View Towards Holcombe

A Memory of Ramsbottom.

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 The tower was erected in memory of Sir Robert Peel who repealed the Corn Laws in about 1846.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.