Flash Mill - Haslingden

This is a pencil sketch of "Flash Mill" which was off Grane Road, Haslingden
Kindly shared with us by Robert Warburton

This is more or less just has I remembered the old "Flash Mill" down just at the bottom of Grane Road in the dip as you turn right to enter the Industrial Units we have today.

What made this particular mill stand out from any other was during the dark hours, especially when the mass bright lit illumination shone out from that vast amount of open window space.  You get a idea from this sketch just how it could have looked.  It was striking and will always be a strong memory in my mind.

Sadly that's all it can be these days "a memory" because like most of our old mills once the cotton industry collapsed in our area  it was shortly after demolished and made way for modern Industrial units, which we have built on that ground today.

This is a photo of Flash Mill (Click over to enlarge)
This photo was kindly shared to us by Miriam Keen

A short history to FLASH MILL and thanks to Mike Rothwell

Flash Mill

Water-powered, woollen fulling mill of 1787 built by Thomas Wallwork.

About 1792 William Rae the elder and William Rae the younger, leased the buildings for use as a cotton mill. At the time of their bankruptcy four years later their machinery included a devil, three carding engines and 13 mules (1838 spindles)

In 1798 when Thomas Wallwork was again occupying the site, it consisted of an “engine house” and cotton mill.

The factory reverted to its original purpose during the first years of the 19^th century, and in the 1820’s was worked by a flannel manufacturer John Entwistle.

 By 1848 John Warburton and his son Thomas, had leased the mill for hard waste spinning and weaving. In 1851 they employed a workforce of 89. For a time the firm also ran Hutch Bank Mill and possibly the “Little Mill” at Spring Vale.

 Extensions to Flash Mill included the installation of a beam engine to aid the water wheel.

Thomas Warburton became sole proprietor in 1863 when his Father retired. He was later joined by his sons John, Thomas and Albert.

During the early 1880’s the mill housed 5000 condenser mule spindles and 230 looms, weaving waste plains, twills and crepes. Motive power consisted of a breast wheel, 10’ diameter by 7’ wide, a beam engine with 25” cylinder and a horizontal high pressure washer.

 By this period Albert Warburton was running the mill alone. His sons, Thomas, Harold, George Victor and Albert junior later joined the business which was registered as Thomas Warburton & Sons Ltd in 1910. Major rebuilding and extension took place at the start of the 20^th Century and included new sheds in 1901 and 1906. A horizontal tandem engine was commissioned in 1903.  In 1915 8908 mule spindles and 370 looms were running. Products included bag cloth, bandages, blankets, condenser plains and twills, domestics for the African markets and sheeting.

After World War Two the company became associated with A. Cover & Company Manchester converters and Exporters. When Albert Warburton (junior) died in 1950 he was succeeded by Arthur Cover as chairman and managing director, although members of the family remained on the board.

Flash Mill closed in April 1962 and it’s machinery was sold off later that year.

The mill was demolished in the mid 1980’s and replaced with modern buildings.

(Kindly shared to us by Mike Rothwell)

Extract below taken from "Town and Country Life", London (Kindly shared to us by Harry Warburton)

BRITISH TEXTILES - Warburton's quality goods for 150 years

Just as apathy is the greatest bar to achievement so is the matter of quality its most potent asset.  Industrially speaking, any manufacturing firm who produce merely to meet demand may be said to be apathetic; such concerns never reach the top run in the ladder to leadership, and rightly so, for "service" has no real meaning to them. For the qualities that combine

Flash Mill - Christmas 1936 (Click over to enlarge)

Flash Mill Workers (Click over to enlarge)

Flash Mill Workers (Click over to enlarge)

Flash Mill Grane Road

National Saving Club winners.

Flash Mill F.C Cup Winners (Click over to enlarge)

Haslingden Sport - BOWLING

 

Worsley Park Bowling Club early 1970s

L to R: John White, Mr. Fisher, Jack Davison, ?, Fred Ratcliffe Snr, Mr. Cunliffe, Ernie Taylor

Photo: Thanks to Derek Ratcliffe for sharing this photo

Old Worsley Park Bowling Club

Back: John White, Jack Davison, John Gill, ?, ?

Middle: Fred Ratcliffe, ?, Walter Rigg,

Front: George Heys, Bill Wade, Ray Johnson,Dick Garnett
Photo: thanks to Raymond Clegg Jnr

Untitled Bowls Competition - Worsley Park and Con Club photo:

probably held at the Memorial Gardens bowling greens

Colin Fletcher, Raymond Clegg,?,?, Mr. Fisher, Leslie Wroe,?,?,Leonard Riley, Arthur Cunliffe, Mr. Wilkinson, George Heys, ?, Jack Haworth and his son Stephen in front of him, ?,?.

