150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 11 - 17 MAY 1876
This week's many stories include the health dangers of the huge chemical waste heaps in St Helens, the water supply that had sand mixed in it, the workhouse children that received no exercise, criticism of dogs being taken out on chains and the high ticket prices for the banquet that was due to take place after the opening of the new Town Hall.
The so-called "stinky brook" of Sutton and Parr was not just a 20th century health hazard. St Helens' firms had been dumping their effluent into the waterway many decades before. All that changed over time was that different factories and industries polluted the brook, with chemical (aka alkali) firms being the main villains during the 1870s – although some of their pollution appears to have been inadvertent.
At the St Helens Health Committee meeting held on the 11th, the town's Medical Officer, Dr Robert McNicoll, read his reply to a letter received from the Local Government Board enquiring about the health hazards of the chemical waste heaps in St Helens. Dr McNicoll said there were 13 alkali firms in St Helens and they had great difficulty in getting rid of the waste products created during their manufacturing processes.
He gave an example of one town near the coast where chemical firms dumped their waste at sea. As that was not possible in St Helens, the alkali firms acquired land in the borough to deposit their waste. From these heaps noxious gases containing sulphuretted hydrogen (known these days as hydrogen sulphide) were transmitted into the atmosphere.
There were a dozen large waste heaps and six of them were near the Sankey Brook. When it rained their effluent ran off into the water, generating more sulphuretted hydrogen. "This gas is always present in the neighbourhood," explained Dr McNicoll, "because the elements are never absent, and parts of the town are invaded by the smell. This gas, besides being very offensive, acts prejudicially on the health of the people, in that it lowers the vitality of all inhaling it, and retards their convalescence from sickness, and causes the epidemics among children to assume a more malignant character."
He said the waste heaps were getting larger every week but Dr McNicoll felt the only solution was to try and stop the drainage from entering the brook as the gas generated by that method was the worst of the lot.
But as well as complaints about the toxic atmosphere, there was much dissatisfaction with the town's water supply. This week the council's Water Committee met and considered a letter from the Kurtz Chemical Works (pictured above) complaining about the quality of the water that the Corporation supplied to them. Such complaints mainly concerned a lack of water or low pressure.
Kurtz's objection was unusual in that they said their supply was very thick through being mixed with sand. A representative from the firm was in attendance to show the committee a sample of the murky water. After some discussion it was decided to instruct their surveyor to flush their mains between the Whiston well and the Eccleston reservoir.
Since the death a few weeks ago of a five-year-old boy from rabies caused by a dog bite, an order had come into effect in the borough that until August 31st all dogs needed to be confined. That was being interpreted as meaning they could only be allowed out on the street on a chain.
However, a letter in the St Helens Newspaper stated that this order was counter-productive as the chains only made dogs "more restive and disposed to snap at people passing". The anonymous letter-writer quoted a recent case in Tontine Street where a person walking on the footpath had been bitten by a dog on a chain. "Surely this leading of dogs by chains in the crowded streets is not the meaning of the notice that the dogs be ‘confined’."
Another correspondent complained about the ticket prices for the banquet that was going to be held during the evening of the opening of the new town hall. The individual using the pen-name "Anti-snob" said as a "practical protest against the exclusiveness" exhibited by fixing the price of the banquet tickets at 25 shillings each, a rival tradesmen's dinner could be organised with ticket prices set at around 5s to 7s 6d.
"Such a gathering would be far more enjoyable, and in every way more representative of the town, than the collection of mushroom aristocracy which will assemble under the twenty-five shilling arrangement."
Penny readings began in London in the 1850s and became hugely popular nationwide during the ‘60s, before beginning to decline in popularity. It was a form of entertainment designed for the working class that featured readings from popular authors, songs and talks for the admission price of a penny. The Newspaper described how the Catholic Association for the Suppression of Drunkenness had held a penny reading at St Joseph's School in Parr with many songs performed to piano accompaniment.
The paper also wrote that that statues of the Twelve Apostles had been unveiled in Holy Cross Church. The gifts of a parishioner, the statues were each six feet tall and exact copies of those that were in a church in Antwerp.
When in 1874 the Prescot Guardians had been considering establishing a fife and drum band for their workhouse boys, one of their members called Kent had made this curious objection: "Bearing in mind the limited education given to the boys in the workhouse, the teaching of music would be fraught with injury rather than good. It would lead the boys into bad company, and into acquiring a love for intoxicating drink, and that being the case, in some instances the boys would fail instead of rising by being taught music."
