House & Home

P.C.25 Martin was one of Bacup’s most respected police officers. Known as Felix, by local people he earned this nickname as he carried out point duty in Bacup Centre, where he walked backwards and forwards with his hands clasped behind his back just like Felix the Cat a 1920 cartoon character. One of his most […]

The Mechanics School was taken over by Bacup Board School in 1893 with Mr Bell of Burnley submitting plans to build the new Central Board School at Thorn in 1894. The plans were made up of two schools; the infant school could hold up to 500 pupils and the junior school 325 pupils. The infants

Rockliffe House was built by John Maden cotton spinner and manufacturer, in 1866 on land once known as Raw Cliffe. John started off life as a humble handloom weaver, born at Bent in the hamlet of Heald. At the age of twenty, he married and, encouraged by his wife, he saved his first £5.00, walking

Thanks for the Memory  by Albert Pattison 1972 This entry won First Prize in a Memories of Bacup Competition in 1972.   Fifty years ago, I was attending the old St Mary’s R.C. School, on Bankside. Bacup at that time was a dimly lit cotton town, composed in the main of pubs, chip shops, cloggers 

The arrival of the fair transformed the town into a bustling hub of excitement and colour. The open land opposite the police station at Bankside, became a vibrant tapestry of stalls and amusements, each vying for attention with bright signs and the enticing aromas of sweet treats. The market area, known for its daily trade,

Dancing round the Maypole, merrily we go Dancing round the Maypole, singing as we go “I’m the Queen, oh can’t you see I’ve just come from the village green If you wait a little while I will show you the polka-style (Girls: Can you dance the polka?) ‘Yes I can Not with you, with my

Extracts 1941-1942 8th January 1941 Suicide: Annie Berry, aged 68, residing at 14 Fern Hill Drive, took her own life by inhaling coal gas. 9th January 1941 Enquiry: Superintendent Seaforth reported a barrage balloon that had broken away from its moorings at Vale Park. The balloon was trailing 6,000 feet of cable and moving at

The term “Justices of the Peace” originated in 1361, during the reign of King Edward III. It traces back to an act from 1327 which called for the appointment of ‘Good and Lawful men’ in every county to maintain the peace. These local justices, or magistrates, were typically gentlemen with high standing in the community,

In 1876, the Bacup district was expanded to encompass Stacksteads, which was initially referred to as Stacksteads Ward until 1888 when it was renamed Tunstead Ward. Stacksteads, along with neighbouring villages like Weir, Sharneyford, and Britannia, were considered distinct villages with their own identities. Each village boasted its own Co-op store as well as other

At the time of the opening of the new fire station on Rochdale Road, in 1960 the Bacup Borough Fire Brigade had been in existence for about 66 years. Under the control of the local board the brigade may never have come into existence had it not been for a devastating fire at Beulah Methodist