STEEPLEJACK'S CORNER 2012

[colsack]

Hi all, glad this site is still going strong after all these years even though i havn't been here for ages. I'm scrounging for some photos from the book "The Lancashire Steeple-Jack", if anyone can post them on this site that would be great. I especially want the pics from pages 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 32 and 36. A big Hi to Tom and Stanley

[Stanley]

Morning Colin! Nice to see you popping in.



This is the only half decent pic I have from the book. Somewhere I have a very bad photo copy of the book but I can tell you now that the images aren't worth copying. Your best bet is to get onto Lancashire Libraries, they will almost certainly have a copy of the book somewhere in the stacks. if you can get hold of it and photograph the pics that's the best you'll get. No problems about copyright as that will have run out many years ago. If Lancashire Libraries can't help send a request to the Science Museum at South Kensington. The librarian used to be a bloke called Ben Russell and this is his email address, ben.russell@ScienceMuseum.org.uk
Mention that I sent you to him, he owes me if he is still in post.

[colsack]

Thanks Stanley, i think Tom had a copy, maybe he could help if i ask him nicely

[Stanley]

That's the best route to decent copies of the images, they were not all that good in the original if my memory serves. I'm still looking, if I find something I've forgotten I'll give you a shout.

[plaques]

As I walked down Hammerton St Burnley I saw this crowd and wondered what all the fuss was about then I realized it was....

P2050013Stan3.jpg

[Stanley]

I was trying to keep that quiet.......

[Invernahaille]

Stanley.
Here's a Birthday wish for you.
Many happy returns, and may your wishes be granted, if they havnt already.

[Stanley]

Robert, I couldn't ask for more.... Have you looked at the Valentine's day topic. Quite amazing......

[Stanley]

Peter once told me that many a time in the old days he had to work on stacks that were active, the boilers were being fired while he was up there. Can any of the lads tell me if this still happens? I'm thinking about stacks like power station chimneys which are fired 24X7X365. I can think of all sorts of dangers from flue gases.

[Stanley]

When the kids were admiring the montage Kev did for me they rated this as the scariest picture.....

[Magnu420]

you be no good if you had the runs lol
is the guy waring dealer boots ??? i hope hey not leather soled or his feet be slipping of the rungs

also i admire the late fred dibnah,i met him when i was about 10 years old,he came to my junior school

[Stanley]

The Guy is me Dave and the boots are Trickers with Commando soles.....

[Stanley]

John Burlison wrote to me this morning. He has noticed that the stacks in the Preston area tend to be a different shape than the ones we usually see. I have noticed this myself, many of them are square and have more batter. My own theory is that whoever was designing and building them was local to Preston and they did them their way. John and I would be interested to hear from anyone who has a better take on this. What do you think Tom?

[Invernahaille]

Stanley.
I have a theory in answer to your question. It may have been easier for bricklayers to build square chimneys. The maths involved in building a round chimney, I would think is greater than building a square one.
At the end of the day it comes down to cost.

Answers on a post card please to........

[plaques]

The last brick built round chimney in Burnley was built for Massey's brewery. Each course was individually shaped to suit the diameter. This would surely add to the cost of the chimney.

Talking of square chimneys here is an hybrid of both stone and brick. In Burnley centre still standing but unused. Where is it?

P3150123AC.jpg

[Stanley]

Robert, I agree and once they'd built one they would stick to what they knew. Cornish chimneys are the same, completely different.
P. I don't know where it is but it has almost certainly been extended at a later date either as a repair or to give it more draught. Very common practice.

[plaques]

This is really an odd chimney. At first sight it looks like it should have belonged to the old Newtown cotton mill on Cow Lane. The one which was demolished to make way for the Empire Cinema. In actual fact it belongs to the old Co-op building on Hammerton St: but can only be seen clearly from the back of the building across the river Calder. The Co-op buildings were built over a period 1877 to 1892 so the chimney may have been extended to accommodate the extra space.

[Steeplejerk]

Back in the day the local chimney builders had their way,in Preston it was obvious that the local chimney builder stuck to the old rules of the old style chimney builders,then things progressed when they started to understand wind loading on tall structures,10 times the diameter at the base for square stacks,11 times for octagonal,12 times for circular,but still this wasnt carved in stone,round the Bury area Cammack Dennis built many chimneys well known for their cast iron and concrete heads,a firm called Alphons Custodis built many local authority chimneys throughout the country all in the same style,square base corbled up into a circular shaft,hope thats useful .....By the way Stanley,sorry i forgot your birthday you old fart I remember when you was my age,so i,ll soon be your age

[Steeplejerk]

Col ,send me your address again and i'll post the Lancashire Steeplejack book to you so you can take from it what you need mate (obviously on loan)

[Stanley]

Young Tom.... you are forgiven. Thanks for a good explanation, I'm sure John is reading this.

[Stanley]

John sends thanks Tom. I told him to get registered and post them himself!

[Spinningweb]

Hello Stanley,

I'm now a member of the site.

[colsack]

Hi Tom, i'v sent you a PM with my address, a huge thanks for your help, i really appreciate it.

[Invernahaille]

The Architect would have defined the stacks shape not the builders. It appears to me that the Architects in the Preston area obviously preferred square chimneys. There is also the fact that the architects used to design chimneys based on european styles, as in India Mills, Campanille (Bell Tower) design.

[Stanley]

Good lad John.
And the daddy of them all Robert, Wainhouse Tower.... (LINK
The early stacks in Barlick at Clough and the Corn Mill were square. Butts was a hexagonal stack. Wellhouse was the first round stack, stone built, in 1853.



Butts chimney being demolished in 1980 by Higgy and Peter Tatham.