Please Identify

[nsha]

Hi , is there anyone able to identify the background of where this photo was taken in Accrington.thank you http://www.the-bee.com/

[Len]

Hi nsha.
I think you will be very lucky if anyone can identify the location of the photo.
I have brightened it up a bit to make it a bit easier to see.
Good luck!

[Doug]

I think your right there Len, I would suggest that it maybe one of the old lodging house although it looks as if it may have been quite high status at one time due to the size of the door, alas falling on harder times judging by the state of the step. If the property survives it would be possible to match the stone work of the current building with the photo. Maybe a look through the local picture library and the more recent books of old photographs may help.

All the best with this nsha, I’m sure if anyone on here can help you with this they will. What’s the connection by the way, maybe some more information of the family back ground may help.

[WillowTheWhisp]

The success we have with Acrylic-bob's quizzes I'm sure that if that door still exists then somebody will be able to tell you where it is before long.

[IJJusion]

...wouldnt have a clue, i dont recognise it at all

[nsha]

Thank you Doug for the reply, here is the information, this is a photo of my great Grandfather William Haythornwhite and his wife Betty. Betty died in 1930 aged 81 this means she was born in 1849. I'm not good at guessing ages, but what would you say Betty's age is in the phote? Add this to 1849 and we have the date the photo was taken. Would it be outside a photo studio of that time? If I could work out the date the photo was taken I could perhaps search the Accrington library when I visit on holiday next year for studios in operation at that time. William is holding a child. I believe from my Grandfather he was one of 11 or 12 children I only came accross this photo recently though it had been in my possession for 50 years! It had been inadvertently sealed in a large cardboard photoframe whick I was going to discard when I examined it more closely. Inside was this photo and a silk tassel which give the information on Betty I mentioned. They lived in Ormerod Street, and it cannot be the door at that address!
Thank you for your interest.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I wouldn't have thought it was a photo studio. They look far too casual for that. Usually people dressed up and posed very formally which makes this photo all the more interesting.

I agree with you that it doesn't look like any house in Ormerod Street which exists today, but could it have been there and been demolished?

A good way to find out where they were living if they didn't always live in Ormerod Street is to check the census returns. I'd have a stab at the 1881 first because that one is completely indexed.

[nsha]

Thanks WillowTheWisp I know my grandfather lived at another address in Ormerod street than Betty and it seems safe to assume that this is the area where the family lived, on the silk tassel the address for Great Grandmother Betty is 115 Ormerod St.

[WillowTheWhisp]

115 Ormerod St, earlier today.

[Retlaw]

There are no Haythornwhites in the 1851 Census for Accrington, it is not a name I'm familiar with for Accrington. Could it be Haythornthwaite. I've checked the parts of the 1891 census I've indexed & found a Haythornthwaite in Burnley Rd. Emma a widow age 36 with 2 children.
Retlaw

Originally Posted by nsha

Thank you Doug for the reply, here is the information, this is a photo of my great Grandfather William Haythornwhite and his wife Betty. Betty died in 1930 aged 81 this means she was born in 1849. I'm not good at guessing ages, but what would you say Betty's age is in the phote? Add this to 1849 and we have the date the photo was taken. Would it be outside a photo studio of that time? If I could work out the date the photo was taken I could perhaps search the Accrington library when I visit on holiday next year for studios in operation at that time. William is holding a child. I believe from my Grandfather he was one of 11 or 12 children I only came accross this photo recently though it had been in my possession for 50 years! It had been inadvertently sealed in a large cardboard photoframe whick I was going to discard when I examined it more closely. Inside was this photo and a silk tassel which give the information on Betty I mentioned. They lived in Ormerod Street, and it cannot be the door at that address!
Thank you for your interest.

[Acrylic-bob]

>>Thanks WillowTheWisp I know my grandfather lived at another address in Ormerod street than Betty and it seems safe to assume that this is the area where the family lived, on the silk tassel the address for Great Grandmother Betty is 115 Ormerod St.<<

Hi nsha,
I've had a look at the photograph and it does not seem to be consistent with any of the houses on Ormerod Street which is quite a steep street and there appears to be no indication of a slope. The quality of the stone work is too well dressed for that street, compare it with the photo Willow took earlier today. The door is fairly common to the area as is the doorknocker. The panelled light above the door is unusual, I have not noticed that type before.

The manner of dress would seem to indicate a date for the photograph prior to 1914.
Looking at Betty, I would not put her age at any more than around thirty-ish. Which would give a date for the photograph of around 1880-1885. If you had a date of death for your grandfather this might help narrow the date down somewhat.

In 1890 Ormerod Street only extended up the hillside as far as it's junction with Perth Street. You mention a silk tassle bearing Betty's details, would this be the sort of thing commonly handed out to friends and relatives as a memorial following a persons death? If so, then it is highly likley that while 115 Ormerod Street may have been her last known address, it may not have always been her address. A great number of the houses built for mill workers were rented and both she and your grandfather may have moved around quite a lot.

Another thing to consider is the difference in the quality of dress of Betty and your grandfather. Betty is, by comparison, smartly dressed and gives the impression of being "in service", might the photograph have been taken outside her employer's house in another part of the town? Until the introduction of the mass produced kodak box cameras at the turn of the century, photography was a relatively expensive hobby and for that reason was not something that the working classes might indulge in.

These are just my thoughts on the issue, I hope they help.

[nsha]

The photo of 115 Ormerod Street was much appreciated, it did bring back memories of Accrington, my Grandfather lived at 127 Ormerod and I often visited him. The light in the photo is nostalgic to me. I now live in the tropics and as you would know the light is strong. I loved to see the October light of Accrington in October! Thank you. Stuart

[nsha]

Hi Acrylic-bob,
Thank you for the information, I now remember that my Grandfather said his Father had lived or born elsewhere than Accrington. I was very young at the time probably under the age of 9, and do not recall much. However it now seems that Betty may have resided at 115 Ormerod in 1930 at her death, so the photo (which puts Betty in her 30's) must be dated in 1880's. So the backgroung to the photo would probably not be in Accrington.It would still be interesting to find out where it was taken. there is some information on the web to the name Haythornwhite and the name did originate in Lancashire and has various endings.

[nsha]

Hi Retlaw,
Thank you for the information and interest, I now understand that William and Betty Haythornwhite may have been born outside Accrington though they both died in Accrington. The surname is correct.

[WillowTheWhisp]

If you think the photo could be around 1880 it might be an idea to check the 1881 census to see if you can find them.