FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[Stanley]

This pic of the Corner of King Street and Newtown was done at about the same time and once again we have the absence of paved roads and pavements even though by this time we had gas, sewage and water services. If you read the early parts of Billy Brooks' evidence in the LTP he describes when Newtown and Rainhall Road were paved, he lived in a cottage on Newtown at the time. That was around 1900 and the surprising thing is that the carters objected because the setts were slippy under the horses feet!
By the way, this pic puzzled me for many years, I couldn't identify where it was and then I realised it had been printed originally with the negative reversed. All became clear!

[Stanley]

When the first paving with setts was done in Newtown and Rainhall Road in the town centre, small granite setts laid in a fan shaped pattern were used. I have been told that French paviors did the job and the setts must have been imported by rail.
As setts became more popular the stone in the Tubber Hill quarries and those on Salterforth Lane proved idea for the larger setts. They soon became the standard and were exported by canal to Colne, Nelson and Burnley. See my articles 'Rock Solid' for Jack Platt's account of the working of the quarries and the transport of setts by canal. The setts were cut individually by hand by the 'banker hands' in the quarry. In frosty weather the stone couldn't be worked and they were laid off. If it snowed they went on to snow clearing for the council and Jack said they got a better wage!



The original setts in Newtown exposed during resurfacing.

[Stanley]

I forget where this hole was but no matter. It illustrates the fact that you should always have a look into them . They are good sources of archaeological information!

[Stanley]

Tommy Carter, Peel House on the old Gisburn Track. Peel House is what I call a 'poverty shop' a holding on poor land too small to give a living. I realised later that it was most likely a squatter's holding on the edge of the moor. Tommy lived there with his wife Sally and their three children. At one time Sally had a full time job at the Moorcock Inn just over the fields on the Blacko-Gisburn road working for Mrs Hanson who ran the pub in the glory days when it was a popular weekend destination for the weavers from the towns of Colne and Nelson. They brewed their own beer and it was a busy shop. Tommy was related in some way yo Abel Taylor at Green Bank just down the road but nobody ever talked about it. I suspect that one or both of them was a 'by-blow', illegitimate. He was a real character, supported himself and his family on odd jobs and whatever he could pick up. I remember once he was prosecuted for using a stolen railway tarpaulin as a rick sheet. He had been spotted because the rick was on the side of the hill and visible for miles. The give-away was the fact it had 'LMS' in large letters on it.....

[Stanley]

The Carter children at Peel House in 1957. I seem to remember that the eldest daughter was stabbed in a Nelson dance hall? She survived. They had a hard childhood but were well looked after.

[Stanley]

Abel Taylor and his son David sat on the proven kist in the barn at Green Bank Farm in 1957. At that time there was no electricity on Gisburn Old Track. The lighting in the buildings and the house was by oil lamp with the exception of the byre which had 12volt lighting powered by a 'Lucas Freelite' generator. Essentially a car dynamo with a small propeller on it driven by the wind and charging batteries. Mains electricity reached the farm shortly after I did this picture. Green Bank and Peel House shared the same spring water supply. Abel and Tommy Carter shared the maintenance of the supply which largely consisted of forcing water back up the pipe to the spring to clear the sediment. The sanitary arrangements were a pail toilet which was emptied onto the midden in the yard and spread on the fields by hand. It was a different world up there in those days!

[Stanley]

John and Mae Wallbank outside Brown House farm, just below Green Bank on Gisburn Old Track. Both dead now but in 1957 keeping a tidy little dairy farm and cooperating with the others on the track. In haytime especially the farmers helped each other out and they were both good to work with. Lots of happy memories of them both, it was a privilege to know them.

