FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[Stanley]

A map of Butts area in 1892. The skating rink was built near the mill and the picture of the burned out Alhambra, originally the rink, was taken almost on the same orientation as the arrow. Basically it's the site of the present clinic. The mill was still running at the time the pic was taken and my old mate Ernie Roberts is almost sure to be amongst those lads....

[Big Kev]

Walt Fisher's CIU card for 1946.

I have one of these somewhere

[Stanley]

There was some character about them in those days Kev. Ill bet the current ones are just a computer print....
Here's a Friendly Society certificate from the early 19th century. The man in the picture is saying to the Journeyman, "Have you got a pass?" and the journeyman says "I have", in other words he had proof that he had served an apprenticeship. The society is thought to be based in Todmorden.

[Stanley]

Thornton Rock Quarry in 1900,

[Stanley]

David's Bank Edge picture this morning reminded me that the sewage works is an essential but largely forgotten corner. Where would we be without it?

[David Whipp]

In the sh....!

[Stanley]

Exactly, like these poor blokes....

[Stanley]

Another major well collecting seepage from a slope that has been lost. In the breast wall of Gisburn Road School.

[David Whipp]

I've discussed opening up the well in the wall at Gisburn Road School with the new head and suggested the school could get some support from the town council; not heard anything about taking this forward.

[Stanley]

Keep nagging, not a big job.....

[chinatyke]

If the slope has been lost as Stanley says, where would the water come from?

[Stanley]

Sorry China, I was ambiguous. It's the well that has been lost by walling it up, the slope is still there but of course over the years the supply may have dried up because of development of the area. My original suggestion was to open it up and if the trough is still in there use it for a planter.

[chinatyke]

Oh! I see now I have re-read it! Yes, seems a shame for these old stone troughs to be lost.

[Stanley]

My fault China. I reckon a few stones ought to be removed to see if the original trough survives....

[David Whipp]

The old ambulance station on Bank Street, pictured sometime in the noughties.

Towards the end of its life, the building was used as a base by Barnoldswick's hand sweeper; after the sweeper was re-homed in the old mortuary, the building was eventually knocked down with the land being sold off for housing.

Was the original use as a fire station during WW2?

[Thomo]

That building on Bank St. was built by Laycock's as their first permanent base in Town in the late1920s. When this was replaced by a new base at West Close it became the Ambulance depot, and the adjacent end house on Banks St was used as accomodation, During WW2 it became home to the Auxiliary Fire Service as well. It was also partly used by Wild Bros after the War before they took the old foundry off Valley Rd.

[Stanley]

Bank Street in 2005.

[Thomo]

The original joiners shop was built by Haydn Wood before WW1. Originaly from Haworth, Haydn married a Barlick Girl and set up his business on Bank St, he was killed in France on the 13th of September 1917. Harris Grainge took over the business and was still there in the 1970s. Where the JCB stands in the pic is the site of the former Womens Royal British Legion building.

[Stanley]

Bank Street looking towards Rainhall Road in 2007. The old ambulance station has gone and the flats have not yet been built.

[Thomo]

That is a picture that brings back many memories, and there have been many changes there since I was born 74 years ago tomorrow. Our home was on Rainhall Rd. just out of camera on the left. Across from that end of Bank St. there were the New Laithe Farm buildings and Foster Willans Garage, to the right of these was the Scout Hut, formerly a chip shop. At that end of Bank St. was the local air raid shelter, and the play area of today was all small holdings, these filled the area of land between Stuart St, Bank St, Rainhall Rd and what was then the "Field Bottoms" now the extended Valley Rd. The largest of these holdings was the property of Mr Tom Downs, a neighbour, there were 13 hen cabins and a forty cage battery cabin. There was a large greenhouse with vegetable and fruit plots and right in the middle three large trees, the MOF wagon used to come on Friday mornings to collect the eggs. At the top of Stuart St was Mrs. Healds shop, her Son later became a well known local reporter. Behind New Laithe farm and bordered by the back of Clifford St was Simpson's Builders Yard and scattered all around the old farm were private garages and allotments. Much of what I know about horticulture and the care of poultry I owe to Mr Downs, from the incubation of eggs through rearing the chickens, feeding the hens and maintaining the cabins, this was all a part of my early teenage years.

[PanBiker]

The three large trees you mention I could climb when I was lad, each required a different technique. We had a good swing on the one in the middle. The top part of the land between what is now Valley Road and Bank Street had been cleared of plots and the land was used as our adventure playground along with the garages and Wellhouse mill yard and dam. We had our annual bonfire on there for a good number of years. Chubbings were hidden around the garages and anywhere else on our patch to protect from rival raiders. My dad has his allotment down Havre Park, on the land now under development for housing. The through route on Valley Road from the bottom of Stuart Street through to Long Ing was just a cinder path but had some belting holes for noggins when treasured marble collections were at stake.

[Thomo]

Spoken like a true Barlicker Ian. When I built my first crystal set. the aerial spanned the 250' between my bedroom window and the centre tree. "perfick".

[Stanley]

Click to enlarge, Havre Park/Bank Street in 1963.

[PanBiker]

My mums got her washing hung out across the back street on that photo, must have been taken on a Monday.

If you look carefully you can just make out the Nissen hut among the garages opposite the entrance to the weaving shed at Wellhouse, I think a joiner used it for storage or come to think, it might have been Gissings. Wilds had the former foundry then, we used to play football against the roller shutter door and we had a set of wickets painted on the wall at the left hand side of the shutter, instant walk on stadia, someone always had a ball and strangely, crickets bats when needed, always seemed to appear like magic.

[David Whipp]

The land off Bank Street this morning; looking towards Gissing and Lonsdale from the top side of the play area which is now in the middle of the grassed area.