IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 19 - 25 JANUARY 1926
This week's many stories include the bookie's runner prosecuted for cheating the dole, the Eccleston Street warehouse fire, Charlie Chaplin's new film comes to town, there’s an update on the proposed new Sutton silk factory and the government's attempt to evict over 100 persons from 16 houses in Abbotsfield Road is approved by a court.
We begin on the 19th when the Mayor (Ald Thomas Hamblett) and the Mayoress held an "at home" event in St Helens Town Hall. The Reporter said it had taken place in "an atmosphere of almost majestic splendour." The paper added that the decoration had been the most magnificent and luxurious that the function had ever known. The assembly hall displayed a profusion of tall palms, along with many flowering plants, and the front of its platform had been gaily decorated and turned into a "veritable garden".
Many unemployed persons turned to betting to earn some extra cash and when summoned to court often offered the fact that they were on the dole as mitigation for their illegal activities. But that meant they had been falsely signing statements at the Employment Exchange that they were receiving no other income. And the officials at the dole office read the local newspaper reports about their claimants who had been fined for betting and would begin their own investigations.
In the case of John Kelly of Frederick Street in Sutton, his initial court case for betting led to a second prosecution this week. Kelly faced a charge of "making false representations to obtain unemployment benefit by stating that he was unable to obtain employment on each day on which he signed the unemployment register, or was excused from signing, when on November 4th 1925, he was employed as a bookmaker's runner."
The man had been receiving just £1 5 shillings a week dole from the Labour Exchange, which was then situated in Wolverhampton House, near the Raven. Last November in St Helens Police Court, Kelly had been convicted of running bets for a bookmaker from whom he admitted receiving commission.
But in the same court on the 19th of this week, he denied receiving any payments but was fined just over £4, including costs, or would have to serve a month in prison with hard labour. The Reporter's headline was "Another Unemployment Fraud". The bookie that Kelly had worked for probably paid his first fine but whether he would pay the second was doubtful.
At 6:30pm on the 20th an alarming fire that was burning fiercely was discovered in Berry's fruit warehouse, adjacent to the Nag's Head pub. The premises in Eccleston Street had previously been occupied by a coachbuilder and were also close to the Corporation's Electricity Works and a depot where large quantities of petrol were stored.
Soon after the fire brigade arrived part of the building's roof fell in and it took ninety minutes for them to get the blaze under control. The Reporter said considerable alarm had been created by the potential consequences of the fire. And although much damage was done, the wind had fortunately fanned the flames away from the Nag's Head and the firemen had successfully prevented its spread to other buildings.
The Sutton poison gas works off Reginald Road (pictured above), where the Abbotsfield Road industrial estate is now, was back in the news this week. Between the wars what locals dubbed the Magnum became the UK's main centre for research, development and production of chemical warfare agents. A cloud of secrecy would soon envelop the plant and in 1985 the government would deny that it had existed.
But not in 1926, when the government's attempt to evict 104 persons from 16 neighbouring houses in Abbotsfield Road was a very public affair. These had been bought by the War Department in 1923 and they now wanted their tenants out supposedly on safety grounds, although there was suspicion that they really wanted to extend their site.
Earlier in the month the tenants had gone to the St Helens County Court in East Street to appeal against their eviction and stated that they were willing to take the risk of being poisoned. Many had lived in their homes for many years and some were miners who were conveniently situated for Bold Colliery.
On the 20th the case returned to the County Court where the judge ordered them all to leave their homes. Judge Dowdall said he could understand why the cottagers had contested the case. Many had lived in their homes a long time and preferred to run the risk of being gassed rather than be rendered homeless.
But the government alone knew what was going on behind the walls of the factory and to what risks the tenants were being exposed. And in the event of any accident happening, the government would be blamed. The judge added that he had no choice but to follow the law, although said it should be left to the clemency of the War Office to help the tenants.
