sister worked at the cinema for a while in the 1960's and none of the workers would go up the stairs to the room where the ice cream was kept because it was "creepy".  Her boss who ran the cinema was in there with her grand-daughter who was about 6.  One afternoon she locked the doors because of the money.  Her grand-daughter had the run of the place.  Suddenly the grand-daughter ran back to her saying she had seen a man in "funny clothes" and went on to describe the vicar.

Not sure if all of this is true as I did not see it, just heard the stories.

Regards Denise.

Chris Aspin (22nd August 2016) replied: I'm most interested in the story of the haunted old vicarage.  The vicar cut his own throat; and people have told me that his ghost often walked.

In October, 1857, ten years to the day after the suicide, strange loud noises were heard in the parish church during a service, but no reason was ever found.

A couple of photos here showing Denise's Great Gran on the steps of the old Laundry (bottom photo) and also one of inside of the old Laundry. The bottom photo shows the building when it was the vicarage.

Memories kindly shared by Denise Humphreys (nee Holden) (22nd Aug 2016)

I was born and raised in Haslingden - Heys Street and have just found your wonderful, wonderful site.  I will now spend hours going through it.

Today I have come across St. Mary's School Student photo 1960-1961 which is when I attended.  There is a very small girl on the far right, front row which is me, as I was then Denise Humphreys.  A am not much bigger now!!! Nothing brings back memories like photos and I have found my sister on another one, together with my childhood friends, happy, happy memories.

I now live in Worcestershire but my sister still lives in Helmshore and I am going to visit her this coming Thursday.  We often walk around Haslingden sharing our memories.  I'm afraid it is not how it used to be and I'm not one for progress all the time.  My lovely little town where I grew up is no more.

When I was 14 we moved to Lincoln Street - yes I know miles away!! - and I remember Carrs well, I used to take my dog for a walk there and all around over the quarry.  It was a sad day for me when the new road was built.  My gran lived in Blackburn Road and I used to love going there.

Well I won't keep you any longer reminiscing, I could go on all day.

Regards Denise Humphreys

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Photos kindly shared by Jeff Stevens

St. James C of E - Information on donations and clost of the peal of eight Bells

above scan kindly shared to us by Jeff Stevens via facebook page

Ray Whittaker - Our Facebook site on 21st August 2016: Whilst at school (1971 HSMS), I had to give a talk for 10 minutes to the class and my chosen topic was campanology (a term used by none bell ringers).  Many bells have inscriptions on them and in some areas many moons ago they were rung backwards 8 to 1 to warn of an outbreak of fire and some have inscriptions relating to fire.  I wondered what inscriptions maybe or would be on the bells here at St. James.  So off up the tower to see I went and your piece of paper reminded me of what inscription is cast into the bells.  Cast by T. Mears of London and each bell presented by, just as your paper says.  I then joined the team of ringers the Tenor (no.8) being the bell I rang the most.

Haslingden Home Guard 1940 (Click over to enlarge)

Photo kindly shared by Jeff Stevens through our facebook pages

Back Row: Tom Worswick, John Clegg, Chris Smithson, Roland Rothwell, Ralph Heap, Steve Banyard, Frank Taylor, Leonard Oakley, Jimmy Gilgallon, Norman Stevens, George Desforges, Syd Smith, Allan Tricket, Alec Hulton, Sam Hoyle.

Second Row: Jack Roundell, Tom Wood, Peter Shields, Tom Wood, ?, ? Barnes, Tomy Cain, Jimmy Dunn, Bob Hargreaves, ? Barnes, John Clarke, Mike ?, Harry Spencer.

Front Row: Reggie Dewhurst, Tommy Stanton, Harry Rodgers, C/O Halstead, Fred Green, George Worswick

Photo uploaded here on 20th August 2016

A fine group of Haslingden ladies - (Click over to enlarge)
Another photo kindly shared by Jeff Stevens

REQUEST FROM IAN WARBURTON (19th August 2016)

Following the recent great photo from Paul Schofield of his dad at St. James School (added 19th August 2016).  Is there any chance of posting a request on the website for photos to be sent in of the inside of the old school (i.e. classrooms, main hall etc) prior to the fire in the late 1970's?  There seems to be very few photos posted of the inside of the building.  I'm sure there must be plenty out there because as well as the school, all church functions were held there.  Hope everyone can help, Cheers, Best Regards, Ian Warburton.

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Photos kindly shared by Paul Schofield

This is my father, Harry Schofield when he attended the Haslingden Secondary School although he always referred to it as the "Technical School".
He is again at the back in the middle. It must be late 1920s

St. James School - 1920s (Click over to enlarge)

Here is a photo of my father, Harry Schofield, attending St. James School.  He is directly under the picture to the left on the back row with the white shirt.  It takes me back to my time there.  He was born in 1915 so the photo will be from the 1920's

Photos: kindly shared by Paul Schofield and uploaded here on 19th August 2016

TOR MILE EVENT - BLOG

Peter Shuttleworth has kindly suggested that we do a forthcoming blog on the "Tor Mile" Annual event.  I personally have very little in the way of information (maybe the odd photo or two), but if others feel that they can contribute information or photos on the Tor Mile Event then perhaps we could try and make it a blog in its own right.  Thank you........

Stan Raby winning Tor Mile 1959 ish (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Peter Shuttleworth and uploaded here on 19th August 2016

Haslingden Carnival c1923-1924 (Click over to enlarge)

Back Row: John M. Willis, John Ratcliffe, Maurice Hugo.

Middle Row: George Lees, Joseph Collings,

Front Row: Alan Eccles, Frances McWade, John Bentley-Wood, Gilbert Rishton.
uploaded here on 17th August 2016

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Margaret West sent in this memory (18th Aug 2016)

Hi Bryan, 

Just as a matter of interest. I was only around 5 yrs old, somewhere around 1943-44, but I remember a buzz bomb dropping in a field at the top of Fielding Lane in Accrington. It was at night and I remember listening for the drone to stop, and then it dropped. The week after, my granddad came and took us to look at the crater which it made. I guess the Germans were looking for Howard & Bulloughs but any way they missed.  

Not sure if it's still there. I live in Canada so can't check it out. 

M West.

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Dave Wise has kindly sent in some photos to share with us all (16th Aug 2016)

Bryan   I am enclosing some photos of Porritt's, Sunnybank Mills In response to the comments on the facebook page regarding the Commemorative Plate. I spent a lot of time in the mill when I was young as both my Mother and Father worked there Jim and Dorothy Wise.  My mother was in the felting  room and my dad worked in the mill bottom his fellow workers in there was Tom Watson, Alan Nuttall, Walt Rose Tom Bottoms Jack Davies, Bill and Eddy Stott, Stan Robinson, Alan Anderton and I think Dennis Warburton I might be wrong on the first name.  He had a brother called Golding as an aside his Reliant Robin was washed away in the 60's flood.

In the felting room the foreman was Tom Green.

Also working there at this time

Fire Beaters were Bill Rushton and Tommy Armstrong

Engineer was Frank West

Joiner was Sam Edgerton

Blacksmith was Vincent Cribe spent hours watching him shoe the horses that were used to transport the wool from Bridge End Mill and the station to the works.

Derek I think one of the Electricians when you were there was Eddie Wilkinson

Lorry driver was Bill Fitton.  Two of my friends Lawrence Barlow and Eric Henderson worked in the Weaving Dept. My Aunty Amy Graham was canteen manageress.

It was good to hear people from my youth replying to article.

Dave Wise

Porritts and Spencers - Finishing Roof (Click over to enlarge)

Porritts and Spencer Sunnybank - Cylinder Room

 Porritts and Spencer - Sunnybank Mill

Porritts and Spencer - Sunnybank Mill -  Finishing Room

Click over photos to enlarge - all uploaded here on 16th August 2016

Jean Tomlinson has kindly sent in some photos to share with us all:

Jean with Albert Wren taken in 60s - taken in back of 149 Blackburn Rd, with Spring Street Houses in the background. 

 Left to Right: Mrs. Taylor, Albert Wren, Lily Wren (nee Ratcliffe)

 Maybe Con Club with Albert Wren third from the Left.  It states the names Mr. Briggs and Fred on the back of the photo.

 St. James Mothers Union at Bowness - first on right is Lily Wren

Order of the Buffaloes - Albert Wren is first on the right standing

Jean Tomlinson says: Have found some photos I’ve been looking for for ages so sending you scans. Hope I haven’t duplicated any. Hope some of your readers will recognise faces. All photos uploaded here on 14th August 2016

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A letter below from John Edwards dated 13th August 2016 - Chip Shops

Hi Bryan
In the 1940-50's - I remember Mr & Mrs Harris running this chippy (Chippy on the corner of Bury Road with George Street as shown in photo on blog). They had a son Jack who I used to mate out with, his father had an illness that prevented him working at the shop and I used to do the spud peeling in the basement after school, and got a free tea. When they left the shop they lived at the bottom of Chapel St in the house over the first Co-op shop
John R Edwards

A letter below from Harold Stott (Sam) dated 9th August 2016 - Chip Shops

We are into the the last month of winter here (Rosebud Victoria, Australia) and I am spending a happy time (with heater turned on) looking at the Haslingden blogspot.  My local chippy was the Flaxmoss chippy which was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Kay.  Mr. Kay worked full time in a cotton mill, I think they called it "drawer or puller through", threading the warp through the "reeds" ready to go onto the looms.

Anyway they worked hard at the chippy with lunch tea and supper and they had two children, forgot the name of their daughter, but I was good mates with Jim their son (Rip) and I used to help him "eye" the spuds so that we could get on with the serious business of going out to play in Victoria Park, or the Camms, or Swinnel Brook etc.  Jim later married Enid Mews (a right cracker of a lass), the last time I saw them was back in the 80s when they were licencees of the Robin Hood pub on Holcombe Road and later I heard Enid moved to the Bridge End in Helmshore.

My other chippy was the Manchester Road Chippy, and we went in there after band practice, and a few of us would give them a tune or two, it was never really appreciated.

We always ate "in" and our order was chips with soup on and stir the pot before you put the soup on (cheeky young buggers), no peas in our soup but they loved us really, Well I think they did.........

(Sam) Stott

IF YOU WANT TO READ THE CHIP SHOP BLOG THEN CLICK HERE

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Haslingden Corporation Bus TF1559 for Silver Jubilee (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 12th August 2016

Salem Procession passing the "Sandpits" long before the police and fire stations (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly shared by Jeff Stevens who is also the cushion bearer at the front of the procession
Photo: uploaded here on 4th August 2016 and shortly to be added to the Salem Blog.

Porritts Memorabilia (Click over to enlarge)
Memorabilia photo kindly shared by Dave Armstrong and uploaded here on 4th August 2016

Old Porritts Letterheading from 1909 (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 4th August 2016

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"I have been going through family photos which I have to say there are many.  My Mum and Dad George and Mary Rothwell lived in Helmshore, moved to Flaxmoss and then they moved to Haslingden.  From Haslingden they moved to Morecambe where they retired.

My parents started married life being the steward and stewardess at Helmshore British Legion that would have been about 1950-1955.  They then moved on to the Helmshore Bridge End Hote, two of my brothers where actually born in the Bridge End.  From there we moved to Flaxmoss and my parents then took over the Land League and then the Trades"

Dawn Siddall has kindly shared with us lots of local photographs which I am now starting to upload here.  Please click over the photographs to enlarge. (Photos uploaded on 31st July 2016)

Helmshore Conservative Club (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded here on 30th July 2016

Very old ceramic Jug depicting Helmshore Conservative Club (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly sent in by Colin of Blackburn and uploaded here on 30th July 2016

St. James C of E School 1965 (Click over photo to enlarge)

The photo is from June 1965 and is the next to the top class from left to right

Top row

David Whittle - Graham Dakin - John Stitt - Paul Schofield - Keith Savory - James Cowpe - Raymond

Whittaker - ? - Donald Barnes - Glyn Jones - Malcolm Halstead - Graham Farrer - John Barnes (RIP)

Miss Garne 

Middle row

Peter Berry - Sylvia Melvin - Sheila Collins - Janet Pickup - Kathleen Rowell - Audrey Haslam - 

Steven Howarth 

Front row

Ruth Pilkington - Heather Riley - Susan Greenwood - Brenda Westwell  - Joyce Berry - Pat Brennan - Judith Evans - Susan Clough - Linda Cook - Karen Holt - Caroline Barker - Susan Downham 

I hope I have not got anyone's name wrong and that someone may know the missing name.

Regards 

Paul

(thanks to Paul Schofield for the photo which was uploaded on 29th July 2016 and will also shortly be archived in the St. James School Blog

I have attached a photo which shows my relatives who performed in a Salem production.  On the left is my Aunt Edna Owen (nee Bastow) who is mentioned in the blog as a Sunday School teacher.  Uncle Ross Taylor and my mother Vera Schofield (nee Hornung).  Both girls were born in 1921, so the photo is possibly late 1920s.  As a matter of interest Ross's dad Joe ran the snooker hall above the Co-op just lower down from the Library.

(Thanks to Paul Schofield for kindly sharing this photo which was uploaded here on 29th July 2016 and will also shortly be included in the Salem Blog)

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Notes kindly sent through from Michael Mullaney:-

I have been given some details of Haslingden from a friend who asked me to pass them on

The hand written notes are from the memory of an old lady, Elsie Tomlinson who died about 5 years ago age 95.

It is a list of shops in Haslingden as she recalled from we think the mid 1900s.

I have attempted to decipher the list which I have typed up for your convenience.  

There will be mistakes and some I just couldn't make out, but its a start, no doubt you might have more success!!!

The location or street names are not an accurate datum point.

(Click over the above to enlarge)

(Click over the above to enlarge)

(Click over list to enlarge)

(Click over to enlarge)

(Click over to enlarge)

All the above notes from Mrs. Tomlinson via Michael Mullaney were uploaded on 29th July 2016

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Today (24th July 2016), it is with great pleasure that I have just noticed the Blog has reached the position of having had over One million (1,000,517) unique visitors since its formation back in 2008.

I would like to thank everyone who has kindly supported the blog over the years with all their kind contributions, whether it be photos or stories or both or just by your clicking over the pages - it all counts THANK YOU..

___________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Jennifer for capturing the event and if you would like to see all Jennifer's photos please click here and then scroll down

Photos of Freedom Parade 21st July 2016 (Photos: Jennifer Shilliday)

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Thanks to David White for sending this poem which has come from his friend (another Haslingdonian). I will shortly file it under the Poetry from Hazeldene - Uploaded here on 22nd July 2016.

I remember the cheese of my childhood ,

and the bread that we cut with a knife ,

when the children helped with the housework ,

and the man went to work not the wife .

The cheese never needed a fridge ,

and the bread was so crusty and hot .

The children were seldom unhappy

and the wife was content with her lot .

I remember the milk came in bottles ,

with yummy cream on the top ,

our dinner came hot from the oven ,

and not from the fridge in the shop .

The kids were a lot more contented ,

they didn't need money for kicks

just a game with their mates in the road ,

and sometimes the Saturday flicks .

I remember the shop on the corner ,

where a pen`orth of sweets was sold

Do you think I am a bit nostalgic

or is it i'm just getting old .

I remember the loo was a lav ,

and the bogey man came in the night ,

it wasn't the least bit funny going

outback with no light .

The interesting items we perused ,

from the newspapers cut into squares

and hung on a peg in the loo,

it took little to keep us amused .

The clothes were boiled in the copper

with plenty of rich foamy suds ,

but ironing seemed never ending 

as mum pressed every ones duds .

I remember the slap on my backside

and the taste of soap if I swore

anorexia and diets weren`t heard of

and we didn't have much choice what we wore.

                   

Do you think that bruised our ego

or our initiative was destroyed

we ate what was put on the table

and I think life was better enjoyed .

 Laying the tramlines at Acre - Close to Worsley Park (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded on 12th July 2016

St. Marys Procession c1919 (Click over to enlarge)

Photo added on 12th July 2016

Haslingden Grammar School Athletic Sports - June 20th 1928 (Click over to enlarge)

Uploaded here on 10th July 2016

Church Lads Brigade, Haslingden (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 5th July 2016.

The Last of the Baltic Fleet in Haslingden Sept 5th 1908 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added on 28th June 2016

Haslingden's first Electric Tramcar - Sept 5th 1908 (Click over to enlarge)

Photo added: 28th June 2016

St. Mary's School Student photo - 1960-61  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Terry McGuire and uploaded here on 21st June 2016 and also archived under ST.MARYS BLOG

Terry has named some of the students:

Back Row from Left: James Worthington, Brian Riley, Steven Durkin, Kevin Morton, Peter Caine, ?, Joseph Hiluti.

3rd Row from Left: Roland Parkinson, Jan Kosyl, Kevin Touhey, Alan Mead, Steven Rothwell, ?, Terry McGuire, Michael Rushworth, Mick Winder, ?,?.

2nd Row from Left: ?, Veronica Gregory, Ann Nuttall, ?, ?,?,?, Margaret Lee, Ann Sourbutts, Kathleen Fulcher, ?

Front Row: Susan Greenwood, Katherine Taylor, Teresa Flynn, ?, Florence Fitton, ?, Susan Yates, ?

The railway track off Musbury Heights Quarry (Click over to enlarge)

This is a photo currently being offered for auction on the E.Bay auction site 18th June 2016

Click over photo to enlarge - photo uploaded here on 16th June 2016

Royal Visit to Haslingden on July 9th 1913 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: added here on 15th June 2016

Event held on Marsden Square (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 13th June 2016

Four photos above of St. Thomas, Musbury Walking Days past  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo's: Kindly contributed by Dave Armstrong and uploaded here on 8th June 2016 and also archived under ST. THOMAS

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Another Trough-Spring at the back of the old Rossendale General Hospital (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Chris Howarth and uploaded here on 8th June 2016 plus archived under TROUGHS AND SPRINGS

Stone Trough at Jacky Barn, Heap Clough, Grane (Click over photo to enlarge)
Kindly contributed by Robert Wade and uploaded here on 7th June 2016 and also archived under TROUGHS AND SPRINGS

Stonefold (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added here on 6th June 2016

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The older pubs of Haslingden (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly contributed by Marie Ives and uploaded here on 4th June 2016 and will also be archived in the PUBS blog. 

A very old Trinity Baptist Sabbath School Poster from 1887 (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 4th June 2016

St. Mary's Rose Queen Procession in 1963.  Rose Queen is Patricia Donnelly (nee Rothwell).  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Steve Rothwell and added here on 2nd June 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS.

