Memories of Ramsbottom

Peel Brow

Peel Brow was laid out in 1789. It links Ramsbottom on the west bank of the River Irwell with the districts of Shuttleworth on the east bank. It joined the Bury-Haslingden turnpike, now the A56. It was built in phases. The OS map for 1890 shows houses at the bottom end but not at the top. Some of the houses nearest the camera were demolished in the 1960s and 70s to make way for the M66 motorway.
I lived in the road for 19 years and went to the local primary school just off the picture to the right. The shop on the right hand side was a general grocers run by Mr & Mrs Kenna. There were other shops further down: a butchers (Taylors), a grocer (Browns), a fish & chip shop, a bakers (Beswicks) and a plumbers. Further up the Brow was a hardware shop run by Mrs Fish who had a bungalow opposite.
As can be seen from the picture people did not have cars, nor did they have telephones. The only cars belonged to Mr & Mrs Fish and to Mr & Mrs Cryer who ran a haulage business. They were the only ones I can remember having telephones. The area was part of Ramsbottom Urban District but that was disolved in 1974 and the area became part of Bury Metropolitan District.
All the houses had coal fires and coal was delivered by the sack ful to the back yard gates. This meant lots of smoke and smog in winter.
The road dips steeply in the distance and could be very dangerous in winter with ice and snow. I used to walk up and down each day as I later went to school in Haslingden and caught the train at the bottom of the Brow. It felt very steep at night with a bag full of school books.
As children we played in the street and in the fields at the back of the houses. There was almost no traffic so it was safe. There were some delivery vehicles: the milkmen came round each day. One milkman used a horse and cart until well into the 1950s. Other tradesmen delivered bread, groceries, hardware, paraffin and pop on a regular weekly basis.
Everyone knew each other and I can still name most of the people who lived in the top 6 terraces. Many had family in Peel Brow. I had my grandmother, two aunts and uncles and two great aunts. At the bottom of the Brow was Patmos Methodist Chapel. In those days many families attended church on Sunday and joined in church activities during the week.

View towards Holcombe

This is a view from the east side of the valley looking towards Holcombe Hill and the Peel Monument. The tower was erected in memory of Sir Robert Peel who repealed the Corn Laws in about 1846. The hill is a favourite local walk especially on Good Friday. Trains used to run from Manchester as far as Holcombe Brook at the foot of the hill and thousands used to enjoy the day. The railway to Holcombe Brook closed and for a few years the event was less popular but now it has been revived. The buildings in the foreground are part of what was Peel Brow School. In the 1950s it was in two parts: Peel Brow County Secondary School and Peel Brow Primary School. Mr Vernon Booth (Dinky) was the Head of the Primary School for many years. Rhodes Boyson, who later became a Conservative MP and Minister, was Head of the Secondary Modern School for a while. The mill chimneys show that manufacturing was still important in those days and they often contributed to the smog and poor visibility. Probably this photograph was taken during Wakes week in early July when the mills closed.

River Irwell

This is the weir on the River Irwell where it swings round and is bridged by the road up to Peel Brow. The mills on the right are on Kenyon Street. There were cotton weaving mills, towel mills and soap works. The Church spire is St. Paul's Church. I used to go past here everyday on my way to the railways station to catch the train to school in Haslingden. Sometimes the river was very low and a bit smelly and at other times it was a raging torrent. Just a little further down stream the river skirts round what was Ramsbottom Paper Mill, where my father worked, and on past Ramsbottom Cricket Club at Acre Bottom.