Originally Posted by steeljack (Post 910682)

my grandparents and my Dad were 'pure' Blackburner's/Little Arroders , and Park Lee was allways referred to as the Isolation/Fever hospital , bit like Queens Park Hosp. was allways known as the workhouse ......remember as a kid going up to Queens Park Hosp. from the Darwen St bridge area , there used/maybe still is ... a big stone wall on the left hand side where they used to say folks used to hide their stuff before going to the workhouse , the place had the reputation amongst the older folks that if you were in an Ambulance and it was heading for Queens Park your days were numbered and if it was headed to the Infirmary there was a good chance of recovery (true) ..... should mention this was during the 50s , hopefully things have improved ;)

bit of a wander , but kind of related ... there is a Church yard near Guide near to where Beechwood gardens used to be where the penniless dead and unknown from the workhouse were buried (nearest cemetry to QPH in those days I guess


Cashy , still waiting for you to tell me where Withnell is (geograpic location /nearest town) :D :D

Originally Posted by jaysay (Post 910693)

There ya go SJ

Withnell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by steeljack (Post 910724)

Thanks Jaysay , never heard of the place and only 5 mile from Blackburn :confused:

Originally Posted by Tealeaf (Post 910921)

Changing the disease slightly, can any of you lot recall the dysentry outbreak in Accy sometime in the mid-1950's? I'm far too young to have been around at the time and was told about it by a medical historian about 10 years ago. I know it's normally a disease associated with the aftermath of third world floods and earthquakes but I doubt if Hyndburn was then third world (although some parts like Ossy now are).

Originally Posted by Tealeaf (Post 910921)

Changing the disease slightly, can any of you lot recall the dysentry outbreak in Accy sometime in the mid-1950's? I'm far too young to have been around at the time and was told about it by a medical historian about 10 years ago. I know it's normally a disease associated with the aftermath of third world floods and earthquakes but I doubt if Hyndburn was then third world (although some parts like Ossy now are).

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

sometime in the mid-1950's? I'm far too young to have been around at the time.

Originally Posted by yerself (Post 910964)

Who are you trying to kid?

Originally Posted by Tealeaf (Post 910974)

I can only tell the truth.

Originally Posted by Tealeaf (Post 910963)

Cheers M, - although at the time I got the impression that this was a much larger outbreak and possibly later and isolated around Accy. It all seems now like a variation on E-Coli, although I doubt if at the time we were eating many of Johnny Dago's dodgy cucumbers or Heinrich Heinz's mean bean sprouts..

The same guy also told me a story about a mad dog rabies attack in Accy sometime in the late 19C - gruesome stuff, with kids having fingers and noses bitten off and ending up in the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

Anyone know about that tale?

Apparently the dogs name was Britcliffe.

Originally Posted by anzac (Post 910980)

They were sent by public subscription and a Rabies order was put in place in Accrington.

Later newspaper reports say that one of the boys died whilst there and was buried in Paris

No mention of the Dogs Name

Originally Posted by anzac (Post 910987)

Anyone can read about this story in the online newspapers - all you need is a current library card.

It was covered by the Blackburn Times which is online and a fascinating source of local information and stories about people in the 1800's.