But the workhouse band was still created and in their report on the most recent Guardians' meeting, the Newspaper wrote that permission had been granted for the young musicians to play at the opening of the new St Helens Town Hall.
At the time of the meeting there had been 383 inmates in Whiston Workhouse, of which 140 were children. Just how much exercise in the fresh air those children received, I can't say but I don't think it was much, if any at all. In all the countless reports of Guardians' meetings that I have read, I've never seen any reference to children playing in an exercise yard or field. Or even going outside, apart from the very occasional treat, such as being taken to the theatre to see a panto at Christmas. And so it's hardly surprising that some of the children were suffering from skin complaints, possibly from lack of vitamin D.
At the latest meeting of the Guardians, a member called Longton said they should be giving the children in their care suitable exercise and recreation, with a view to "invigorating them, and rendering them more healthy." Basil Caine, a government inspector, was attending the meeting and spoke in favour of the suggestion. Mr Caine added that in going round the workhouse, he had noticed that several children were suffering from skin disease "resulting, no doubt, from the absence of suitable recreation".
People, of course, still die in their homes today after falling down their stairs. But in the 19th century when many houses did not have handrails / banisters, such accidents were commonplace. There was also no electric light switch to turn on prior to going upstairs and so many people would carry a candle or some lamp which added to the danger.
There would also probably not be a stair carpet to provide extra grip and if someone came tumbling down the stairs, it's likely there would be no carpet at the bottom. That would often lead to their head landing on a hard surface, with the inevitable consequences. The dangers were bad enough for the able-bodied but were worse for the infirm, many of which slept instead on the ground floor of their home. Or, if that was not possible, they would have to be carried upstairs.
This week Mary Bold of Oldfield Street in Gerards Bridge was fatally injured through a stair fall. The 42-year-old had been disabled for 14 years and she needed to be carried up and down the stairs. At 11 pm one night, her nephew had been carrying her up to bed when he overbalanced and they both dropped to the bottom, with Mary's head coming in contact with a wall. As usual the newspaper report made no mention of whether there was a handrail or carpets etc., but these would have been most unlikely.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the stack fire at Parr, the Park Road punch up, the Gerards Bridge barber who deserted his wife, the drunks causing trouble in a Church Street cafe and there's another low scoring cricket match.
The so-called "stinky brook" of Sutton and Parr was not just a 20th century health hazard. St Helens' firms had been dumping their effluent into the waterway many decades before. All that changed over time was that different factories and industries polluted the brook, with chemical (aka alkali) firms being the main villains during the 1870s – although some of their pollution appears to have been inadvertent.
At the St Helens Health Committee meeting held on the 11th, the town's Medical Officer, Dr Robert McNicoll, read his reply to a letter received from the Local Government Board enquiring about the health hazards of the chemical waste heaps in St Helens. Dr McNicoll said there were 13 alkali firms in St Helens and they had great difficulty in getting rid of the waste products created during their manufacturing processes.
He gave an example of one town near the coast where chemical firms dumped their waste at sea. As that was not possible in St Helens, the alkali firms acquired land in the borough to deposit their waste. From these heaps noxious gases containing sulphuretted hydrogen (known these days as hydrogen sulphide) were transmitted into the atmosphere.
There were a dozen large waste heaps and six of them were near the Sankey Brook. When it rained their effluent ran off into the water, generating more sulphuretted hydrogen. "This gas is always present in the neighbourhood," explained Dr McNicoll, "because the elements are never absent, and parts of the town are invaded by the smell. This gas, besides being very offensive, acts prejudicially on the health of the people, in that it lowers the vitality of all inhaling it, and retards their convalescence from sickness, and causes the epidemics among children to assume a more malignant character."
He said the waste heaps were getting larger every week but Dr McNicoll felt the only solution was to try and stop the drainage from entering the brook as the gas generated by that method was the worst of the lot.
Kurtz's objection was unusual in that they said their supply was very thick through being mixed with sand. A representative from the firm was in attendance to show the committee a sample of the murky water. After some discussion it was decided to instruct their surveyor to flush their mains between the Whiston well and the Eccleston reservoir.
