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Healey
Healey maps
Historic maps of Healey and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Healey maps
Healey photos
We have no photos of Healey, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Whitworth| Rochdale| Norden| Littleborough| Castleton| Heywood| Stacksteads| Bacup| Walsden| Waterfoot| Shaw| Edenfield| Todmorden| Ramsbottom| Bury| Lumbutts| Mankinholes| Denshaw| Delph
Healey area books
Displaying 1 of 17 books about Healey and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Healey
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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
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!'
Happy Days
I lived in Peel Terrace, Shawforth. I remember the maypole dancing in the street, the brass band playing, the steam trains, playing on the hills behind Rock View, going for walks past Gormless End. Also picking wild berries to make a berry pie, collecting bonfire wood, making treacle toffee and black peas and hot potatos and eating them round the bonfire. I have been back a few times but now I'm too old, I'm 70 now but am always thinking of my days at Shawforth. I am surprised there are not many photos of Shawforth on the internet.
Growing up
I moved to Shawforth from Rochdale around 1977 and grew up on Knott Hill Farm. It was an idyllic childhood, with lots of good friends. I remember at least 5 shops and a library and the Red Lion pub. We spent lots of time playing in the surrounding hills. Building dens was my favorite pastime but we did lots of other great stuff like collecting bonfire wood and building go carts with the wheels from a Silver Cross pram. I also remember the rush cart and Whitworth fair, and the youth club at the chapel. Shawforth was a great place to grow up. I loved it.