Towards the end of last year it was revealed that negotiations were taking place to convert the old Sutton Glass Weeks in Lancots Lane into a large artificial silk factory. The Liverpool Echo wrote: "During the war, when several thousands of women were employed in shell-filling at the Sutton Works, the great need of an outlet for women labour was fully demonstrated."
And so there was hope that a silk plant could employ large numbers of unemployed women and men. Although the Reporter had warned against "premature rejoicings" as the negotiations for bringing the factory to St Helens were still incomplete. But in an editorial in this week's paper, the Reporter announced that the rejoicings could now begin:
"The news we are able to give our readers this morning, that the old Sutton Glassworks have been sold to a Dutch Company for the purpose of establishing an artificial silk factory, will, we think, be accepted as the most gladdening tidings which St. Helens has received during the last quarter of [a] century.
"Its influence on the grave problem of unemployment will be considerable, for at a conservative estimate the new factory, when once in its stride, will employ no fewer than three thousand men, women and young people. It will make a valuable contribution to the rates, and the municipal power services will also be generously drawn upon.
"That is the purely material aspect of the new industrial era which will be opened up. Another, and a hardly less encouraging aspect, is that St. Helens has been recognised as worthy to take its place with other important industrial areas to share in the fortunes of this great new industry of artificial silk manufacture which post-war conditions have brought to this country."
The Savoy in Bridge Street and the Oxford in Duke Street were owned by the same firm and sometimes shared the same films. For two days from the 21st, Charlie Chaplin's new picture 'Pay Day' was shown at both cinemas. In their advert they wrote: "Charlie's greatest and funniest two-reeler, describing his adventures on the most important day of the week."
Both the Hippodrome Theatre and the Theatre Royal in St Helens had been presenting pantomimes during January and the latter continued the theme from the 25th with a performance of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Their adverts boasted of having an "exceptionally strong cast of 50 London artistes" and added that 'Little Red Riding Hood' was proving to be the "biggest and best pantomime in the provinces".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the 27 hawkers that were summoned to court, the poor lighting in Eccleston, the unlawfully pawning of children's clogs and the Sutton Manor Colliery miner who gave his life for his brother.
We begin on the 19th when the Mayor (Ald Thomas Hamblett) and the Mayoress held an "at home" event in St Helens Town Hall. The Reporter said it had taken place in "an atmosphere of almost majestic splendour." The paper added that the decoration had been the most magnificent and luxurious that the function had ever known. The assembly hall displayed a profusion of tall palms, along with many flowering plants, and the front of its platform had been gaily decorated and turned into a "veritable garden".
Many unemployed persons turned to betting to earn some extra cash and when summoned to court often offered the fact that they were on the dole as mitigation for their illegal activities. But that meant they had been falsely signing statements at the Employment Exchange that they were receiving no other income. And the officials at the dole office read the local newspaper reports about their claimants who had been fined for betting and would begin their own investigations.
In the case of John Kelly of Frederick Street in Sutton, his initial court case for betting led to a second prosecution this week. Kelly faced a charge of "making false representations to obtain unemployment benefit by stating that he was unable to obtain employment on each day on which he signed the unemployment register, or was excused from signing, when on November 4th 1925, he was employed as a bookmaker's runner."
The man had been receiving just £1 5 shillings a week dole from the Labour Exchange, which was then situated in Wolverhampton House, near the Raven. Last November in St Helens Police Court, Kelly had been convicted of running bets for a bookmaker from whom he admitted receiving commission.
But in the same court on the 19th of this week, he denied receiving any payments but was fined just over £4, including costs, or would have to serve a month in prison with hard labour. The Reporter's headline was "Another Unemployment Fraud". The bookie that Kelly had worked for probably paid his first fine but whether he would pay the second was doubtful.
