Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire

Accrington as I recall

We moved to Accrington fom Whalley 10th December 1941. I remember it because Syd Ashmeed and his band was broadcasting that day and Ronnie Brooks was the drummer and I wanted to listen to the broadcast but as we were moving I missed it. I started work at Howard & Bulloughs in April 1941 as an apprentice mechanic in the milling room, but after a year I asked for a transfer to the tool room. George Crawshaw was the foreman. I was in Bulloughs Home Guard and did our guard duty in Fountain St. We lived in Buxton St and one Saturday night a shop window was broken on Charter St, I believe that happened for three Saturday nights, when they caught the culprit he said 'that he liked the sound of tinkling glass'. We used to go dancing on Saturday night up the Con, sometimes to Madam Buts, then when Bulloughs opened the Social Club we went there, that is where I met my wife. A friend of mine, Joe Chappel, was a very good pianist but couldn't read music, he had a good ear for it and he performed many times in the Princess Theatre on Sunday nights when Bulloughs used to put on shows. My friends were a little older than me and we used to go to what we knew as the little boys pub (I believe it was the Hynburn Inn), we were all underaged, I remember going dancing in the Catholic Church Hall a few times on a Sunday night and the Catholic Monsiegnor stood in the middle of the dance floor so we had to dance round him. We used to go to the pictures and saw a picture, news reel, cartoon, and the big picture for 1 shilling & 6 pence. The Hippodrome had live shows and I believe there were 6 Cinemas in Accrington, Kings Hall, Palace, Empire, Princess, Regal, & the Ritz. We enjoyed Oakhill Park on a Sunday afternoon or walking up to the Shoulder of Mutton and around the 5 arches. Another enjoyable walk was up the Coppice. Although the war was on we made the best of it and had good times. When I was 21, having completed my apprenticeship, I became a tool maker and started to earn journeymans pay. I was conscripted and joined the REME in June 1946. After I came out of the Army we moved to North East Yorkshire. We came to Canada in 1957 but my wife having sisters in Accrington we have been back many times. I enjoyed working at H&B and I have looked for pictures of it but have not found any and I believe that a lot of it has been demolished

Mrs Kilshaw

I remember the creaky stairs and stodgy atmosphere of Central Preparatory so well, even though it's now 44 years since I last heard the sterling tones of Mrs Kilshaw resounding through the classroom.
Miss Backhouse was my personal favourite: a gentle, caring teacher who had the patience others seemed to lack.
I still live locally (Ossy) and occasionally wander round the area where the noble old building that began my experiences of the world of British education once stood. So much has changed of the Accrington I knew then and having moved back after 35 years away - in Scotland and Cheshire - it's nice to know that others have soothing and happy memories of Central Prep.

Sacred Heart Church

This is Sacred Heart RC Church, in Accrington.  It has now been demolished.  I have many great memories and some not so great from this sacred place.  I felt like I had to share this info, with you when I saw this picture.  When the church was being knocked down there was a last service mass held and it was a ticket only event.  I couldn't go on that evening and therefore missed it.
The church holds many memories for all of my family.  My mum and dad were married at the church as were her seven sisters.  Every week in Sunday best marching with my Nanna picking up all of my cousins along the way, to 11 o'clock mass.  My mum and dad were married here and so was every one of my mum's seven sisters.  Myself and my cousins were all christened at this church, and we all made our 1st communions and confessions here.  My grandparents' funeral services were conducted from this church.  Anyway I was working one Saturday morning and I only worked 1 in 4, and finished at lunch.  I decided to walk home rather than get the bus into town.  As I walked along Blackburn Road, I could see a group of men stood at the steps at the entrance to the church.  As I went past one of them looked down on me and nodded and smiled, they were locking the doors.  I asked what was going on and the gentleman said that it was the last time for the committee to pray inside the church as the alter was being transferred to Italy, then demolition work would start later that day. He asked me if I wanted to quickly go and say a few prayers.  I was very emotional after, the thoughts of three generations of my family connection to the church, and when I came outside the gentleman took my hand and said 'You're a very special girl today, you're the very last person to pray in the church', and he locked the door.  I will never forget the strangest but complete feeling as I walked home that day.  I never saw the man again but I thank him for letting me say goodbye.        
Also another very true fact with regard to this church is that Father Dean Desmond was the resident priest for the parish for many, many years and he dropped dead of a heart attack one day whilst conducting a funeral service.   

Central Prep School

I was a pupil at this school until about 1960 when I went to the technical school. I have fond memories of the headmistress and her blue-rinse hair do. Whilst I was there Miss Cauldfield left and a Miss Hackwood (hope this is correct) took over. To a child's eyes it all seemed to change.