Years Gone By
 

I love local stories from years gone by so I thought I'd start a little reminiscing thread. One were people might read and think I remember that and add their own little tale ...... A little bit like 'Do you remember when Princess Diana visited Accrington ........' I can, I was one of the little ones sat on the wall waving my flag at the pretty lady in the posh car :)

One story my mum used to tell me (I can't remember I wasn't even a twinkle in my parents eye) was how the river used to flood at the bottom of Bank St/Bridge St. Anyone else remember it?

Anyone have any 'can you remember' stories?

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i remember when di came to accy (church) mum took us down...god knows why

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[quote=Tinkerbelle;389092]I love local stories from years gone by so I thought I'd start a little reminiscing thread. One were people might read and think I remember that and add their own little tale ...... A little bit like 'Do you remember when Princess Diana visited Accrington ........' I can, I was one of the little ones sat on the wall waving my flag at the pretty lady in the posh car :)

and I remember shaking her hand when she opened the new Joseph Arnold factory - she was great fun in the factory that day

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I don't think I can remember it being any different than the way it is today. The only time I can ever remember using it was when we used to have family trips to Blackpool during the summer holidays.

I remember when they blew up those cooling towers in Huncoat. I swear the whole of Accrington shook when those things were felled.

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I remember not having the opportunity to see her!:p

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i remember meeting tinks......oh how i sometimes wish i hadnt ;)

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I can't remember the incidents you recall Tinks...but does anyone remember 'Blowers' at the bottom of Church St in Accrington. It was a really old fashioned grocers shop. I only remember it vaguely......the smell of coffee grinding......sugar measured out into blue sugar paper bags with the weight printed on it. Butter came in wooden barrels, and the shop assistant would use butter pats to pat your half pound of 'best butter' into an oblong shape before wrapping it in greasproof paper. And when the butter was turned out of it's barrel, they used to make patterns on it using the bottom of a Beetop sauce bottle. Now how would the health and safety brigade turn their noses up at that if it happened today. Biscuits were kept in glass topped boxes and you could choose which you wanted in your 'pound of mixed'.
Also does anyone remember Joseph Bridges which was on the other side of Church St? The used to have tea chest outside with chipped cups in. My Mum used to use cups as deadly weapons....she used to say 'If I can't catch you, my dog will' and with that would hurl whatever piece of crockery she had in her hands directly at you......we got very good at ducking these deadly missiles, but it meant that we were always short of cups and saucers. So we were sent off to J.W. Bridges to get replacements....i think the chipped cups were something like four for sixpence......and chipped saucers were a penny each. We would be taken into care if something like that happened today.......but we never came to any real harm....and we took a lot of chipped cups off Bridges hands.

I hope this is the kind of thing you meant Tinks.

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Why not willow?

Don't be cheeky you'd be lost without me :p :D

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I can remember when the waiting room at the station had a coal fire....we used to go in there sometimes for a warm....oh yes and a wee.

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i know i would :D

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you wee'd in the waiting room? :eek:

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No...course we didn't. we were better brought up than that....but in Winter when you got warmed you invariably wanted to wee....so we'd use the toilets there......they were in the waiting room...ours was a draughty long drop out the back......theirs was a very comodious flushing variety.

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I thought she wee'd in the fire! :D

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Exactly that Margaret :) That made me chuckle.

I don't remember the place but I do remember the green grocers at the top of Broadway (I can't remember it's name though) that always appeared to me as a little one, was on a very steep slope. My mum asked me to stand out side and watch little slinky in the pram while she went for her shopping but the buggy was so overloaded with bags over the handles that the buggy tipped up and I couldn't pick it up. I remember her wailing in the pram and me trying to comfort her, telling her mum will be here soon. :)

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Yes Willow.....Veevers was another one of the old style grocers.
I remember going there to buy Gold Dish brand Jaffa juice when my dad was poorly. It was expensive, but it was the only thing he wanted that would stay down.

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when i where a lass i remember when glynweb used to be asda :D

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Yes I remember that too I used to go with my Nan and Sharon. That had a steep slope as well didn't it?

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Tinks, that would be Catlows. And they used to be housed in a green wooden shed in Peel Street.....just about where the bakers shop is now.
Blowers, the grocers goes back to the early fifties, so if you weren't around then you won't remember it. Bridges was next door to Moffats haberdashery and ladies wear store.....and Baileys, well that was where Baileys night club is now. That was the shop you went toif you were going somewhere posh and needed a nice 'costume' for that is what they called a ladies suit way back then.

