OneGuyFromBarlick

Bob King in NZ with his daughters by his first marriage. Good man Bob.....

I tripped over this letter this morning. Bruce was probably the best guard dog ever and there were some good stories about him. Bob got him from the RAF who had trained him as a guard dog but considered him a bit too savage. They only let Bob have him when he had proved he could control him. Nobody could enter the mill in a morning until Bob turned up to bring him out. During the fire bug times a police dog handler ignored warnings and went in to inspect the mill. He came out in short order with torn trousers and informed everyone that the dog was beyond control and should be shot! Luckily Bob turned up and saved the day.

Richard Bell delivering milk from the kit in Thornton in Craven. Date unknown but certainly 19th century.

Ghyll Bellringers on Barnoldswick Town Square with a mobile peal during their fundraising for new bells at St Mary Le Gill.

Pardon the pun; Three Mares...

Allan Buck on Mayor's Sunday in 2007 with horse drawn carriage at Ghyll Church.

Impressive turnout!



Not Barlick but a contrast to what has happened here at Gill. This is the belfry at All Saints Hamer, Rochdale in 1987. The bells were being removed and sold if I remember rightly. I think Loughborough bought them.

I wonder how many people realise that what used to be the Pigeon Club was originally the first National School in Barlick.

An unforgotten corner now that new owners are carrying out repairs; the main building at the gas works. Old pointing has been hacked out and the frontage was sandblasted yesterday.

David - I should know where that building is but could you let me know please? And do we know what is it going to be? Thanks.

Richard Broughton

Richard it's on Skipton Road opposite the junction with Wellhouse Road. The old Gas Works buildings, my Uncle Bob, (Robert Lambert) used to have his building and joinery works based there until the early 80's, it's been used for all sorts since they shut down.

Not sure what use the new owners intend for the building. The former use was offices and as a dance studio. But, under the previous owners, the building was going to rack and ruin and the front section was mainly empty.

Gas works and corn mill in 1963 (and the Co-op slaughter house). I think the building being refurbished would be built when the Barnoldswick Gas Company bought the gas works from the Bracewell Estate in 1887. Either them or the Urban District when they bought the gasworks a bit later. It will be a good building. The first gas was from the plant at Bracewell's Wellhouse Mill but he saw the opportunity and had got the new plant in production when he died.

Which buildings are the slaughter house? Off West Close, what is now B&J garage?

When the gasworks offices and showroom were built, they incorporated an existing building at their northern end. This was Barlicks first "Drill Hall" for the Dukes Cadets and was built around 1860 when the Cadet movement first came here. Later it was also home the St. John Ambulance and was where they were based when the Rohilla tragedy occurred.

Not sure whether the garage was part of the Co-op complex but probably so because it was all built in Accrington red brick (NORI), the building pointed out to me as the original slaughter house was the complex to the right which at one time was Garlick's workshop.



Hidden behind the gas holder, the square brick chimney at what used to be Barrett's Steam laundry in 1963.

Where Garlicks used to be was the Co-op stables when I was kid, the original one being at the bottom of Walmsgate.

Click to enlarge and look how things have changed in the Valley Road/Havre Park area since 1963.

This was in Salford in 1979 but can you remember the days when milk chaps (and lasses) swarmed round the streets in the early hours?

We have the milkman bring our milk, and he turns up anytime between 3 and 4am. As do his competitors. I was pleasantly surprised how common it was round here for the milkman to deliver. Most folk on our street seem to have delivery and there's plenty of them indicator things telling them how many pints they want today. We used to have the milkman in London, but the beggar had never turned up by 8am when the last one had left leaving the milk out all day, so we stopped it.

Richard Broughton

The farmer-retailers were the last people who delivered us fresh, raw milk and we've forgotten how good it tasted. Very safe after TT milk was brought in (Tuberculin tested). These men got a better profit on their milk of course and were the customers for the best Scotch heifers and this raised the standard of cattle all over the NW of England. The switch to supermarkets ruined this trade and cows became milk machines instead of things of beauty.



L to R. John Henry Pickles (farm man at Yew Tree for Richard), ? who was farm man at Demesne for David Drinkall. Richard Drinkall, Yew Tree, West Marton whom I worked for. David Lister of Burley in Wharfedale who was our calf salesman. David Drinkall of Demesne, Giburn. SG. This was Gargrave Show 1970.

Nancy Hartley used to deliver our milk when I was a lad; sometimes, she'd give me a lift to school at Gisburn Road. How's that for service?

Thinking of daily deliveries. The entrance to the coal yard from Station Road in 1892. The coal yard was operating until the railway closed, bagging coal into one hundredweight bags and delivering to the door.

Coates Wharf was another major coal delivery point mainly for the mills where boatloads of coal came in to be trans-shipped and delivered by horse and cart. You can still see the foundation of the crane that stood here. Rolls used it as a coal store for Bankfield right up to the modernisation of the boilers by the change over to gas.

The stone wharf at Hatter's Bridge which served Park Close Quarry to which it was connected by a tramway. The wharf at the Anchor Inn was the main coal wharf for the surrounding area and, until the arrival of the railway, the mills in Salterforth and Earby as well. You have to get your head round the fact that despite the fact you have to go up a steep hill to Barlick, the canal here at Salterforth is on the same level as Coates wharf!