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Books > Heart of Lancashire Photographic Memories
Accrington, Market Hall 1897 (ref. 40117) | Here we see a close-up view of the Market Hall with its imposing front and large statues mounted over the entrance. There was a corn market in Accrington as far back as the 16th century. This Market Hall was opened on 23 October 1868 by Samuel Dugdale, Chairman of the local Board of Health. It contained 80 permanent stalls and shops, plus 23 lock-ups in the basement, served by lifts, for the use of the stall-holders. Market days were Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. Early closing day was Wednesday. |  Add your own Memory
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Accrington, Blackburn Road 1899 (ref. 43496) | This photograph was taken from outside the Market Hall looking down Blackburn Road towards its junction with Abbey Street. Boots & David Lewis had led the way by being cash-only shops; by 1899, the trend of negotiating over a reduction in the marked price had almost died out. Here we see a Cash Clothing shop on the left, with its 'ready money bargains' piled high in the windows. 'Drink Altham's 2/4d Tea', proclaims the banner further down the street. | Add your own Memory
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Accrington, Cottage Hospital 1899 (ref. 43505) | The need for Cottage Hospitals was great a century ago, but with the advent of more advanced equipment and specialised nursing, these cottage hospitals, like the isolation hospitals, closed down. Accrington Victoria Hospital took the place of this building, and later a lot of the services were moved to Burnley General Hospital. | Add your own Memory
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Accrington, Blackburn Road c1915 (ref. A19004) | The railway line to Huncoat and Burnley crosses the road here. There was at one time another line down to Rawtenstall, joining what is now the East Lancashire Preserved Railway. As well as having three railway lines, the town also had three turnpike roads. They were the Whalley to Manchester Road (1790), now Abbey Street; the Blackburn Road (1826-7); and the road to Burnley (1838). | Add your own Memory
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Accrington, Blackburn Road c1955 (ref. A19013) | It is interesting to compare this photograph with picture No 40116 on pages 70 to 71, which was taken from nearly the same spot, but 50 years earlier. The street is still cobbled, but the tram lines have gone. Our 'Cash Clothing' shop is now just an ordinary shop (next to the Savoy Cafe on the right). It looks like a good solid Silver Cross pram parked outside the tobacconist's on the left of our photograph. | Add your own Memory
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Accrington, Blackburn Road 1897 (ref. 40116) | Blackburn Road is at the very heart of the town. The first building on the right is the Market Hall, and next to that, in the centre of our photograph, is the Town Hall. | Add your own Memory
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Adlington, Market Street c1955 (ref. A338008) | A bread delivery van and some local traffic make Adlington look busy. The name of the village comes from an Old English personal name, Aethel, meaning 'a noble friend'. | Add your own Memory
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Bacup, St James Street 1961 (ref. B588050) | At this time, local industry was closing down; Bacup, which was off the beaten track, was looking for residents to commute to work in Burnley, Manchester or other towns. The town stands on the young River Irwell, in the Rossendale Valley - the name Bacup means 'in the valley by the bridge'. Bacup is the home of the famous Britannia Coconut Dancers. The whole area was also famous for the manufacture of slippers. | Add your own Memory
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Barnoldswick, Tubber Hill c1920 (ref. B589004) | Barnoldswick is pronounced 'Barlick' by the locals. This is another village that has moved with boundary changes. It has been in Yorkshire longer than in Lancashire, but Lancashire is where it is now - so we can include it. Do not shout too loud about it, though, as there are many locals who would rather it were back across the border. Tubber Hill is on the outskirts of Barnoldswick; running alongside it is part of the Roman road which once went from Preston to York. | Add your own Memory
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Barnoldswick, Church Street 1952 (ref. B589011) | Church Street leads down to St. Mary-le-Gill church. It was built around 1160 on the edge of the town by Cistercian monks, who found the natives not very friendly when they tried to establish an abbey here in 1147. The Commercial Hotel can be seen on the left, with two local men passing the time of day. Savage's and Burton's Menswear shop are on the right, and there is a cafe further up the street. | Add your own Memory