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yeah one you could slide down on the trolley :D

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You are dead right Willow, the ladies was through the waiting room

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ah i often wondered where the name for that pub came from...well they couldnt really call it toy n model could they ;)

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I remember wardleworths for the few book tokens i got:rolleyes:

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Was that where the pound shop is now ?

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Catlows! That's it :D

Wasn't there a big fire that gutted Baileys?

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Yes,it was Willow. I went to school with a girl called Vivien Smith and her mother used to sit in the lofty position where those zooming cash things used to go......we used to go in after school to wave to her.
I used to really envy her that job.

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Aah Toy & Model ..... that's were I used to get all my marbles :D

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i remember when you could walk right through woolies onto union st where farm foods is now

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I remember the CO-OP Store in the town centre across from the Town Hall. It became McDonalds.

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Wasn't Woolworths on that same block? I'm sure I remember my mum telling me it used to be there. :confused:

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I think you are right about the fire Tinks.

Where the opticians is now in Church street, there used to be a lovely dress shop called Revells. I bought my very first going out dress there.......a lovely red sleeveless dress with a lace bodice.....it was tight round the bum and showed off my limited assets....and I tell you i felt like the cats whiskers.

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LOL! Yeah I can very vaguely. Can you remember the car park before the Arndale was built?

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Woolworth used to be where Macdonalds was. it was a very imposing store.Two levels and a sweeping staircase at the back of the shop......I couls spend hours trying to spend sixpence.

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Vivien would be almost 60....she lived at Haworth Avenue off Manchester Rd

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no but i can remember the arndale being built and when peacocks used to be victor values

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i remember the olympus cafe being on union st :D

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So can you not remember that dodgey looking circular public toilet?

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My mate Fred Whelan used to work there willow, you got your change back the same way on the wire, I believe the fire was at moffats and not Bailyes as was raised in an earlier thread, it was a shop for them that had brass and was supported by the middle classes.

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Blooming Heck I must be old.......I can remember the Sunken Gardens, which is the site that the Arndale is built on....and the Odeon Cinema.

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Just found a web site and your right, Co-op took Woolworths building.

http://www.frithphotos.com/pageloade...=1-85937-806-4

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I've seen pictures of the sunken gardens and IMHO it was the best Broadway ever looked.

I remember when Broadway had the road running through it with the pelican crossing.

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Yes, i remember when the Arndale was a carpark and the Odeon was on the corner. Who remembers the Saturday morning club there ? Used to go and watch Lassie films on a Saturday morning and a bit of a disco after. Think it was something like 9am-12 noon. Going back to the mid 70's here lol.

I remember watching ET at the Odeon when it was first released.

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I remember the ones with flowers in, I got a nasty bump on the head from walking round the rim of one of those and falling off it. My mum said it served me right for standing on it in the first place! lol!

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Redmans...does anyone remember Redmans having a milk bar? My gran used to take me in there for a Horlicks or a milk shake. You sat at the counter on very high stools that you could twirl round on. It was styled very much like an American milk bar

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lol look what ive just found...and its got our tinks name on it

http://images.google.co.uk/images?q=...start=480&sa=N

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I bet it was you then that was always telling me to sit down ! :D

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Yes, i do and Dewhusrts butchers......though my family always knew it as the Argenta...don't ask me why, because i don't know.

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It did move there on broadway but wasnt there originally im sure it was once on blackburn road or church st:confused:

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I used to go to the Saturday morning club at the Odeon in Burnley. Was sad when they knocked it down cos I wanted to try going in the front door one day :D

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HEY! :eek: Which one Flashy I just got google search results

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and on page 27 theres a pic of misskitty on a dating site

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FPMSL .............

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Where was Redmans and McFisheries?

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I can remember the troops coming back from the Korean War, and what was written on the green painted boarding that bordered the land the sunken gardens were laid on, "Why should our sons die for Yankee in Korea" apologies to my American cousins but that statement was written at the time,1952. The march past of the troops seemed to me (a child then) take forever they were going to Burnley Barracks.

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I remember going to the last film showings at that cinema [same building dont think it changed name] to see batman in 1989 before it shut for demolition. Last of Accy having a cinema for a decade till the vue building.

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I remember the Olypian cafe, didn't it used to be a toy shop though, it was over two floors, cant remember the name though.

