William Hopwood Street

A Memory of Blackburn.

Me and my mates had so much freedom to "play out". We all lived around William Hopwood Street in them days. I'd just left Audley Secondary Modern School, to begin an apprenticeship at Foster Yates & Thom, (Dad & brother worked there too). Met my first serious girlfriend, her dad was a cobbler and clog maker on nearby Audley Range. We danced our weekends away at the 'Mecca' in Peter Street (not in clogs!). Looking at your photos it now takes me back to seeing how nice a place Blackburn was, with its fine buildings and down to earth people. I visited Blackburn last week (Nov. 2010). William Hopwood Street is still there, our old terraced house is long gone, there is a Medical Centre where our 'back yard' used to be! My sister still lives in Shakeshaft Street. I always thought it was 'posh', because it had a 'bay' window (not so in William Hopwood Street!). Blackburn has gone through tremendous changes since last I lived there. I emigrated to Australia in 1964, when I returned it had become so multicultural, and didn`t feel like Blackburn any more. I couldn`t see any Skiffs or Tubs that we used to row on Queens Park Lake. The Locarno is now a Bingo Hall. Looking back to 1960 and previous to that year when my sisters & brothers used to go dancing at 'King George's' and 'Tony's', I realise what a lucky lad I had been to be growing up at that time in a town so full of history. My wife and I were married at Blacburn Registery office in 1971, and we moved from Blackburn in 1973. Sometimes I have a wish to go back 'home' but somehow I don't think it will happen.
Cheers,
Dennis Godfrey.

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