Distant Memory

[Mr G]

Barlic was the Saturday destination for our family in the 60s. For my mam it was the Barmey Mix,as I recall it. A term I often heard from quite a few local housewives in referrence to the latest and greatest kind of shopping....the so called supermarket..a new thing !.
For us..myself, older brother and sister , It was an afternoon at the pictures with what seemed like every other kid in existence at the time. I look back and now believe it was just a place to drop off the kids while the parents went about their weekly endeavors. A place they could count on finding them near the end of the day. Then..back on the bus and back to Earby we went.
50 years has faded the memory..but definately not erased them.

[Stanley]

Morning 'G'. Earby was a funny place in the late 60s and through the 70s. I took an American colleague from Pendle Heritage down there one wet November evening at about 18:00 and he was amazed by the fact that the place seemed deserted. At that time it was going rapidly downhill but in the last twenty years it has improved wonderfully. So, no wonder the bright lights of Barmy Mick's was an attraction!

[Stanley]

Bumped

[Sunray10]

I think there was a shop called Barmy Mick's or Barmy Mix in Nelson. Can't remember much about the place. Did he sell shoes ?

[Stanley]

We had a lot of discussion about Barmy Mick on the old site but it doesn't seem to have been indexed yet. Has anyone found it?

[chinatyke]

Barmy Mick was a stall holder on Nelson open-air market. He sold all sorts of household and trinket items, anything he could get cheap and sell. His patter attracted lots of by-standers and he would start at some higher price "I'm not even going to ask you one pound, not even ten shillings, and it would be cheap at that, who'll give me five bob for this lovely unique pot elephant? One for you madam, and one for you sir, and one for the pretty lady at the back..."

So the stall was know as Barmy Mick's.

Brings back memories, paying the washing machine HP instalment at Loyds in Nelson Arcade and then mooching around the market on a Saturday morning.

Graham

[Stanley]

Good post Graham. Memories like that contribute so much to the site. Good social history and be sure that they get picked up by the bots and accessed by many people we never see. The site is still recovering from the forced change of portal and platform but will soon get back to the pre-change 20,000+ hits a day.

[Tizer]

[cloghopper]

Distant memories indeed. Does the Market Hall still exist in Nelson? I remember Barmy Micks alright, and the bus stands all around the outside. The Burnley bus via Higher Reedley Road and Marsden Road was my bus home after going to the Saturday afternoon 6d matinee. Also loved the old Bedford long nosed buses that used to do the run to Barley; if we were going to hike up Pendle Hill or walk from the stop to Roughlee.
cheers,
cloggy

[Whyperion]

If you Journey was before 1947 ( year , not time )


this would have been one of the Bedford OWBs of BCN Joint Transport Committee , a Bedford OWB ( one of 3 , ex Barley Omnibus Co ) , after 1947 two were replaced by the newer model of Bedford OB. Thanks to http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/bcnsociety/bcnjtc.htm for this picture link.

One of the later Bedford OBs is on flickr ( well a model I think from Pendle Forest Railway Soc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevindiggins/page7/

[Mr G]

Hello!

I neglected to introduce myself with my original post...(Distant Memory) for this ..I must apologize.However.. anonymity is a preference I'm. choosing .
I was born in Skipton and was moved to Earby as a young boy, before emigrating to Canada in the mid sixties...(a traumatic event for a child) , to be torn away from all you know..all that is familiar..adventures and friendships..your whole world GONE!
I got over it....almost.
As years have flown by there has always been visions...of this place I called home as a young boy..The area most of you reside in. The place I return to when time and funding allow.The area I dream of and still long for.
Please accept my thanks for all who contribute to this site...I may not log in too often, but,I do read the posts quite often.

From...the icy shores of the Athabasca river, just past the bridge to nowhere in northern Alberta.

Mr G