FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[chinatyke]

What a monstrous extension, totally out of keeping with the neighbouring cottages. Whoever was responsible for passing the planning application should be taken out and shot at dawn. It's disgraceful. No wonder the house next door is up for sale.

[Stanley]

Club Row at Town Head. Another example of housing built cooperatively, this time by the Barnoldswick Friendly Society. They included a shop at the top end, a very common example of the provision of services to housing.
These cottages were scheduled for demolition in the 'improvements' of the late 1950s but escaped and are now desirable residences!

[Stanley]

I've often commented on this forgotten corner but it's well worth remembering because it was an integral part of the town before the rise of the supermarkets and on-line shopping. Club Row and its integrated shop reminded me of the old concept of the corner shop. It was very common for someone with capital to build a row of houses as an investment for rental income in old age in an era where there was no state provision beyond the workhouse and this one in Hill Street is a good example. The shop gave employment to the landlord's wife and family as well as extra income. It also meant that s source of food was in easy reach of neighbours. Often you would find that on such a row one house was built slightly larger and with better build for the landlord and his family. My daughter lives in just such a house on Water Street in Earby. If you keep your eyes open you will find many examples, all of which are now dwellings.

[PanBiker]

My first house, a gable end property on York Street was a former shop and still had the frontage when we bought it in 1975. We got a grant from the council towards the cost of conversion back to a normal front room. Remember helping with the install of the RSJ's before the frontage could be removed and rebuilt. I had the electric meter re-sited to the outside front wall at the same time as the rebuild.

Here it is from Google Earth

[Stanley]

A good example Ian. Here's the main Co-op in Cooperative Street before the owner had the old fix torn out and replaced with matching stonework.

[Stanley]

The new frontage of the shop in Cooperative Street as it is now.

[PanBiker]

Looks a lot better, the stone on my frontage rebuild was up cycled from Bethesda Baptist Chapel, built the low range in the front room and fireplace in the back from it as well. I bet none of that internal handiwork is there now.

[Tizer]

I wasn't sure where to put this but as the image is of a Barlick map I thought it might be best here. The British Geological Survey (BGS) have made their geological maps of Britain available for free viewing online and they can be zoomed in to show great detail. I've made a screen shot of one zoomed in on Barlick. This is the Clitheroe map and the link is: BGS Clitheroe map. To see other areas the map index page is here: BGS map index For Scotland there is a separate web site. When you open the map online you'll find the key for the colours around the edges of the map. Happy viewing!

[Stanley]

Interesting map Tiz, I've bookmarked the site. That pattern in the features striking SW to NE is the Craven Fault. Limestone to the north and predominantly Millstone Grit to the south. Barlick in the 19th century was a very active quarry town and exported a lot of stone to Lancashire; limestone because they were short of that and very hard wearing gritstone road setts. None at all now.......

[Stanley]

As the structure of shopping changes and advances in technology make some trades redundant we see a gradual refining of what a small trader can offer to the public in order to make a living. Time was when we supported general haberdashery shops, a tailor, a good ironmonger, a tin smith and multiple food shops including the corner shops. I can remember when there were three newsagents on Frank Street and Rainhall Road.
Today their place has been taken by nail bars, boutiques, general stores selling lifestyle items and of course the all pervasive betting shops, fast food joints and charity shops.
There are quite a lot of shops empty in the town as it is and unless we support the local traders the trend will get worse. It isn't hard to imagine a future where the only place for essentials and food will be the supermarkets. I don't want that, I want choice and personal service. So the message is support your local traders! If you don't use it you will loose it!

[Stanley]

When the demolition of the central Co-op in Albert Road was announced I was against it but I was wrong, the creation of Town Square was a brilliant idea and it's an asset to the town. This is what we can save by using it!

[Stanley]

Carr's printers at Coates Mill in 1985. Norman Fullalove ran a very successful business but after he retired his sons expanded and moved into Calf Hall where they failed a few years later unexpectedly. That was the end of a very successful business and such a shame.

[Stanley]

Eventually Coates New Mill went the way of all old buildings. I haven't been up there for a while, has it been built on yet?

[PanBiker]

You must have not been up there for quite some time Stanley. This is Brindley Mews built about 3 years ago and completed 2016.

[Julie in Norfolk]

Just looking back to the recycling of stone, one of the last times I was in Nelson, my dad told me that he was responsible for the re-use of stone when he worked at the Town Hall. He remembered where the stone came from but much to my chagrin, I can't remember that, and we were looking at where the stone went to.

