I'm sure we have all noticed the phrase 'The Big Society' being bandied about in the political arena of late. This is just a re-branding of a very old fashioned concept, Public Service. There is something else locally that we have all noticed, the significant number of volunteers who are behind the events in the Town Square, the Barlick in Bloom project, the High Street initiative and last but not least, the refurbishment of the War Memorial with its additional names and the Memorial Gardens on Kelbrook Road. It's quite obvious that Public Service is alive and well in Barnoldswick!
The question that arises in my mind is 'Why should this be?' I doubt whether the good people of Barlick are more saintly than anywhere else and yet there is definitely something different, selfless and quite unique happening. Is it something in the water? Or is there a local circumstance that nurtures these things and if so, could others learn from us? Are there any other examples of difference in our history? I'm certain there is something and got evidence of it again this week as I read a new book published in June, 'Engels England'. In it Matthew Engel tours the old counties of England and gives us his witty impressions. In the chapter on Yorkshire Barnoldswick gets a full page so something certainly motivated him to single us out. I decided to give it a bit of thought....
Barlick has always had a reputation as a one-off. The biggest cotton weaving town in Yorkshire after our late 19th century boom. Later we became the most important aero-space manufacturing town and a centre for other manufactures. The citizens have long held a reputation for what some would call cussedness, we certainly don't fit any of the usual descriptions, “Are you married or do you live in Barlick?” is but one example. The heated debates that have raged for years about which county we belong to is another. Personally I believe that because of its geographical location off the main roads Barlick actually seceded from the union sometime in the early 19th century. We did things differently. While Lancashire was rushing headlong into specialising in cotton weaving we stuck with the old mode of spinning and weaving in the mills and only changed when the Bracewell Partnership failed in 1885 and public spirited men who saw the town declining got together and put money into new modern weaving sheds that were all successful. We financed our own railway when the main line companies ignored us and then installed modern utilities like water, gas and sewage works by investing town money. This was unusual in such a small town and for many years the whole town was a building site.
No doubt about it, something quite unusual was happening here and still continues to this day. I think it's worthwhile pursuing this and trying to nail down the reasons for it. Who knows, we may get some clues as to how we can preserve this 'otherness' and carry it forward into what is, nowadays, a very uncertain world.
Billycock Bracewell, definitely an outstanding individual! (By K Wilson)
