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
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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,
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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
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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
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The Bacup Benefit Building Society was founded on May 8, 1813, almost two years before the Battle of Waterloo. It was initiated by three individuals who agreed to establish the society to raise funds through subscriptions for the purchase of land. The land would then be used to develop streets and construct houses and cottages,
The River Irwell was the receptacle for all solid matters that were found to be inconvenient or unprofitable. Old building materials, ashes, and cinders from the houses, and from all the steam engines in the town were poured into the river. The results were inevitable in that the bed of the river was raised which
A Pig Went Swimming Read More »
Throughout the 1840s, Bacup underwent a significant transformation driven by the booming wool-spinning and cotton industries. This led to a surge in population, with approximately 8,000 residents calling Bacup home by this time. This population growth created a demand not only for stone to construct the numerous mills that were springing up, but also for
Meetings of the Bacup Local Board of Health were first convened on the 17th of December 1863 and were initially held in the Mechanics Institute, moving to a purpose-built room over the shops in the newly opened market hall in August 1867. Bacup at this time was separated into five wards, Bacup, Greave, Rockliffe, Broadclough