St Helens History This Week

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

Bringing History to Life from 50, 100 and 150 Years Ago!

ST HELENS 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in the Lancashire town in the 1970s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
This page is a series of weekly articles that describe llfe in St Helens in Lancashire in the 1970s and which are updated every Sunday morning.
Bus

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (4th - 10th NOVEMBER 1969)

This week's stories include Bonfire Night in St Helens, Father Christmas arrives in style at Helena House, the council's house building plans for the next three years are revealed, why the town's bus service was operating on a knife-edge, the National Coal Board's recruitment campaign, the St Helens Autumn Show, seven golden weddings are celebrated and what St Helens' mothers thought of sex education in schools.
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Fireworks

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (28th OCT. - 3rd NOV. 1969)

This week's stories include a damning report in The Economist on "greyland" St Helens, calls for organised fireworks shows on Bonfire Night, a fire at Rainhill Cricket Club, concern that the small trader would be driven out of the new town centre, the one hundred dog lovers who want to give a wandering Golden Labrador at Carr Mill a new home and the free parking on the Corporation-owned car parks comes to an end.
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Theatre Royal

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (21st - 27th October 1969)

This week's stories include Billy the mysterious goat of Leach Lane, the bogus gasman of Randon Street who handed back cash rebates, the new seven-sided 50p coin goes down badly in St Helens, there's criticism of shops selling Hallowe'en masks, town centre parking meter plans are shelved, there's a complaint over police numbers in Newton-le-Willows and Rediffusion's colour television-by-wire service is explained.
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Plaza

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (14th - 20th October 1969)

This week's stories include the "gloomy, gaslit street with a Jack the Ripper atmosphere" in Sutton Manor, the end of a five-day bin strike in St Helens, plans are announced for the creation of the Beth Avenue estate in Sutton, the decline of the bobby on the beat, the gym at Robins Lane school and the closure of the historic Windle Smithy Stores, followed by the opening of Dennis Cowley's replacement Food Market.
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Electricity summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (7th - 13th October 1969)

This week's twenty stories include the controversy over fluoride in the St Helens' water supply, there's bad news for golfers with a delay to the Sherdley Park golf course, a new textiles firm for the Reginald Road industrial estate, the Polish Pantomime Theatre is at the Theatre Royal, what St Helens' folk thought of politicians, swirling fog hits Merseyside and the lot of the bin men and milk ladies in the town.
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Liverpool Echo Adverts

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (30th Sept. - 6th Oct. 1969)

This week's many stories include another town centre redevelopment scheme, a new home is planned for the Reginald Road gipsies, an ex-bottlehand describes the bad old days working at Cannington Shaw, St Helens Corporation go a bit greener, a "phantom postman's" poison-pen letters put families in "the grip of fear", the bad language on the Rainford Rec and how St Helens Employment Exchange had pioneered Job Shops.
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Vehicle Rally

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (23rd - 29th September 1969)

This week's 24 stories include a public inquiry into a Walkers Lane scrap metal "eyesore", the St Helens Duckling Club at Boundary Road baths, a public meeting to discuss the future of Sutton church schools, a building site worker suffers an accident near Leathers Chemicals, a Sutton Manor Colliery recruitment campaign and a parade of historic vehicles to Sherdley Park to mark St Helens Transport's Golden Jubilee.
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Adverts

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (16th - 22nd September 1969)

This week's nineteen stories include a report that called St Helens socially deprived and a slum town, the missing towels at Boundary Road baths, savage criticism of the planned St Helens' bus cuts, an update on Parr baths, a fashion feature is in the Reporter, St Helens Operatic Society get a donkey for the Desert Song and the St Helens' squadron of the Air Training Corps experience problems with unreturned kit.
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Hillsiders Kenny Ball

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (9th - 15th September 1969)

This week's eighteen stories include the increase in VD cases in Claughton Street through the "decadence of moral values", a pet blessing ceremony takes place in Sherdley Park, vandalism at Lacey Street Child Welfare Clinic, there’s power-cut chaos in the St Helens district, the mortgages sold by St Helens Council, school uniforms are the topic of the week in the Reporter and how the Co-op was coping without its divi.
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Robins Lane School

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (2nd - 8th September 1969)

This week's many stories include the Haydock crime wave that might lead to the reopening of a police station, the hapless Taylor Park aviary thieves, the dumping of rubbish at Rainford Junction, Pilkingtons make armour-plated glass for King Tutankhamun, an Open Day is held at the Mill Street Barracks, the merged Robins Lane Secondary School and the pageantry and glamour as the Band of the Irish Guards come to town.
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Southern Star

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (26th August - 1st Sept. 1969)

This week's stories include a strange washing machine theft in Haydock, an explosion at the British Sidac plant in Sutton Oak, criticisms of St Helens' doctors, an historic wedding takes place in Crank, there's condemnation of the St Helens Show's beer prices, a donkey is wanted at the Theatre Royal and why a Marks and Spencer Evening at a church hall in Billinge led to a visit from a weights and measures inspector.
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