Since the death a few weeks ago of a five-year-old boy from rabies caused by a dog bite, an order had come into effect in the borough that until August 31st all dogs needed to be confined. That was being interpreted as meaning they could only be allowed out on the street on a chain.
However, a letter in the St Helens Newspaper stated that this order was counter-productive as the chains only made dogs "more restive and disposed to snap at people passing". The anonymous letter-writer quoted a recent case in Tontine Street where a person walking on the footpath had been bitten by a dog on a chain. "Surely this leading of dogs by chains in the crowded streets is not the meaning of the notice that the dogs be ‘confined’."
Another correspondent complained about the ticket prices for the banquet that was going to be held during the evening of the opening of the new town hall. The individual using the pen-name "Anti-snob" said as a "practical protest against the exclusiveness" exhibited by fixing the price of the banquet tickets at 25 shillings each, a rival tradesmen's dinner could be organised with ticket prices set at around 5s to 7s 6d.
"Such a gathering would be far more enjoyable, and in every way more representative of the town, than the collection of mushroom aristocracy which will assemble under the twenty-five shilling arrangement."
Penny readings began in London in the 1850s and became hugely popular nationwide during the ‘60s, before beginning to decline in popularity. It was a form of entertainment designed for the working class that featured readings from popular authors, songs and talks for the admission price of a penny. The Newspaper described how the Catholic Association for the Suppression of Drunkenness had held a penny reading at St Joseph's School in Parr with many songs performed to piano accompaniment.
The paper also wrote that that statues of the Twelve Apostles had been unveiled in Holy Cross Church. The gifts of a parishioner, the statues were each six feet tall and exact copies of those that were in a church in Antwerp.
When in 1874 the Prescot Guardians had been considering establishing a fife and drum band for their workhouse boys, one of their members called Kent had made this curious objection: "Bearing in mind the limited education given to the boys in the workhouse, the teaching of music would be fraught with injury rather than good. It would lead the boys into bad company, and into acquiring a love for intoxicating drink, and that being the case, in some instances the boys would fail instead of rising by being taught music."
But the workhouse band was still created and in their report on the most recent Guardians' meeting, the Newspaper wrote that permission had been granted for the young musicians to play at the opening of the new St Helens Town Hall.
At the time of the meeting there had been 383 inmates in Whiston Workhouse, of which 140 were children. Just how much exercise in the fresh air those children received, I can't say but I don't think it was much, if any at all. In all the countless reports of Guardians' meetings that I have read, I've never seen any reference to children playing in an exercise yard or field. Or even going outside, apart from the very occasional treat, such as being taken to the theatre to see a panto at Christmas. And so it's hardly surprising that some of the children were suffering from skin complaints, possibly from lack of vitamin D.
At the latest meeting of the Guardians, a member called Longton said they should be giving the children in their care suitable exercise and recreation, with a view to "invigorating them, and rendering them more healthy." Basil Caine, a government inspector, was attending the meeting and spoke in favour of the suggestion. Mr Caine added that in going round the workhouse, he had noticed that several children were suffering from skin disease "resulting, no doubt, from the absence of suitable recreation".
People, of course, still die in their homes today after falling down their stairs. But in the 19th century when many houses did not have handrails / banisters, such accidents were commonplace. There was also no electric light switch to turn on prior to going upstairs and so many people would carry a candle or some lamp which added to the danger.
There would also probably not be a stair carpet to provide extra grip and if someone came tumbling down the stairs, it's likely there would be no carpet at the bottom. That would often lead to their head landing on a hard surface, with the inevitable consequences. The dangers were bad enough for the able-bodied but were worse for the infirm, many of which slept instead on the ground floor of their home. Or, if that was not possible, they would have to be carried upstairs.
This week Mary Bold of Oldfield Street in Gerards Bridge was fatally injured through a stair fall. The 42-year-old had been disabled for 14 years and she needed to be carried up and down the stairs. At 11 pm one night, her nephew had been carrying her up to bed when he overbalanced and they both dropped to the bottom, with Mary's head coming in contact with a wall. As usual the newspaper report made no mention of whether there was a handrail or carpets etc., but these would have been most unlikely.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the stack fire at Parr, the Park Road punch up, the Gerards Bridge barber who deserted his wife, the drunks causing trouble in a Church Street cafe and there's another low scoring cricket match.