Telephone supervision of Report Centre Telephonist in the event of War 1937  (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here on 30th May 2016

Food Distribution Shop in Haslingden (Click over to enlarge)
Think this shop may have been in Higher Deardengate (not sure!), it looks a type of "Redmans or Duckworths" shop.  What a shame we don't have this type of shop nowadays.  Just look at all the people they employed (14 shop assistants in the photograph). 
Uploaded here on 28th May 2016

Haslingden St. James Students 1919 with Miss Barlow and Mr. Heathcote (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 26th May 2016

Victoria Park Childrens Area - 1914 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 23rd May 2016

Walking Day on Blackburn Road, by Union Foundry (almost opposite Regent St) 1920's (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 21st May 2016

A leaving Presentation at John Warburtons factory (Click over to enlarge)
Photo includes Mrs. Gunton 3rd from the right, also Harry Chadwick 4th from the left.
Photo: Kindly contributed by Keith Gunton and uploaded here on 18th May 2016

Presentation to Auntie Maggie with flowers at the Box Room, CWS Slipper Works (Click over to enlarge)
Photo also includes: Keith's Mum Mrs Alice Gunton, Edna Wroe, Arthur Foley (Foreman), Lizzie Kershaw, and Mrs. Barton plus others.
Photo: Kindly contributed by Keith Gunton and uploaded here on 18th May 2016

Event held in Victoria Park, Haslingden (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly contributed by Keith Gunton and uploaded here on 18th May 2016

Warship Week 1942 - Church Procession  (Click over to enlarge)

Shows: H. Watson (Mayoress), John Halstead, Ivy Hill (Librarian), A. Parker, R. Green and M. Hindle.  

Photo: Uploaded here on 18th May 2016 

War Weapons Week 1942 - Haslingden Modern School.  Shows Clemont Hill the Headmaster plus others (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 17th May 2016

Back of the old Rossendale General Hospital - Moorlands Infirmary  (Click over to enlarge)
uploaded here on 16th May 2016

Coffin bearers at St. John's Stonefold Church - Rising Bridge (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 15th May 2016

Two groups of children handing monies raised for the disabled over to the Mayor Councillor and Mrs. Mitchell - September 1962  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: added here on 14th May 2016

WVS Alluminium Drive 1943 - Deardengate  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 12th May 2016

No details on this photo but looks very much like it could be the Girls Friendly Society or maybe something to do with the St. Johns  (Click over to enlarge)

St. Mary's 1967 (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly sent in by Dave Armstrong and uploaded here on 9th May 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG.

Anti-Gas Training in Haslingden in 1937 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 9th May 2016

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Top - Shows the Unveiling of the Michael Davitt Memorial on Wilkinson Street which was on 10th May 1956 and will have been 60 years since the unveiling next Tuesday on 10th May. also the bottom photo shows the Memorial in Close Up (Click over to enlarge).

To check out full article and more photos of the Davitt Celebrations please click over this link

At Michael Davitts Memorial on Wilkinson Street - March 1970

Next week will be 60 years since the Michael Davitt Memorial Plaque was unveiled and we are fortunate to be able to include the original newspaper article which appeared in the Haslingden Guardian on May 18th 1956. TO CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE please CLICK HERE

Mr. Worsley (Carter Place) and members of Haslingden Cricket Club (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: looks like it was taken in the grounds of Carter Place and uploaded here on 4th May 2016 

Haslingden Tradesmen and their Wives  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 3rd May 2016

Haslingden Tradesmen's 1924 Cricket Team  (Click over to enlarge)

Cutting kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 3rd May 2016

Four St. Mary's Students Photo from 1977/1978 (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo's kindly contributed by Eddie Wilkinson and uploaded here on 2nd May 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

Ewood Bridge Sunday School   (Click over to enlarge)

Ewood Bridge Sunday School (Click over to enlarge)

Two photos above of the Ewood Bridge School and Sunday School and uploaded here on 2nd May 2016

Higher Deardengate at the Junction with Manchester Road (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Uploaded here on 30th April 2016

Outside of the Market Hotel on Marsden Square Showing parade of Milk Floats etc  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 29th April 2016

A rare photograph of a Top O'th Town Event  (Click over to enlarge)

Royal Visit Souvenir Postcard  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Uploaded here on 28th April 2016

Haslingden St. Johns Ambulance  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo was taken outside the Drill Hall on Lyndale Avenue
Uploaded here on 27th April 2016.

Mechanics Arms, Holcombe Road, Helmshore  (Click over to enlarge)
This is a nice early photo showing some of the older buildings of that area
Uploaded here on 26th April 2016

Nurse Edith Cavell Memorial Service - Procession heading up Church Street  (Click over to enlarge)

This is a procession leading up to the Parish Church for the Memorial Service of Nurse Edith Cavell who was executed in Belgium on the charge of helping Allied soldiers to escape..

Photo shows Church Street how it used to be with the "Masons" on the left hand side front corner and a little lower down is the "Bird In Hand", with the "Bull's Head" on the right hand side with its large hanging sign. Also the Church Lads Brigade are at the forefront of the photograph. What could ever have happened to all those beautiful "wet" stone flags?
Photo: Uploaded here on 26th April 2016 and also archived CHURCH LADS BRIGADE and also under OLDER HASLINGDEN

This shows the wedding of Major Halstead's daughter to Mr. Watson at the Parish Church (Click over to enlarge)

This is probably the photo I may well have been looking for because it clearly shows the houses of Salem Street and the backs of Hartley Street together with the Old Salem Chapel

Garden Party at Carter Place  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 24th April 2016 and also will be archived under CARTER PLACE

Opening of the New Ambulance Drill Hall on Lyndale Avenue  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Uploaded here on 23rd April 2016

Helmshore United Football Club c1910  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo taken on Sunnybank Bowling Green
Photo: Kindly contributed by Neil Jackson (via John Bedford) and uploaded here on 20th April 2016

St. James Sunday School - July 1947  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016 and also archived under ST. JAMES

Unknown but perhaps Cricket Club related  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

22nd April 2016 - Jeff Stevens writes:  Could this be Sir Learie Constantine the former Colne and Nelson cricket pro and also the UK's first black peer?

Haslingden Cricket Club Social Committee Members (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Unknown (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo includes Tom Fisher, Mr. Smith (Music Teacher) and Mrs. Jennie Adams
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on the 19th April 2016

Haslingden Cricket Club Players and Committee Members  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Haslingden Cricket Club (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

(19th April 2016) Email from Vaughan Riley:

My GT grandfather James Riley lived and ran the Griffin during the 1920s. He also owned the now demolished properties over the road. There was a rumour that he won these houses in a wager ! Do you have any photos of these terraced houses ?

Regards Vaughan

"Sadly not!  although I do remember these houses, they were sort of set back from the road with large frontal areas.  The houses also had "mullioned" windows and looked very traditional cottage type houses.  I remember at the time it did come as a great surprise that they demolished these premises."

Does anyone out there have a photo showing these houses? the houses were just a little bit higher up than the Griffin Pub (Hud Rake), on the opposite side of the road and before you get to the high elevated properties known as "Robbers Row".

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Cancer Research Event (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Event includes Mrs. J. Adams and Mr. J. Farrelly (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

St. James Walking Day - Church Street (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016 and also archived under ST. JAMES

1977 - Carr Hall Street Street Party  (Click over to enlarge)
features: Melanie Thompson, Lee Thorne and Denise
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Shows Mrs. Jennie Adams and Ethel Spencer of the St. Johns Ambulance (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Cancer Research Event at 41 Hud Hey Road  (Click over to enlarge)
includes: Mrs. Jennie Adams, Mrs Coupe Snr, Joyce Thorne, Mrs. Coupe, Mr. John Edward Yorke
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Haslingden Greenfield Bowling Club (Click over to enlarge)
Photo shows Joe Teoli on left and also Alderman Bert Bussey in front Centre
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 19th April 2016

Armistice 1977 Greenfield Gardens (Click over to enlarge)
Photo shows Albert Collinge and Jim Adams at the front of the Photo and Mr. Molloy further back (British Legion contingent)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

St. James Event (Click over to enlarge)
Photo shows Rev Fred and Mrs. Bamber, also the Major and Mayoress Councillor and Mrs. Donald Valentine
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and also archived under ST. JAMES

Haslingden Congregational Concert 1964 (Click over to enlarge)
Includes: Derek and Peter Stephen and Mr. Stirling.
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

Baxenden Ladies Cricket Team - Mainly Haslingden Ladies (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

Three photos above showing Clough End Mill at the start of demolition  (Click over to enlarge)

Photos: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

St. James Sunday School Teachers 1947 (Click over to enlarge)
includes Mrs. Violet Dearden, Miss Haworth, Mrs. Jennie Adams
Photo: Kindly supplied by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and archived under ST. JAMES

Haslingden "Medical" related  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

Crawshawbooth Division or Diocese or something Ambulance related and also Haslingden related as well  (Click over to enlarge)

To me that looks very much like Mr. Heathcote 6th from the left on the second row

Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

A Griffin outing  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

Christmas with the Wounded at Haslingden 1914  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016

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Officers of St. Johns Ambulance   (Click over to enlarge)
Shows William Dewhurst 2nd from the left on the back Row.

NEW BLOG:

I am shortly to be starting off a new blog which will be called:

William Dewhurst and the St. John Ambulance Brigade (Haslingden).

I do have quite a few photos and certificates and information on Divisional Superintendent Wm. Dewhurst of Haslingden who played such a important roll within of our local St. Johns Ambulance for over 50 years. Most of the information has been kindly supplied by the Grandaughter of Wm Dewhurst - Mrs. Joyce Thorne

I would also welcome your photos or write ups or snippets you may have in regard to the local St. John's Ambulance which you may wish to be included within this blog

*****************

Haslingden Conservative Club
Yes this is a new one to add to the Haslingden "token" collection
Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and also archived under TOKENS  and also HASLINGDEN CONSERVATIVE CLUB

This is a photo of Mrs. Roscoe who were the Quarry Owners at Grane   (Click over to enlarge)
The family also supplied the stone for St. Stephens Church.
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and also archived under ST. STEPHENS

Holden Vale Bleachworks taken from the air  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and archived under HOLDEN VALE FLASH

Holden Vale Bleachworks  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 18th April 2016 and archived under HOLDEN VALE FLASH

David Pickard (Date of Birth July 1876) at Haslingden Wesleyan School  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by Alan Grocott and uploaded here on 17th April 2016

Alice and Ann Pickard  (Click over photo to enlarge)
No date given but presumed 1875-1880
Photo: Kindly sent in by Alan Grocott and uploaded here on 17th April 2016

Alice Pickard at the Dame School, Haslingden around 1875  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Mark "x" denotes Alice Pickard.
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alan Grocott and uploaded here on 17th April 2016

Stonefold Rose Queen - (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 

Grane Coronation Group  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 15th April 2016

Grane Mission and their Cups - Showing the Tattersall family (J.H. Birtwistle & Co)  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 15th April 2016

Chris Aspin's 2nd book on Local Ghost

Chris has now published another booklet called "True Stories of our Local Ghost" which can now be purchased at a costs of £2 plus if necessary 60p for post and packing (UK only).

The booklet can be obtained direct from Neary's Shop at Gregory Fold or direct from the author as follows:

Chris Aspin, 21 Westbourne, Helmshore, Rossendale, BB4 4QD

or Telephone: 01706 227129

or email direct at: chris_aspin@yahoo.co.uk

ALSO CHRIS IS LOOKING FOR NEW "GHOSTS" STORIES FOR HIS NEXT PUBLICATION, SO IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING OF INTEREST WILL YOU KINDLY CONTACT CHRIS DIRECT AT THE ABOVE CONTACTS

St. Marys with Father Hunt  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

St. Marys Students photo from around the early 1900s (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived in ST MARYS BLOG

St Mary's early 1900s Student Photo  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

St. Mary's Old Student Photo from early 1900's  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG

St. Marys early 1900s Students Photo  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS.

St. Marys Walking Day 1960 - across from Memorial Gardens (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Shows John Walsh as Mayor
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

(15th April 2016)  - East Lancashire Railway

Snippet taken from the Blackburn Standard July 14th 1847 and copied from Chris Aspin's original "Haslingden book" with his kind permission. 

On Saturday evening last the locomotive engine lately put upon the line at Haslingden was brought out of the shed at Hud Hey and run down the line from there as far as the south end of the tunnel passing over the temporary line erected on piles over Paghouse Lodge, which is made for the purpose of running dirt waggons down from Carter Place to Waterfoot.  It was a novel sight to see the engine speeding down the vale of "Swinnel," and a great many people were collected to watch the engine's first trip.  It had no tender to it.

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(15th April 2016) - Email received from Gerard Irwin: 

Hi Bryan, 

The photo of a funeral is definitely a priest.  The feet are facing the door, laypeople are positioned the other way round when the Requiem Mass is celebrated.  Priest face that way because that is the way that they face when preaching – facing the people. 

Keep up the good work. 

Gerard

(I am sure the photo to which Gerard refers will be this one below which we think may now have been Father Notterdam's funeral at St. Mary's Church)  

Photo: Kindly contributed by Steve Rothwell 

Some of the Ladies last out from the surrounding buildings - Wilkinson Street and George Street etc (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: taken outside of the I.D.L. Club from l to r: Mrs. Baxendale, Mrs. Joyce, Mrs. K. Tondra (Joyce), Mrs. Agnes Riley, Mrs. Mary Alice Elgin (Riley)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 15th April 2016

Yet another early St. Mary's Student Photo (Click over to enlarge)


Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

St. Mary's May Day (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG

St. Mary's Panto (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

Another St. Mary's Cricket Club Photo (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded on here 14th April 2016 and also archived under the ST. MARYS BLOG

Shows Ida Riley on Left and Mary Riley on right (August 1954)  (Click over to enlarge)

This is a very interesting photo showing lots which has now disappeared.  In the right corner of the background is "Robbers Row" (thankfully still standing!) but do you remember the cottages next to them on the left  which where set further back and had old stone mullion windows (you can just about see the rooftop on this photo.)  Also the rear of the larger three storey properties with slated gable end, you can see in this photo (also gone now).  Also you can just see the corner of Spring Street on the middle of the left hand side of this photo.

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 

Another early St. Marys Student Photo with Father Notterdam  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived in the ST. MARYS BLOG

Another early St. Mary's Student photo estimated 1905-1906 showing Father Notterdam  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG.

J.H. Birtwistle and Co. Grane Road - Engine Photo 1 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 13th April 2016

St. Stephens Grane with Rev. Fred Bamber and Mrs. Bamber  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and archived under ST. STEPHENS

St. Marys Football Club with Father Hunt  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 14th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

A rare photo of long gone Sheep Green along with a very young Jimmy Babbister  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and also archived under OLDER HASLINGDEN.

Another St. Marys Student photo from 1905-1906s with Father Notterdam (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

Another St. Marys Student photo from 1905-06s (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS

5th East Lancs at Haslingden Army Drill Hall on Bury Road  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016

St. Mary's Peace Procession 1919 on Bury Road  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG

Commercial Mill Workers outing  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016

Duckworth Clough Mill Workers  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 13th April 2016 and also archived under DUCKWORTH CLOUGH MILL.

Duckworth Clough Mill Workers  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 12th April 2016 and also archived under DUCKWORTH CLOUGH MILL.

******

(12th April 2016) Snippet of History taken from Chris Aspin's original Haslingden book with his kind permission

JANUARY 1853:  Ann Spencer (60) sentenced to one year's imprisonment for stealing at Haslingden a petticoat and shawl.

ALSO AT HASLINGDEN POLICE COURT IN 1853, a boy of 12 was ordered to be privately whipped for stealing half an ounce of tobacco. (Blackburn Standard June 1st 1853)  AND AS LATE AS 1890 a boy of ten was sent to prison for ten days and to a reformatory for five years for stealing a purse containing £11. 18shillings.  An eight year old boy, accused with him, was ordered to receive six strokes of the birch.  The boys were alledged to have committed other offences in the district, including the removal of a lamp from a railway signal post  (Rossendale Free Press November 8th 1890)

*******

Haslingden Postcard from 1915 (Click over to enlarge)

What made this postcard even more special for me was that it was sent out to a Mr. H. Ashworth at Fulwood Camp Preston from his sister Lizzie Ashworth who lived at 5 Chadwick Fold, Dog Kennel Road.

I often wondered what those two or three houses were called which were directly behind Clough End Mill on Dog Kennel Road.  We used to play in them has kids and they were used for a sort of storage area for the mill - so now I know it was called Chadwick Fold!

Postcard scan thanks to John Bedford and uploaded here on 12th April 2016

Another photo of St. Marys Cricket Club - Champions (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 12th April 2016 and also now archived in ST MARYS BLOG

A Tackler at Commercial Mill (name unknown) - Click over photo to enlarge
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 12th April 2016

Group of workers sat on the steps of the Duckworth Clough Mill Offices (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 12th April 2016 and also archived under DUCKWORTH CLOUGH MILL.

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(11th April 2016) Snippet from Derek Whittaker in regards to the Top O'th Slate Caves

Bryan,

          although this week’s blog on the Haslingden Old and New Facebook page is about the police station and court, the article about the caves brought back memories.

  When I lived up t’Shoot we used to enter the caves (Top O'th Slate). At 12 years of age we moved to Coronation St so I must have been younger than this. There are other readers/contributors to your blog who may recall all of the below but it’s not for me to reveal their names.

  There were two cave entrances which had at sometime been bricked up but then these walls fell into disrepair and access could be gained. We always used the left entrance and after a downslope of about 10 yards it opened into quite a large circular cavern of about 5 yards in height. If you looked to the right you could see that there was a very similar arrangement inside the right hand entrance with a short passage connecting the two.

   Straight ahead the cave sloped downwards and then after a while there was an upward slope. At the summit of the upward slope there was a large slab of slate like rock which we treated as a sort of table (about 5 foot in diameter). Usually this was as far as we went and we had “gang meetings” round it.

   

On more adventurous (or more stupid) days we carried on down the slope beyond this table. Eventually we came to what appeared to have been a roof fall and there was a solid piece of rock as described in the newspaper article. But we knew different and at the bottom of the obstruction was a gap that we called “the six incher”. Some of our gang decided that this was far enough but some of us were more adventurous (stupid) and laid on our backs and wriggled through feet first. There being no limit to our bravado (stupidity) we carried on. The walls became more and more damp and the air became more and more fetid. I don’t know how far we went (and we did it on more than one occasion) but it was quite a distance before we decided to turn around and emerge from the underworld.

