Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

When the pages was that big you had to sit on the floor to read the paper and turn the pages. Can anybody remember what year the resized the paper. I was telling my son how big they was and i dont think he believed me when i said it took half a tree to print one paper ;)

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Don't remember.

Do know l had a letter published in 1981 when l was sixteen, which resulted in a brick through my parent's window at our old house and six death threats to little me. lt was still foolscap size then.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Ohhhhhhhh dear about the brick and the death threats !

Am i showing my age now about the large observers ?

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Don't know if it was bigger but it was defo on the floor reading for me. It was such a treat to read then, and wasn't available until Saturday morning, and none of this Thursday afternoon nonsense.

The Midweek Observer then, was better than today's poor facsimilie.

I think it was still independent then and not part of a large group. :(

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

i don't know when they changed,but i remember the paper bag was ruddy heavy,trudging up the topof avenue parade on sats,happy days lol,used to have to go back to bilsboroughs paper shop for the second half of my round on a sat.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I think they just got smaller as we got bigger. I remember that you could cover the fire hole with one sheet and then wait for it to catch light. I also remember that one Observer could keep you in good quality loo paper for a good week. “Read and wipe” not something you can do these days. lol.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

They where the days, long drops, White washed walls, Tillie lamps, spiders and rough torn four by fours hanging off a six inch nail.

The chips stayed warmer in printed paper “which was a blessing when you had to walk all the way down to Ormerod Street for them” and you had the chance of getting the front page of the Observer if you where quick. Yes we where that poor, I walked up and down Willows Lane to Green Howarth with two pages of the Observer in my shoes for six months. When winter came we changed over to the waxed wrapper off a Mothers Pride medium sliced. Anyone remember the Bread man coming round.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Off Subject I know.

Does anyone from around Fern Gore/Willows Lane area remember the Polish chap that use to come round with the Mobile Shop late 60s early 70s. He drove an old “and I mean old” Volvo. He was a nice chap allowed us to have goods on tic.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Oooh, I remember sitting on the floor reading the old Observer. It was massive and brilliant for wrapping chips in. We had a chip shop and always used the Observer for wrapping. You could wrap 2 sheets several times round a portion of chips and it would keep them lovely and warm. I remember when the journalists used to be able to spell too...:D

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Yeaaaaa you all remember ...started to think i was just imagining it :D

The Tuesdays edition was good too. I think Rochdale still get a mid-week edition.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I think most papers at one time were printed on what they called 'broadsheet'. They have all gone 'tabloid' over the years.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I can remember, twice a week, my auntie Nellie wrapping her copy of the Observer tightly into a brown wrapper, and then me taking it to the postbox in the wall of the Stag to send off to my auntie Agnes in Manchester. Sometimes, strictly illegally, she would fold a letter inside the Observer before wrapping it - illegal because the wrappers were "Printed Paper Rate". I seem to remember that if I posted it Wednesday morning, it would arrive in Manchester by Wednesday evening's post - and we think communications have improved!

I can remember, as well, putting a sheet of the Observer over the blower to get the fire going, and the lovely roaring sound it made. Had to be careful it didn't catch, though. Anyone remember making "paper sticks" out of the Observer? And there was a lot more in it in those days.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

paper sticks-we used to call them guns,roll the old observor up tie it in a knot,like a gun then put 4 or 5 in the firegrate to gate the fire up in the morning,but when it was really cold the observor came to the rescue again,lol got a couple of pages fill it with slack from the coalnook,it would keep the fire going all night, memories lol

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Also remember when the Observer was broadsheet. Seems that there was more news and less advertisments. Have always enjoyed reading the section titled ' All our yesteryears...' , last night i read it and got a shock, could actually remember a couple of pieces from the 10 and 25 years ago. Might just advoid reading that section now, makes me feel old and i'm only 43.

Can't have been that poor Doug if you could afford to go to the chippy. I used to have to ask the butcher for a bone to make soup with, and we didn't even have a dog.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I remember them big papers well, I used to deliver them on a saturday, my paper bag used to weigh a ton. I also remember delivering the sports pink, who remembers that one?

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

remember going down outside redmans for the pink: every sat evening sid one of the accy caractors was the seller.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Remember sports pink, lancashire evening telegraph used own that. Remember the LET been in broadsheet as well.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I can hear him now, "Telegraph!...final!...Telegraph!...final!"

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Ah yes I remember reading the big Observer led in front of the fire with the dog. In those days the journalists were all local and knew what was going on in the town and where places were. Does anyone remember going for the papers during the wakes holidays? Ours were always on the old Clock Garage wall..

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Forgotten all about going for the papers in Wakes Week! I think we got ours from outside Roy Kayley's barbers shop on the corner of Higher Antley and Garbutt street, but I'm not 100% sure now.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

yeh we got ours at the clock garage wall,like wynonie i'd forgot about that.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

My Brother In Law Was That Poor The Family Had To Cut Out The Back Of The Drawers To Heat Up The Water! And There Is One Better Than That?

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Weren't it only the first week of the wakes week were you had to go and buy the paper at different places throughout the area. The second week the papershops was open but with no deliveries. Bought ours outside the Queens pub in church.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

i remember when the observer was massive i used to be a paper boy lol but i also remember when the comic topper was just as big if not bigger , my grandad used to buy it me when i was younger and it was huge

there was another comic that was pretty large as well but ime not sure which one it was , it was a long time ago

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

The Beezer, featuring Pop, Dick & Harry and Beryl The Peril (the Topper featured Mickey The Monkey).

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

I used to hate the "Wakes Weeks" ... still do, but at least more shops are open now ...

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

the eagle was a large comic,with dan dare on the front also the mekon a ugly green alien that resembled me dad.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Dan Dare was ahead of its time. Created by a very talented man called Frank Hampson, it was drawn to an extremely high standard by his team of artists. Remember Dan Dare's sidekick, Digby, who came from Wigan?

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

digby..?

wasnt he the worlds largest dog lol

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

lol @ chav

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

[QUOTE=jimmi5bellies]When the pages was that big you had to sit on the floor to read the paper and turn the pages. Can anybody remember what year the resized the paper. I was telling my son how big they was and i dont think he believed me when i said it took half a tree to print one paper ;)[/QUOTE

friday 29th december 1989 was the last big observer!!:D nearly 16 years ago!! ;) how do i know this??? cuz I got the it:p

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Very true Wynonie, I used to love Dan Dare. The creator was actually a Southport man and there is a bronze bust of Dan Dare, commemorating this, located near the town hall on Lord Street.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

wow..was it really almost 16 years ago.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Is there really? I'll go and have a gander at that when Stanley play there on Dec 31st. Thanks for the info, John.

Re: Who Remembers ...Accrington Observer
 

Here you go Wynonie, it's outside the Cambridge Arcade by the Town Hall. A couple of pictures for you.