This week's many stories include the health dangers of the huge chemical waste heaps in St Helens, the water supply that had sand mixed in it, the workhouse children that received no exercise, criticism of dogs being taken out on chains and the high ticket prices for the banquet that was due to take place after the opening of the new Town Hall.
The so-called "stinky brook" of Sutton and Parr was not just a 20th century health hazard. St Helens' firms had been dumping their effluent into the waterway many decades before.
All that changed over time was that different factories and industries polluted the brook, with chemical (aka alkali) firms being the main villains during the 1870s – although some of their pollution appears to have been inadvertent.
At the St Helens Health Committee meeting held on the 11th, the town's Medical Officer, Dr Robert McNicoll, read his reply to a letter received from the Local Government Board enquiring about the health hazards of the chemical waste heaps in St Helens.
Dr McNicoll said there were 13 alkali firms in St Helens and they had great difficulty in getting rid of the waste products created during their manufacturing processes.
He gave an example of one town near the coast where chemical firms dumped their waste at sea.
As that was not possible in St Helens, the alkali firms acquired land in the borough to deposit their waste.
From these heaps noxious gases containing sulphuretted hydrogen (known these days as hydrogen sulphide) were transmitted into the atmosphere.
There were a dozen large waste heaps and six of them were near the Sankey Brook. When it rained their effluent ran off into the water, generating more sulphuretted hydrogen.
"This gas is always present in the neighbourhood," explained Dr McNicoll, "because the elements are never absent, and parts of the town are invaded by the smell.
"This gas, besides being very offensive, acts prejudicially on the health of the people, in that it lowers the vitality of all inhaling it, and retards their convalescence from sickness, and causes the epidemics among children to assume a more malignant character."
He said the waste heaps were getting larger every week but Dr McNicoll felt the only solution was to try and stop the drainage from entering the brook as the gas generated by that method was the worst of the lot.
But as well as complaints about the toxic atmosphere, there was much dissatisfaction with the town's water supply.
This week the council's Water Committee met and considered a letter from the Kurtz Chemical Works (pictured above) complaining about the quality of the water that the Corporation supplied to them.
Such complaints mainly concerned a lack of water or low pressure. Kurtz's objection was unusual in that they said their supply was very thick through being mixed with sand.
A representative from the firm was in attendance to show the committee a sample of the murky water.
After some discussion it was decided to instruct their surveyor to flush their mains between the Whiston well and the Eccleston reservoir.
Since the death a few weeks ago of a five-year-old boy from rabies caused by a dog bite, an order had come into effect in the borough that until August 31st all dogs needed to be confined.
That was being interpreted as meaning they could only be allowed out on the street on a chain.
However, a letter in the St Helens Newspaper stated that this order was counter-productive as the chains only made dogs "more restive and disposed to snap at people passing".
The anonymous letter-writer quoted a recent case in Tontine Street where a person walking on the footpath had been bitten by a dog on a chain.
"Surely this leading of dogs by chains in the crowded streets is not the meaning of the notice that the dogs be ‘confined’."
Another correspondent complained about the ticket prices for the banquet that was going to be held during the evening of the opening of the new town hall.
The individual using the pen-name "Anti-snob" said as a "practical protest against the exclusiveness" exhibited by fixing the price of the banquet tickets at 25 shillings each, a rival tradesmen's dinner could be organised with ticket prices set at around 5s to 7s 6d.
"Such a gathering would be far more enjoyable, and in every way more representative of the town, than the collection of mushroom aristocracy which will assemble under the twenty-five shilling arrangement."
Penny readings began in London in the 1850s and became hugely popular nationwide during the ‘60s, before beginning to decline in popularity.
It was a form of entertainment designed for the working class that featured readings from popular authors, songs and talks for the admission price of a penny.
The Newspaper described how the Catholic Association for the Suppression of Drunkenness had held a penny reading at St Joseph's School in Parr with many songs performed to piano accompaniment.
The paper also wrote that that statues of the Twelve Apostles had been unveiled in Holy Cross Church.
The gifts of a parishioner, the statues were each six feet tall and exact copies of those that were in a church in Antwerp.
When in 1874 the Prescot Guardians had been considering establishing a fife and drum band for their workhouse boys, one of their members called Kent had made this curious objection:
"Bearing in mind the limited education given to the boys in the workhouse, the teaching of music would be fraught with injury rather than good. It would lead the boys into bad company, and into acquiring a love for intoxicating drink, and that being the case, in some instances the boys would fail instead of rising by being taught music."