   

It never crossed our minds how dangerous it was or what our parents would think about it. By the way my Mum is still around at 96 years old and please don’t let her see this or I might have to stay in. 

Derek

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Another St. Marys Student photo from 1921 Class 2  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016 and also archived in the ST. MARYS BLOG

Early postcard showing British Legion Club and cottages etc  (Click over to enlarge)

Postcard kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016

Haslingden St. Mary's FC 1941-42  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016, also now archived in the ST. MARYS BLOG

St. Mary's   (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016, also archived under ST. MARYS BLOG

Two nice pieces of Memorabilia (Click over to enlarge)

Item scans kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016 also the Sale of Work 1922 item will be archived under St. Marys.
The item on the left is for the "Sale of Work"  1922 and shows Father Hunt

St. Mary's Wagon Float June 1951 called "Old Woman who lived in a Shoe" (click over to enlarge)
Showing Peter Riley as the "Old Woman"
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016 also archived under ST MARYS BLOG

Duckworth Clough Mill Presentation (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016 and also archived in the DUCKWORTH CLOUGH BLOG

The Old Haslingden Bowling Club (Click over to enlarge)
A photograph showing how it used to be

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016

A photo of Bette Jo Scott and some members of the Riley Family at the IDL Club - Christmas 1971 (Click over photo to enlarge)
Bette Jo Scott is the Grandaughter of Joseph Scott (1861) who was the elder brother of Robert Scott (Haslingden's only VC) and Joseph was a early settler to the USA.  Bette Jo lives in Manchester, New Hampshire USA. Her father also called Joseph Scott was involved with politics in the USA and helped the campaign for the late John F. Kennedy in the area of New Hampshire. Bette Jo is seen here with her Riley relations.

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 11th April 2016 and also archived under (ROBERT SCOTT VC)

St. James C of E School Students late 1950s (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 10th April 2016,
also archived under (ST. JAMES)

St. Mary's for the Carnival 1950 outside the Public Hall (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 10th April 2016

Also archived under (St. Marys)

St. Mary's for Haslingden Carnival 1950 (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 10th April 2016
will also archive under (St. Marys)

Chris Aspin's 2nd book on Local Ghost

Chris has now published another booklet called "True Stories of our Local Ghost" which can now be purchased at a costs of £2 plus if necessary 60p for post and packing (UK only).

The booklet can be obtained direct from Neary's Shop at Gregory Fold or direct from the author as follows:

Chris Aspin, 21 Westbourne, Helmshore, Rossendale, BB4 4QD

or Telephone: 01706 227129

or email direct at: chris_aspin@yahoo.co.uk

ALSO CHRIS IS LOOKING FOR NEW "GHOSTS" STORIES FOR HIS NEXT PUBLICATION, SO IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING OF INTEREST WILL YOU KINDLY CONTACT CHRIS DIRECT AT THE ABOVE CONTACTS

*************

Haslingden Legion Party on Trip to York 1955/1956 (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 9th April 2016

St. Mary's Student photo from the early 1900's - cant make out date (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 9th April 2016. Also to be archived in the St. Mary's Blog

************

A SNIPPET FOR TODAY:

taken from the Blackburn Standard of July 11th 1855 which was included within Chris Aspin's original book HASLINGDEN and taken with his kind permission.

TEETOTALLERS CHEAP TRIP - On Saturday last there was a cheap trip on the East Lancashire Railway from Ramsbottom, Helmshore and Haslingden to Liverpool and Southport.  About five in the morning a shrill strains of the fife accompanied by the small and large drums, aroused the inhabitants of Haslingden from their slumbers, and numbers wended their way down to the station with smiling countenances eager for a pleasant and rational journey.  One workman was observed at the station who had come down to watch the train off.  He was unwashed and without coat.  On being offered a ticket and eatables at the end of his journey, the jolly fellow could not withstand the temptation and leaped into the train and enlivened the company in his carriage by his jocose manner.  At Liverpool a smock and stockings were purchased for him, and his face was polished up.  The party arrived safe at Haslingden at about half past nine, having spent their time in a most pleasant manner.

**************

Back of Towngate (Top O'th Town) 1907-1908 now demolished (Click over to enlarge)

This photo was taken from about the middle of the Towngate row of houses and at the back of the houses which you dropped down into via steps. Also interested to see lady peeping from a cellar dwelling.  In the photo it shows: Back row left to right: Thomas Riley, Mary Riley and William Riley, the front row left to right is Janie Riley and Margaret Riley. Also note the children peeping out of the window behind the railings.

Photo: kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 9th April 2016 and also archived in Older Haslingden Blog

Corner of Towngate/King Street at "Top O'th Town" (Click over image to enlarge)

Photo shows young boy (John Bedford) stood on Towngate (sadly now demolished) John Gray's Mothers Shop was on the corner and also the shop you can see directly at the back of the photo was Rosie Jagger's Shop which was on the corner of High Street.

Note the beautiful flagstones and curbstones and the pitch back shoddies of the house construction.

Photo: kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 9th April 2016 (also archived in OLD HASLINGDEN BLOG)

Haslingden St. Mary's C.C. Champions Gold Medals for both 1928 and 1929  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Medal photos kindly supplied by John Bedford

Uploaded here on 9th April 2016 and also archived in the St. Marys Blog

********

Interior of St. Stephens Church, Grane (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor and uploaded here on 8th April 2016, also archived under St. Stephens

Haslingden St. Mary's Students 1921  (Click over to enlarge)

This is the first of many St. Marys Student photos to be uploaded thanks to these contributions made by John Bedford and uploaded here on 8th April 2016 and also archived under (St. Marys)

Haslingden St. Mary's Cricket Team - Cup Winners  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo also shows signature of Herbert J. Sutcliffe who was the opening bat for England at the time.

Photo: Kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 8th April 2016 and will also be archived under (St. Marys)

Float for Jack Barnes farmer - Martin Croft Farm  (Click over to enlarge)

This is the milk float of Jack Barnes farmer from Martin Croft and it shows Jack at the reins with his wife Joyce stood on the rear foot step. The photo we think will be for either St. James or the Carnival in 1950

Photo: Kindly contributed by Alec Taylor on 8th April 2016

Duckworth Clough Mill Cricket Team 1931  (Click over to enlarge)


Photo: kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded on 8th April 2016
This photo is the A. Worsley and Sons Ltd Cricket Club (Duckworth Clough Mill) who were the winners of the Workshops Medal Competition in 1931. This photo will shortly be archived in the Duckworth Clough Mill Blog)

Lovely Spring Well at Near Calf Hey House  (Click over to enlarge)

I managed to capture this little beauty yesterday which is just off the main track leading to Calf Hey House.  Shortly to be included in the Historic Troughs and Wells.

Email from Chris Aspin on 6th April 2015 reads:-

Stories are still reaching me from people who have had inexplicable experiences - seeing ghosts, being troubled by poltergeists and so on; and I'd be very pleased to receive accounts from anyone who visits your admirable website.  If I get enough, I'll publish another booklet. 

I'm at 21 Westbourne, Helmshore Road, Helmshore, Rossendale BB4 4QD or you can email me on chris_aspin@yahoo.co.uk  or telephone me on: 01706 227129

**********

Email from Thomas Michael Parkinson on 6th April 2015 reads:-

I love your blog!  My paternal grandfather was born in Haslingden 3rd October 1882 and lived on Eliza Street.  According to family lore he came to the United States early in the 20th century to work in spinning mills in Rhode Island, based on skills he learned in the mills of Haslingden.  I have no information on the circumstances of his deciding to leave, but wonder if there was any active recruiting by New England mill owners of skilled workers in the Manchester area.  Perhaps something was publicised in the local newspaper?

Tom (Thomas Michael, son of Thomas William) Parkinson.

*********

Around the 1953 period  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Francis Rita Murphy (nee Sibbering) and uploaded here on 4th April 2016 (archived St. Marys).  Kindly named by Jean Veronica Wolstenholme

Back Row left to right: John Flynn, Tony Frost, Terence Fletcher, Terry Laffy, Michael Murray, John Maddison, ?, Alan Gowers, John Timlin.

Next to Back Row from left to right: Noel Coffee, Martin Molloy, Alan Lomax, Tony Vick, Raymond Gregory, Billy Lang, Malcolm Patterson, John Greenwood, Jimmy Parkinson, Raymond Moore, Kenneth Rowe

2nd Row from front:Jean Mortimer, Hazel Flynn, Angela Kenny, Sheila Hopkins, Rita Timmins, Francis Sibbering, Kathleen Armitage, ?, Christine Turner, Barbara Farrelly, Patricia Rowan.

Front Row: Rhuna Flynn, Pat Gallagher, Maureen O'Niel, ?, Margaret Ormerod.

Around the 1953 period  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Francis Rita Murphy (nee Sibbering) and uploaded here on 4th April 2016. Kindly named by Jean Veronica Wolstenholme. (archived St.Marys)

Back Row left to right: Noel Coffee, John Flynn, Kenneth Rowe, John Lagriki, Alan Gowers, Michael Murray, Jimmy Parkinson, Tony Frost, Martin Molloy, Terence Fletcher.

Next to Back row left to right: Jean Mortimer, Maureen O'Niel, Alan Lomax, John Timlin, Michael Riley, Billy Lang, Tom Eastwood, John Maddison, John Entwistle, Michael Hogan, Terry Laffy, Kathleen Armitage, Barbara Farrelly.

2nd Row from fron left to right: John Toole, Mary Navin, Valerie Law, Hazel Flynn, Sheila Hopkins, Frances Sibbering, Mr. Brennan, Rita Timmins, Pat King, ?, Angela Kenny, ?, Bernadette Thompson, John Greenwood.

Front Row:  Rhuna Flynn, ?, Margaret Ormerod, Pat Gallagher, ?, Patricia Rowan, ?

Lancashire Garden and Homes prior to Tesco (Click over to enlarge)

Email received from John McGuire (ex pat Australia) on 4th April 2016

Hi Bryan, 

I have been re-reading the top of the town blog and have noticed that no one has mentioned Goldsworthy’s herbalist. In the summer (which during the 40s and 50s really existed) my Dad always bought some

Blood tonic from there. I think it was a sarsaparilla or liquorice based drink. We kids also used to buy some woody thing which tasted like liquorice and was yellow when you chewed through the bark. 

Memories, 

Cheers, 

John McGuire 

(John - we have received emails or contributions from Mr. Goldsworthy's grandaughter who lives over in Canada (Sheila Calder), although I cannot yet lay my hands on the details, but they are on the blog somewhere.  I have been trying to make contact for some other close friend of theirs).

*******************

Can you remember the "Cook" Shop?  (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here and archived - Older Haslingden - on 2nd April 2016

Kindly sent in by Stella Waters on 1st April 2016:

Hi Bryan,  Seeing the photo of the cook shop on George Street brought back memories.  My grandparents Doris and Jack Pilkington had the shop between about 1946 - 1963.  Workers from the local mills and Ivanovic's candlewick bedspreads on Hargreaves Street used to come in for their dinners.  Sometimes people used to bring their own dishes to take their potato pie and mushy peas in.  The Policemen from the police station round the corner used to come in for the prisoners dinners.  Potato pies were cooked fresh every day in great big dishes.  College puddings were very popular, these were mixed fruit puddings steamed in little dishes with a rag on top tied with string.  The kettle was always on the boil over the black leaded range for the teas and coffees.  Pop in glass bottles with metal tops was kept under the high counter in wooden crates, the empties were always returned.  On Saturday afternoon Grandma with her clogs on would mop the flag floors, then sprinkle them with sand.  All washing up was done in a great big brown stone si nk.  All left over food was put in a large bin and collected by the farmer for pig swill!  Happy days except for my dad having to spend all Sunday afternoon - Peeling Onions!
Best Wishes,
Stella Waters

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Waterside and Grane Road (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed and copyright held by Keith Gunton.
Uploaded photo here on 31st March 2016

Ogden Reservoir 1959 (Click over to enlarge)Photo: kindly sent in by Keith Gunton
Uploaded here on 31st March 2016

St. James Church Walking Day  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly sent in by Keith Gunton

I have archived (St. James) and uploaded here on 31st March 2016

                               Trinity Baptist Play - 1913  (Click over to enlarge)

                    Uploaded here and archived (Trinity Baptist) on 30th March 2016

                     Haslingden Liberal Association Ball 1956  (Click over to enlarge)

Now well on with the Older Haslingden Blog (lower sections) eg: Chapel Street, Back Pickering, Pickering, George, Hargreaves, Howarth, Market Place, Church Street to finalize at Wilkinson Street.  To also try and include: Salem Street, Hartley Street, Lovers Lane,  also if possible Church Lane, Communion Street, Pocket Street, and Teasdale Street, not forgetting Sheep Green, Cockerill St, Eliza Street etc etc. IT IS NOT (AT THE MOMENT) A BLOG ABOUT INFORMATION - YET MORE ABOUT PHOTOS TO GET A SORT OF VIRTUAL TOUR AROUND THE OLD PROPERTIES - 

It would be lovely to be able to show photographs of the above places which I know are going to be so hard to come by.  But just to think HOW NICE IT WOULD BE TO BRING BACK SO MANY MEMORIES TO A LOT OF HASLINGDEN PEOPLE (both home and abroad) AND JUST AS IMPORTANT IF NOT MORE IMPORTANT TO SHOW OUR YOUNGER PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT AROUND AT THAT TIME, JUST HOW THE WHOLE AREA WOULD HAVE LOOKED!

If you can help in anyway to FILL IN THE GAPS this would be so welcome. Thank you......

Click over this link to see the blog so far

Chapel Street looking up to Sheep Green (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly sent in and copyright held by Wadey
Photo taken and uploaded here on 27th March 2016

Two more of Wadey's Chapel Street  (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly sent in and copyright held by Wadey
Photos taken and uploaded here on 27th March 2016

Looking down from Rakefoot over Hargreaves Street Mill with its chimney (before being lowered), also shows the area of Sheep Green and the top of Chapel Street on the left of the photo - (August 1970) (Click over to enlarge)
Photo kindly sent in and copyright held by Heather Holden.
Uploaded here on 27th March 2016)

Photo kindly sent in and copyright held by Heather Holden.

Photo taken August 1970

(Uploaded here on 27th March 2016)

Photo kindly sent in and copyright held by Heather Holden.

Photo taken August 1970

(Uploaded here on 27th March 2016)

Photo kindly sent in and copyright held by Heather Holden.
Photo taken August 1970
Uploaded here on 27th March 2016) 

Waterfoot CP School - Group IV (Click over to enlarge)
I think this photo refers to the "Waterfoot" of Haslingden

Haslingden Corporation Bus - The second bus purchased by the Corporation  (Click over to enlarge)

Haslingden Cricket Club 1904 (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 23rd March 2016

Stonefold White Coons  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 23rd March 2016
Herbert Pollard was their pianist

The Hollies  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 23rd March 2016

Royal Visit to Haslingden - July 9th 1913  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 23rd March 2016

Royal Visit to Haslingden - July 9th 1913  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 23rd March 2016

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"Fascination with Hangmen"

Another visit from another Hangman

Bartholemew Binns (1839-1911) 

From Local "Rossendale Free Press" - April 14th 1888 (extracted from Chris Aspin's HASLINGDEN)  

Visit Of Binns, The Ex-Hangman - On Tuesday, Binns, the late hangman, pitched his tent behind the New Inn (later became the Thorn Hotel on Bury Road) yard and with a dummy figure performed mimic executions during the evening before the eyes of many Haslingden people, whose morbid curiosity had been aroused by the announcement of the visit.  Binns also showed relics of certain murderers he had executed.

Also the hangman named James Berry visited Haslingden back in 1892.

To check out the  Haslingden HANGMAN'S visit BLOG CLICK HERE

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Haslingden Co-operative Guild (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 23rd March 2016

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Hazel Mill - Before and after photos (Click over to enlarge)

Photographs kindly sent in by Michael Gibson and uploaded here on 21st March 2016.
John's first set of photographs (the first in each pair on the left hand side) were taken in August 1974 prior to the part demolition of the mill.
The second set of photographs (the second in each pair on the right hand side) were taken last week approx 14th March 2016

Passing Martins Bank at the bottom of Regent Street  (Click over to enlarge)

It shows also the track which went up by the side of the St. James School towards the Churchyard. And I wonder what the very large building behind the old Martin's Bank was (could it have been the Church Institute? (see photo below) but I always thought the Institute was a normal sized building looking at past photos, so what could this very large building been? any ideas). The mayor was Alderman Watson.
Photo: uploaded here on 20th March 2016

Here below is a photo of the Church Institute with the old vicarage showing to its right hand side:

In my early 20s (approx 1968 ish) I was privileged to know Mr. Ernest Appleby who by then lived over in Blackburn, but had previously ran the "Crumpet Shop" which was on the corner of (No.15) Manchester Road and New Street, I think today that same shop is a bargain booze shop. This week it was so nice to receive a email from John Appleby who was the son of Ernest, and I asked him if he would write one or two words about Ernest and the Crumpet Shop:

On March 18th 2016 John Appleby kindly wrote of some of his Memories:

I went to sea when I was in my twenties and didn't keep much in the way of memorabilia.
Ernest and Edna must have come to Haslingden around 1935.  He started off selling cakes, I don't know what was there before.
Around 1943 Mum took me on holiday and we came back to find Ernest had converted the living room into a bakery!  We later moved to the billiard hall (this was up on Higher Deardengate just below the Library).  I remember he put in the first frozen food cabinet.  Not an instant success as there wasn't much frozen food available at that time.
Wartime wheeler dealing had left him with a lot of powdered egg.  This came with a recipe for Scotch Pancakes.  He tried making them in the shop window on a hot plate and they took off like hot........s
Next came crumpets, oatcakes and potato cakes.  He stayed with hot plate goods for the rest of his working life.
The man who owned the radio shop on the opposite corner was known as Uncle Arthur.  He had an artificial leg and I remember his surname as Coulton.
I also remember an old fashioned grocers on the Warner Street corner and also McIntyres paint shop on the other side of the road nearer to the lights.  McIntyres had a place on Pleasant Street with a big yard behind.  They had two boys and two girls I spent time with.
Other odd memories were the horse drawn milk float, beaded covers for pot milk jugs on the doorstep. Deep snow in 1947, man on his ski's. Winding the mangle for the next door neighbour.
At the time the ironmonger in the middle of the block was Livesey Chamberlain whose stock answer to my question of "what's that?" was "whatsits for meddlers".
Doctor MacGregor had a big house at Road End.  The telephone operator always knew if he was on a call out.
Too much nostalgia,
Best Regards John.

