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Ashworth
Ashworth maps
Historic maps of Ashworth and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Ashworth maps
Ashworth photos
We have no photos of Ashworth, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Norden| Heywood| Rochdale| Castleton| Bury| Whitworth| Ramsbottom| Tottington| Holcombe| Edenfield| Stacksteads| Waterfoot| Littleborough| Bacup| Shaw| Chadderton| Helmshore| Prestwich| Haslingden| Walsden| Oldham
Ashworth area books
Displaying 1 of 17 books about Ashworth and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Ashworth
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Lancashire memories
Learning to Bell Ring
I learned to bell ring with Brian Heginbottom in the 50s. After many years of the bells not ringing we were able to repair the the bell room and the bells and rang for the millennium, they are now rang every Sunday, they have a practice night every Tuesday, anyone interested should contact Myles Hargreaves at the church.
My Favourite Place
I was christenedin St John's Church. My parents were marries there, as were my two uncles. I was born at 8 Meadow Cottages and my life-long friend Mavis Ellis (nee Lock) was born next door but one to me. I lived with my grandma and grandad, Hannah and Walter Ufton. At some time in the 1920s my great-grandmother lived at Meadow Cottages also. Most of my uncles and aunties attended St John's School as I did for a short time. I was there when the two Miss Smiths were teaching there. I had a wonderful childhood. At aged nine due to family circumstances I had to leave. I have returned many times to Facit because it is a very special place and means so much to me. I was there last, in October 2009, visiting my very good friend Mavis and paying my usual cisit to Facit cemetery to my my grandparents, and my auntie and uncle, both of who lived in Whitworth and Facit. That last visit was very special to... Read more
Happy Days
I was born in Shuttleworth and have happy memories.I went to St John's church and was in the choir. I was Rose Queen at the age of 7 (not quite sure on my age then but it is close enough). I also remember Saturday nights when we went to the dance, I remember watching my mum and dad waltz round the hall, they danced so lovely. I was in some shows we had in the Sunday School, I was once a dwarf, what a laugh we all had with that. I remember with love the vicar Mr Robinson,what a lovely man he was, when he left the church in Shuttleworth there was a big party for him and I remember everyone was in tears that night ..
My time in Shuttleworth was so happy which I will always remember with affection, not only growing up with all my lovely family but with all the friends I had ..
Smallbridge And All That
The place name comes from a narrow bridge over a stream that forms the boundary between Rochdale and Wardle on Halifax Road, by The Red Lion pub as it was then. Folk who lived in Smallbridge were once called "Sandknockers" apparently from a family called Kitter who knocked the local stone to sand to spread on floors.
We lived on the main road opposite the Congregational church with Kitter Street at the end of our row. My Dad was a cobbler - intially a clogger till shoes became more affordable. In those days you could buy practically everything you needed within about 300 yards from Buckley Lane to Wardle Road, excepting things like clothes, furniture etc, things that you only bought once in a Blue Moon. Now there are no shops at all in Samallbridge.
As a pre-teen us kids could always eat more than we got, not that we were starved. There was no such thing among my friends of refusing food at any time. I... Read more
Around Rochdale
I enjoyed reading Peter Butterworth's memories of Smallbridge. I went to the same school( Halifax Rd), 1937-44. My name then was Sylvia Higgin (now married to Stanley Rudman - since 1959). My younger brother, Trevor Higgin, also went to the same school, and we lived on Albert Royds St. My memories of those days are still strong and vivid. The area then was more rural than now. I remember the beautiful bluebell wood down Buckley Lane. I also remember many of the boys and girls who were in my class at school, including an Amy Butterworth. Later we moved to Syke and I was a pupil at Greenhill, the girls' grammar school in Rochdale. Since I retired I have found that my father's family were farmers in the Burnley area (Cliviger) from the 17th century. He always said, 'Don't confuse Higgin and Higgins!'
Childhood Memories 1950 Onwards.
I was born in 1948 and we moved to Irwell Vale (Bowker Street) in 1949. We moved again onto Hardsough Terrace when I was five years old. I lived and worked in Irwell Vale until 1972. The village had a Co-op, a Methodist Church and chip shop/grocer’s shop (owned by the McDowell family), which was on the corner of Bowker Street. The shops were used by the villagers, as in those days not many people had cars and the main towns were not easily accessible as there was no train station in Irwell Vale then.
The red brick building adjacent to the Church was a canteen for the mill workers.
I remember the streets being decorated with bunting to celebrate the Queen’s accession to the throne.
The village was owned by the Dewhurst family, who also owned the local cotton mill (Thomas Aitken & Sons). John Dewhurst – commonly known as J.D. was the owner along with his sons, Geoffrey and Tom. Both of my parents worked... Read more