Front Bowling: Jack Yates

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Peter Fisher

We are not even sure whether this is Haslingden or NOT?

Worsley Park Bowling Club members

Bowls team representing Haslingden in the Rossendale Civic Week (Click over to enlarge)

from L to R: Roy Barnes, Tom Barnes, John Booth, Jack Palmer, Clifford Shutt, Derek Blomley, Roy Holden and Raymond Clegg

Worsley Park Bowling Club Annual outing

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Ray Clegg Jnr. 

also archived under Wade/Clegg and HASLINGDEN SPORTS - BOWLING

Haslingden Bowling Club "A" team in 1978 who won the Ronald Bray Cup making it a double as they also won the division championship of Haslingden and District bowling league

Back. V Riley, T Duxbury, H Hamer, K Ashworth, j Ashworth, J Anderton, R Barnes, C Shutt.

Front. F Holden, T Lambert, A Ireland, R Clegg.

 Worsley Park Bowling

?,?, George Heys, ? Ray Clegg
ARCHIVED: BOWLING

 

Bowling Club photo

Ray Clegg, ? Mr. Duxbury, Mr. Michael Kay
ARCHIVED BOWLING

John Ashman and Raymond Clegg (snr)
Photo: Raymond Clegg (jnr)

This photo shows ?, and Mr Ratcliffe and Raymond Clegg
Photo: via Raymond Clegg jnr

Haslingden Sport - SWIMMING

Haslingden Swimming Club Committee 1949 (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly: shared by Chris Kirby

 Haslingden Swimming Club 1940s (Click over to enlarge)
Kindly shared by Chris Kirby

Mrs. Ellen Barker who worked at the Baths for 31 years
Kindly shared by Chris Kirby

The above is a Swimming Club 1938 Spring Gala Programme kindly shared to us by Chris Kirby. Please click over individual page to enlarge
Also Chris notes:

I see a few Arts Club people were also involved in the Swimming Club! 

My grandmother, Mrs E M White was on the committee which explains why my mother, Alice, was a good swimmer. 

Also my cousin Tim's grandfather, the photographer Arthur Constantine - which explains why Tim mother, Edna, was also a first class swimmer. 

Also note the guest appearance of Miss Sunny Lowrie who swam the English channel in 1933. She took over 15 hours - with 5 of those hours being taken up for the last mile to St Margaret's Bay, South Foreland, Kent.

I've just noticed, the handwriting on the front page of the Swimming Gala programme is Miss Sunny Lowrie's autograph! "Swimmingly yours, Sunny Lowrie", it says. She was later awarded an MBE. Here's an article about the swim, as reported in Australian newspaper - 

The Townsville Daily Bulletin on August 31 1933. I can imagine that the guest appearance of Sunny Lowrie was quite a coup for Haslingden Swimming Club in 1938.

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Haslingden Grammar School Swimming Gala - 1969

Photo: Thanks to Chris Kirby

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Sad times - Haslingden Baths 7th December 2018

Photo: Chris Kirby

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Sad times - Haslingden Baths 9th December 2018

Photo: Chris Kirby

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Haslingden Public Baths - Towel memorabilia

Photo: Thanks to Jackie Ramsbottom

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Robin Tuohey winning breaststroke championship - Haslingden Baths 1948

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Old Sauna at Haslingden Baths advert

Thanks to Jackie Ramsbottom for sharing

SHORTLY WILL BE ADDED TO HASLINGDEN SPORT - SWIMMING BLOG

Haslingden Swimming Gala 1975

Photo: thanks to Karen Fox

Notes on Haslingden Swimming Baths - thanks to Marie Ives for kindly sharing with us  (29th March 2018) I will shortly add these notes to the new Swimming Blog:

When the baths were opened in 1936 my dad was unemployed and had time on his hands, so he attended the baths over the following months and taught himself to swim.  In later years when my brother, myself and cousin Bryan were old enough he took us along to the baths, we got used to the water but we couldn't swim, so we were made members of the swimming club.  We also went with school groups once a week, in the last year or two at St. James.  Our teacher at these sessions was Mrs. Doris Redmond and she was as I remember very strict with us.  When you had swum a length you were given a small black and white piece of tape for Mum to sew on your costume so that everyone knew you could swim.  I preferred going to the Swimming Club on Thursday evening where there was a more relaxed feeling.  Dad always went with us and had a swim later on, he wore a proper swimming costume with muscle back spaces at the back, it was navy blue.  When the club was doing well in the league a year or two later, he bought a pair of the teams green and white cotton trunks.