But the workhouse band was still created and in their report on the most recent Guardians' meeting, the Newspaper wrote that permission had been granted for the young musicians to play at the opening of the new St Helens Town Hall.
At the time of the meeting there had been 383 inmates in Whiston Workhouse, of which 140 were children.
Just how much exercise in the fresh air those children received, I can't say but I don't think it was much, if any at all.
In all the countless reports of Guardians' meetings that I have read, I've never seen any reference to children playing in an exercise yard or field.
Or even going outside, apart from the very occasional treat, such as being taken to the theatre to see a panto at Christmas.
And so it's hardly surprising that some of the children were suffering from skin complaints, possibly from lack of vitamin D.
At the latest meeting of the Guardians, a member called Longton said they should be giving the children in their care suitable exercise and recreation, with a view to "invigorating them, and rendering them more healthy."
Basil Caine, a government inspector, was attending the meeting and spoke in favour of the suggestion.
Mr Caine added that in going round the workhouse, he had noticed that several children were suffering from skin disease "resulting, no doubt, from the absence of suitable recreation".
People, of course, still die in their homes today after falling down their stairs. But in the 19th century when many houses did not have handrails / banisters, such accidents were commonplace.
There was also no electric light switch to turn on prior to going upstairs and so many people would carry a candle or some lamp which added to the danger.
There would also probably not be a stair carpet to provide extra grip and if someone came tumbling down the stairs, it's likely there would be no carpet at the bottom.
That would often lead to their head landing on a hard surface, with the inevitable consequences.
The dangers were bad enough for the able-bodied but were worse for the infirm, many of which slept instead on the ground floor of their home.
Or, if that was not possible, they would have to be carried upstairs.
This week Mary Bold of Oldfield Street in Gerards Bridge was fatally injured through a stair fall.
The 42-year-old had been disabled for 14 years and she needed to be carried up and down the stairs.
At 11 pm one night, her nephew had been carrying her up to bed when he overbalanced and they both dropped to the bottom, with Mary's head coming in contact with a wall.
As usual the newspaper report made no mention of whether there was a handrail or carpets etc., but these would have been most unlikely.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the stack fire at Parr, the Park Road punch up, the Gerards Bridge barber who deserted his wife, the drunks causing trouble in a Church Street cafe and there's another low scoring cricket match.
The so-called "stinky brook" of Sutton and Parr was not just a 20th century health hazard. St Helens' firms had been dumping their effluent into the waterway many decades before.
All that changed over time was that different factories and industries polluted the brook, with chemical (aka alkali) firms being the main villains during the 1870s – although some of their pollution appears to have been inadvertent.
At the St Helens Health Committee meeting held on the 11th, the town's Medical Officer, Dr Robert McNicoll, read his reply to a letter received from the Local Government Board enquiring about the health hazards of the chemical waste heaps in St Helens.
Dr McNicoll said there were 13 alkali firms in St Helens and they had great difficulty in getting rid of the waste products created during their manufacturing processes.
He gave an example of one town near the coast where chemical firms dumped their waste at sea.
As that was not possible in St Helens, the alkali firms acquired land in the borough to deposit their waste.
From these heaps noxious gases containing sulphuretted hydrogen (known these days as hydrogen sulphide) were transmitted into the atmosphere.
There were a dozen large waste heaps and six of them were near the Sankey Brook. When it rained their effluent ran off into the water, generating more sulphuretted hydrogen.
"This gas is always present in the neighbourhood," explained Dr McNicoll, "because the elements are never absent, and parts of the town are invaded by the smell.
"This gas, besides being very offensive, acts prejudicially on the health of the people, in that it lowers the vitality of all inhaling it, and retards their convalescence from sickness, and causes the epidemics among children to assume a more malignant character."
He said the waste heaps were getting larger every week but Dr McNicoll felt the only solution was to try and stop the drainage from entering the brook as the gas generated by that method was the worst of the lot.
But as well as complaints about the toxic atmosphere, there was much dissatisfaction with the town's water supply.
Such complaints mainly concerned a lack of water or low pressure. Kurtz's objection was unusual in that they said their supply was very thick through being mixed with sand.
A representative from the firm was in attendance to show the committee a sample of the murky water.
After some discussion it was decided to instruct their surveyor to flush their mains between the Whiston well and the Eccleston reservoir.