At 6:30pm on the 20th an alarming fire that was burning fiercely was discovered in Berry's fruit warehouse, adjacent to the Nag's Head pub. The premises in Eccleston Street had previously been occupied by a coachbuilder and were also close to the Corporation's Electricity Works and a depot where large quantities of petrol were stored.
Soon after the fire brigade arrived part of the building's roof fell in and it took ninety minutes for them to get the blaze under control. The Reporter said considerable alarm had been created by the potential consequences of the fire. And although much damage was done, the wind had fortunately fanned the flames away from the Nag's Head and the firemen had successfully prevented its spread to other buildings.
But not in 1926, when the government's attempt to evict 104 persons from 16 neighbouring houses in Abbotsfield Road was a very public affair. These had been bought by the War Department in 1923 and they now wanted their tenants out supposedly on safety grounds, although there was suspicion that they really wanted to extend their site.
Earlier in the month the tenants had gone to the St Helens County Court in East Street to appeal against their eviction and stated that they were willing to take the risk of being poisoned. Many had lived in their homes for many years and some were miners who were conveniently situated for Bold Colliery.
On the 20th the case returned to the County Court where the judge ordered them all to leave their homes. Judge Dowdall said he could understand why the cottagers had contested the case. Many had lived in their homes a long time and preferred to run the risk of being gassed rather than be rendered homeless.
But the government alone knew what was going on behind the walls of the factory and to what risks the tenants were being exposed. And in the event of any accident happening, the government would be blamed. The judge added that he had no choice but to follow the law, although said it should be left to the clemency of the War Office to help the tenants.
Towards the end of last year it was revealed that negotiations were taking place to convert the old Sutton Glass Weeks in Lancots Lane into a large artificial silk factory. The Liverpool Echo wrote: "During the war, when several thousands of women were employed in shell-filling at the Sutton Works, the great need of an outlet for women labour was fully demonstrated."
And so there was hope that a silk plant could employ large numbers of unemployed women and men. Although the Reporter had warned against "premature rejoicings" as the negotiations for bringing the factory to St Helens were still incomplete. But in an editorial in this week's paper, the Reporter announced that the rejoicings could now begin:
"The news we are able to give our readers this morning, that the old Sutton Glassworks have been sold to a Dutch Company for the purpose of establishing an artificial silk factory, will, we think, be accepted as the most gladdening tidings which St. Helens has received during the last quarter of [a] century.
"Its influence on the grave problem of unemployment will be considerable, for at a conservative estimate the new factory, when once in its stride, will employ no fewer than three thousand men, women and young people. It will make a valuable contribution to the rates, and the municipal power services will also be generously drawn upon.
"That is the purely material aspect of the new industrial era which will be opened up. Another, and a hardly less encouraging aspect, is that St. Helens has been recognised as worthy to take its place with other important industrial areas to share in the fortunes of this great new industry of artificial silk manufacture which post-war conditions have brought to this country."
The Savoy in Bridge Street and the Oxford in Duke Street were owned by the same firm and sometimes shared the same films. For two days from the 21st, Charlie Chaplin's new picture 'Pay Day' was shown at both cinemas. In their advert they wrote: "Charlie's greatest and funniest two-reeler, describing his adventures on the most important day of the week."
Both the Hippodrome Theatre and the Theatre Royal in St Helens had been presenting pantomimes during January and the latter continued the theme from the 25th with a performance of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Their adverts boasted of having an "exceptionally strong cast of 50 London artistes" and added that 'Little Red Riding Hood' was proving to be the "biggest and best pantomime in the provinces".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the 27 hawkers that were summoned to court, the poor lighting in Eccleston, the unlawfully pawning of children's clogs and the Sutton Manor Colliery miner who gave his life for his brother.
This week's many stories include the bookie's runner prosecuted for cheating the dole, the Eccleston Street warehouse fire, Charlie Chaplin's new film comes to town, there’s an update on the proposed new Sutton silk factory and the government's attempt to evict over 100 persons from 16 houses in Abbotsfield Road is approved by a court.