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Oh the cinema was great, me and Lettie used to go every Monday, think it was cheap night, cinema then The Regency for a couple of beers, used to love the interval where you could que for ice cream!

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Can anyone else remember Worzel Gummidge heading the Accrington Carnival procession? I distinctly remember that as he was one of my favourite characters on TV at the time. Have we had any more famous people in the carnivals?

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LOL they dont have intervals/ pee breaks now u have to hold yer bladder or make a quick dash & hope someone updates u on what u missed:(

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Ken Dodd opened the arndale :D

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yep i remember that...can anyone remember ken dodd opening the arndale? and william roach being in the town hall?

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LOL! God I remember that :eek: :D

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lol mel...great minds

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I remeber Worzel Gummidge at the carnival and Rod Hull and emu!

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Diddy really ?

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Lets keep this thread to facts :cool:

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tut sad dave really sad

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mmmmm u got your feather duster out:p :D

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'They' will shift it to you know where lets keep it serious Ken tax dodging Dod indeed!

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LOL! Dave :D

I don't remember those :confused:

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OMG!! ..... :rofl38: brilliant!! You had that down to a tee, willow I can actually picture him saying it with how you've worded it :D

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i have memories of the farmhands, with the dogs driving the cattle and sheep down Maudsley Street on the way to the slaughterhouse from when i was a sprog,never did know were they had come from??? also remember on Whalley RD to the left across from Marshalls music was a wonderful little Polish Grocers with allsorts of very strange foods the guy who ran it was a really nice fellow who me mate knew, and he was always givin us titbits of this strange stuff to taste, God only knows what a young cashy consumed:p but loved it nevertheless, happy days.

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i remember the queen coming to accy ....i was sat on the flags watching her big black shiny car go through church on blackburn rd

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o does anyone remember sauls up (black abbey st? i think) all the foodstuff was in carboard boxes.

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yep me nan used to take me for butter n loose tea. lol

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THE QUEEN :eek: What was that for mez?

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The public baths at the top of St James Street just below the Scaitcliffe Colliery. Just across the road from the baths was a side street and up a ginnel on the left was a ‘shop’ where you could buy a penny or twopenny bag of Smiths crisps. Actually they were the broken bits but the bag was proper full to bursting. You certainly got your money’s worth. You had to watch out for the blue one though. It was very, very salty.

As for the baths it was mixed bathing most evenings after six and Sunday mornings but most other times it was single sex swimming. Mornings was usually reserved for schools where we were taught to swim by a teacher stood on the poolside.

The ladies changing cubicles were upstairs on the balcony and the blokes were at the poolside. There was a three level diving board where we kids would launch ourselves into space in either a real dive or a bomb into just 6 feet 6 inches of water. The pool had stone steps at each corner leading into the water right to the bottom. There wasn’t a lifeguard as such but the attendant who looked after the boilers and the tub baths (I think they called them slipper baths. The swimming pool was the plunge baths) would look in once in a while. I never heard of anyone drowning.

I swam my first mile there when I was about 13. 72 twenty five yards lengths of the baths was 1,800 yards which is a bit over a mile.

The original Woolworths was across the road from the front of the Town Hall and a bit to the left. Free sweets if you were sneaky and quick enough. Although you did get a hefty clout round the ear if you were caught and chucked out of the front door with words like, “I know where you live. Wait till I tell your dad” reverberating around a throbbing lug hole.

Accrington had an abundance of cinemas. Empire and Princess on Edgar Street I think it was. Then there was the Odeon, the Palace, the Ritz and the bug hut. Sorry I mean Kings Hall. Best of all was the hippodrome theatre on Ellison Street just above the tram and bus depot.

The Coppice had no trees, which made sledging down in winter a fast treat.

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hey it were a long time ago i can't remember .....(its the grey cells you know )i think it was a tour of the counties after her coronation.

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Not sure, but I think it was her Coronation year, 1953. All the kids in Ossy went to the traffic lights at Church to see her sail past on her way to Accy.

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Has she ever been back since? How many other Royals have been to Accrington? Princess Diana obviously and it's not long ago since Princess Anne was here, they landed her helicopter at the side of us.

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I think Prince Charles came to Oswaldtwistle to open Foxhill Bank nature reserve, about twelve years ago.(?)

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Aaah right :)

Somethings telling me Edward was here not so long ago too but I'm probably wrong ... I usually am :rolleyes: :D

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think it was him who came back last summer n set fire to the benches.:D