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Barnoldswick, the Locks c1955 (ref. B589007) | Barnoldswick grew once the Leeds-Liverpool canal arrived around 1812. The local textile industry blossomed, and people moved into the village from the surrounding areas to work in the new mills. Quarries sprang up, and jobs were created. Here we see a section of the canal at Greenberfield Locks, just before it enters the town. This is the highest point that the canal reaches. The revival in pleasure boats on the canals has brought back a lot of life to the area. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, the Market and Town Hall 1894 (ref. 34307) | Here we have a busy and bustling view of Northgate. The Town Hall did not need or get a clock, because the Market Hall had the town's clock on a free-standing tower in front of it. The Market Hall and its tower are on the right of our picture, and the square, solid Town Hall is at the side of it. The Market House, as it was called, opened on 28 January 1848. It opened every day except Sunday, and was famous for stalls selling black puddings and sarsparilla. Unfortunately, the old Market House and Clock Tower were cleared away in the 1960s when the new Market Hall opened. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Market 1894 (ref. 34306) | Blackburn had two markets, the indoor market and an open air one, held every Wednesday and Saturday, when this photograph was taken. Friday was later added to the open market days. Our photograph shows the open market in New Market Street. Here we see the Market Hall (or House) from the rear, and we can also see the back of the Town Hall; its 20ft-high wall guards a courtyard. It was the Market Square that hosted the Blackburn Fair, which was held by Charter every Easter Monday, and then on 11 and 12 May, and also the Winter Fair every 17 October. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Corporation Park 1895 (ref. 35729) | Blackburn possessed six parks, but Corporation Park was the one laid out on clear Victorian lines. Sixty acres were transformed with terraced walks, as we see here. A magnificent palm house, lake and conservatory were also part of this lovely park. Over 60,000 people turned up to see it opened on 23 October 1857. The making of the park provided work for many of the unemployed cotton workers. Notice that every single person in our photograph, from the youngest to the oldest, is wearing a hat. Top hats, boaters, bowlers, billy cocks and bonnets - they are all here. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Sudell Cross 1895 (ref. 35726) | The shops behind the big lamp in the centre of the road are interesting. Next to the draper's shop on the left is Walmsley's Stationers and Bookshop. The large window proudly proclaims that they have a Bible and Prayer Book Department. The horse-drawn tram heads off towards the Town Hall. The Sudell family can be traced back to the reign of Edward VI. They owned land in Blackburn and out at Oozebooth. The family built a large town house on King Street. They also built a large warehouse, and Sudell Court and Sudell's Yard appeared round it. Henry Sudell, the last of the family to live in Blackburn, enclosed Woodfold Park, and built the Hall there. He also bought the manorial rights at Mellor. For all his money (he was a millionaire by 1815), he was a very fair employer, and averted a troublesome strike in August 1818 by agreeing to a 5% rise in wages. In 1827 he lost thousands in overseas trade, and was forced into bankruptcy. He paid his creditors over 19/- in the pound, but they never forgave him; he moved to Bath to live in retirement. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Salford Bridge 1899 (ref. 43476) | Salford was an area of Blackburn; the name derives from 'salix (willow tree) ford'. This is where the old pack horse trail to Accrington and the east crossed the River Blakewater in a shallow ford. It was always a bottleneck, and fifty years before our photograph one form of entertainment would be to sit on the low parapet of Salford Bridge, clay pipe in hand, and watch the farm carts fight their way over the bridge and on to the market. In 1882, under the Salford Improvement Act the 22ft-wide bridge was made 77ft-wide to eliminate this bottleneck, and the river was culverted for over 250ft. By the time our photograph was taken, the river was covered over for over 1,000ft, and Salford Bridge was technically 420ft-wide. We can see the Bay Horse Hotel on the right of our picture, with just the single word Salford on the road sign above the window. The Royal Commercial Hotel can be seen behind it. The river is still there today, running under Penny Street and Salford. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Exchange 1899 (ref. 43478) | Here we see the grand facade of the Blackburn Exchange & Reading Room, which opened in April 1865. It was known later as the Cotton Exchange. The building, at least the front, is still there today, and is a cinema. Blackburn had had three local newspapers by the time the Reading Room opened. The 'Blackburn Mail' started in 1793; the 'Blackburn Alfred' newspaper was first published in 1832; and the 'Blackburn Times' was first issued on 2 June 1855. We can just make out the advertisement for Whittle Spring Noted Ales to the right of the main door. The spring at Whittle le Woods was known to have healing properties, and when it was made into beer and stout it was said to be good for arthritis and other ailments. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Corporation Park 1923 (ref. 74052) | Here we see the entrance lodge to Corporation Park. No expense was spared in the making of the park and its lodge. The Borough coat of arms and its motto, 'Arte et Labore', is cut into the stone, along with the name of the park over the entrance arch. In the 1950s over 35% of jobs in Blackburn were in engineering, 20% in textiles, and the rest in paper, beer and plastics. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Public Hall & Sessions House 1923 (ref. 74070) | Blackburn's Public Hall opened in 1923. The Sessions House is just beyond it on the right. Now called King George's Hall, it is still one of the centres of entertainment in Blackburn. | Add your own Memory
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Blackburn, Queens Park Lake 1923 (ref. 74051) | Here we see an almost deserted Queen's Park, with just one customer for a rowing boat on the park's lake. The park opened on 20 June 1887 in Queen Victoria's Jubilee year. | Add your own Memory
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