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New Jerusalem Church, Union Street in the 1920s  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: archived (Disappearing Churches) and uploaded here on 19th March 2016

Trinity Baptist (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Archived (Disappearing Churches) and uploaded here on 18th March 2016

R. Whittaker of Rudd Street -Painters and Decorators  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 17th March 2016

Haslingden Childrens Ball 1963 - Mayor and Mayoress Mitchell and John Wood at front left (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: archived (Annual Ball) and uploaded here on 16th March 2016

Viccary walling opposite York Avenue   (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Robert Wade (Wadey)
archived (VACCARY WALLING) and uploaded here on 15th March 2016

And yes! there was such a thing as a "Glass Hammer"

On 15th March 2016 Joe Royle wrote: 

I've just been mooching through your excellent blog, and I came across the reference to glass hammers in the "The Apprentice Initiation" section. 

After leaving Haslingden, in the early 80s, I had a job making training and educational videos. One that I made was for Pilkington Glass in St. Helens, the theme being the strength and versatility of glass.

The film showed the making of a glass hammer, about the size of a 2lb lump hammer, and glass 6 inch nails, the highpoint was at the end when the hammer was used to drive the nails through a 3 inch thick block of wood!

I filmed the event from behind ballistic screens, but there was not a single splinter or accident!

Cheers, Joe

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New Jerusalem Sunday School 1920's   (Click over to enlarge)
Archived (Disappearing Churches) and uploaded to here on 15th March 2016

Market Place  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 14th March 2016

Photo showing the floods at Acre
Photo: kindly contributed by Terry McGuire and uploaded here on 13th March 2016

King Street showing ginnel
Photo: kindly contributed by Michael Mullaney and uploaded and archived (Ginnels) on 13th March 2016

Ginnel at Back Wilkinson Street (Irish Back)
Photo: kindly contributed by Michael Mullaney and uploaded and archived (Ginnels) on 13th March 2016

Back Pleasant Street Ginnel leading to Pleasant Street
Photo: kindly contributed by Michael Mullaney and uploaded and archived (Ginnels) on 13th March 2016

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13th March 2016

So much information has come through about GINNELS, ALLEYWAYS AND SNICKETS that I thought it deserves a blog of its own which can now be reached by clicking here.

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13th March 2016 - Michael Mullaney wrote: Local Councils in the past were charged with providing good, clean, pure drinking water hence water fountains were erected for the people to obtain drinking water from.  Were have they all gone? - There is evidence of some like outside the Library and there is the Spewing Duck and the one in Victoria Park..... Michael ask were there more?

Outside of Haslingden Library (Spout blocked off)
Photo uploaded and archived (Historic Troughs and Wells) on 13th March 2016

The Duckworth Memorial (Spout blocked off)
Photo uploaded and archived (Historic Troughs and Wells) on 13th March 2016

Originally placed within the walls of Hargreaves Street on or near to the property which housed the Ivanovic Company, Can still be seen today
in the small cul de sac on the right just as you start to go up Church Street.

Memorial and Water Spout (blocked off these days) in Victoria Park
Photo uploaded and archived (Historic Troughs and Wells) on 13th March 2016

Click over the photo to see the large stone in front of the Library Steps

Way back at our last Exhibition I was approached by a Mr. John Monkhouse who was very interested to find out more information in regard to the "large flagstone" which we are fortunate to have at the bottom of the steps into the Haslingden Library on Deardengate.  The interest especially lies in the fact of its sheer size as a "one piece stone".  He or I cant think of there being anymore in the Borough which could equal this one in size, CAN YOU?  I have included the following photo from my archive which does not do it justice.

15th March 2016 Jennifer Shilliday has kindly contributed a far better photo showing the Large Stone flag at the front of the Library.

Haslingden Library - Large Stone Flag at entrance
Photo: Kindly contributed by Jennifer Shilliday and uploaded here on 15th March 2016

13th March 2016 Michael Mullaney wrote:  There was one other large flagstone in fact it was larger than the one outside of Haslingden Library.  It was located in the pavement outside of the Ebenezer Baptist Church entrance in the footpath on Bury Road.  When the council decided to upgrade and repave the footpath it was broken up and dumped.  One presumes that no one on the council had the forethought to see the significance of a locally quarried masterpiece and the skill of the men who bedded it in place without the aid of modern technology !!!

Shows the old Park Hotel and Houses long gone  (Click over to enlarge)

This is a very interesting photo which shows the old Park Hotel on the right hand side.  The Pub previously was called The Thorn - Bowling Green Pub and had its green down the side. Also interesting it shows a double block of properties below the pub which will have been demolished and stand almost where the Motorway bridge stands now.
Photo: uploaded here on 11th March 2016

 12th March 2016 Sam Stott commented:  The two houses down the road from the Park Hotel were at the corner of Knowl Gap Avenue, the one right on the corner was owned by John Entwistle (one time councillor), also owner of J and E Transport.  There were also two small cottages between the Park Hotel and those two houses and they were called Terry's Farm, this was the farm on the right side as you walked down Jubilee Road.

Musbury Church, Helmshore   (Click over to enlarge)

This photo is so interesting especially with having the stone walling present, long before the lovely semis were built.  The area is between the Church and Gregory Fold and opposite St. Veronicas. This stone walling is very rare these days, yet is also present further up on Helmshore Road and just below "Rose Cottage" opposite York Avenue (see next photo).

Photo: uploaded here on 11th March 2016

Showing similar stone walling below Rose Cottage

Photo: uploaded here on 11th March 2016

Here above is another similar stone flag walling which you can see in the far distance going across the fields at Laund Hey.  This was a solid wall when I was a child, so sad to see it nowadays with most of the stones missing. 

Photo: uploaded to here on 11th March 2016.

Haslingden St. Mary's RC Peace Procession - Sept 6th 1919  (Click over to enlarge)
Seen here on Blackburn Road near Vale Street and just below Maudlin Bank
Photo: uploaded here and archived (St. Marys) on 11th March 2016

Local Army Band
Uploaded here on 10th March 2016

St. Mary's Class - Summer Walk - 1954  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo kindly contributed by Ron Baron and archived and uploaded here on 9th March 2016

Postcard kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard - Click over to enlarge
Uploaded here on 9th March 2016

The Freedom of the Borough being presented to Alderman Jerry Lord, Nurse  A Knowles and Alderman Watson   (Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here and archived under MAYORS on 8th March 2016

Another photo here showing Nurse Annie Knowles on home visit

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from Heather Holden (9th March 2016 - Nurse Knowles)

I saw the Freedom of the Borough photo on the blog today, which included Nurse Knowles, and have this to share, written by my mother about Harriet Barnes (widow of Richard Barnes, killed in WW1) and who lived in Sunnybank Street:

"When  the Second War broke out and I went to train at Rossendale General (or Moorlands Infirmary as it was then known)  I often popped in to see her (Harriet Barnes)..... and one day she introduced me to Nurse Knowles, a lady of her generation and a close friend.  Nurse Knowles was a dear soul who had trodden the streets of Haslingden caring for the poor on the District for many years.  She was a local character and everyone who knew her loved her.  She had trudged up hill and down dale (no cars for Nurses in those days) and did far above the call of duty.  If someone was short of baby clothes, a bed pan, wheelchair or any other facility, she always knew who would help when there was no money available.  On her retirement at 65 years, she was given the Freedom of Haslingden for her services, but sadly died a year later and was very much missed by "Auntie" Harriet and everyone."
All the best,
Heather

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8th March 2016 (Apprenticeship Initiations) - Derek Whittaker remembers:  - I remember the Shrove Tuesday "shenanigans" mentioned by Michael Mullaney.  At Porritts and Spencer's, Sunnybank Mill, it was also thought that no matter what you did before noon as an apprentice you couldn't be sacked.  I tested this theory one year by putting senapods in the tea of the other electricians - Teddy Wilkinson, Stan Griffiths, Billy Metcalfe and Jimmy McQuade   -  Derek

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The Valiants - Helmshore Mod Band from the 1980s

JUST ADDED THE HELMSHORE MOD BAND FROM THE 80s "THE VALIANTS" YOU TUBE VIDEOS - CHECK "ON THE SHORE" BY CLICKING HERE or enjoy "Sweet Desire"
CHECK HERE FOR "SWEET DESIRE" (redirected by both links to YOU TUBE)

Photo: taken from the You Tube Video and uploaded here and archived on 8th March 2016

Fabulous old postcard of various sites within Haslingden  (Click over to enlarge)
Postcard kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 8th March 2016

No.13 Tram heading to Haslingden shown here just further on than Hollands Pies and on the boundary with Accrington (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Elaine Pollard and uploaded here on 8th March 2016

Haslingden St. James C of E School Students Photo   (Click over to enlarge)
Back: L to R: Mrs Rushton, Stuart Pearson,? Clive Knight, Annette Barnes, ?, Susan Jones, Carol Eastham, ?, Stephen Barton, Mark ..., ?
Some of the other names on this photo include: Peter Lynch, David Edwards, Neville Woodworth, Peter Dickinson, David Dearden (Robinson?), Peter Roberts, Brian horrocks, Elizabeth Howarth, Yvonne Lees, Heather Jones, Lesley Best, janet Kirby, Angela Harrison, Marjorie Wardle, ... Hall, Carol Lennon, Patricia Davies and Stuart Darbyshire. 

Photo: kindly contributed by Clive Knight and uploaded here and archived on 8th March 2016

Park Mill F.C. 1930s  (Click over to enlarge) 
Uploaded here on 8th March 2016

St. Mary's R.C. Peace Procession 1919  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded and archived here on 7th March 2016

Helmshore Primary School 1962 (Click over to enlarge)

Kindly contributed by John Edmundson and uploaded here and archived on 6th March 2016

Sixty Years at St. Peter's - Diamond Jubilee  (Click over to enlarge)

Thanks to Marie Ives for kindly contributing this to the MEMORABILIA BLOG
Uploaded here and archived on 6th March 2016

Haslingden related - yes, but don't have any information on this photo (Click over to enlarge)

I get a strong feeling that it is at the top of Higher Deardengate and just before reaching the Big Lamp. For some of us these photos may well include our forefathers! yet we will probably never know....the sign on the right states Sagars (Wools/Haberdashery etc) (a shop which was still going strong as I remember in the mid 1960s)

Photo uploaded here and archived on 6th March 2016

Park Hotel which was on the opposite side of the road to Victoria Park and on the Haslingden side of the By-Pass with new properties built there today.  (Click over to enlarge)
Thanks to Ron Baron for this photo of the pub which his parents used to run
Uploaded here and archivbed on 5th March 2016)

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Email received from MICHAEL MULLANEY on 4th March 2016 reads:

"A Shrove Tuesday tradition no longer witnessed possibly due to the passing of traditional apprenticeships, was seeing the apprentices who were in their final year being chased around the town by the tradesmen from S.S. Stotts and also the cotton mills, who if caught would be defrocked so to speak and subjected to a similar fate to tar and feathering.  If they stayed at liberty until 12 noon they were allowed to return to work as victorious over the tradesmen

8th March 2016 (Apprenticeship Initiations) - Derek Whittaker remembers:  - I remember the Shrove Tuesday "shenanigans" mentioned by Michael Mullaney.  At Porritts and Spencer's, Sunnybank Mill, it was also thought that no matter what you did before noon as an apprentice you couldn't be sacked.  I tested this theory one year by putting senapods in the tea of the other electricians - Teddy Wilkinson, Stan Griffiths, Billy Metcalfe and Jimmy McQuade   -  Derek

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As someone has just commented "As Good as any where in the World"  Click over to enlarge

Top photo shows Calf Hey and Ogden and Bottom photo Calf Hey  (Click over to enlarge)
Photos: I took these probably about 10 - 15 years ago - "Obviously a little bit of sunshine makes all the difference"  added here on 4th March 2016

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Below is a small section from the MUSIC FROM HAZELDENE BLOG with now the VAMPIRES Photo added.

POPULAR MUSIC (Skiffle Groups, Rock Bands, Beat Groups 

Where did it all happen?  The 60's was a very special period when we were just leaving the 50's Rock and Roll era and entering the pop/rock era.  Rock Groups (has they were called those days (not rock bands as they are called today) were springing up all over the place and we had our fair share in Haslingden. The local groups would play the local Church Youth Clubs scattered about,  and one night a month at the Haslingden Youth Club held in the Modern School Hall, the local Workingmen's Clubs, The Co-op Hall off Higher Deardengate, the local pubs and even in Coffee Bars like the "Dearden Cave" (old Yorkshire Penny Bank) next to the library on Higher Deardengate, and there was also another coffee bar were I remember groups in Ratcliffe Street. Then there were the more dedicated venues for regular rock/pop groups at The Old Ambulance Hall on Lyndale Avenue on Thursdays nights, The Buccaneers (occasional) down the steep steps to the cellars of the Old Liberal Club at the bottom of Park Street, and probably the most well known would be The Public Hall on Regent Street who regularly featured our local town groups who would support well known chart groups including: Hermans Hermits, Manfred Mann, Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders, The Undertakers and lots lots more..

Who were the groups?  Well below I have racked my brains and come up with some I can remember and I am hoping that others may remember a group or two and let me know. So for now we have the:-

The Dynamites (late 1950s to 1980s), (Other previous or follow up names included: The Vidors, Jay Turner and the Dynamites, James Turner and the Dynamites, Jay Turner Four, Second Time Around -

In their early days I remember the band included Ralph Clark on Tea Box bass and Washboard, Also included Billy Kerr on vocals, also John Turner on drums together with "old players" Ronnie Green on Rhythm and Jack Tillotson on bass and Gerard Navan on lead guitar, later being joined by the late Noel Smith (Noel Trent) on drums. I can't remember the actual year when James joined the band but he was with them for quite a lengthy period.

Jay Turner and the Dynamites featuring L to R: Ronnie Green, the late Noel Smith (Noel Trent), the late James Turner, Jack Tillotson and Gerard Navan. (Photo: Paul Driver) Kindly sent in by Tony Winder

James Turner and the Dynamites at the Re-Union at the Astoria organised by Tony Winder etc  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Tony Winder

The Swinging Hangmen (1960s) (Other previous names included: The Matadors, The Hangmen)

This band included Michael Hogan (bass and vocals), John Entwistle (Lead, rhythm guitar and vocals), the late Harry Eastham (drums), later Harry left,  and new members were brought into the band including Dave Clarke on vocals and Terry Bannister on drums. The band practised at various times in the St. Mary's School, Unity Club, Bridge End etc. (If you want to check out their own blog then click here)

The Swinging Hangmen featuring L to R: John Entwistle, Michael Hogan and Harry Eastham (photo: John Entwistle)

The Vampires (1960s)

The Vampires from back in 1963
(Newspaper cutting kindly contributed by Jackie Ramsbottom)

This band included Vince Kent (Graham Paine) on vocals, Ken Shaw on lead guitar, Noel Haworth on bass guitar, Trevor Edwards on Rhythm, and the Late Melvyn Jenkinson on drums.

Taken from the newspaper article in 1963 "The group was managed by Mr. Anthony C. Barnes who has widened the scope of its engagements to the North Lancashire district.

In the near future the Vampires are appearing with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and Joe Brown and the Bruvvers both events being at the Nelson Imperial.  They have also been invited to an audition at the Burnley Locarno Ballroom."

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The Phantoms (1960s)  (Other names later: Maureen and the Phantoms)

I can remember Mick Smith from Carrs on the drums, and later his sister Jean Smith joined the group and the name was changed to Maureen and the Phantoms.  I can't recall the other members of the band at the moment. I did catch up with Mick and Jean who by the 70s had moved to Accrington and were part of the group called Maureen and the Finders - I did look after their diary during this period of which most of the work was in local workingmen's clubs. A very popular band.

The Medics (1960's)  from Rising Bridge and included  Melvin Yates, Jeff Kenyon, Brian Webster, Barry Morgan. See photo of the group below

The Medics (photo: Brian Webster)

The Ospreys (1960s)  from Rising Bridge and included Billy Lang and Barry Morgan.

Stephen Kay's Group from the 60s there was Stephen Kay's (K Steels) group with Master Stevenson etc etc (Cant think of their name to hand)

Jack Hayton's Group? (Cant think of their name to hand) Also at one time featured Noel Smith and James Turner

The Grout (1980s) - Punk Band  Recording artist - Private Label called "Urinating Vicar" - 100 original records made which cost to the band was £160.  They made their own labels and covers.  The record has be re-issued by Detour Records a few years ago.  The 7" EP was called "Do It Yourself" and the tracks were: Cremation at Belson, Stiff Thing, Nothing to Do and Fast Cars.

If you want to hear any of The Grout's tracks you can go to the "Killed by Death Site" and you will see on the left hand side the tracks MP3, just click over the track you want to hear.

Members included Ian Beharrel

Sick Youth (1980s) etc - Punk Band  featured Steve Coyle, Steve "Duke" Lord, Steve Simpson plus another?

The Knights of Agincourt  included Pete Elmer, Paul Gregory and Roy Gregory

The Valiants (1980s) Mod Band

The Valiants - Helmshore Mod Band from the 1980s

Winker's Group? (Can't think of their name to hand)

Church Lads Brigade Skiffle Group (Photo below)

Church Lads Brigade Skiffle Group featuring from L to R - Jack Pilling, Peter White, Brian Till (back), Roy Frohnapfel and David White. (Photo kindly sent in by: Myra Frohnapfel

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The gentleman looks like he could have been the Station Master down at Haslingden Station
Click to enlarge
Photo uploaded here on 5th March 2016

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A Part-Time Dictionary for Haslingdonians 

(only to be used now and again!)

A selection of "local words" which some are very interesting and mentioned here, I like to think maybe HASLINGDEN (or certainly LANCASHIRE) words, which people outside of the area, usually look at your and always say – WHAT?