Since the death a few weeks ago of a five-year-old boy from rabies caused by a dog bite, an order had come into effect in the borough that until August 31st all dogs needed to be confined.
That was being interpreted as meaning they could only be allowed out on the street on a chain.
However, a letter in the St Helens Newspaper stated that this order was counter-productive as the chains only made dogs "more restive and disposed to snap at people passing".
The anonymous letter-writer quoted a recent case in Tontine Street where a person walking on the footpath had been bitten by a dog on a chain.
"Surely this leading of dogs by chains in the crowded streets is not the meaning of the notice that the dogs be ‘confined’."
Another correspondent complained about the ticket prices for the banquet that was going to be held during the evening of the opening of the new town hall.
The individual using the pen-name "Anti-snob" said as a "practical protest against the exclusiveness" exhibited by fixing the price of the banquet tickets at 25 shillings each, a rival tradesmen's dinner could be organised with ticket prices set at around 5s to 7s 6d.
"Such a gathering would be far more enjoyable, and in every way more representative of the town, than the collection of mushroom aristocracy which will assemble under the twenty-five shilling arrangement."
Penny readings began in London in the 1850s and became hugely popular nationwide during the ‘60s, before beginning to decline in popularity.
It was a form of entertainment designed for the working class that featured readings from popular authors, songs and talks for the admission price of a penny.
The Newspaper described how the Catholic Association for the Suppression of Drunkenness had held a penny reading at St Joseph's School in Parr with many songs performed to piano accompaniment.
The paper also wrote that that statues of the Twelve Apostles had been unveiled in Holy Cross Church.
The gifts of a parishioner, the statues were each six feet tall and exact copies of those that were in a church in Antwerp.
When in 1874 the Prescot Guardians had been considering establishing a fife and drum band for their workhouse boys, one of their members called Kent had made this curious objection:
"Bearing in mind the limited education given to the boys in the workhouse, the teaching of music would be fraught with injury rather than good. It would lead the boys into bad company, and into acquiring a love for intoxicating drink, and that being the case, in some instances the boys would fail instead of rising by being taught music."
But the workhouse band was still created and in their report on the most recent Guardians' meeting, the Newspaper wrote that permission had been granted for the young musicians to play at the opening of the new St Helens Town Hall.
At the time of the meeting there had been 383 inmates in Whiston Workhouse, of which 140 were children.
Just how much exercise in the fresh air those children received, I can't say but I don't think it was much, if any at all.
In all the countless reports of Guardians' meetings that I have read, I've never seen any reference to children playing in an exercise yard or field.
Or even going outside, apart from the very occasional treat, such as being taken to the theatre to see a panto at Christmas.
And so it's hardly surprising that some of the children were suffering from skin complaints, possibly from lack of vitamin D.
At the latest meeting of the Guardians, a member called Longton said they should be giving the children in their care suitable exercise and recreation, with a view to "invigorating them, and rendering them more healthy."
Basil Caine, a government inspector, was attending the meeting and spoke in favour of the suggestion.
Mr Caine added that in going round the workhouse, he had noticed that several children were suffering from skin disease "resulting, no doubt, from the absence of suitable recreation".
People, of course, still die in their homes today after falling down their stairs. But in the 19th century when many houses did not have handrails / banisters, such accidents were commonplace.
There was also no electric light switch to turn on prior to going upstairs and so many people would carry a candle or some lamp which added to the danger.
There would also probably not be a stair carpet to provide extra grip and if someone came tumbling down the stairs, it's likely there would be no carpet at the bottom.
That would often lead to their head landing on a hard surface, with the inevitable consequences.
The dangers were bad enough for the able-bodied but were worse for the infirm, many of which slept instead on the ground floor of their home.
Or, if that was not possible, they would have to be carried upstairs.
This week Mary Bold of Oldfield Street in Gerards Bridge was fatally injured through a stair fall.
The 42-year-old had been disabled for 14 years and she needed to be carried up and down the stairs.
At 11 pm one night, her nephew had been carrying her up to bed when he overbalanced and they both dropped to the bottom, with Mary's head coming in contact with a wall.
As usual the newspaper report made no mention of whether there was a handrail or carpets etc., but these would have been most unlikely.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the stack fire at Parr, the Park Road punch up, the Gerards Bridge barber who deserted his wife, the drunks causing trouble in a Church Street cafe and there's another low scoring cricket match.