[Stanley]

Lower Sandiford Farm in 1957. Dick Allen farmed it and was noted as a dog trainer. I bought a Jack Russell terrier bitch off him in 1957 called Bess and she was a wonderful dog. He was noted for re-training 'problem' dogs. I remember him having one that was a good working dog but it had a bad habit of attacking all strangers. At that time an old lady lived in a cottage just below Higherford Mill who had asthma and spent most of her time sat on a chair in her doorway. Each day Dick took the dog down there and tethered it to the wall next to the old lady. Her job was to crack the dog on the head with her walking stick every time it showed aggression. It took about a fortnight to cure it.....
Mrs Allen was a good baker and made my sister's wedding cake. On the day I collected it I called in at the Craven Heifer on the way home, got a skin full and forgot the cake. I left it outside in the van on a very wet night. Luckily it came to no harm......

[PanBiker]

Not a forgotten corner to me Stanley, walked past three times this week on various rambles. Current owner was repainting the little wooden footbridge over the ditch with preservative last weekend, all finished now and it looks well.

[Stanley]

And I think there might be a large stone trough in the yard.....

[PanBiker]

Aha so that's the farm, I was reading a newspaper report the other day about the removal of the trough, (if we are referring to Lister Well) which mentioned the farmer involved but not which farm. It was the council report on it's removal for "safe keeping" and their subsequent appeal for it's return. Sally has the newspaper clip in her collection as she had her two pennorth on its removal when she was on the council.

[Stanley]

That's what was reported to me. The last sight I had of it was in a field up on the moor, I came across a large square well made trough stood on its own and assumed it was the Lister Well trough in transit.

Here's a corner of Old Barlick in 1982 I tripped up on in the archive.... (click to enlarge)

[Stanley]

We had quite a lot on the old site about Stanley's crumpets.... Pity we lost it!

I've been for a dig in my hard drive and here's what I found.....

Stanley’s Crumpets – Harry and Stan Stanley, 1950’s – extract from my autobiography. [Barry Sharples]

Mentioning the earning of money reminds me of the many occasions I assisted, at Stanley’s Bakery and Whip’s Café.
The Stanley’s were very good friends of the family; in fact I always referred to both Stan and his brother, Harry, as uncles. I first started to assist the whilst at Barlick’s secondary school, first on Saturday mornings and then during holidays, which I thoroughly enjoyed, even going with uncle Harry on many of his deliveries to shops all over Lancashire.
In the bake house it was always Stan who made up the batter in a huge round container, which was then covered with a cloth to await fermentation.
This was done under maximum security; he was always concerned about his recipe being discovered. There were two large gas heated hotplates, which were covered with lightly greased crumpet rings, and then the batter would be ladled in. When the surface of the crumpets had bubbled up and just lost their moist appearance, it was time to turn them over. This was done with the aid of a cranked palette knife and a deft flick of the wrist, which I soon mastered.
Once the surface, now at the bottom, had acquired a light golden colour it was time to lift them with the palette, two or three at a time, onto the cooling racks. Five minutes or so later we would lift off the rings and stack the crumpets into piles of approx. eight into tissue lined cake trays.
Occasionally there would be a misshape, which at the end of a shift were given to me wrapped in tissue paper, as well as ‘ten bob’ or sometimes more. Many was the time I ran all the way home with the comforting warmth under my arm and the distinct aroma of impending gastronomic delight and money in my pocket as well! Ah happy days.
No doubt due to these experiences during my formative years, I have had a lifetime love for the humble crumpet, but sadly without the lashings of butter now considered de rigueur.
At the risk of sounding like a granddad! They just do not make crumpets like that any more, now they are smaller, thinner, steamed not baked, and either left pale and anemic in colour or ‘torched’ to give some semblance of colour but devoid of the true flavour.
In addition to crumpets Stan and Walter introduced Scotch Pancakes and Oatcakes to their production range, which like crumpets, I still find irresistible if not somewhat disappointing now.
Scotch pancakes were made with an egg-enriched batter in a similar mode to crumpets except without the restriction of rings or hoops. This gave them a pleasant lack of uniformity, although the practiced hand of the ‘uncles’ ensured fair portion size.
The Oatcakes were made much differently, and not without a degree of skill. A thin oatmeal batter was ladled onto an oat flake strewn, linen belt, which on the immediate flick of the wrist on a wheel, moved the belt and threw the batter out to one side. This was thrown onto a steel sheet also dusted with oatmeal; this resulted in an elongated thin oval, which was then dried in the hot cupboard until rubbery firm.
To consume this delicacy required the diner to dry the oatcake before an open fire until crisp, then break-off pieces, spread liberally with butter and eat immediately.
It was my father who introduced me to Whip’s Café and to the proprietor and his wife, whose names I sadly cannot recall.
The café also incorporated a bakery and shop, which was situated on the corner of the main street, opposite the then railway station, in Barlick. Here I spent many happy hours peeling potatoes, kneading bread for loaves, and passing tartlets through the lining machine and a myriad of other tasks. There was some suggestion that a job was awaiting me when I left school, but I had other ideas.
___________

