OneGuyFromBarlick

The last photo was taken on a Monday. On Craven Street my mum and all the other women on the street have their washing out, evident also up on Ash Grove another unmade frontage. The area below Bank Street with the hen pens, allotments and the cinder path through to Long Ing was, in addition to the garage site, shed and mill dam area at Wellhouse my adventure playground when I was a kid. Milk Cooler evident on Valley Road and a slight gap between the garages where the derelict air raid shelter was. You could make really good noggins on the cinder path for marbles, easier made after it had rained and softened the compacted surface somewhat. There were three big trees running up to Bank Street parallel to Stuart Street. After the hen pens had been cleared we used to have our bonfire there, a rope swing on the middle one and every one of them climbable to the very top. We used to have races to see who could poke their hand out of the top first. We always had a campfire going and would cadge spuds off our mums to roast in the embers. Before I reached my teens at chubbing time ( and any other time deemed appropriate) I would walk around with an axe and a 9" sheath knife hung from my belt, would get locked up for that now.

If any of you want High Res copies of the pics, call round in a morning with a memory stick. They are around 30mb each.... You're welcome!
Mention of firewood reminds me of Rushworth, a mate of Jim Haworth, who had a couple of huts at the top of the lane down to Lane Bottoms where they both lived at one time in the 1930s. He was known as the Firewood King

Stanley wrote:If any of you want High Res copies of the pics, call round in a morning with a memory stick. They are around 30mb each.... You're welcome!
Mention of firewood reminds me of Rushworth, a mate of Jim Haworth, who had a couple of huts at the top of the lane down to Lane Bottoms where they both lived at one time in the 1930s. He was known as the Firewood King

Great stuff, thank you. It'll be Thursday or Friday. I'll let you know.

Thanks Stanley.

Ian, I think my favourite gift as a youngster was a long handled axe...



Picked up this picture of Harry Hill's Clog Shop from a post by Ian Gordon Hearder on facebook's Barnoldswick Talk.

David, I know I should know and it's bugging me but where was that? Is it on the little brew down from Chapel Street to King Street?

I've placed it at the bottom of Manchester Road, next to the junction of Philip Street.

Two more pictures from Ian Hearder:



Harry Hill above and his memorial between Bracewell and Horton below.

Ah! I've made the connection. 'Pop' Hill the cyclist. Yes, the shop was at the bottom of Manchester Road and their house was next door. In 2007 (17 August) the BET published a pic of the Clarion Club at the memorial seat and evidence from Bill Hill who was his son. He remembered the Barlick branch of the Clarion being formed in 1923 in the house next to the shop, six people were present. He said that Harry Hill was killed in 1946 in a collision with a milk wagon at Higher Hodder Bridge and this led to the erection of the seat. It's also worth remembering that the Clarion Movement started when W H Smith's refused to distribute Robert Blatchford's socialist newspaper, the Clarion. The cyclists did the distribution. This is of course also the genesis of the Clarion Club House at Dimpenley.

Stanley wrote: It's also worth remembering that the Clarion Movement started when W H Smith's refused to distribute Robert Blatchford's socialist newspaper, the Clarion. The cyclists did the distribution. This is of course also the genesis of the Clarion Club House at Dimpenley.

I wish I had known that 2 years ago, it was one question my dad asked. He went to the Socialist Sunday school at Clarion House, Nelson but didn''t know why it was so called. Hope they have the internet up there (wherever he is).

Julie in Norfolk wrote:

Stanley wrote: It's also worth remembering that the Clarion Movement started when W H Smith's refused to distribute Robert Blatchford's socialist newspaper, the Clarion. The cyclists did the distribution. This is of course also the genesis of the Clarion Club House at Dimpenley.

I wish I had known that 2 years ago, it was one question my dad asked. He went to the Socialist Sunday school at Clarion House, Nelson but didn''t know why it was so called. Hope they have the internet up there (wherever he is).

Your last sentence there Stanley is incorrect. Clarion House at Dimpenley was built by Nelson ILP after forming the ILP Land Society for purchase of the land and then with a loan of £350 from Nelson Weavers Association. Clarion Cycling Club is associated with the ILP but is a completely separate organisation, there is often confusion in this respect. Nelson ILP had its own cycling club.

See this page on the Clarion House website.

Julie, the Socialist Sunday School was held in the ILP Institute on Vernon Street in Nelson. Nelson branch of the ILP was formed in 1893 and they raised the funding for the Nelson institute by public subscription. The land was purchased in 1906 and in 1907 memorial stones were laid by Socialist Pioneers. Selina Cooper laid a stone in memory of Caroline Martyn & Enid Stacey. Mrs Bruce Glasier laid another in memory of William Morris & Edward F. Fay. The institute was formerly opened by Philip Snowden M.P. on the 28th March 1908.

