STEEPLEJACK'S CORNER 2012

[Stanley]

You're right but when you take everything into consideration, I wonder whether it's any cheaper than the old way?



Old fashioned TLC for Masson stack in 1992.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

I think this was at Peter Tatham's funeral in March 1988. Am I right?

[Stanley]

Peter arriving at the top of Ellenroad stack in October 1985. The funny thing was that this was the first time he had been up the ladder for six months and had been tightening lashings and renewing some on his way up. I got there before him and as I climbed up I thought the lashings were a bit loose!

[Stanley]

Mons Mill at Todmorden in 1986.

[Stanley]

Mons chimney, Steve Goggins on the right. Young Ronnie on the left. Stephen only had one leg after a motor bike accident. My interest in the stack was because of the fact it was built with Newhey brick, the same as Ellenroad and we needed shaped chimney bricks for the new drum on top of our stack. This was in 1986. Ronnie and Steve were good lads but I wasn't impressed with their laddering! They had used the old dog holes and it wandered a bit. There were three rungs missing out of the top ladder as well...... When I got to the top I told them that I knew they would think I was a bit of a wimp but would they please fasten the top ladder on to the rim before I climbed it. They were socketed ladders and that was all that held the top ladder on. Needless to say they laughed at me but fastened it on.

[Stanley]

Coral Mill, Newhey. 1988.

[Stanley]

Whipp's Cross University hospital stack at Waltham Forest London.

[David Whipp]

Whipp's Cross University hospital stack at Waltham Forest London.

Glad I don't have to bear that one...!

[Stanley]

Tennant’s Stalk, Springburn. The Tennant Chemical Works had been established at St Rollox by Charles Tennant, whose first product was a bleaching powder, patented in 1799 for use in the textile industry on cotton and linen. It was the largest works of its kind in Europe. The works' enormous chimney, known as 'Tennant's Stalk', was, at the height of 455 feet, the tallest chimney in the world. The large heap of waste by-products dumped beside the factory was known to local people by nicknames such 'the soda waste' and was an unofficial children's playground. The 'Stalk' was dismantled in the 1920s, and during the hazardous operation four men were killed. The chemical works closed in 1964. The company still exists and has headquarters in Bath Street and a factory in Maryhill.

[Stanley]

The last stages of the demolition of Tennant's Stalk in the 1920s.

[Stanley]

Spring Mount Stack on Travis Brow, Stockport. I found this on the web and it's close to my heart because I passed it every day, it was just over the road from my first school, Hope Memorial. It fascinated me even then, my first chimney!

[Stanley]

Jack Larkin. Not recommended practice!

[Bodger]

Where was the photographer stood ?

[Stanley]

That's exactly what I asked at the time. We eventually came to the conclusion that these were finials on top of a building and the snapper was on one of the others.



Young Tom on Ellenroad in 1986.

[Stanley]

Jacks working on Calf Hall stack in 1978.

[Stanley]

Bancroft chimney top in 1981. A bit of Tatham work!

[Stanley]

Peter Tatham working on Healey Dell viaduct in 1984. He's snapping me using the Practica camera I gave him after the lens fell out of his Box Brownie.

[Stanley]

Masson chimney 1995. You might wonder why Keith Batley is pointing a piece of wall. This was a reference patch I asked him to do. It was the standard to which all the stack had to be brought up to. Keith said he'd never done it before but he was all in favour of it. He also told his men that the mad bugger in charge would be climbing the stack to check on their work.....

[Stanley]

The view over Facit in 1979.

[Stanley]

The detached chimney that served Dura Mill at Facit. These were very common in the valleys where a long flue and a short ctack on the hillside was a lot cheaper than the high stack that would otherwise be needed.

[Stanley]

North Valley Services with its distinctive finned top.

[Stanley]

Vivary Bridge Mill at Colne in 1979. Has it gone now?

[Stanley]

One of Robert's stacks at Brownside Mill, Worsthorne, near Burnley.