Old Accrington.
 

Bit of local history here that is interesting. Are you sitting comfortably?????

ACCRINGTON BARRACKS.

We used to have an old workhouse in Union Street. (lower end). After it was abandoned, it was taken over by the military and became a barracks. This was at the time of the Power Loom Riots of 1826, when Dragoons of the Queen's Bays were quartered in Accrington, followed by the 17th Regiment of Foot, until they were drafted to Chorley on October 16th, 1826. The 5th Regiment of Foot occupied the barracks for several years. Accrington being then a garrison town.
The Black Bull was the scene of many quarrels between the soldiers and civilians who assembled there, as it was the social centre of Old Accrington (this was the old pub that stood facing Hyndburn Road and was demolished when the new car park was made behind the Arndale). On one memorable occasion, the soldiers after breaking pots and windows at the Inn, turned into the barracks for their bayonets, and rushing wildly into Union Street, attacked every civilian in their way. Mr Hepple, the miller at the Old Corn Mill, was quietly walking down the street, when one of the infuriated soldiers attacked him with the bayonet. Mr Hepple warded off the attack with his stick. The Sergeant Major came on the scene in the nick of time for the miller's safety. (the mill used to be on Hyndburn Road, where the garage is now, and was demolished approx 1989). This disturbance resulted in a number of the soldiers concerned being sentenced to be flogged.

This sentence was carried out in the barracks yard in Union Street, in the presence of the whole garrison - a revolting spectacle long remembered by people who witnessed it from the Barracks wall, while the cries of those being lashed could be heard about Union Street.

The only evidence to be seen at the present time of those days is the tombstone of a soldier who died in the Union Street barracks. This is in St James Churchyard, a short distance from the north-west corner of the Church. A simple round headed stone about three feet eight inches, inscribed:-
"Sacred to the memory of Thomas Markham, late Private in the Third Company of the 5th Regiment of Foot, who was born in the parish ot Louth, in the County of Lincoln, and departed this life on the 13th June 1827 aged 21 years. This stone was erected by the fellow solders of his Company".

A memorial of Accrington's garrison being present in the town in 1827.

So next time you are in Union Street, just stop and look towards the bottom of the street. Instead of seeing people walking and taxis, just remember this story! It was written by Mr Ainsworth, the newspaper reported, but .. I HAVE FAITH IN HIM RETLAW! Mr Ainsworth could NOT have made this up!

Re: Old Accrington.
 

Is that building at the bottom of Union St part of the story. The local authority use to own it. And then the Social Services.I know it dates back a long while.

Anyway, fascinating stuff Atarah as usual.

Re: Old Accrington.
 

well the black bull hadn't changed much mid 60s.:D building i think bernards on about, was a graveyard just up from that, had a mate worked on the exhumation, but ya will have to come to a meet to hear that story.:D

Re: Old Accrington.
 

So next time you are in Union Street, just stop and look towards the bottom of the street. Instead of seeing people walking and taxis, just remember this story! It was written by Mr Ainsworth, the newspaper reporter, but .. I HAVE FAITH IN HIM RETLAW! Mr Ainsworth could NOT have made this up![/quote]
Barn Yard Confetti
I suggest you read Bill Turners Riots he mentions eighty infantry men were billeted in a building in the work house, (not the whole workhouse) the NCO in cottages nearby, and the officers in lodgings elsewhere.
No mention of any rioting in Union St.
ainsworth was a reporter for the local fish and chip wrapper, as for making it up, he could spin tales better than Evil Brown and Blair.

Did Accy have a news paper in 1826, I suggest you test your faith and look.

Retlaw.

Re: Old Accrington.
 

I suppose this is where the rot set in. These days of course, people running up and down Union Street with bayonets offering to skewer anyone in sight would just end up with an ASBO; we had 'do gooders' then and we've got 'em now (especially on Accy Web).

Re: Old Accrington.
 

The Workhouse was at the bottom of Union St, on King St, 3 stories high facing the Ambulance Drill Hall. The end of the building was in Union St, then the Union St Wesley Chapel, was next up Union St coming from King St. There used to be a WW1 Memorial in a space near the entrance along with what looked like headstones.
The New Jerusalem had similar headstones in the church yard, but there were no bodies under them.


Retlaw.

Re: Old Accrington.
 

a revolting spectacle long remembered by people who witnessed it

Oh ye of little faith Retlaw, never heard of family tales being passed down through the generations? Never mind "Barn yard confetti".

Went to see if I could find the gravestone today, but, alas, gone. I even looked at the ones laid flat, as a pathway, but again, couldnt find it. Shame that. The headstone details are quite thoroughly recorded in a book in Accrington library though. They were handwritten and were transcribed in 1899.

Re: Old Accrington.
 

There's some nice 'then, and now' photographs from Garth Dawson, on this site.

BBC - Lancashire - History - Old pictures of Accrington

Re: Old Accrington.
 

interesting pics, first one wi the strange bogs, ya can see the black bull inn from the rear across the car park.:)

Re: Old Accrington.
 

Quite space age looking, those toilets.

Also on that photo you can see there was a high roof on the tax office, which has since been taken off.

Re: Old Accrington.
 

I thought that building was something to do with Social Services

Re: Old Accrington.
 

You may be right.

Though of course when it was built there was no such thing as Social Services.

:D

Re: Old Accrington.
 

the pics of accy station, how it used to be- DRY,WAITING ROOMS, BOGS,etc, n then more recently, proving progress aint always all its cracked up to be.:rolleyes:

Re: Old Accrington.
 

Looking at the 1920s pick of Church Station, the figures under the bridge look like the Fire Brigade, in which case my Grandfather would probably have been there

Re: Old Accrington.
 

Great photograph of Broadway in the sixties, before the Town Hall was extended, and the hated blue and white facade was built above the new shops.

Mac Fisheries shops - MacFisheries - Mac Markets - Unilever - wet Fish - Shops