Years Gone By

[Tinkerbelle]

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?

[WillowTheWhisp]

I can remember when we had a proper railway station with different platforms and a waiting room with a coal fire and loos and a line to Manchester.

[flashy]

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

[mickmc]

[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

[Tinkerbelle]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I can remember when we had a proper railway station with different platforms and a waiting room with a coal fire and loos and a line to Manchester.

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.

[WillowTheWhisp]

I remember not having the opportunity to see her!

[flashy]

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

[Margaret Pilkington]

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.

[Tinkerbelle]

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

I remember not having the opportunity to see her!

Why not willow?

Originally Posted by flashytart

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

Don't be cheeky you'd be lost without me

[Margaret Pilkington]

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.

[flashy]

Originally Posted by Tinkerbelle

Don't be cheeky you'd be lost without me

i know i would

[flashy]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

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.

you wee'd in the waiting room?

[WillowTheWhisp]

I don't remember Blowers but I remember a shop jut like that in Peel street. Was it Veevers? Those biscuit tins were red. I remember the sugar being scooped out and put into blue sugar paper bags, the coffee grinder, and the wooden butter pats. There was a wooden chair in the shop with a circular seat with a sort of carved pattern on it, and a hooped back.

[Margaret Pilkington]

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.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by flashytart

you wee'd in the waiting room?

I thought she wee'd in the fire!