[Stanley]

You're right Ian, I haven't and I must have missed it when I went to Skipton to arrange my funeral.....



The mill from the canal tow path in 1978 for comparison.

[PanBiker]

Got hooked on fishing right there. Caught my first fish a small Perch when on my first fishing trip out with my brother, I was seven years old. Been fishing on and off ever since, still have the tackle for when the mood takes me.

[Stanley]

I've never got on with fishing Ian. The biggest thing I ever had on a hook was a large, very ugly fish off the rocks near the watermill on Eigg, luckily it escaped. I have never seen anything as frightening face to face in my life. God knows what it was but it had teeth! I'm not sure if it still applies but one time fishing was the biggest participation sport/activity in the UK.

[PanBiker]

Indeed it was Stanley not sure of the current status. From my point I have always practiced coarse fishing, could never afford the club/bank fees for fly fishing but can see the attraction of that method. Canal, river, lake, pond and reservoir, lots of sport to be had and different methods to explore and learn.

I used to fish the local club matches and had an odd highlights from time to time. Greenfield reservoir at Barrowford was a case in point. Five hour Sunday morning club match, I had 22lb of fish in the first 20mins and had to get the steward to weigh them so I could empty my net and continue. At the close of the match and the final weigh in I had 36lb, the bloke who was second had less than 1lb and the third place was ounces. I got first prize and scooped the pool running on the side which I had fortunately paid into, happy days, equivalent of about 3 weeks wages at the time.

Part of the attraction is that you can occupy some idyllic locations, relax and just observe the surroundings and wildlife, you don't necessarily need to catch anything to have a good day.

[Stanley]

Whitemoor reservoir during the drought of 2005.

[Nolic]

Greenfield Reservoir is not the most idyllic of locations Ian but hit it at the right time and in the right place and you could really bag up. Towards the end of one season in the early 1980's a mate and myself were fishing the canal bank side and bagged up on dustbin lid bream. By mid afternoon we had run out of ground bait to keep the fish feeding in front of us so Alan nipped home and came back with 2 loaves of bread from out of the freezer. We continued to bag up until it went dark and ended up with 3 keepnets full of bream and bream/roach hybrids. There would be close to 100lbs of fish between us.


The only match I ever won was a winter open on the canal at Burnley. I was drawn in front of a factory wall just below The Mitre. I found a hole near the wall that was full of fish and had 6.5 lbs at the end of the match and won. I was the only person not fishing with a pole.

Starting to get the urge just thinking about it. Nolic

[PanBiker]

Aye it gets you like that doesn't it! Best thing about my Greenfield coup was that I was pegged on the corner by the road. Two Colne lads, dad and lad actually, well known as probably the best pair on the match circuits were pegged either side of me. Effectively we were all fishing the same swim, they didn't get enough to even make 3rd (a decent gudgeon would have done it), but it was very gratifying watching them try.

Last time I was out on my bike we went down to the locks and there was a guy just off the side of the Winterburn feed, hot day and he wasn't catching much but I couldn't help thinking, should I? Maybe a plan for next Spring if they can sort me.

[Stanley]

Less aerobically demanding than your current sports Ian. Of course you could always build yourself a shed......
I mat a bloke in Barlick yesterday who I used to see regularly on Letcliffe. Our conversation was nice and reminded me of this man.



I value memories of friends and use their funeral cards for book markers so I am constantly reminded of them. Billy was a gent and we used to meet every day on Letcliffe. His family let me know when he died and I went to his funeral at Bracewell on 18th March 2016. If I remember right Ian gave me a lift down there. After the funeral several people came to me and told me how much they had enjoyed the obituary I wrote and my invention of the Wild Bunch.



The wild bunch in 2005. The conceit was that they were all ex-spooks and so had to preserve their anonymity. A good bunch, I know two are dead, Billy on the left and the bloke on the right who was very quiet and I can't remember his name. Is Eric Parker still alive? He was brother to Alan Parker who drove tankers with me at West Marton. I haven't seen either of them for a while.....

[PanBiker]

Less aerobically demanding than your current sports Ian. Of course you could always build yourself a shed......

I already have one Stanley but it's called a Shack in radio amateur land. I was thinking the other day that I haven't been on the air for a while, had a lot on anyway even before the proverbial hit the fan. Might be an idea to fire the station up to help along the enforced slow down.

[Stanley]

Sounds like a good plan!
Shortly after the war my dad took me to Denton one Sunday morning to see the owner of Kirby's garage. He had an enormous short wave radio setup over his garage and even then was talking to fellow hams all over the world. I remember being most impressed!