Morning Bazshar, I think we are still floundering round what is in the batter to produce AN OATCAKE. Your description of the hot plate and the flour coated linen rollers sounds like the one I saw at Nelson and the method is similar, but believe me, just try to make owt like it at home and you'll end up with a 'orrid mess on the kitchen table and stove.
I think in the olden days, the dough for oatcakes was rolled out thin and baked on a Bakstone (Bakestone) at the side of the kitchen and it was the staple diet of the working man who usually worked outside in the fields or on the roads fire.
I suppose all us amateur oatcake bakers must experiment to come up with a batter that will cook an oatcake in a skillet or on a BBQ plate.
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King
Posted - 10 Feb 2005 : 

_________

Here you go Bob:
Oatcakes
This is a very old recipe
Ilb of Scotch oatmeal
8oz Wholemeal flour
½ oz Baking powder
Take about 2 pts water, warmed to blood heat (90°F.) Stir in ½ oz salt plus 1 oz crumbled yeast.
Stir in the dry ingredients, slowly, beating initially to avoid lumps. The resulting batter should have the appearance of Yorkshire Pudding batter, adjust consistency with either a little more oatmeal or warm water/milk. (Remember when making Yorkshire Pudding batter its like a women - the more you beat em the better they be!)
Let the batter stand in a warm place for 20 minutes to ferment.
Meanwhile grease a griddle plate, when hot, place a ladle full of the batter on the griddle, allow to spread out, this may be facilitated (Immediately) by a quick circular motion of the base of the ladle. Cook for about 5 minutes, turn over to cook the other side, before returning to the first side for a final couple of minutes.
Will keep for 3 to three days before frying, toasting and spreading with butter.
Would be very similar to the Stanley Brothers mix.
Sadly I lost touch with them, I owe them a debt of gratitude for their help and overall kindness. I never got back to see them in their retirement.
They produced, in my humble opinion the best crumpets, oatcakes and scotch pancakes in the north of England.
Perhaps I should post their photographs as a tribute, there must be many who mourn the passing of both them and their produce.
Oatcakes have been a traditional food in Yorkshire for many centuries, dating back at least to the time of the Norse settlement. The common name for them throughout many parts of Northern England was/is
haverbread, a word of Norse or igin – their word for oats, hafre, which also gave us the haversack, a bag for carrying oats. Other names for oatcakes stem from some of the ways they are made: clapbread is made by clapping, or beating, an oat dough into the correct shape with the hands; (much the same way as you may shape pizza dough)
Oatcakes were usually baked on a backstone. This was made of mudstone, a type of stone which splits into smooth, flat layers. When properly prepared, it is resistant to burning, warping and fracturing, and can be placed directly on an open fire or in the oven. The modern equivalent, a descendant of the backstone, is the ‘hotplate’ or griddle.
Oatcake (Haverbread)
The traditional method of making oatcakes is to use a dropping batter. It can be a tricky process but results in thinner, crispier cakes. The batter is dropped on to the riddle - or on to a wooden board known as a backboard - which is covered with a layer of fine or medium oatmeal, and shaken to spread it to the correct thickness. It is then slid off the riddle onto a board covered in muslin to prevent them sticking. When several are ready they are flipped onto the hot backstone.
By gum ar' lad, we are getting somewhere with this oatcake recipe.
I did look in the Internet for the recipe for Staffordshire Oatcakes and this is very similar to what you have given us:-
8 oz of fine oatmeal
8 oz of plain flour or wholemeal flour.
1 teaspoon of salt
Half an oz of yeast
1.5 pints of warm milk and water mixed half and half.
1 teaspoon of sugar.
Add salt to oatmeal and flour.
Dissolve yeast in a little warm liquid and add sugar, Allow mixture to become frothy.
Mix the dry ingredients with the yeast liquid to make a batter.
Cover the batter and leave in a warm place for an hour.
Bake the oatcake on well greased griddle, putting enough batter to make an oatcake of 8-9 inches diameter.
The surface will be covered in holes as it cooks.
Turn the oatcake after 2-3 minutes when the upper side appears dry and the underneath is golden brown and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Now I think where we hard headed buggers up North differ from these Staffordshire Lads, is that we don't eat the oatcakes in a floppy state, we hang 'em over the rack to dry and eat them as "hard".
Apparently the Staffordshire Regiment brought the idea back from India when they ate the local flat bread and tried to duplicate it at home.
So what about us having a go to produce the "hard" and no doubt Stanley will supply the Stew if Jack hasn't wolfed it down!!!
Aye Hatepe
R.W.King