(I am rooting through all clothes because soon we will be flitting to a house with a ginnel running under it, but it’s very slutchy in back garden and we will be lucky if we can play murps on its surface. It’s very parky today and I will need to wrap up before climbing up Brew to get to this new house. On way up we noticed “a bit of a tuttle” coming down.)

Descriptions are purely based on what we think the words might mean!

GINNEL – a narrow width footpath (with debate on whether or not it should have a covered in roof or not, or maybe does not matter either way - covered or uncovered).

SNICKET – a narrow width footpath (with a open top and bordered each side with a hedgerow)

FLITTING - removing house

SLUTCHY – meaning very muddy underfoot

UP THEM DANCERS – Meaning go up to bed (retire upstairs) dancers meaning stairs

UP THEM JOHNNY HORNERS  - Again meaning to go up to bed

IT’S PARKY – it’s very cold. (Parka is a warm waterproof coat with hood originally worn by Eskimos)

BREW – another name for a hill whilst walking (Climbing up the Brew)

MURPS – a local name given for marbles

ROOTING – looking for items amongst jumbled up items

BIT OF A TUCKLE (OR TUTTLE)  A lady who dressed different to the norm was called

 BONK meaning "Hill" as in "Lets play up Bonk"

CRAMMED  not in the correct meaning of tightly packing, but by the meaning of "being annoyed and off hand with everyone"

HOYND or maybe OINED as in the meaning to be pestered

Interesting local word associations:

Chris Reid commented: “It was a common saying about people with bandy or bow legs, that they couldn’t stop a pig in a Ginnel!  I always wondered where that saying arose from, it is a nasty comment really, but maybe back in the day it was not meant with the same type of nastiness”

Derek Whittaker commented: There was, and still is, a ginnel between Maple and Rosewood Ave’s up t’shoot.  It had an ash surface that was ideal for playing marbles (or murps) on.  We used to dig an heel in, spin round, making a small pit.  This was called the “NUG”.  A white marble with bright red swirls was called a “BLOOD ALLY”.

David Cardwell  commented  "Put wood i'thoyell" meaning to "shut the door after you come in"

Marie Ives commented  "My auntie used to say about someone (mainly female) if she was unkempt "who's no shap" she always said who instead of she!

Deborah Armstrong commented "Lets play up Bonk" - Lets play up on Hill

Marie Ives commented that if she wasn't doing a job quick enough her Aunt would say "Cum on get Agate"

More local sayings:

Deborah Armstrong commented "Shut your cake hole"

Chris Howarth commented "Buggerluggs"

Raymond Halstead commented "A reet Digdag"

Eunice Parfitt  commented, her Gran would say "Its blowin a hooligan out there!"

Other local sayings/customs etc:

Maureen Nash says "when it was thundering my mum used to say "that God is mad with someone", and when it was lightning she would open both front and back doors, and said that if it strikes this house "it can come in one door and go out of the other"

Derek Whittaker  remembers saying "Do you fancy a game of "Knick Knack"? which meant knocking on someone's door and then running away quickly and peering from somewhere to see if they had come and opened the door and looking around for someone 

Derek Whittaker tells a Haslingden joke - Went t'vets with t'cat - He said "Is it a Tom"? "No" I said, I brought it with me".

Again it’s been fun getting these names together and I am sure many more will come along soon, but for now it’s thanks to the following for their great contributions:

Chris Howarth, Alison May, Chris Reid, Karen Ratty Marsh, Peter Taylor, Marie Ives, Deborah Armstrong, Derek Whittaker, Sheila Ryan Lucking, Eileen Webster, David Cardwell, Mike Ryan, Lorraine Brumpton, Raymond Halstead, Maureen Nash, Eunice Parfitt, Chris Kirby, Terry McGuire, Peter Fielding, John Megan Edwards, Ron Baron.  

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"The Apprentice Initiation" 

All I did was ask the question “CAN YOU REMEMBER THESE?” – When some of us started work at 15 you may well have been asked, something like – Go over there lad and ask Fred for a “BUCKET OF STEAM” or go over there girl and ask Frieda for a “LONG STAND”.  And there were plenty of others as well which I have selected some and printed below:-

Go and get a “GLASS HAMMER”

Go and get a “TIN OF TARTAN PAINT”

Go and get a “LEFT HANDED SCREWDRIVER”

Go and get me some “VIRGIN WATER”

Go and get me “BOWMAN’S CAPSULE” from the hospital pharmacy

Go and get me a “BEVELLED CHALK LINE”

Go to the electrician “FOR A BOX OF SHORT CIRCUITS”

Go and get me “A LENGTH OF FALLOPIAN TUBE”

Go and get me “A TIN OF ELBOW GREASE”

Go and get me “A LEFT LEG AMPUTATION BOX”

Go and get me “A SKY HOOK”

Go and get me “A BUBBLE FOR A SPIRIT LEVEL”

Go and get me "SOME STRIPEY PAINT FOR BARBER'S POLE"

Go to sweet shop and get me "QUARTER OF -LITORIS DROPS"

Go and get me "A LEFT HANDED PAIR OF SCISSORS"

Alternate to Long Stand was:

Go and ask for a "LONG WEIGHT" (a favourite for tacklers!)

It was great and thanks to all those who participated:  Andrew Bridge, Janette Jones, Kathleen Barlow, Chris Reid, Peter Taylor, Liz Wright, Jim Nuttall, Sandra Hayhurst Trainer, Derek Fitton, Gordon Fox, Ellen Dewhurst, Andrew Metcalfe, Mary Gallagher, Deborah Armstrong, Rachel Bannister, Maureen Nash Peter Fisher, Allan Halshaw, Maria Meadowcroft, Peter Sansom, Raymond Halstead, Peter Fielding, Ian Kendall, Ann Taylor, Neil Dunn, Stew Smith, Mike Ryan, Tim Kirby, Ralph Clark, Joe Harrison, Eddie Wilkinson. 

Email received from MICHAEL MULLANEY on 4th March 2016 reads:

"A Shrove Tuesday tradition no longer witnessed possibly due to the passing of traditional apprenticeships, was seeing the apprentices who were in their final year being chased around the town by the tradesmen from S.S. Stotts and also the cotton mills, who if caught would be defrocked so to speak and subjected to a similar fate to tar and feathering.  If they stayed at li berty until 12 noon they were allowed to return to work as victorious over the tradesmen

8th March 2016 (Apprenticeship Initiations) - Derek Whittaker remembers:  - I remember the Shrove Tuesday "shenanigans" mentioned by Michael Mullaney.  At Porritts and Spencer's, Sunnybank Mill, it was also thought that no matter what you did before noon as an apprentice you couldn't be sacked.  I tested this theory one year by putting senapods in the tea of the other electricians - Teddy Wilkinson, Stan Griffiths, Billy Metcalfe and Jimmy McQuade   -  Derek

Haslingden Wings for Victory Week - 1943  (Click over to enlarge)

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"The Apprentice Initiation" 

All I did was ask the question “CAN YOU REMEMBER THESE?” – When some of us started work at 15 you may well have been asked, something like – Go over there lad and ask Fred for a “BUCKET OF STEAM” or go over there girl and ask Frieda for a “LONG STAND”.  And there were plenty of others as well which I have selected some and printed below:-

Go and get a “GLASS HAMMER”

Go and get a “TIN OF TARTAN PAINT”

Go and get a “LEFT HANDED SCREWDRIVER”

Go and get me some “VIRGIN WATER”

Go and get me “BOWMAN’S CAPSULE” from the hospital pharmacy

Go and get me a “BEVELLED CHALK LINE”

Go to the electrician “FOR A BOX OF SHORT CIRCUITS”

Go and get me “A LENGTH OF FALLOPIAN TUBE”

Go and get me “A TIN OF ELBOW GREASE”

Go and get me “A LEFT LEG AMPUTATION BOX”

Go and get me “A SKY HOOK”

Go and get me “A BUBBLE FOR A SPIRIT LEVEL”
Go and get me "SOME STRIPEY PAINT FOR BARBER'S POLE"
Go to sweet shop and get me "QUARTER OF LITORIS DROPS"
Go and get me "A LEFT HANDED PAIR OF SCISSORS"
Alternate to Long Stand was:
Go and ask for a "LONG WEIGHT" (a favourite for tacklers!)

It was great and thanks to all those who participated:  Andrew Bridge, Janette Jones, Kathleen Barlow, Chris Reid, Peter Taylor, Liz Wright, Jim Nuttall, Sandra Hayhurst Trainer, Derek Fitton, Gordon Fox, Ellen Dewhurst, Andrew Metcalfe, Mary Gallagher, Deborah Armstrong, Rachel Bannister, Maureen Nash Peter Fisher, Allan Halshaw, Maria Meadowcroft, Peter Sansom, Raymond Halstead, Peter Fielding, Ian Kendall, Ann Taylor, Neil Dunn, Stew Smith, Mike Ryan, Tim Kirby, Ralph Clark, Joe Harrison, Eddie Wilkinson. 

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Fred Clark's - Labour Certificate from 1918  (Click over to enlarge)
This was kindly sent in by Marie Ives and was her dad's labour certificate from 1918.

Haslingden Technical School on Bury Road  (Click over to enlarge)
It looks like they have in mind to have a game of cricket!
Photo: uploaded here on 3rd March 2016

Haslingden Secondary School Badge

I was told that this was the early day badge for the Haslingden Grammar School (Haslingden Technical School) on Bury Road - The badge appears to be a Cap Lapel Badge because of the ring clasp fittings on the rear, so whether this was part of the actual school uniform or whether it was for someone else I dont know. Made locally at Bolton by the Fattorini Company 

Derek Whittaker (3rd March 2016) added:
The cap badge is very similar to the one we wore at HGS.  It was a cap badge and your mother used the three anchor points to sew it into place.  From what I remember the only writing on the badge was the motto and I seem to remember it was in Latin - "nil sans labor".

There was a ceremony involving the badge on your first day at school designed to make you "feel welcome".  The senior boys would seek out the new first formers in the playground prior to the start of their first day.  They would borrow your cap and repeatedly smash it against a wall until it resembled a piece of shrapnel brightened by the occasional fleck of enamel.  If you were lucky they would then give it back, if you wern't you had to retrieve it from a recently flushed toilet bowl.

The cap was also the source of a few after-school detentions for me.  If we met one of the teaching staff in the street, school rules required the boys to hold the peak and "doff" their cap.  The girls wore the same cap badge but on a sort of straw, trilby type hat that was mainly navy blue with a couple of dark red bands (school colours).  The boys cap was also navy blue with a dark red cross.  The badge was also worn on the breast pocket of the blazer.

A later version of the Haslingden Grammar School Cap Badge
(Owned and photo kindly contributed by Alison May)

Haslingden and District Amateur Football League - Rose Bowl Winners 1923-24

Rare Edward VII Coronation Medallion

Owned by Anthony Curtis - photo uploaded here and archived on 2nd March 2016

Haslingden St. Mary's RC School from around the 1950s  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Ron Baron and uploaded here and archived on 2nd March 2016

Ron Baron's Photos from 1940 taken on Grane Road  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo on left showing from Left to right: Mrs. Papworth, Mrs. Baron and Mrs. Raynor and the photo on the right hand side is showing: Mrs Papworth on the left and the lady on the right is unknown.

Photos kindly contributed by Ron Baron

Haslingden Power Loom Overlookers Society retirement presentation  (Click over photo to enlarge)

(Photo: kindly contributed by Anthony Curtis)

A presentation to Mr. J. E. Porter on his retirement as Secretary after 26 years Faithful Service - October 19th 1956

2nd March 2016 from John R. Edwards:
I was apprenticed to Water Entwistle, the president of the Loom Overlookers who is second from the left in the photo, during early 1960s, and then later took over as tackler when he retired.  I used to put bets on the horses for him on my way home for lunch regularly.  He won sometimes!
This was at Wm. Robinson and Sons,Union Mill, Haslingden, Lancs.

Haslingden Mutual Plate Glass Insurance Association
Kindly sent in by Clifford Hargreaves, and this was the policy document required to insure the plate glass windows of a shop front.  The policy was issed to Cliffords father who at that time had the shop further out Blackburn Road at No.40

Haslingden Council School (Click over photo to enlarge)

28th Feb 2016

St. John's Stonefold School Students late 1800s  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly sent in by Elaine Pollard who thinks her ancestor Herbert Pollard is seen in the photo seated to the right hand side of the middle row.

Note on Facebook by Elaine:  
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this group.  I joined in order to research some family history, but I must say that I'm in awe of the work of the page managers and contributors and your dedication to preserving local history.  I believe my grandparents were both born in Haslingden and lived there till they emigrated to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in about 1925.  I think my grandfather, Herbert Pollard (1877-1955) attended St. John's School, Stonefold.

St. Mary's RC - First Sunday in May 1941  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added here on 29th February 2016

Tommy Britland's Medal for the HPMFC as shown in photo below

Photo uploaded here on 27th February 2016 - Contributed by Ian Warburton

Hiya Bryan,

Attached are photos of the gold medal my Grandad, Tommy Britland, won as a member of the team shown on your recent team photo of Haslingden Primitive Methodist FC (now added below). His initials engraved on the front. He is the fair haired one on the goalkeeper's left hand side

Regards

Ian Warburton

Haslingden Primitive Methodist (Grane Road) Football Club - League Champion Winners of the Hirst Cup 1922-23 Season  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 27th February 2016

from Mike Hogan (ex pat France) - 26th Feb 2016

Hello Bryan,

It was interesting to read the email sent by John McGuire about his fishing in the Swinnel brook. He mentioned the word ginnel and a long time ago my friends in the south of England had no idea what that meant. I remember trying to find the etymology but the dictionaries didn't really know. One of them wrote that it could come from the French word channel but it did not seem correct.

Many years later I moved to the south of France and I was amazed to hear older people calling the 'the ginnels' in the town of Sarlat  'les venelles'. I researched the origin of the ancient French word and it came from the word viene which in English is vein! Recently I have found that the Irish and Scottish use the word vennel...not ginnel.

John also mentions Carrs and I have been interested in the origin of its name as I live in the Dordogne river valley. There are lots of small villages that have similar names i.e. Carsac,Carlux,Carnac,Carlucet etc.

 All these places got their names because they were in swampy areas  and used the word carr which all over Europe meant marshy woodland.

I have just found the following sentence on a website dictionary!

'In britain and europe, such wetlands are called carr and are characterised by alder and willows'

Bye the way, I have just realised that one of the worst floods in the UK was at Carlisle....Mmm!

I think that it would be great if you  put on a blog asking local people if they could explain where all the ancient Haslingden regional names came from such as:

Hudrake, Rakefoot,Stonefold,Prinny Hill,Grane,Flaxmoss,Hudhey,Marsden square. Probably lots more such as ancient streets and brooks like Swinnel , Ogden and all the others.

I really enjoy the Haslingden blogspot. It is certainly the most interesting town website that I have ever seen.

Kind regards, Mike Hogan 

Mike: Thank you for a really good suggestion and yes I agree with you it would be a great blog (as long as we get some contributions!), It will be a good follow up to the "Interesting Names Blog" and I will get the wheels in progress later today. - Bryan.

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Thomas Newbigging

Haslingden Workmens Club at one time must have had a Library Section
Scan: thanks to Marie Ives and uploaded here on 26th February 2016.

Some of the speeches he made were made at the Public Hall in Haslingden, also at the Coperative Halls in Bacup and Rawtenstall, the Assembly Rooms in Crawshawbooth, Waterbarn British School in Stacksteads, Brougham Hall (??) in Waterfoot. Most of the others are speeches he made in the Manchester area. All the speeches were made in the mid 1886 leading up to an election at that time.

Should anyone wish to check out History of the Forest of Rossendale, you can check it out at this link: 

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At one time this was the road from Haslingden to Bolton via Bentley House, Grane. You can see a pillar on the left which has a marker "TO BOLTON" engraved in the stone.  Check out the pillar in the photograph below which shows the engraving covered with blue chalk. I wonder if this had been engraved by a whisky man?

Haslingden St. John's Ambulance  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 25th February 2016

Plaque erected to St. James Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade.
1901 to 1996  - The plaque is situated on the West Wall of the St. James Parish Church -  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo kindly supplied by John R. Edwards and archived and uploaded here on 24th February 2016.

CHURCH LADS BRIGADE - Information required

WE CAN NOW ASCERTAIN THAT THE ST. JAMES CHURCH LADS BRIGADE IN HASLINGDEN STARTED IN 1901.  Thats good!, but what would also be of particular interest and for me to be able to record within the Blog, WHAT WAS THE DATE THE BRIGADE finished?  Did the Brigade complete 100 years.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN - my email address is: bryan.yorke@sky.com

Also of note, the HASLINGDEN CATHOLIC BOYS BRIGADE was established around 1918 and ceased around 1925 with most of the Salford Diocese Catholic Boys Brigades having ceased by the early 1950's.

This information on both accounts will be useful to include on the Boys Brigade blog which can then hopefully show the correct commence and cease dates alongside their titles. Any help will be appreciated, thank you. 

Haslingden St. James Church Lads Brigade (1901 - 1996)

Haslingden Catholic Boys Brigade (1918 to 1925)

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St. Peters Whitsuntide Procession on Bury Road (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 24th February 2016

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Although this relates in the main to one of our other sites (HASLINGDEN WAR HEROES) I did think it was worth a special mention here to offer a special thanks to Colin for taking time out and thinking about us to do this.  It was nice to receive the following email and photos from Colin Thompson who sent these HASLINGDEN WAR HEROES photos through to us including a photo of the Cemetary were Leading Motor Mechanic J.H. Greenwood is buried.  I will shortly be inserting Lead Motor Mechanic J.H. Greenwood's photo to the WAR HEROES BLOG and also forwarding through to Jackie for her records.  In the meantime here is Colin's email and photos:

Hi Bryan, 

I was nosing around the Royal Naval cemetery and saw the deaths from Lst 404, so I googled the names and found your site. 

I cycled by again today and wondered if these photos were of any interest. 