We begin on the 19th when the Mayor (Ald Thomas Hamblett) and the Mayoress held an "at home" event in St Helens Town Hall.
The Reporter said it had taken place in "an atmosphere of almost majestic splendour."
The paper added that the decoration had been the most magnificent and luxurious that the function had ever known.
The assembly hall displayed a profusion of tall palms, along with many flowering plants, and the front of its platform had been gaily decorated and turned into a "veritable garden".
Many unemployed persons turned to betting to earn some extra cash and when summoned to court often offered the fact that they were on the dole as mitigation for their illegal activities.
But that meant they had been falsely signing statements at the Employment Exchange that they were receiving no other income.
And the officials at the dole office read the local newspaper reports about their claimants who had been fined for betting and would begin their own investigations.
In the case of John Kelly of Frederick Street in Sutton, his initial court case for betting led to a second prosecution this week.
Kelly faced a charge of "making false representations to obtain unemployment benefit by stating that he was unable to obtain employment on each day on which he signed the unemployment register, or was excused from signing, when on November 4th 1925, he was employed as a bookmaker's runner."
The man had been receiving just £1 5 shillings a week dole from the Labour Exchange, which was then situated in Wolverhampton House, near the Raven.
Last November in St Helens Police Court, Kelly had been convicted of running bets for a bookmaker from whom he admitted receiving commission.
But in the same court on the 19th of this week, he denied receiving any payments but was fined just over £4, including costs, or would have to serve a month in prison with hard labour.
The Reporter's headline was "Another Unemployment Fraud". The bookie that Kelly had worked for probably paid his first fine but whether he would pay the second was doubtful.
At 6:30pm on the 20th an alarming fire that was burning fiercely was discovered in Berry's fruit warehouse, adjacent to the Nag’s Head pub.
The premises in Eccleston Street had previously been occupied by a coachbuilder and were also close to the Corporation's Electricity Works and a depot where large quantities of petrol were stored.
Soon after the fire brigade arrived part of the building's roof fell in and it took ninety minutes for them to get the blaze under control.
The Reporter said considerable alarm had been created by the potential consequences of the fire.
And although much damage was done, the wind had fortunately fanned the flames away from the Nag’s Head and the firemen had successfully prevented its spread to other buildings.
The Sutton poison gas works off Reginald Road (pictured above), where the Abbotsfield Road industrial estate is now, was back in the news this week.
Between the wars what locals dubbed the Magnum became the UK's main centre for research, development and production of chemical warfare agents.
A cloud of secrecy would soon envelop the plant and in 1985 the government would deny that it had existed.
But not in 1926, when the government's attempt to evict 104 persons from 16 neighbouring houses in Abbotsfield Road was a very public affair.
These had been bought by the War Department in 1923 and they now wanted their tenants out supposedly on safety grounds, although there was suspicion that they really wanted to extend their site.
Earlier in the month the tenants had gone to the St Helens County Court in East Street to appeal against their eviction and stated that they were willing to take the risk of being poisoned.
Many had lived in their homes for many years and some were miners who were conveniently situated for Bold Colliery.
On the 20th the case returned to the County Court where the judge ordered them all to leave their homes.
Judge Dowdall said he could understand why the cottagers had contested the case.
Many had lived in their homes a long time and preferred to run the risk of being gassed rather than be rendered homeless.
But the government alone knew what was going on behind the walls of the factory and to what risks the tenants were being exposed.
And in the event of any accident happening, the government would be blamed.
The judge added that he had no choice but to follow the law, although said it should be left to the clemency of the War Office to help the tenants.
Towards the end of last year it was revealed that negotiations were taking place to convert the old Sutton Glass Weeks in Lancots Lane into a large artificial silk factory.
The Liverpool Echo wrote: "During the war, when several thousands of women were employed in shell-filling at the Sutton Works, the great need of an outlet for women labour was fully demonstrated."
