[Bob Dobson]

In an earlier posting, I said that Thwaites St, Ossie had previously been called Bismarck St. I was wrong - it is Stanley Street, just across New Lane, which was Bismarck. The Stanley name was said at the time to honour the explorer.

Lancaster Ave was previously called Bayley Street in honour of Rev Jonathan Bayley, minister at the New Jerusalem Church, who was a leading player in Accrington's educational history. He deserves honour.

Birtwistle St is surely associated with someone of that long-established Huncoat family. There have been many men of this nameassociated with the town's institutiions, not least those who kept the Broad Oak Inn, Abbey Street. In 1878 John Birtwistle, furniture dealer, lived at 13 Abbey st.but I suspect that the street is much earlier than that -1850s was a time of street building.

Bishop St. Almost certainly linked to the opening of nearby Christ Church in 1840 by the Bishop of Chester, perhaps the first time a bishop visited Acc.

Blackburn rd, Clayton, was formerly called Anglesea St. (Little) Blackburn Rd Acc was called Street on an 1891 map.

Bond St. My suspicion was that there would be a link to the 3 Bond borthers mentioned in the book 'Accrington Chronology & men of Mark' That may still be so, but I have seen that in 1878 a William Bond, was making healds in Bond St whilst living nearby at 319 Blackburn Rd. He probably owned the land, so had a say in the naming.

Blake St is named in honour of John Blake, inventor of Blake's Ram, a hydraulic pump which brought riches to the family. He lived in nearby Oxford St and had a family link with the Hindle timber firm who lived near him and after whom Hindle st is named.