You can read more on Nelson ILP and the Institute here

Just to add a bit more detail on the ILP, Vernon St, Nelson. These images were taken 2015, The first is a general view and shows it to be in reasonably good condition.

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Showing the ILP plaque and the date stone 1907.

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The last is the memorial stone laid by J Bruce Glasier. In memory of William Morris and Edward F Fay. I'm taken on by the 'signature' in the bottom right hand corner. "The Bounder."

Wonder if it originally said "The Founder" and some joker altered it?

All right but genesis of the name? I knew who built it but perhaps should have made it clearer. Give me a little break?

The comment ' Bounder' refers to Edward F Fay that is if I read the writings of William Morris correctly. Along side of Fay's name was (the bounder of Clarion.)

The ILP Institute on Vernon Street was built with two stylised stained glass windows. The windows have a central ILP motif in Art Nouveau style. When the building was sold we recovered both of these and installed them in frames up at Clarion House with back lighting. I can't remember the exact date but think it was sometime in the mid 90's, (certainly while I was on one of the Sunday serving teams) the Clarion was broken into and the windows were stolen. Police were informed and all the local antique dealers. Various known local suspects were questioned but the trail went cold.

A few months later one of our regular visitors to the Clarion noticed an ornate window dumped in a builders skip. On closer inspection he recognised it as one of the windows from the Clarion although the central motif had been smashed out of it. The information was passed back to a committee member and then to the police. We never found out who pinched them but we did recover both windows. Police reckoned that whoever took them had tried to sell them but they were too easily recognised with the central motif's so, too hot to handle they were smashed and dumped.

We had both windows repaired by an artisan stained glass company who were working as part of a cooperative arts and crafts group. They reconstructed the motif's faithfully from blown up photographs that we had matching the original glass colours as well. We decided that as the windows are rather unique and representing an important part of social and political history that we would place the one into a museum for safe keeping. It now resides and can be seen in the Peoples History Museum in Manchester.

The other was reinstalled above the fireplace at the Clarion. Here it is with the Clarion Choir doing a turn in front of it>

Well done with the windows! I've had similar experiences with windows at Ellenroad (from the old board room) and when we were given the boiler house at the old Oldham General hospital. I am not confident in the museum's ability to recognise the historical value. I suspect that the one in Clarion House will be more safe!



Thinking about the political significance of buildings, the Old Ivory Hall club was a hotbed for friendly societies and the Communist Party in Barlick but you have to dig deep for the history. I doubt if any artefacts survive.....

Here is a Colne Forgotten Corner.
The volunteers at Colne Library are trying to discover anything about the history of this building which was right next to the Colne Cemetery on Colne Field and demolished around 1895. Wilfred Spencer described it as "Naylor's House" in one of his books. When you look closely at the rather "gothic" windows, the shape has been formed from wood and fastened on the front, as has the fancy decoration above the door. It looks like a number of (18th C?) 3 story weaver's cottages with an alleyway through the middle. Old maps show a rectangle of dwellings including a farm.
Naylor's House is mentioned in the 1623 Survey of the Kings Highways in Colne, but is the photo of the original building?
Any thoughts on the "ecclesiastical" looking additions welcome!

All I can say Wendy is that it looks as though someone was trying to make a point. Possibly taken over by some semi-religious organisation trying to make an impression?

Perhaps Naylor was Colne's equivalent of Donald Trump?

Looking at the Lancashire Mario Maps OS first addition 1:10,000 it is shown as an Inghamite Chapel. The rest of it is before my time.

Plaques, wrinkled and worn as I am, it was before my time too.....but then I wasn't a local anyway. People tell me that the original Inghamite chapel was very close but in two cottages that still exist.

I must admit to being an off cumden myself plus an extra ten years of what is sometimes referred to as fibrosis of the skin. No doubt you've talked to Darren at the library. He is very good on Colne history.

The old Inghamite chapel at Salterforth. Replaced in the 1930's by the existing chapel built by Briggs and Duxbury. Harold describes being Clerk of Works on the building, his first big job in his transcripts on the LTP.

plaques wrote:I must admit to being an off cumden myself plus an extra ten years of what is sometimes referred to as fibrosis of the skin. No doubt you've talked to Darren at the library. He is very good on Colne history.

Yes, Darran has been involved in the search at times. He has been off sick for a while and I'm not sure if he will still be at Colne once all the staff move around in February. (They all had to reapply for their jobs before Xmas).

I have an article in my head about the library closures...... It will be a rant! Why should long-serving good people have to 're-apply for their jobs'?? It's an absolute disgrace and of course I don't blame the councils.....

My dad was given an expensive watch when he completed 25 years service, now they give you a form to re-apply for your job!