And so there was hope that a silk plant could employ large numbers of unemployed women and men.
Although the Reporter had warned against "premature rejoicings" as the negotiations for bringing the factory to St Helens were still incomplete.
But in an editorial in this week's paper, the Reporter announced that the rejoicings could now begin:
"The news we are able to give our readers this morning, that the old Sutton Glassworks have been sold to a Dutch Company for the purpose of establishing an artificial silk factory, will, we think, be accepted as the most gladdening tidings which St. Helens has received during the last quarter of [a] century.
"Its influence on the grave problem of unemployment will be considerable, for at a conservative estimate the new factory, when once in its stride, will employ no fewer than three thousand men, women and young people.
"It will make a valuable contribution to the rates, and the municipal power services will also be generously drawn upon.
"That is the purely material aspect of the new industrial era which will be opened up.
"Another, and a hardly less encouraging aspect, is that St. Helens has been recognised as worthy to take its place with other important industrial areas to share in the fortunes of this great new industry of artificial silk manufacture which post-war conditions have brought to this country."
The Nuera Art Silk Company moved into Lancots Lane later in 1926 but closed in 1930 blaming the depression and a slump in the market for silk.
The Savoy in Bridge Street and the Oxford in Duke Street were owned by the same firm and sometimes shared the same films.
For two days from the 21st, Charlie Chaplin's new picture 'Pay Day' was shown at both cinemas. In their advert they wrote:
"Charlie's greatest and funniest two-reeler, describing his adventures on the most important day of the week."
Both the Hippodrome Theatre and the Theatre Royal in St Helens had been presenting pantomimes during January and the latter continued the theme from the 25th with a performance of 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
Their adverts boasted of having an "exceptionally strong cast of 50 London artistes" and added that 'Little Red Riding Hood' was proving to be the "biggest and best pantomime in the provinces".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the 27 hawkers that were summoned to court, the poor lighting in Eccleston, the unlawfully pawning of children's clogs and the Sutton Manor Colliery miner who gave his life for his brother.
We begin on the 19th when the Mayor (Ald Thomas Hamblett) and the Mayoress held an "at home" event in St Helens Town Hall.
The Reporter said it had taken place in "an atmosphere of almost majestic splendour."
The paper added that the decoration had been the most magnificent and luxurious that the function had ever known.
The assembly hall displayed a profusion of tall palms, along with many flowering plants, and the front of its platform had been gaily decorated and turned into a "veritable garden".
Many unemployed persons turned to betting to earn some extra cash and when summoned to court often offered the fact that they were on the dole as mitigation for their illegal activities.
But that meant they had been falsely signing statements at the Employment Exchange that they were receiving no other income.
And the officials at the dole office read the local newspaper reports about their claimants who had been fined for betting and would begin their own investigations.
In the case of John Kelly of Frederick Street in Sutton, his initial court case for betting led to a second prosecution this week.
Kelly faced a charge of "making false representations to obtain unemployment benefit by stating that he was unable to obtain employment on each day on which he signed the unemployment register, or was excused from signing, when on November 4th 1925, he was employed as a bookmaker's runner."
The man had been receiving just £1 5 shillings a week dole from the Labour Exchange, which was then situated in Wolverhampton House, near the Raven.
Last November in St Helens Police Court, Kelly had been convicted of running bets for a bookmaker from whom he admitted receiving commission.
But in the same court on the 19th of this week, he denied receiving any payments but was fined just over £4, including costs, or would have to serve a month in prison with hard labour.
The Reporter's headline was "Another Unemployment Fraud". The bookie that Kelly had worked for probably paid his first fine but whether he would pay the second was doubtful.
At 6:30pm on the 20th an alarming fire that was burning fiercely was discovered in Berry's fruit warehouse, adjacent to the Nag’s Head pub.
The premises in Eccleston Street had previously been occupied by a coachbuilder and were also close to the Corporation's Electricity Works and a depot where large quantities of petrol were stored.