Kind regards 

Colin Thompson

follow up: I'm glad you thought the photos were interesting, since Bermuda is of the beaten track it not likely that families will visit, yet the location an huge naval presence in times gone by mean a lot of British people are buried here. 
Colin Thompson

Bermuda Royal Naval Military Burial Site, Ireland Island, Bermuda  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photos kindly contributed by Colin Thompson (Bermuda)

Leading Motor Mechanic J.H. Greenwood - died 13th April 1943 aged 35  (Photo: kindly contributed by Colin Thompson (Bermuda)

IF YOU WISH TO CHECK OUT THE HASLINGDEN WAR HEROES BLOG PLEASE CLICK OVER THIS LINK 

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A lovely postcard photograph showing Higher Deardengate  (Click over to enlarge)
(Uploaded here on 21st February 2016)

Probably St. Johns Ambulance Brigade  (Click over photo to enlarge)
I recognize Mr. John T Wood to the right on the back row
Photo: uploaded here on 21st February 2016

Memories from Harold Stott on "Moorhouse"  20th Feb 2016

Hi Bryan,

                  The photo of  Will on his penny farthing outside the co op on Helmshore Rd. Flaxmoss is of course also almost in front of Moorehouses garage ( looking over the top of my allotment ) the tree tops are in Victoria park.I remember the Moorehouses very well, the first movie pictures I saw were in a garage at the Helmshore Rd. End of Deans rd,the seats were planks across boxes, the movies were cartoons, memories not good but I think Micky Mouse, Donald Duck things shown by Mr Moorehouse ( dont know which one...At the back of Moorehouses garage was a joiners workshop, the joiner (carpenter did the repairs/maintainence on the Flaxmoss council houses,he was also the local coffin maker (forget his name)...

Memories from John McGuire on "Swinnel Brook  20th Feb 2016

Hi Bryan,

I have just been re-reading the Swinnel Brook blog and remembering many a childhood fishing expedition .With a jam jar, a fishing net made from my Mam’s stocking on a wire hoop with the

ends of the wire stuck into a length of cane. I began by descending the stone steps in the middle of our terrace then down the bonk, passing between Vine Grove Mill on the right and Grove

Mill lodge on the left. I recall the Swinnel going underground around Bridge St and Pag House Lane, re surfacing between Commercial Mill and Vine Grove Mill then going underground again

to Grove Mill lodge. I then walked down the ginnel between Grove Mill and the railway line which was up an embankment to my right. At the end of the ginnel the path turned right, under the railway bridge

then followed the Swinnel . Carrs village was to the right and ahead was Carr Hall mill where I stopped to have a chat with my Uncle John Berry who worked in the devil hole at the mill.

Leaving Carr Hall mill, I crossed Todd Hall Rd. At that point the Swinnel became a meandering stream at least 4ft wide. This was my fishing spot. I usually caught some stickleback and some other similar fish.

If things were really quiet I collected frog spawn. I then went back via Prinny Hill bridge up to Blackburn Rd turned left and went home.

As this occurred in 1952-3 I will accept any amendments.

Kind regards,  John McGuire

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Blackburn Road below St. James Churchyard   (Click over to enlarge)
Note the buildings on the left side of the photo.
Photo uploaded here on 20th February 2016

Haslingden Primitive Methodist (Grane Road) Football Club - League Champion Winners of the Hirst Cup 1922-23 Season  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 19th February 2016

Georgie Berry on his Penny Farthing on Bury Road in 1944 I think the other bicycle may have been called the "boneshaker"  Click over photo to enlarge
photo uploaded here on 17th February 2016

Richard and Will Moorhouse with their Penny Farthings in 1891  Click over photo to enlarge
photo uploaded here on 17th February 2016

Will Moorhouse on his Penny Farthing and Jim Cranshaw in 1940  Click over photo to enlarge

photo uploaded here on 17th February 2016

Well House, home of James Turner the dentist - 
also later the home of Mr and Mrs. Smith (teachers from Haslingden Sec Modern School).  Just adding this to the HISTORIC TROUGHS AND WELLS BLOG.
Uploaded here on 16th February 2016

I think this must be a early photo of the St. James Church Lads Brigade  (Click over to enlarge).

Photo archived and uploaded here on 14th February 2016

A beautiful bedspread owned by Susan Layton-O'Sullivan (Germany)  (Click over photos to enlarge)

Susan Layton-O'Sullivan has kindly sent me photos of the above bedspread which was made for the Bazaar on April 25th 1894 and represents Haslingden Schools with embroidered names of lots of different people. 

Susan is asking if anyone knows anything about it, she inherited it from her grandmother, but she has no idea how it came into her possession, as she grew up in Germany.

I have now managed to decipher most of the names which could be: H.W. Sutcliffe, Ester Anne Appel, Sarah A. Sagar, Mary Jane Rushton, Mr. E. Heyes, Emma Harrison, Keith Rishton, Bessie Bridge, David Divit, Beatrice Divit, Mrs. Jenkinson, Nellie Wainwright, Phoebie, James Tattersall, John Taylor, Isabelle Hargreaves, May Ashworth, Mrs. Barnes, Susan Alice Nuttall, Mollie, Vivien, Ernest Nuttall, George Divit, Florence Holden, John Graham, Eleoner Freemans, Mary Whittaker, James Marguson, Leslie Hoyle, James Whitaker, Mary Taylor, Mrs. G. Rushton, Betsie Alice, A.J. Rushton, J.J. Hargreaves, M.J. Tiddale, J. Jasquest, Marjory Whipp, S. Dean, Peggie Houghton, L. Hemp, Mr. G. London, Ruth Rishton, Lizzie Whitaker, Edith Alice Mead, Ada Tattersall, Mrs. J. Fletcher, Miss Woodrup, Mary Wilson, Bessie Hamer, Bertha Entwistle, Alice Rushton, Gibson Fenwick, Mrs. Heap, Jane Ormerod, Arthur Hambley, Mrs. Rawsthorn, Adelaide Martha, Gertie Hoyle, May Leach, Jane H. Nuttall, Mary Hargreaves.

TO CHECK OUT ALL SUSAN'S PHOTOS PLEASE CLICK HERE then select and enlarge

The embroidered sketch represents the old St. James C of E School which is easily verified from the photo below.  

Laying the foundation stones for the Church Institute on 23rd Aug 1919

Please let me know if you have any further information so that I can then pass it on to Susan. 

Photos archived and uploaded here on 14th February 2016

The Mechanics Arms - Helmshore British Legion - Private dwelling

Archived and uploaded here on 11th February 2016 (Click over to enlarge)

Haslingden Railway Station (1962)  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: Jean Tomlinson archived and uploaded here on 9th February 2016

Towards top church taken from possibly Sunnyfield (1962)   (Click over photo to enlarge)
Is this William Street or Smithies Street, Carrs
Photo: Jean Tomlinson archived and uploaded here on 9th February 2016

Stewart Smith has kindly sent in the above two articles which appeared in local newspapers back in c1968 of when he and Jeremy Rawlinson where rescued on Snowdonia  (Click over to enlarge) uploaded here on 9th February 2016

Congregational on Lower Deardengate/corner with New Street  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 5th February 2016

Helmshore Wesleyan Sunday School Whitsuntide Procession  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added here on 4th February 2016

Lower Deardengate   (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added on 3rd February 2016

St. Mary's Holy Communion c1970 ish Teacher: Mrs. Lindsay

Photo: kindly sent in by Deborah Armstrong and uploaded here on 2nd February 2016

St. James Parish Church Day School - Peace Celebrations July 18th 1919  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: T. Parkinson and uploaded here on 2nd February 2016.

c1961 St. James C of E Student Photo  (Click over photo to enlarge)

 Named by David Clough and several other shown in the photo.  

Uploaded here on 1st February 2016

Sunset over Birch Avenue - 2nd December 2003  (Click to enlarge)

Bury and District Joint Water Board - Haslingden Grane - SHEWING LAND
(Click over photo to enlarge)
Found this map hiding away. I was given it many years ago from a relation who worked for the Water Board in years past.
Posted here on 26th January 2016
If you prefer to see a larger version of this map PLEASE CLICK HERE and then click again

Chapel Street Football Club 1913-1914   (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 26th January 2016

Miss Sarah Wren - 1925/1926 Walking Day

Jean Tomlinson kindly sent in this photo of her mum and uploaded here on 25th January 2016

St. Mary's Rose Queen parade on Deardengate outside of the Library  (Click over to enlarge)
Maureen Whitehead (nee Mead) wrote: I was the Rose Queen that year, I think it was 1966.  Dorothy Higgins, Anne Marie Ring, Susan Burge and Sheila Cain were train bearers.  I can't remember the name of the cushion bearer.  Typical Haslingden weather, June and you can see the brollies were up!!Photo: Kindly contributed by Maureen Whitehead (Nee Mead - ex pat Kuala Lumpur) 25th January 2016

Agnesians trip to Blackpool with us all going on a Mark Barnes charabanc  (Click over photo to enlarge.Photo: Kindly contributed by Maureen Whitehead (Nee Mead - ex pat Kuala Lumpur) 25th January 2016

Agnesians trip to Blackpool with Agnes Blackledge and Father McLoughlin leading the party  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: Kindly contributed by Maureen Whitehead (Nee Mead - ex pat Kuala Lumpur) 25th January 2016

Aladdin pantomime with Maureen Ashe and Doreen Hindle in the starring roles  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Chorus: Front Row left to right is Moira Haworth, Josephine Eastwood, Janet McConville?, Myself (Maureen Mead), Dorothy Higgins, Veronica Hunt, Eileen Kelly, Margaret Burke.
Second Row left to right: Ann Dugdale, Patricia Swindells, ?, Annie Dickinson, Angel Morley, ?, Rothwell, Barbara Mead, ? Rothwell.

Photo: kindly contributed by Maureen Whitehead (Nee Mead - ex pat Kuala Lumpur)  26th January 2016

Does anyone know how SPOUT HOUSE got its name?

Has it got something to do with water, springs, wells.....

Taken from "Rambles Around Rossendale"
Thanks to Jackie Ramsbottom and uploaded here on 25th January 2016

Haslingden Bus TF1559 tribute during the 1910 to 1935 Silver Jubilee  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added 24th January 2016

Old "unknown" Photo added here on 23rd January 2016  (Click over to enlarge)
(Photographer: Tattersall, 6 Piccadilly Street)

"Some of the beautiful scars of Heap Clough" (2008)  (Click over to enlarge)
I took several photos from above to the South West side of the old Heap Clough Mill which shows many scars which can be seen within this photo.  Also I love these two below which I took looking from the South which also take in the spoils and mounds of nearby Troy Quarry

"Troy Quarry or the Blue Lagoon" which I took in 2008 (Click over photo to enlarge)

I have shown this photo without showing any water at all, but sometime soon I would love to share my photos showing the inside of Troy with the Rock Faces, Lily Pond and other Troy specials - A area were the Green Woodpecker loves to "yaffle" away their day, whilst also looking for tasty "ants" and also they show a cascading "spring" which comes from off the Haslingden moor and down past by the ruins of Priestentax before it drops the edge of the Quarry.

Haslingden Peace Celebrations July 19th 1919  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 21st January 2016

Musbury School Carnival  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 20th January 2016

Musbury Carnival   (Click over to enlarge)
photo uploaded here on 20th January 2016

Major David Halstead's daughters wedding to Mr. Watson at the Parish Church  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Although a little grainy the photo shows the rear of Salem Church and the rear of the small cottages which were at the side of the Salem on Regent Street, also the houses that once stood in Salem Street itself and the backs to some of the houses in Hartley Street. You can also see the White Angel grave memorial.

A photo I took in 2003 showing part of Longshoot and its view towards Manchester  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: taken from above Kirkhill

Procession on Blackburn Road Near what later became Lychgate  (Click over photo to enlarge)
You can count at least eight industrial chimneys in the background.  Obviously the Parish Church Lychgate or Margerisons garage had not been built at the time of this photo.
Photo: uploaded here on 18th January 2016

St. Marys Morris Dancers c1966

Photo: kindly contributed by Eileen Webster and uploaded here on 17th January 2016
Back Row from Right: Susan Gowers, Eileen Mortimer, Eileen Webster, Patricia O'Brien, Ann Sheridan, ?,?
Middle Row from left: Pauline Fleming, Maureen Warburton, ?, Sheila Ryan.
Front row from left: Erica Lesnic, ?, Josephine Eastwood, Margaret Tillotson.

Grey Mare Inn - Haslingden 1840  (Click over painting to enlarge)
artist: unknown

Market Place - The Royal Silver Jubilee of 1935   (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 15th January 2016

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Back Lane Trough - almost opposite Size House: Michael Mullaney

On 15th January Michael Mullaney wrote:  

Hi Bryan, 

There was a deep stone trough in the wall opposite what was Size House Mill on Back Lane.

Not sure just where the water came from but there was a mill lodge just back a short ways and to the side was a small stream which we called "Jinky Brook" which broke ground just below Spout Houses.  Its Sunday name if any I believe was Jenkinsons Brook as it supplied water to a mill known as Jenkinsons.  This is now all culverted and runs under Size House Village, but used to continue down to Syke Side.

Originally, Back Lane was the main old and ancient highway from Haslingden to Edenfield, Bury and beyond with just a few cottages and farm adjacent to Size House Mill. 

Michael.

New Blog to start very soon - "Historic Water Troughs and Spring Fed Wells of Haslingden and Helmshore"

Thanks to a idea given to me by Annie Taylor of Acre, I am hoping soon to start a new blog by the above title.  If you can help with any information in regard to it would be most appreciated.

Depending on how well this one does maybe it could be a blog in its own right or alternatively I could make it a extension blog by association to the already established "Swinnel Brook" Blog. 

Just off the cuff I can think of the Spring Lane area (water trough) with origins from Top O'th Slate area (Higher Lane), Wells Street, Trough at Clough End, Trough across from Holden Arms etc etc  please let me know if you can help with naming and describing  "Springs", or have photos (old or new), of troughs or springs or have any interesting historic information on these mini waterways. 

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View of Tanpits - Helmshore  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo uploaded here on 14th January 2016

Dog Kennel Road - Annie Taylor (Acre) 13th Jan 2016

I have just looked on your blog spot and noticed the blog about Dog Kennel road. It was the boundary of Carterplace and home to Carterplace's dog kennel originally from my understanding.  

Brook Street is on your map, it is unnamed and the other side of the mill running parallel to Dog Kennel road Brook Street ran from Hud Hey to Dog Kennel Road and still does, it is just they have now renamed this part of Dog Kennel Road as Brook Street! It is the bit of Brook Street just after the houses that runs up to the traffic lights. Annie

Henheads - John McGuire (Ex Pat - Australia) 13th Jan 2016

G’day Bryan, 

I have been reading Geoff Heaps very interesting article on odd placenames in and around Haslingden. Henheads was (probably still is)  the name of an area which included Stonefold and Sherfin Nook. My maternal Grandmother was born at a farm called Needless in Henhead on 29 Aug 1889. Her maiden name was Letitia Ann Horlock. 

Cheers, 

John McGuire

Interesting place names from Geoff Heap - 13th Jan 2016

Dear Bryan

I have been browsing the Baptismal Parish Records for St. James's Church which go back to 1683 and thought you might be interested in a few names of streets, or more likely areas, in and around Haslingden.

I know there has been a bit of interest in 'Paghouse' on your site and I spotted a baptism of Elizabeth Duckworth, daughter of George Duckworth, which took place on 3rd April 1687, according to the records, George lived in Paghouse.

The following streets or areas appeared in the records between 1685 and 1747, most of them were repeated many times, often with different spellings, which is not unusual for this period in our history, when most of the participants in baptisms and marriages could not read or write. The officiating vicar or curate, who may not even have been familiar with areas of Haslingden, would have to rely on how words sounded, it was no use asking a bridegroom to spell out even his name. Also, at this time, there were no hard and fast rules regarding correct spelling anyway!

Here we go:-

HELLSHORE is the first intriguing area mentioned in a baptism in 1691, which presumably refers to Helmshore. I thought it was a one off spelling quirk, but Hellshore is repeated many times over the next 150 years; you only start to find the name Helmshore appearing in the mid 19th century.

HENHEADS

COCKHAM

TONBANK

HADDOCKS

EODEM (Flaxmosse)

SUNYARD LAW

GREENHOUSES or GREENHOWSES

GAMBLESIDE

BALLADIN

FRIER HILL
SWINERD LAWSIDE

SCARFOOT

ALLICROSS
BARRACK HEAD near Heap Clough

DEDWEN CLOUGH

KNIGHT HILL

CLOD
TOAD HALL

LOWER COCK HOUSE

PIT HEADS

WINDY HARBOUR

Interesting also to note how spellings of some well known areas have changed, e.g. Grayne, Graine, Grain, Ryssenbridge, Rissenbridge, Dearden Yeat, Bent Yeat.

I personally have no idea where any of the above areas are located, but perhaps some of your readers may be able to pinpoint some of their locations!

Cheers 

Geoff

Interesting stuff from Derek Whittaker:

I started work after Xmas 1964 at Porritts and Spencer’s Sunnybank Mill, Helmshore as an apprentice maintenance electrician. During my couple of years there I used to join in a football game every lunch time in the “Monkey Hole”. There was a pit in there where the woollen endless belts manufactured by the mill for the paper trade were rotated on rollers through a brown, acrid liquid at the bottom of the pit. I was told that this made the belts more durable and resistant to the sap that comes from trees in the paper making process.
 I was also told that in the early part of the 20th century every house in Helmshore village near the mill was provided with a Porritts and Spencer “potty”. A man had the task, with a horse and cart, of collecting the contents of these potties every day and this was what was used in the Monkey Hole before chemicals became available. I was wondering if this would be of help in your research of “Pisspot Row”. Or am I, as the man and his horse and cart did, merely taking the p***.

Keep up the good work,

Derek
10th January 2016

Haslingden Home Guard  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: from my own collection 10th January 2016

Haslingden Home Guard date ?  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: currently being offered for auction on Ebay (9th January 2016)

A recent notice offered by the Friends of Acre Village -(Please Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here by request on 10th January 2016

A recent notice offered by the Friends of Acre Village -(Please Click over to enlarge)
Uploaded here by request on 7th January 2016

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Can you help please?

Has anyone any ideas where Parson's Buildings was in Haslingden?

A report in the "Accrington Observer" for 7th December 1895 about a case of theft.  It said the thief lived at 32, Parson's Buildings, Haslingden - Please let me know if you have any idea of where it could be.  thanks......

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Can anyone help with this please?

Kristy Burbidge is requesting help in regards to historical information in connection with Duckworth Clough.  She questions the area as you are proceeding up towards Duckworth Clough via Clough End Road which has the horse drinking trough on the right hand side, almost opposite the entrance to the Clough End Farm and Cottages.  Also just behind the "trough" there was some sort of buildings, in fact I think I can remember some steps leading up there as though some sort of grandeur building was present there at sometime from within this now overgrown woodland/shrub area. This is the area in question.

