You are here:
Great Eccleston
Great Eccleston photos
Displaying the first of 7 old photos of Great Eccleston. View all Great Eccleston photos
Great Eccleston maps
Historic maps of Great Eccleston and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Great Eccleston maps
Great Eccleston area books
Displaying 1 of 16 books about Great Eccleston and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Great Eccleston
No memories of Great Eccleston have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Great Eccleston
or of a photo of Great Eccleston.
Lancashire memories
St Michaels on Wyre
My dad had a cousin who was Vicar at St Michaels on Wyre during the 1945 - 55 era. His name, Raymond Bell. As a child visiting his parents in Wray, near Hornby during the Second World War years I only met Raymond once. His parents, Rev Alfred Bell and Edith Bell and sister Eileen were in Wray for many years. Raymond sadly died in St Michaels while working in his garden, so I believe. I married and moved to Canada but had no contact with his mother or sister who had moved to a retirement cottage near Lancaster Cathedral, Eileen was in Calderstones hospital near Blackburn as she had a disability. This was a sad story as from what I did hear, Raymond committed suicide. If anyone knows of the family I would appreciate contact. My parents are long gone and I am trying to trace some of the family tree.
How Inskip Has Changed so Little
I have lived in Inskip most of my life, it is a nice little village that has changed very little in the past 32 years of my life. My parents have lived in Inskip over 30 years and my nanna a lot longer. The changes I have noticed are a few more houses, the loss of our shop and post office, and HMS Inskip has changed hands.
Growing up in Catforth
I was born in Catforth. We lived at Lilac Cottage next to the shop. My parents were Ruth and Frank Carter. Dad worked at Barons as a delivery driver. I have an older sister called Rebecca and an older brother called Roger. I grew up in Catforth and lived there from 1961 until I married in 1982. I attended St Roberts school until it closed down [there was only 12 pupils including myself and my brother attending] and then we went to Catforth primary school on School Lane. It was a wonderful place to live and I have many happy memories of the being there
Shovels Inn - 1952 to 1971
My grandparents, John & Betty Whiteside, were Landlord & Landlady of The Shovels Inn 1952-1971. I was born in 1955 and clearly remeber the pub as it was then, before they tore down walls! The old men of the village taught me how to play dominoes in one of the little rooms that used to be off the main bar. As you walked through the door there used to be an open fire on the right with the dartboard above it. On the photograph, on the extreme right, just outlined against the white building, you can see the petrol pump which was used to fill the charabancs that used to call at the pub on day trips to the Over Wyre area.
Splashing Through The Ford
We moved from Preston to Garstang in 1960. My sister and I aged 12 and 13, used to cycle all the lanes around Garstang, the Fylde, the Trough of Bowland etc. Once, when we cycled through this ford, my sister who was ahead whizzed through with feet up near the handlebars, creating a bow wave like a curtain of water. I followed more sedately grinning sheepishly at the couple sat on the wall you can see at the side of the ford. They were having a picnick and looking startled and damp. Around the corner my sister had turned around to go back for another go. She hadn't seen the picnickers. I shouted turn around and pedal for your life. We zoomed up the road forking right onto the track through Nicky Nook.
The ford is now piped and Throstle Nest Farm in the background is now a group of rather expensive houses.
Bilsborrow Hall Garden
My great grandfather Thomas Bryce (Born 1869) was employed as a gardener at Bilsborrow Hall. He and his family lived in the Lodge at the end of the lane. If anyone has any information please contact me via this board.. Many thanks
ECCLES FAMILY HISTORY
My great-grandfather, Joseph Eccles, built Bilsborrow Hall. He owned a number of cotton mills in Preston and played cricket for Lancashire. I have just started to look into our family history and will hopefully be able to post more comments later. Thank you for your memory Best wishes Peter Eccles