Soon after the fire brigade arrived part of the building's roof fell in and it took ninety minutes for them to get the blaze under control.
The Reporter said considerable alarm had been created by the potential consequences of the fire.
And although much damage was done, the wind had fortunately fanned the flames away from the Nag’s Head and the firemen had successfully prevented its spread to other buildings.
Between the wars what locals dubbed the Magnum became the UK's main centre for research, development and production of chemical warfare agents.
A cloud of secrecy would soon envelop the plant and in 1985 the government would deny that it had existed.
But not in 1926, when the government's attempt to evict 104 persons from 16 neighbouring houses in Abbotsfield Road was a very public affair.
These had been bought by the War Department in 1923 and they now wanted their tenants out supposedly on safety grounds, although there was suspicion that they really wanted to extend their site.
Earlier in the month the tenants had gone to the St Helens County Court in East Street to appeal against their eviction and stated that they were willing to take the risk of being poisoned.
Many had lived in their homes for many years and some were miners who were conveniently situated for Bold Colliery.
On the 20th the case returned to the County Court where the judge ordered them all to leave their homes.
Judge Dowdall said he could understand why the cottagers had contested the case.
Many had lived in their homes a long time and preferred to run the risk of being gassed rather than be rendered homeless.
But the government alone knew what was going on behind the walls of the factory and to what risks the tenants were being exposed.
And in the event of any accident happening, the government would be blamed.
The judge added that he had no choice but to follow the law, although said it should be left to the clemency of the War Office to help the tenants.
Towards the end of last year it was revealed that negotiations were taking place to convert the old Sutton Glass Weeks in Lancots Lane into a large artificial silk factory.
The Liverpool Echo wrote: "During the war, when several thousands of women were employed in shell-filling at the Sutton Works, the great need of an outlet for women labour was fully demonstrated."
And so there was hope that a silk plant could employ large numbers of unemployed women and men.
Although the Reporter had warned against "premature rejoicings" as the negotiations for bringing the factory to St Helens were still incomplete.
But in an editorial in this week's paper, the Reporter announced that the rejoicings could now begin:
"The news we are able to give our readers this morning, that the old Sutton Glassworks have been sold to a Dutch Company for the purpose of establishing an artificial silk factory, will, we think, be accepted as the most gladdening tidings which St. Helens has received during the last quarter of [a] century.
"Its influence on the grave problem of unemployment will be considerable, for at a conservative estimate the new factory, when once in its stride, will employ no fewer than three thousand men, women and young people.
"It will make a valuable contribution to the rates, and the municipal power services will also be generously drawn upon.
"That is the purely material aspect of the new industrial era which will be opened up.
"Another, and a hardly less encouraging aspect, is that St. Helens has been recognised as worthy to take its place with other important industrial areas to share in the fortunes of this great new industry of artificial silk manufacture which post-war conditions have brought to this country."
The Nuera Art Silk Company moved into Lancots Lane later in 1926 but closed in 1930 blaming the depression and a slump in the market for silk.
The Savoy in Bridge Street and the Oxford in Duke Street were owned by the same firm and sometimes shared the same films.
For two days from the 21st, Charlie Chaplin's new picture 'Pay Day' was shown at both cinemas. In their advert they wrote:
"Charlie's greatest and funniest two-reeler, describing his adventures on the most important day of the week."
Both the Hippodrome Theatre and the Theatre Royal in St Helens had been presenting pantomimes during January and the latter continued the theme from the 25th with a performance of 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
Their adverts boasted of having an "exceptionally strong cast of 50 London artistes" and added that 'Little Red Riding Hood' was proving to be the "biggest and best pantomime in the provinces".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the 27 hawkers that were summoned to court, the poor lighting in Eccleston, the unlawfully pawning of children's clogs and the Sutton Manor Colliery miner who gave his life for his brother.