[Stanley]

Rainhall Road School. The polling station. Centre of my attention this morning!

[Stanley]

Len Dole the Nelson Labour agent speaking at the Labour gala in Nelson in 1975. Unfortunately this is now a forgotten corner.

[PanBiker]

Fortunately, I attended a few of them at the ILP Institute on Vernon Street in Nelson. Not forgotten by some.

[plaques]

ILP Vernon St Nelson. Never give up hope.

[PanBiker]

Indeed Plaques, the stained glass windows with the ILP motif from above the door were transferred up to Clarion House. One of them got nicked a number of years ago and eventually turned up broken in a skip. It was reognised by a local supporter and reported to the police. We had that one professionally repaired and restored and decided to lodge it at the People History Museum in Manchester. The other can still be seen at Clarion House.

Clarion House Website

[Stanley]

I took my modern history mentor Steve and his wife June to Clarion. It was like a pilgrimage for him, he is a good man on inter war history!



Linda Lloyd Jones drinking tea watched over by Keir Hardie in 1977. One of my better pics.....

[Stanley]

Many people have forgotten that the Clarion Cycle Clubs, which still exist, were originally formed to distribute the socialist newspaper (LINK) when the main distributors W H Smith refused to handle it. The Clarion tea houses were an off-shoot of this movement.

[Stanley]

The bench erected by the Clarion Club in memory of Pop Harry Hill. On the Bracewell Road at Yarlside.

[plaques]

The other can still be seen at Clarion House.

PanBiker, Do you have a good quality photo of the window that I could use for my collection. Items like this are a priceless piece of our history.

[PanBiker]

You may be interested in this thread:

ILP Clarion House

I put this up when it was the building centenary in 2012. You can see the window in one of the images there. There is also a JPG of the window in the gallery on the Clarion House Webpage accessible from the link.

I may have a better picture of it somewhere but it will probably take some finding. Alternatively, Clarion House is open (as always) every Sunday and Bank Holidays from about 10am, open ended until most folk depart. You would be most welcome and could sample one of our pint pots of tea if the urge took you.

A lot of folk walk or cycle to the Clarion but there is room to park if driving on the roadside lower down Ginny Lane, (just before the bend), the road gets quite narrow from there up to Newchurch.

[plaques]

Thanks Ian, I've spotted the photo I'll see what I can do with it. It must be over three years since I was last in the Clarion. This was before I started on my heritage project.

[Stanley]

The Three Apostles. Cycling was very popular even among the mill owners and managerial classes. I wonder whether these three ever visited Clarion House?