There was always a lot of children there from Rawtenstall, as there was no swimming pool there.  The pool was open until 8 o'clock on some nights and was always full of lots of children.  Most of my friends could swim and we always enjoyed going to the baths.  If I remember rightly at that time the entrance fee was 2d for a child and 4d for an adult, and it costs 1d to borrow a towel.  If you won a race at the annual gala you maybe the luck winner of a 6 month contract that enabled you to get in free.

We played teams from other towns on a regular basis, as well as going to these towns to play a return match.  We went to Burnley, Blackburn, Preston, Lancaster as well as others.  We went to Blackpool Cocker Street baths and I always remember this as the water was saltwater.  When we had done our swim we didn't stay to cheer our men on in the polo match, we always went off to find the nearest chip shop.  The coaches we went on were nearly always George Hoyle's and we always had a sing song on the way home.

The schoolboys medley race was always the first event, one boy swimming 50 yards breaststroke, crawl, backcrawl and then the last one 100 yards crawl.  Next came the ladies 50 yards breaststroke, then 50 yards crawl, 50 yards backcrawl and 100 yards front crawl.  The men followed with the same races.  Then the ladies and men's squadron races, Then came a short interval before the polo match.

Some of the people I remember from the boys races are Eric and Steven Moden, Sean White, Colin Wallwork, Peter Jenkins, Alec Fearfull, Harry Moore, Gordon Barnes, Bryan Gudgeon (cousin), Ralph Clark (brother).  The men I remember are - Norbert Honey, Tom and Jim McIntyre, Tony O'Connor, Robin Touhey, Jack Warburton, Jimmy Dunne, Richard Barlow, Jack Ashton, Albert Holden and Gerard Conboy and other ones I have forgotton - sorry!  My memories of the ladies and girls - the Hayman sisters, Gladys Dunne (later Touhey), Florence Green, Gillian Bowman, Angela Honey, Moya White,  N.McIntyre, Pat Lythe, Audrey Byers, Winifred Nelson, Molly McGarrigan and many names I cannot remember - sorry.

When it was the Annual Gala usually September or October there was always a fun session when the men dressed in silly clothes and jumped off the high boards and made big splashes, and there was a Mills and Workshops race as well.

I have a battered programme for the 10th Annual Gala - 1951, price threepence, I can try to copy it if you want one Bryan, let me know.  I also have the original committee picture that I lent to the RFP some years ago, that is on facebook, as well as my Dad holding his prize that he won for the verans race (this is in one of Chris Aspin's books)  I also have a photo of my sister Jeanne and her swimming team with trophy, I think this must be an early one as she only looks about 10 or so, they must have gone to the pool as soon as it was opened, as she was born in 1927, she would be about 9 or so when it opened and I wasn't even born - shshsh!  This picture is a bit blurred, but if you wana copy I will do my best.  The people on it are also named on the back.  I have just found four of dad's membership cards and with committee details if you are interested let me know and I'll pass them on.

Signed: Marie Ives

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CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING SHORT FILM: (MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THE RED SCROLL BAR BACK TO THE FAR LEFT FOR START) Because if you don't you will miss "Streety"

Haslingden Secondary Modern School Swimming Team (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Sandra Smith.

Names were known:

Back: Brian Knowles, ?,?, David Wise, John Barnes, Brian Till, Mr Gillam, Alan Hartley, ?

Middle: ?,?, Pamela Smithson, Lena Harrison, Irene Kidd, Sandra Cockerill, Joyce Heys,?,?

Front: ?,?

Soon to be archived under Haslingden Sec Modern School, and also in the Swimming blog

Sandra also gave us some Vanguard School Mags which will be put on later

Haslingden Secondary Modern School Swimming Team (Click over to enlarge)

Photo: Kindly shared to us by Sandra Smith.

Names were known:

Back: Brian Knowles, Brian Till, Gordon Bright, John Barnes, David Killingbeck, Stephen Kay, David Wise, Frank Cole, Alan Cliffe (sapper)

Middle: Betty Hargreaves, Pat Barlow, Sandra Cockerill, Carol Lord, Sylvia Robson, Pamela Smithson, Lena Harrison, Sandra Lambert, Jean Hargreaves.

Front: Robert Parkinson, Val Warburton, Carole Fletcher, Joyce Heys, Lorraine Lambert, Brian Heys.

Some lovely aerial photos of our poor Haslingden Baths kindly sent in by Alan Robinson.