The Deck

[Tealeaf]

Now, Now A-B.........in the mid-70's the Regency was still the Commercial (and a far better pub it was then, to!)

[Acrylic-bob]

I cant remember when it changed exactly, but I remember working there shortly after the change which would be around 1979. it was run by a chap from the south of Ireland, short, fat, bald head (him not me).

[Darby]

A-Bob...The Bees Knees was the "Derby". That's where I spend most of 63-67 (got married in 67...end of going out with the lads). The back room use to have a group on every Saturday night...Packed to the Gunwhales every Friday and Saturday night. It was the Pub to be in.

Landlords name was Ted Green, his wife was Doreen, and his daughter (who really fancied herself) was Anne who married some dope from "dahn saaff". Ted Green moved to the IOM ion the late 60's and died from a heart attack within 18 months!!

[Wynonie Harris]

Darby, when you "retired" from the Derby, I began my drinking "apprenticeship" there. Spent large amounts of time in the place from 68-72. "Our" spot was just to the left as you walked in, while the "big lads" like Isaac, Florrie etc sat down the far end. The back room was called "The Blue Room", but they only had bands on occasionally by then. The landlord was a Scottish guy called Ian. One of the barmaids was an old lady called Ethel who shouted "last orders" in a voice that could shatter windows.

Went in there last August and I couldn't even recognise the place. Totally spoiled like so many other pubs in downtown Accy.

[pendy]

Now I do feel old! I was one of the posers in the Astronaut in the 60s, together with A-B's grandparents! It was reckoned to be a bit posh, got all the businessmen, etc, although goodness knows why, it always looked like a glorified bookies. I remember the Commercial when it was, went to a few wedding receptions there, had my mother's funeral there as well, and had a boyfriend, Marten Ankersmidt, who was working in Accy as an engineer, who stayed there. Happy memories - he had a Jensen and occasionally let me drive it. I don't know which I fancied more, him or the car!

[Darby]

Pendy,

I'm sure it was the car...............Jensens were quite rare.
So it was you sat at the bar in the Astronaut......Do you remember a woman (not a girl you understand), quite attractive, petite etc., called Jean? She was almost a fixture in there.

Jimmy Crow, Mick Absolom, Ben Watson...they were the spivs of the day (60's and early 70's)...remember any of them?

Wynonie,
The only pub that I'd go into in the town centre is the Arden or the Warners....But not at night. Almost all pubs, anywhere, have been devastated and are normally full of the yob culture, they have to be so, just to make a living. But with a 33cl bottle of Bud costing £2.50 or more, they can stick 'em.

Naturally there are still a few good 'uns. Like the Stag, Rose & Crown, Heys Inn, but not many more.

[pendy]

We discovered the Arden not long after we got the house up here. It's a great pub, and we usually go on a Saturday after shopping. It's always good to see Barry and the lads.

You're right, I was, of course, the fantastic looking one at the bar with the long hair, my party piece was that although I was only about 9 stone wringing wet (what a memory!) I could down a pint in one if asked! The name Jimmy Crow rings a bell, but I don't remember the others. I do remember Bert, who was an alderman and I think had a garage, they lived on Whalley Road. The barman was Irish, I think his name was Jimmy. It's all a while back.

[Darby]

Jimmy Crawshaw fancied himself as a bit of an entertainer, and in fact did a few Gigs (I think that's the words he used), as a "Stand-up" comedian (and that he certainly was). He also played the Sax, and tried to sing a bit. All-in-all Jimmy wasn't such a bad person and I'd known him since I was 6 years old. He was about 5'11" with gingerish hair and a pale sort of face. At one time he'd knocked around with Les Gibson and Stan Ridehalgh (building site bullies). But use to drink halves at first (don't trust people who drink halves), but matured to Pints with Whiskey chasers (a man after my own heart).

[Wynonie Harris]

Funny, isn't it how Ossy has managed to keep so many of it pubs unspoiled? One of my favourites was the Stop & Rest. This was my dad's regular haunt and I used to go in with him in the 70's to stand at the "deep end". There were some great characters there and the "crack" was excellent. The landlord was a gentleman by the name of Jim Lucas who kept standards very high. Truly a pub amongst pubs!

[Acrylic-bob]

I passed the Stop and Rest the other day, did you know it was up for sale? Get yourself down to the bank, it's just begging for decent landlord or landlady.

[yerself]

When was the clock erected on the corner of Peel St. and Blackburn Road? There seemed to be a shift from the deck to the clock. When I used to frequent the town centre in the mid 70s to mid 80s the saying, "Meet you under t'clock at half seven." was more commonly heard.

[Alan Gilmartin]

Wynonie, what were you doing in Blackburn, coffee bars at 13 yrs old. I used to go in the Derrby, but noy very often. Always remember a guy getting up to sing, Walk Tall, in an Irish accent, very funny and very p--st. By the way are there any old shops, still in Accy, like Redmans, ( cold meats, black puddings, etc ).Erni McNoes, John Colliers, ( the window to watch ) Alexnder's, all tailors. Marys records. Wardelworths, ( bookshop ) Note the word shop, not store. I used to fanncy a girl in a drycleaners in Peel st, Greenghalls, I think the name of it was. I used to model for a barber in Warner St, called Bazagaloopo ( dont know how to spell it ) , next to the Arcade entrance, anybody remember it . Now Im completly bald, had a great head of hair back then though. Has anybody any more memories of certain shops in Accy centre. Is clock garage still there.

[Acrylic-bob]

Good heavens, Alan you have been away a long time. All of the businesses that you mention are gone now. Redmans is an antique shop now. I noticed in passing the other day, that it too is closing down. Mc Noe's is an asian take-away. Wardleworths moved across the road during the seventies and then moved again to the end of broadway, they closed a couple of years ago, unable to compete following the end of the net book agreement which allowed ASDA to massively discount bestsellers. Which is really annoying because if you look at ASDA's offerings now they have shrunk to a fraction of what they were when they decided that they were going to corner the market and drive other booksellers out. Accrington looses out again! Greenhalgh's is empty-I think. Not sure which barber shop you mean, there is still one across the road from the entrance to the arcade but it is run by different people. and Clock Garage is closed and moved to Hyndburn Road.

Stay tuned, I hear that there are plans to close Accrington too.

[kestrelx]

Don't know if they gave out free vouchers - anyway what about the Copper Kettle?

[Mik Dickinson]

Lens would have been just off Willows lane if i remember rightly?