FORGOTTEN CORNERS

[Stanley]

Looms leaving Bancroft on their way to Queen Street prior to the closure in 1978. Over 25,000 looms were scrapped in Barlick leaving no trace. A forgotten corner.

[Stanley]

Bancroft shed in early 1979.



By mid 1980 demolition by N&R Contractors was well under way.....

[Stanley]

The site in 1981.

[Stanley]

Looking to the East from Bancroft in 1981. Amazing how fast things change.....

[David Whipp]

The fields in the middle foreground are now built up (Cedars Close, Longfield Court, Cavendish Street and Malham View Close). Surprisingly few cars on the streets.

[Stanley]

Another view on the same day. The lodge is being filled in and landscaped.

[Stanley]

What strikes me is the amount of infill we have seen in the last 30 years. It's not a problem yet at this end of the town but I wonder how long our remaining green spaces will survive. A lot depends on transport links, the big danger for Barlick as I see it has always been that we could become a dormitory town. That's why the work that is being done to keep the centre of the town vital and thriving is so important.



The 'Brick School' on Fountain Street as the old Barlickers named it is a building that has seen a variety of uses. Built by Billycock as a replacement for the old school in Butts and the temporary arrangement in what later became St James' church it has been a builder's premises, later the social club for Ouzledale Foundry, then a working man's club and of late a pre-school nursery. These things need to be remembered.....

[David Whipp]

I well recall the first time sleeping in the front bedroom of number 4 opposite; in the middle of the night I heard a commotion on the street. Peering out of the window, there was a riderless horse clip clopping about... this would be in the mid to late 1970s. Never found out why there was a horse cantering around at that time in the morning.

[Stanley]

I saw a deer down the side of the pioneer store one morning. I think that they were both escapees from Far Hey area.....



Click to enlarge. Following on from the discussion in 'Changes' here is the 1892 OS 25" map of the railway Station and surrounding area. It's a bit confusing until you recognise that the modern line of Fernlea Avenue to New Road didn't exist then. You can see Fernlea built by Dr. H C Alderton on the corner to the south of the station.

[Stanley]

If you go to the LTP and read Billy Brooks' evidence (he was very accurate!) you'll see that when he lived in a cottage on Newtown at the end of the 19th century there were fields from Newtown right across to the station, Albert Road wasn't built until early in the 20th century.

[John C Layton]

Stanley - have arrowed a feature on your Bancroft image. Looks like an early circular occupation platform (house) but could be related to the mill. Any ideas?

[PanBiker]

You can just make it out on Google Earth.

[Stanley]

A local Haulage firm, Wild Brothers, had their first garage and storage area there in the 1930s.



Wild's drivers in 1962.

[David Whipp]

Has anyone any ideas about what the inscriptions mean on Church Street "Fountain Inn" and at opposite end of block?

[plaques]

The initials were given by Ken Ranson in a posting via Wendy in Forgotten Corners.
7. A William Armistead
W M Martha Green (wife)
1816

Barlick Hotel, Church Street

8. MC
1817 Matthew Cragg

When date stones are filled in by painting the 'restorer' sometimes gets it wrong and paints in what they think they can see. I have no reason to doubt Ken Ranson's lettering.

[David Whipp]

Thanks Plaques!

Do we know if these are the builders or original owners of the buildings?

I've looked that post up, which has prompted a further question...

Anyone know what this inscription represents?

W
I E
1768

Higher Greenhill farm, Salterforth

[Stanley]

I've had a furtle in the index.
West Riding Directory for 1837 notes a William Armistead as 'Land Valuer', Barnoldswick.
The W I E 1768 on Higher Greenfield looks like the person who rebuilt the older farm. I have a Henry Thornber paying the land tax on the farm (paid by the tenant usually) in 1753 so there was a farm there then. In 1760 the land tax was paid by John Hartley and in 1770 by John Slater.

[plaques]

Just one slight difficulty with the 'W I E' is that if the lettering is set in a triangle as in the 'Armistead' plaque then the 'W' could represent the surname. If the lettering is 'in line' then 'E' becomes the surname. Without seeing the date stone we have added another degree of complexity.

[David Whipp]

Thanks both.

Took my camera to get a picture of the date stone at Salterforth when I was passing through yesterday, but ran out of battery...

[Stanley]

Jim Rushton, a leading light in the newly formed Barnoldswick Communist Party, carrying the small boy, leading a march of striking weavers through Earby during 1932. See Bessie Dickinsons 'Life of James Rushton'.

[David Whipp]

I posted a question about the date stone on Higher Greenhill Farm on a facebook group covering Salterforth and the current owners of the property supplied the following information:

"w is for wilkinson. The I is actually a j which is for John and e is for Elizabeth these were the builders and owners of property and 1768 is year it was constructed"

And Nick Livesey has commented, "The 'I' is actually a 'J' and it is the name of Johnathan Wilkinson who built the present farmhouse in 1768, he quickly became one of the parishes largest landowners and was classed as one of the gentry and thefamily had their own pew in Ghyll Church. As his empire grew he had the new farm built from his wealth before that he lived at the old Green hill manse or masion house which is 100 yds to the s.w and it is where David Carridice lives this ancient house orignially with mullioned windows and a 15th century hooded stone fireplace (still present) was the monor house of the village at one time...."

[Stanley]

Nick is the source for all Salterforth matters.



Not far from Greenhill. Hall Spout hydraulic ram which used to pump water higher up the hill. I have an idea it was installed by the Gledstone Estate when they owned a lot of property round there. This pic was in 1982.

[David Whipp]

As Ian knows, there's quite a discussion on facebook's Barnoldswick Talk about a cul-de-sac bridleway on the flanks of Weets.

This is the route to Higher Laithe Plantation (see map extract below). Nick Livesey has suggested that the route would at one time would have continued to meet Coal Pit Lane and that the reason it wasn't included on the definitive map was due to a failure of Brogden parish to record it when the definitive map was drawn up. From the apparent continuation of the route on the ground Nick suggests that it's an ancient route and that there should be a good case to apply for a definitive map modification order.

Anyone know of any documentary evidence showing that this is a highway? Or if there's any user evidence of it being used as of right for a period of 20 years? (I wonder if LIDAR would reveal the route?)

[Stanley]

I suspect all the evidence about use of the route beyond Higher Laithe died out long ago. The best route is historians like Nick and any evidence modern surveying can give us. One man who could have helped was John Waite who farmed Hill Cough. His son, Ted Waite, told me that John was a thorn in the side of BUDC in that he forced them to maintain Esp Lane many years ago. When I mentioned this a long time ago I got a lot of flak for suggesting that this had happened but I believe Ted's account of John's fight. I suspect this was in the 1930s and 40s. Could there be any evidence buried in the records? John had just moved from Little Stainton to Hill Clough but I am not certain of the date.

[Wendyf]

The first edition OS map shows the footpath continuing around Weets then turning south to join Gisburn Old Track at Stoops Gate.