I have not been up there in recent years and don't know whether the land is still overgrown or whether or not it has been absorbed into the more recent buildings which have been built in place of the old Duckworth Clough Mill. What I personally do remember is that the woodland and overgrown shrub status including the stone remains eg: steps and stone bed impressions or ruins have been present like this since at least the 1950s.  So whatever was there must have been before that!

If you can help please let me know and I will pass the information on. thanks

(Reply from Brian Uren on 7th January 2016)

Hi Bryan
I`m fairly certain that the overgrown area up the old steps next to the water trough as you make your way up to Duckworth Clough is the remains of what was once the rather grand back garden of the big house (Stone House) just below it once owned by the Worsley family. I spent quite a lot of time up there in the late 50`s/ early 60`s because my father rented part of the land as an allotment. There were the remains of paths and at the top end walls and brickwork that must have been related to a fairly impressive range of greenhouses. There was also a large rectangular lined pit which looked as though it might have held water for a boiler to provide heat for the greenhouses. I don`t know who my dad paid rent to for the land but I`m fairly sure the arrangement was made through Fred "Hocky" (Hodkinson?)  who had the Clough End farm behind the park and who lived in one of the cottages opposite the stone steps.Hope this is helpful to Kristy.
Best Wishes
Brian Uren

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Haslingden St. Mary's School c1927 (Please click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Eileen Webster.  The teacher is Miss Talty and Eileen's Mum  Veronica (Vera) Arthur who is second from the left on the second row sadly cut out her head on the photo as she wasnt happy with the haircut. Eileen would love to have the same photo without the "defacement".  If you can help out please get in touch, thanks.
Photo uploaded here on 7th January 2016

Arrival of the first electric car (tram) to Haslingden 5th Sept 1908  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo uploaded to here on 2nd January 2016

Haslingden Youth Club  (Click over to enlarge)

Ron Baron writes: front row right is my brother Thomas Baron.

Photo: kindly contributed by Ron Baron and uploaded here on 31st December 2015

(31st Dec 2015) - Marie Ives kindly added the following names:
Back: ?, Colin Wallwork, Clifford Moore, ?, Allsop, ?, Wissett
Front: Hargreaves, John Haworth, Graham Lythe, Thomas Baron.

5th January 2016 - Martin Molloy along with Tommy Egan confirmed the following in regards to the photo above which is taken with the Rossendale United stand to the right and the team is Haslingden Youth Club:
Back Row: Ray Bell, Colin Wallwork, Clifford Moore, Kenny Allsop, Kevin Wissett, John Heslop and Arnold Warburton.
Front Row: Gordon Hargreaves, John Haworth, Graham Lythe and Tom Baron.  The tall chap at the back has stumped us but he must be over 6'4" tall. 

6th January 2016 - Deborah Armstrong has kindly named the tall player at the back right hand side as Trevor Dawson (Estate Agent)

Haslingden St. Marys Football  1950  (Click over to enlarge)

Ron Baron wrote: My brother Thomas is at the front of the teacher. Also in the photo is Moden, Gavin and George McKenzie (front centre)

Photo: kindly contributed by Ron Baron and uploaded here on 31st December 2015.

5th January 2016 - Martin Molloy and Tommy Egan have kindly listing the names:

Back Row: Sports Master and Teacher Tommy Brennan.

Back Row: Kevin Wissett, Alec Fearful, Tom Riding, Tom Baron, Terry Navin, Steven Moden.

Front Row: Terry McNamee, Brian Gavin, George McKenzie, John Tyson, Eddie O'Keefe.

Memories added by Alan Haworth on 28th December 2015:

"Grane Reservoir"

My dad was bailiff in 1960's and 1970's.  We went fishing there when I was at school and when I got my first car in 1975.

We used to park my car near the big house in the cemetery as my Dad used to work for the Parks Department.

A.E.I controlled the fishing rights then.  They went to the River Tweed in Scotland and brought the fish back to be stocked in Grane Reservoir.

We had lots of good fishing all 12 months of the year.  Mr. Dad's name was Mr. Ernest Haworth who lived in Helmshore for nearly 30 years. His main park was Worsley, that's where he worked ma nly on his own.  He also worked at Greenfield, Victoria and Helmshore Parks.

Alan Haworth

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Weir Foot (or Wedge Row), Holcombe Rd c2003  (Click over to enlarge)
I took this photo in 2003.  The row of houses are nicknamed "Wedge Row" and I am sure that also would be another interesting story!

"Virgins Row", Heap Clough, Haslingden Grane  (Click over to enlarge)
I took this photo in 2004. The row of houses was nicknamed "Virgin's Row" and I am sure that also would be another interesting story.

"Snig Hole", Helmshore   (Click over to enlarge)
I took this photo in 2004.  Snig is another name for "Eel" (slippery snake type fish) which at one time would have been found in the River Ogden near to the area of Snig Hole (accessed on lane opposite Bridge End Pub.

(28th December 2015) Can you think of any others!  I am trying to collate a list of very unusual and interesting names of past areas or rows of houses etc which lie within the Haslingden and Helmshore areas with the idea of maybe starting a new blog if I can get enough that is. If we could get at least ten names it would be great!   With names like: Dog Kennel Road, Pinch Belly Row, Paghouse - Could there be even more interesting ones out there, they don't have to be registered addresses or shown on maps etc, as long as they are well established names (or nicknames)  - please let me know if you know of any which may be interesting!

Already other interesting suggestions have come through including: VIRGINS ROW, SNIG HOLE, FLASH ROW, MAYFIELD, NAVVY ROW, WEDGE ROW, PRINNY HILL, DONKEY ROW, ROBBERS ROW, UP GRUBBER, GRANDSTAND, SHEEP GREEN, FAIRY GLEN, BOWL ALLEY (pronounced bal ally), MAUDLING BANK....... I'll bet also many a tale could be told about lovely names like: BEEHIVE Terrace and PARADISE Terrace also recently suggested that NELLIES BREW (Spring Lane) and TUPPENY BREW (Charles Lane), BURGESS NOOK, TOUCH AND TEK (BENTGATE), MUCKY BACK (BACK BEEHIVE). 

Of special interest which will later be included in the blog thanks to information from Barbara Hendry (from past conversations she had with the late Mrs. Mary Chadwick) that

SALT PIE STEPS are the steps which run from Hud Rake and down on to Blackburn Road, across from the Loose Pulley Shop or Carr Mill Brow (I do already have this old "Loose Pulley Chip Shop" mentioned at the bottom of these steps, and obviously they must have also sold "Salt Pies".

Quite  close to us up here at Kirkby Lonsdale they also have a "Salt Pie Lane", so it must have been a noted title in years gone past!

Furthermore she (the late Mrs. Chadwick) remembered why it was called "Loose Pulley" and it was because that was the area where the trams had to change from one set of upper lines to the other and the pulley had to be moved across.  That really does make sense.  So I will shortly include it within the Blackburn Road blog, alongside the already suggested explanation for the "Loose Pulley".

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Hazel Mill Lodge, Acre Breach of Banking in 1962 (Click over to enlarge)
I know we had major local floods in 1960 and 1964 but we also had a lesser flood in 1962.  The reason this one happened was again due to heavy rains that caused a breach in the banks of the lodge at Hazel Mill which helped to create the flooding shown in the next photo below. 

Added 28th December 2015

Hazel Mill Lodge, Acre Breach of Banking in 1962 (Click over to enlarge)
I know we had major local floods in 1960 and 1964 but we also had a lesser flood in 1962.  The reason this one happened was again due to heavy rains that caused a breach in the banks of the lodge at Hazel Mill which helped to create the flooding shown in the next photo below.

Added 28th December 2015 

1962 Floods - Blackburn Road, Acre (Click over to enlarge)
This photo goes to show that not only did we have major floods in 1960 and 1964 but we also had a lesser flood also 1962.  The reason this one happened was again due to heavy rains which in turn breached the banks of the lodge at Hazel Mill. 
Added 28th December 2015

Pinch Belly Row, Hud Rake c1964  (Click over to enlarge)
These properties were demolished many years ago. I think that maybe wooden garages are now on the same area.
Does anyone know how it got its nickname "Pinch Belly Row"?
Photo uploaded here on 27th December 2015

Near Wesleyan Chapel c1907 - across from Hollands Pies, Rising Bridge  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 26th December 2015

(Photographer unknown) - December 24th

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Dancing around the Maypole (Click over to enlarge)
The area to me looks like Store Street, off Greenfield Street.
Photo: uploaded to here on 23rd December 2015

Poplar Street, Haslingden  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo uploaded here on 22nd December 2015

First World War Soldiers with Band accompaniment  (Click over photo to enlarge)
This is Bury Road having past the Grammar School and heading towards the shops just before the old Market across from the top of Bank Street.  The crowd was certainly in their Sunday best with some of the gents in their straw boaters! I wonder if it was summer time when this photo was taken

Photo: uploaded here on 21st December 2015

Old Wesley, Hud Hey, Old Carr St, Old Carr Hall St etc  (Click over to enlarge)

Maybe not the clearest photo, but this photo captures so much of what we have lost eg: The Old Wesley Church and the houses which lead down into Hud Hey, plus it shows what was the entrance down into Carr Street (much overgrown here). The houses of Carr St, Hud Hey have been removed and you can see the rear of the Brown and Forth Chemical Works and to its right hand side the large open "bow roofed" timber shed that belonged to Shepherds Carr Mill.  I remember this being built by two chaps all the way from Kings Lynn (with the aide of a crane). 

Photo: Kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 20th December 2015

41 Hud Hey Road, Haslingden for many years the home of Mrs. Dearden then later Mrs. J. Adams  (Click over the photo to enlarge)

This was sacrilege! they have already taken up the beautiful garden here in this photo and are about to start on the demolition of the row of houses starting with No.41(the old Dearden family residence).  They (Lancashire County Council) not only took this house and the complete row out, they also compulsory purchased our family home which was across the road opposite at (No 110 Hud Hey along with the adjoining Nos. 108 and 112 which was also the old Hindle family residence).  The purchase came about becauuse they had decided to use the old railway line for the current by-pass and these properties were thought to be too close, and would interfere with their proposed plans. (see below for old photo of the complete row before demolition)

Photo: kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 20th December 2015

This shows No.41 and the full row - now demolished (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 20th December 2015

Wesley Walking Day going past "Paradise Terrace" Blackburn Road (Nr. bottom of Regent St) c1955 approx  (Click over photo to enlarge)
This shows Miss Adams Rose Queen leading the Wesley Walking Day past the old "Paradise Terrace" houses which were almost across the road from the bottom of Regent Street.  You can make out from this that they were fine houses and further along it shows the Newsagents shop which I remember well as Harold Alderson's (although it does say on the blind I think! Jepsons.)  I cant remember what next door to Harold's used to be at the time of the photo but later became the first Asian Halal shop.

Photo kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne and uploaded here on 20th December 2015

Garden Party at Carter Place   (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo uploaded to here on 20th December 2015

Presentation for T.D. Lees, Secretary for 27 years by W. Dawson at Haslingden Cricket Club, Bentgate on 27th January 1976  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Photo: uploaded here on 19th December 2015

Sunrise over the Cribden Mast on  21st September 2008 (Click over to enlarge)


I took this photo in 2008 whilst counting birds on visible Autumn Migration which were going past Laund Hey and heading out towards Manchester and maybe the Cheshire Plains.  Uploaded to here on 18th December 2015


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On Way up to "Kite Hill"  (Click over to enlarge)

Some lovely memories from Marie Ives

KITE HILL

I was reminded of my younger days when I read about a walk to the Panoptican at Haslingden.

When we were children (my brother, cousin and myself) towards the end or just after the war years, we had the freedom to wander wherever we wanted.  We had no fear of strangers as children have today.  We walked over the paths on the side or over Cribden to Rawtenstall returning home over the Old Road and Whittaker Park.  We had no money and no refreshments, toffees could only be obtained if you had coupons and in most household Mum took charge of these, and crisps could only be bought in public houses.

After the Saturday matinee at the Empire Cinema we usually went up onto laund hey and played cricket or re-enacted the cowboy films we had seen.  One of our favourite things to do in Spring and Summer was flying our kites.  Mum made the kite out of thin cotton and sewed it to a thin dowelling frame in an elongated diamond shape.  We made the tails out of bits of the same cotton tied in knots onto a long thin piece of string about 18 inches long and this was tied to the bottom of the diamond.  A ball of string was wound onto a piece of wood in a 'figure of eight' way, this was then attached to the cross at the top of the kite, and we were then ready for launch.

Off we went up Kirk Hill passing Mrs Pilling's cottage (now derelict) up the field to the left then up the lane to 'Kite Hill' at the entrance to the old quarries at 'Slate'

Sometimes the kite would nose dive and have to be redesigned, but most times it did the proverbial and 'flew like a kite'.  I remember many happy times spent in this quarry, scrambling over the rocks and boulders, and jumping down them into muddy water.  I have passed by this area over the years as I went on walks with family and friends, and stopped to remember the happy times of the past, before continuing our ramble.

Now a Panopticon has been erected at the entrance to the old quarry and the whole area has been altered beyond recognition, even though there's still Cribden as a backdrop.

The hill where we flew our kites has been flattened to accomodate the structure and is very different from my memories.  All the rough lanes there have been tar macadamed and whole area fenced off, looking new and so different from my memories.  Granted in a few years time when nature has overgrown a bit, the viewing areas and walls will blend in with the landscape, but there will be no "Kite Hill" to fly your kite from.

Marie Ives

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Duckworth Clough Farm and Greenhouses Farm  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo taken in 2004 and uploaded here on 18th December 2015

Ewood Bridge Sunday School (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded here on 18th December 2015

Ewood Bridge Sunday School pre 1903  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded here on 18th December 2015

Haslingden's John Cockerill's Munition Factory in Belgium  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo currently being offered for auction on ebay - uploaded here on 18th December 2015

James Turner and the Dynamites at the Re-Union at the Astoria organised by Tony Winder etc  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Tony Winder

Great to have been back in touch with Gerrard only this morning, and Jack not so long ago and hope Ronnie is OK. James and Noel will always be sadly missed and never forgotten RIP

Duckworth Clough Mill Lodge (Higher)  (Click over photo to enlarge)

It does not seem that long ago (1970 approx) that I was offered the lodge and the adjoining land for a £1 (note) by Mr. Flynn who was the Owner of the once nearby Shepherd Bros Timber factory.  He knew that I liked a spot of fishing at that time and he obviously wanted to get shut of the liability of the lodge for he knew that should there ever have been a problem with the embankment walls which at that time were becoming in need of repair that the liability could have been costly. Did I do the right thing when I turned it down?  Yes for sure....... Its always been a beautiful little lodge and besides having fish them days it also had Moorhens and Mallards....The photo also shows "The Mount" in the background which was the home to the Willis family. 

Photo: uploaded here on 16th December 2015

Laying the Tramlines on Blackburn Road between Cross Street North and Vale Street  (Click over to enlarge)
On the right hand side towards the middle of the row you can see the "Beehive" stone motif sculpture, central to the upstairs windows and just in front of that you can see a pole.  I was wondering if this was a "barbers" red and white pole.  Why I say that is when I was a young one there used to be a barbers pole somewhere around there which was Mr. Billy Walsh who did gents hairdressing. If that was the case it must have been a barbers for many many years taking into account how old this photo must be. Trying to place the chimney in the background. Would it have belonged to the Old Brewery?
Photo: uploaded here on 16th December 2015

Unknown Student photo  (Click over to enlarge)

I was wondering looking at the arched doorway and window and return of the main building if this might be Manchester Road Methodist Church but that is purely conjecture on my behalf at this stage! Maybe it is somewhere else, but the whole building background does seem very familiar to Manchester Road going off memory!

Photo: uploaded here on 16th December 2015

Cordingley's Cycle Shop on Blackburn Road near to Black Bull Pub   (Click over to enlarge)

Uploaded here on 15th December 2015

Haslingden Party on a trip to the Isle Of Man soon after the 1939/45 War   (Click over to enlarge)
Soon after the World War 2, this is a trip to the Isle Of Man organised by the gentleman seated in the centre of the front row behind the children.
I remember on the return journey the boat was delayed in docking at Fleetwood and I think one of the coaches which was to bring us back to Haslingden had left so a number had to wait until another coach was sent.
Photo: kindly sent in by Clifford Hargreaves and uploaded here on 14th December 2015
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I can recognize Kath and Tommy Chamberlain towards the back of the photo.
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 also Myra Fronapfel recognizes: The couple second from back on the left (white blouse) are Lizzie (nee Daly) and Jim Lord, Lizzie was my grandma's sister, and sister to Billy Daly, Billy and his wife Cissy were singers around the pubs.  Think they once had a pub too around Marsden Square area, long before the flats.
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also Michael Mullaney recognizes: The man to the left of the "organizer" is Edward Walsh, brother to my grandmother Margaret Mullaney (nee Walsh).  The lady to the right is I think his second wife.  They lived at 4 Northcote Street.  It is said that Edward was the first catholic boy apprentice taken on by S,.S. Stotts out of respect the firm had for his father Michael (Tim) Walsh.  Sadly, the son did not reflect the father, he became a hostile trade union activist causing the firm many sleepless nights.
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Clifford Hargreaves recalls - The first man on the left on the back row is Norman Hitchen and the lady on the lef (his right) below him is his wife and I think their daughter is the first little girl seated on the left on the front row.  They had the shoe shop No.33 on Higher Deardengate at the top of Ratcliffe Fold (now Mannings)

Clifford Thanks all the people who have identified some of the others in the photo.

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Haslingden County Primary School c1954/55 approx  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Bill King and uploaded here on 14th December 2015

Haslingden County Primary School c1956/57 approx  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Bill King and uploaded here on 14th December 2015

Brittania Mill, Martincroft Farm, Coldwells   (Click over photo to enlarge)
This is a photo I took from on Higher Lane (above Hud Rake) Nr. Top O'th Slate back in 2003

Carr Parkers Coronation Toppers  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo uploaded here on 14th December 2015

Carr Parkers Coronation Toppers  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo uploaded here on 14th December 2015

Haslingden County Primary School  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Derek Haworth and uploaded here on 13th December 2015

Haslingden County Primary School   (Click over to enlarge)
Photo kindly contributed by Derek Haworth and  uploaded here on 12th December 2015.

At the time this photo was taken Vinoo Mankad was the professional for Haslingden Crcket Club.  The young Indian boy in the centre of this photo could well be his son.  Maybe your readers can help?.  Mankads son also was a very good cricketer although according to Wiki never achieved the greatness of his father.  He did however play on numerous occasions for his country.  I suppose the question is, was this Ashhok Mankad in the school photo above?  Below is a photo of the late Ashok

Ashok Mankad

Full Name: Ashok Vinco Mankad, Born: Oct 12th 1946 Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, Died: Aug 1st 2008 Central Mumbai (aged 61 years 294 days), Major teams India: Mumbai, Also known as Ashok Mulvantrai Mankad Nickname: Kaka, Batting style: Right hand bat, Bowling style: Right arm medium

Opening of Co-op Shoe shop on Higher Deardengate  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Shows Stanley Matthews and Vinco Mankad (photo kindly contributed by Jean Tomlinson and uploaded here on 12th December 2015)

Carrs c1950s approx  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: taken from somewhere at the top of Prinny Hill/Blackburn Road

Carrs Industrial Estate c2009  (Click over to enlarge)
This is a photo I took from Hutch Bank back in 2009

 If you would like to read a little more about Carrs (Another Lost Village) then why not check out the Carrs blog by clicking here

John McGuire sends in this holiday photo.  (Click over photo to enlarge)
This photo shows Haslingden people in Blackpool. John is on the front row.
Photo received and uploaded here on 12th December 2015

Derek Haworth writes: 

Hi Bryan, Very interesting article you wrote on Laund Hey and Cribden area. My Grandfather fought in the Boer War and before leaving, the Volunteers used Laund Hey as a firing range,  as children we used to go up there recovering spent bullets fired into the lower slope of Cribden, they will still be in the shingle part today I assume. Also the Caves you refer to were used as a dump for WW2 Gas Masks and as kids we used to climb in and run around Cribden in the Gas Masks. It was at the time when the Russians launched a Sputnik and we must have been a terrifying sight to the enthusiasts who sat on top of Cribden trying to view the Sputnik. Kindest regards,  Derek Haworth

Uploaded here on 12th December 2015

Very old photo of St. James Church - Note houses on right hand side  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo added here on 12th December 2015

Does Anyone know who this lady is?

Bill King has sent the above photo - Which whilst sorting out a cupboard this morning his wife found the above photograph.  He does not know who the photo is of, but the dress suggest it dates from the 1940s.  He says it was probably a friend of his mother Nellie King (nee Boardman) who was a young woman in Haslingden in the 1940s.  He says if so it may well be the mother or grandmother of someone who looks at the Blog and who could help to identify her.  Please let us know on bryan.yorke@sky.com or go through our facebook page by clicking here if you know her thank you.

Haslingden County Primary School c ?   (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed  by Derek Haworth and uploaded here on 11th December 2015

Haslingden County Primary School c 1958  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Derek Haworth and uploaded here on 11th December 2015

Haslingden Secondary Modern School Cricket Team c1962  (Click over to enlarge)


Back Row: Mills, Derek Haworth, Ken Proctor, Derek Moorhouse, Mac Holden
Front row: David Blomley, Ian Rishton, Brian Knowles, James Heaton, Jack Southworth.
Sitting at front ?

Photo kindly contributed by Derek Haworth and uploaded here on 11th December 2015

Haslingden Road End Postcard  (Click over to enlarge)

Very interesting to learn that there were so many properties at this side of the Woolpack
Uploaded here on 11th December 2015

Currently being offered for auction on ebay
photo uploaded here on 10th December 2015

Currently being offered for auction on ebay
photo uploaded here on 10th December 2015

St. Stephens Church Mothers Union c1950s  (Click over to enlarge)
Thanks to Pauline Emmett Dagg for correction of title and also for adding some of the names as follows: Evelyn Emmett is mid row 3rd from the left. Doreen Hamilton is on the back row 2nd from the right.  Edna Duckworth is on the back row 2nd from the left.  Alice Jennings back row 5th from left.  Alice Seymour back row 3rd from left.  Mrs. Keir back row 6th from right.  Mrs. Hamer front row 3rd from the left.
I can remember the gentleman sat down at the front who I seem to remember was the Curate Mr. Turner at St. James Church when Mr. Fred Bamber was the Vicar. Also thanks to Elizabeth Smethhurst who has also added the following names:
Back Row 1st right is my grandmother Elizabeth Holden, nee Taylor and third from right is her sister Emma Wiggins.  They were members of St. Stephen's M.U. for many years.

Photo: uploaded here on 10th December 2015

Ammended to Ebenezer Baptist Church, Bury Road  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded to this blog on 9th December 2015

Sheila Bell's Mum on Weaving Looms at Barlows Mill

FOR MY MUM A WEAVER - DON'T CLOSE THE MILL! 

by Sheila Bell

My mam worked in a cotton mill,

It was "Barlows Mill" Helmshore,

Long gone and now demolished

Her toiling is no more.

But in my memory still I picture,

The sights, the sounds, the smell,

Of the mill where my mam grafted,

So her kids could all 'do well'.

I don't know how those women,

Stood for hours on the cold mill Floor,

I only know how it felt for me,

To walk through the old mill door.

I'd walk down Gregory Fold alone,

as it was safe back then,

I'd only be a child,

Probably nine or ten.

But my mam was in that mill,

And I wanted to be near,

So I'd have walked a million miles,

If it meant that I could see her.

I recall my quickening heart,

As I approached the old mill door,

The one split in the middle,

That led to the cobbled floor.

Of the loading bay/canteen,

Where no tables, nor chairs could be seen

but chains that hung like spiders webs,

And a 'giant'set of wooden steps.

On which I'd climb

and park my bum,

Until someone saw me and went and told my mum,

out she'd come,

to fetch me in

to the weaving shed 

and all its din.

The fearful noise that deafened me,

I can't come in I'd say,

Keep close to the wall,

Away from the looms,

And you will be ok,

As I took in the sight of the mill,

though dim the light for my eyes,

Such wondrous visions I would see,

That would haunt my dreams at night.

Faces contorting in speech without sound,

The 'mee maw' I thought was a game,

But it was, for those women, their lifeline,

That kept them from going insane.

I remember the 'sweet' smell of cotton,

fluffy white 'snow' came to rest,

All over the 'shed' and the weavers,

And breathed in to everyone's chest.

Shafts of lovely sunlight,

Shone down from the ceiling bright,

A magical see-through ceiling,

I now know, made up of north lights.

The women were happy, never seeming to grumble,

They helped one another along,

But a loose end in't warp or was it in't weft?

Could cause a real old ding dong

With mouthing of swear words as they tried to mend it,

Then 'call for the tackler' I'd hear,

And, when he arrived he was blushing and shy,

At the sound of a raucous loud cheer.

I sensed even then that they all loved it when,

A chap came into their midst,

A room full of women all ogling and giggling,

Wishing they were the shuttle he kissed.

But it wasn't all mirth in the dark noisy mill,

The shuttle could fly and could maim,

I remember one day it flew out of mam's loom,

She was injured, knocked out, in great pain.

The shuttle was what put food on our plate,

But for me it was something to fear and to hate,

Yet I now have a shuttle to help me recall,

My trips to the mill, when I was small.

So much to learn and so much I learned,

Of life, through my trips to the mill,

I can picture today just as it was then,

And I'm certain that I always will.

But what of the child who never did see,

The things of which I have spoken?

Closing the mills that remain with us still,

Means their link to the past will be broken.

Shiela Bell - Thought you might like to see my poem about my recollections of childhood visits to my mum in the mill.  Amazing the memories that stay with us throughout our lives.  It was prompted by the proposal to close the mills just recently.  Hope you enjoy reading it. (8th December 2015)

St. Mary's RC Peace Procession - September 6th 1919 - Blackburn Road, Nr. Maudlin Bank  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded here on 5th December 2015

St. Mary's RC Peace Procession - September 6th 1919 - Blackburn Road, Nr. Maudlin Bank  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: uploaded here on 5th December 2015

Haslingden Parish Church on Walking Day Parade on Blackburn Road nr Lych Gate  (Click over photo to enlarge

Note: Sign of "Hamer" on old Margerison building etc. The tram just had to wait. I can see Mr. Howley's Chemist shop across from the Lych Gate, but there is also another shopfront nearby I wonder what that one used to be?

Photo: uploaded here on 5th December 2015.

Rossendale Mayor's Charity Calendar 2016

Jennifer Shilliday writes:  Ok folks.. are you interested in a calendar for next year?  The Mayor of Rossendale has arranged a calendar of pictures of Rossendale...the cost is £5 and its to help raise funds for RAFT, the Star Centre and Young Carers... I have took some of the photos it covers Haslingden, Victoria Park, the Memorial in Greenfield gardens, the Halo, Musbury, Ogden Reservoir... Whittaker Park Museum, Bacup and other various photos....  and nearly all with blue skies... If you want one contact me on my facebook page by clicking here and leaving a message and I will arrange to pick up and deliver, thanks.

The Friends of Acre (2/12/15)

Hi Bryan 

I have attached a bit of information about what we are up to in Acre that may be of interest to you.  The Friends of Acre village have just received funding from The Heritage Lottery for phase 1 of a project called interpreting Acre.  

Part of this project involves us reaching out to as many people as possible to try to find photos and memorabilia we can create an archive with.    We are happy to either receive donations of original photos and memorabilia or to scan, copy and return people’s treasured items.  The resultant archive will be available to the general public via various routes such as local library’s, county archives, Facebook and history pin.

We are interested memorabilia and any photos taken at any point in time in the village. As I suspect you know, even family snapshots can  be most revealing as they not only show people who have lived and worked in Acre over the years, they can also be a record of the development of the village and reveal things such as: 

• What houses including the fireplaces, windows and doors looked like at various points in time.

• What the streets looked like including the surface of the roads and footpaths – at one point these would all have been stone flags and cobbles.

• The mill; Carterplace; Co-op shop, Great Tree pub; 2 chip shops, Acre Garage and any other shops or businesses.

• The development of Worsley Park.

• Landscape features, fields farms, mill lodge etc

• Events over the years from the wars to the building of the bypass and the roundabout.

I’d really appreciate it if you could help in any way and would forward this email to anyone you think might want to get involved or be able to help us.  

Thanks 

Annie

Secretary of ‘The Friends of Acre Village’ 

Ann Taylor

445 Blackburn Road

Acre

Rossendale

BB4 5AT

(Click over document to enlarge)

(Click over document to enlarge)

St. Peters Rose Queen and Walking Day c1966

Photo: kindly contributed by Clifford Hargreaves and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

St. Peters Rose Queen and Walking Day c1966

Photo: kindly contributed by Clifford Hargreaves and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

Mitchells Chip Shop, Lower Deardengate  (Click over to enlarge)

uploaded here on 1st December 2015

The opening of Joyce Thorne's ballet class, IDL club Sept 1973  (Click over to enlarge)

  Left:  Mark Bentley.  Patricia Higgins,age 9    Edward Terence,

Middle    Kathryn Higgins

Front,   Joyce Thorne,    Diane Holt age 9

Photo: kindly contributed by Joyce Thorne/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

Grane Village Wedding Panto  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

Information kindly contributed by Elizabeth Smethurst, in relation to the above photo:

"Think this is a picture of a Grane Village wedding, or similar fund raising event, possibly when money was being raised to move the Church (St. Stephens).  I have a copy of this showing some of my relatives.  The lady in the centre in the bowler hat is my great aunt Susan Taylor, later Spiby and to her right is her sister Mary Alice Maden, My Grandmother was Elizabeth Taylor, later Holden.  There were many similar fund raising effors in the early 1920's when Grane Church was relocated. 

St. James Football Club  (Click over to enlarge)

Front row: Derek Barlow, Leslie Barge,?, Bryan Corbridge, Geoffrey Jackson 

Middle row:   ?  Dave Entwistle,  Peter Reeves, Johnny Brockbank   

Back Row...  left Stan Barlow ( scalf)   John Holden

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015 and thanks to Pauline Emmett Dagg for help with missing names

A beautiful line drawing of St. James Parish Church by G.L. Bradbury  (Click over to enlarge)

Line Drawing: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

St James Panto "Ali Baba"  (Click over to enlarge)

Back row left ..... Janet  ?  later Ball,    4th left Kevin Ball ....  6th Dave Hall  

 8th Roy Frohnapfel, 9th Noel Pilling ?? 10th Ivor Cooper  ......

Next row froward                  Megan Edwards       Joyce Rowbothan      Julie Edwards

Next forward ..3rd from left Miriam Khan, Fiona Dearden, far right Shiela Collins

2nd row from front Karen and Lynne Walsh, far right Nadia Khan

Front middle      Julie Hall    Claire Wensley.

(Thanks also to Megan Edwards for naming two of the cast)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

Inside of St. Stephens Church  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 1st December 2015

(Click over photo to enlarge) uploaded 30th Nov 2015

St. James Walking Day  (Click over to enlarge)

Front left Victoria Jackson, Far right Julie Edwards

back right Anne Corbridge

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St James Walking Day (Click over to enlarge)

Far right holding banner Caroline Lewer to her left Anne Corbridge

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

Musbury Cricket Team  (Click over to enlarge)       (PHOTO PRE-ARCHIVED PORRITTS AND SPENCERS CRICKET TEAM)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Students photo 1963 ish  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

Hollands Pies Employees  (Click over to enlarge)         (PHOTO PRE-ARCHIVED)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015 

St. James Students c1966  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

Grane Villa Football Team (Click over to enlarge)
Back Row: Jim Brandwood, Brian Raynor, Harry Hoyle, Norrie Grimshaw, John Barnes, Derek Hargreaves, Goalie ?, Jack Davies, ?, Peter Hook and Jim Kerron
Front: Bryan Corbridge, Roy Britland, Tommy Entwistle, Jack Blundell, Jack Austin, ?, Barry Maden
Players named and thanks to: Martin Molloy/Tommy Egan
Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

Grane Villa Football Team  (Click over to enlarge)
Back Row: Norrie Grimshaw, Tommy Entwistle, Terry Southam, Harry Holden, Jim Kerron, Bryan Corbridge.
Front Row: ?, Jack Austin, Jack Brown, John Barnes, Roy Britland.
Players named  and thanks to: Martin Molloy/Tommy Egan
Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Fronapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Panto  (Click over to enlarge)
Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Sunday School  (Click over photo to enlarge)
Wee girl with white bonnet is Anne Corbridge
Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Panto - Puss In Boots  (Click over to enlarge)

front left  Melanie Frohnapfel. 4th back left ....Luba Thorne

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Morris Dancing Team  (Click over to enlarge)
Left back: Sheila Collins and Anne Corbridge
Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

St. James Walking Day  (Click over to enlarge)

left: Audrey Lynch, Marjorie Corbridge, Stella Pilkington, Elsie Ratcliffe and front far right Megan Edwards

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 29th November 2015

Haslingden Public Baths in illumination  (Click over to enlarge)

 Photo not included in Souvenir Handbook

The Public Baths

(Information reproduced from page 30 and 31 of the Borough of Haslingden 1891-1951 Diamond Jubilee Celebrations 22nd May 1951 to 3rd June 1951 - Souvenir Handbook

The idea of a Public Baths at Haslingden was in mind as long ago as 1908, but it was not until 1933 that a scheme and estimate was adopted by the Council.

One may well wonder why this delay was necessary and why the matter was passed backward and forward to this and that Committee.  Looking deeper into the matter one finds much to cause a dilemma, for a small Borough like Haslingden it was a large enterprise to undertake.  There were so many unknown quantities involved, of which the climate was one, for it is almost the severest south of the Scottish border.  Spring enters very reluctantly in May, and Autumn returns in late August.  Therefore the question of attendances was a matter of speculation.

It cannot be overlooked that the most important factor arising out of this project was how it would affect the rates.  With a population of about 15,000 and a 1d. rate yielding only about £350, much was at stake.

Despite the many hazards which beset the Council the scheme was embarked upon and the Baths were publicly opened on 22nd August, 1936.

The design of the Baths was modern but not too large, and the size and type of amenities was based fairly accurately on statistics.

There is a Swimming Plunge 75 feet by 30feet with a 7ft 9ins, diving pit.  Underwater lighting is an attractive feature and creates a scintillating impression in the pool water.

There are 4 ladies and 4 gents Slipper Baths equipped with modern fittings etc, and a rest room for each sex equipped with bed, sorbo mattress, radiator, table and magazines.  This is to accommodate patrons who partake of Zotofoam and other Medicated Baths such as Brine and Luma.

Hot Baths with rich pine fluid have become very popular, this is just what is required after a long and tiring day at work.

In the summer, Sunday morning swimming from 8 am to 10 am is the "Family Swim", when families who are unable to swim during the week make up for lost time.

In 1950, over 19,000 school attendances were made and a very high proportion of school children are learning to swim each year, indeed, a very high proportion of the entire community are able to swim and that fact alone is enough to justify the building of Haslingden Public Baths.

We provide:-

Swimming            Adults 6d.    Juniors  4d.

Slipper Baths (including Soap and Towel)     9d.

Brine Baths (inclusive)  1/6d

Pine (inclusive)    1/3d

Luma   2/6d

Zotofoam    4/0d

Zotofoam with Pine   4/6d

We are open:-

Sunday       8am to 10am

Monday to Friday   8am to 8.30pm

Saturday    8am to 4.30pm

*******

Playing cricket in Lower Lane and showing Old Brewery Building etc  (Click over photo to enlarge)

The photo is taken down lower lane round about 1950.

John Bedford is the one with the bat M Murray is on the left P Paton the one with the ball in his hand the other boy is unknown.

Photo: kindly contributed by John Bedford and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

 Haslingden Youth Club Concert (Click over photo to enlarge)

features: Front far left Bryan Corbridge, Centre Clifford Hartley and Far right front and behind Arthur and Jennie Higgins

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

 Haslingden Youth Club trip to London - Sept 1951  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

 Haslingden Youth Club trip to London - July 1951  (Click over photo to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

 Hollands Pies Mechanics and Painters (Click over photo to enlarge)
Far left at front is Bryan Corbridge

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

 St. Thomas Panto c.1950s  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

Concert at St. Stephen's Grane  (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: kindly contributed by Marjorie Corbridge/Myra Frohnapfel and uploaded here on 25th November 2015

St. Thomas Cubs and Brownies on Parade cMarch 1952  (Click over to enlarge)

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