FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK 30 MARCH - 5 APRIL 1976
This week's many stories include the suspected arson at Crosby Spring Interiors in Parr, dismay over rent rises in St Mary's Market, the controversial proposal to close St Helens Hospital's A&E department at night, there's a big rise in rates arrears and the Higher Parr Street major road improvement scheme is brought to a stand-still.
We begin on the 30th with a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee. British Rail had previously sought permission to demolish the old Marshalls Cross railway bridge (pictured above) and the committee members had initially agreed to its request. But at this week's meeting it was revealed that they had had a change of heart as the St Helens Conservation Advisory Group had argued that the bridge should be preserved.
That was because in three years time, the 150th anniversary of the Manchester to Liverpool line was going to be commemorated and knocking down the historic bridge would not be in keeping with a celebration of the town's railway heritage. The meeting heard that British Rail had now said they would consider saving the bridge upon condition that the council paid for its upkeep.
On the morning of the 31st, a fire at Crosby Spring Interiors factory on Fleet Lane gutted a storage shed full of furnishing foam, hessian and machinery causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. The firm's joint managing director Arthur Roberts said he believed that children had been responsible. Crosby Spring Interiors produced 15,000 car seats a week, mainly for British Leyland, but work at the factory was continuing in spite of the blaze.
The much-needed scheme intended to cut congestion and stop heavy lorries thundering through St Helens town centre was beset by problems. The planners wanted to convert a half-mile stretch of road from the bottom of Church Street to Fingerpost into a dual carriageway of three lanes, each with roundabouts and including a flyover.
The council said that Higher Parr Street was the most overloaded road in the town, with nearly a third of its traffic being heavy lorries and at peak periods there were up to 85 buses using it every hour. But a couple of years ago Merseyside County Council had decided to delay the scheme and concentrate on others instead, as they said they did not have sufficient cash to go round. The first stage of the scheme was finally approved in April 1975 and work had started in January 1976.
However, the St Helens Reporter on April 2nd described how a dispute between workers and contractor Tarmac over the use of non-union labour on the job had stalled work for nearly four weeks. And the strikers had now received backing from the TGWU and wanted a pay rise in addition to a commitment by Tarmac to only employ trade union labour.
The Reporter also wrote: "A series of incredible foul-ups has helped to escalate St. Helens Council's rate arrears by over half a million pounds." The council’s auditors had revealed that in the financial year ending March 31st 1975, rate arrears had spiralled from £274,000 to £885,000.
The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington blamed the problem on the old councils that St Helens had inherited when reorganisation had taken place in 1974. "In one area, there were 400 and 500 ratepayers who hadn't received a rate demand or a summons for about four years." And he claimed that some industrialists were withholding a total of £400,000 quite legally as they were appealing against their evaluations and using delaying tactics to avoid paying.
The Reporter described how the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority were pressing for the overnight closure of the accident and emergency department at St Helens Hospital. However, the Community Health Council was said to be unhappy with the proposals and had called a meeting to discuss the implications.
The proposed closure was based on lack of use of the facility, with emergency admissions between 8 pm and 8 am representing only 12% of total admissions to the hospital. And a survey had showed that in every one in every four weeks, there were no patient attendances at all in the A & E department between midnight and 8 am.
There was also this ad in the Reporter: "Come to Helena House for your wedding or any functions. Two banqueting suites with bars available. High class party catering for any occasion."
There was also a report on how Saints' hospital broadcasting service was under threat because of the actions of vandals. Commentary on home matches was relayed to local hospitals from the Knowsley Road ground but vandals had broken into its broadcasting unit through the roof and caused damage to telephone wires and the equipment. Hospital broadcaster Bill Lewis said they were racing against time to either repair the old apparatus or buy new gear before the Saints derby game against Wigan on Good Friday.
Market stallholders were complaining to the Reporter about a new rent increase which meant that traders in St Mary's Market would, on average, have to pay an extra £3 a week. That took the average rent of stallholders to £24 per week.
Barry Smith, who kept a clothes stall, told the paper: "I will find it very difficult to make a living after paying off the rent and all the overheads. The average stall in this market is only 11 feet long and eight feet wide. Why do we have to pay such a large amount for so small a space?" And Carol Joyce said: "The place is like a morgue, it is so cold. We could rent a shop for less than the rent we have to pay for the stall."
The paper said parents of what were then described as handicapped children in St Helens were complaining that their youngsters were being forced to stay in their wheelchairs because of hold-ups in the issue and repair of leg callipers. Nancy Maddocks, secretary of the St Helens and District Association for Spina Bifida, claimed that the development of a young child’s walking could be affected if there were delays in obtaining functioning callipers.
At an inquest held on the 3rd, an open verdict was recorded on a 19-year-old Liverpool man who had gone missing from Rainhill Hospital. Raymond Kirkwood's body had been found in the reservoir at Eccleston Lane Ends and despite three previous suicide attempts, the coroner felt there was insufficient evidence to show how Raymond had died.
At the ABC Savoy for 7 days from the 4th, the psychological horror film 'Deranged' was shown. This is how the film was sensationally promoted in the Reporter: "Warning!!! DERANGED, the true story of a psycho sex killer. Without doubt the most disturbing film ever shown, from its blood curdling opening to its terrifying climax! Not for the squeamish!"
And at the Capitol Cinema, Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury' replaced 'The Ghoul' starring Peter Cushing. And finally, from the 5th 'Sooty's Dream Show' was performed for a week at the Theatre Royal. Admission was adults 60p and children 50p. Harry Corbett had created the popular glove puppet in 1948 and when in the St Helens district would commute by caravan, which he often parked outside the Wheatsheaf in Rainford. This probably was Harry's last week of shows in St Helens, as his son Matthew took over in 1977.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the huge cuts planned for Moss Bank and Rainhill buses, Sidac are in the red but there's hope for Todd Steels, the Reporter's Miss St Helens contest and there's criticism of a lack of road signs in Eccleston.
That was because in three years time, the 150th anniversary of the Manchester to Liverpool line was going to be commemorated and knocking down the historic bridge would not be in keeping with a celebration of the town's railway heritage. The meeting heard that British Rail had now said they would consider saving the bridge upon condition that the council paid for its upkeep.
On the morning of the 31st, a fire at Crosby Spring Interiors factory on Fleet Lane gutted a storage shed full of furnishing foam, hessian and machinery causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. The firm's joint managing director Arthur Roberts said he believed that children had been responsible. Crosby Spring Interiors produced 15,000 car seats a week, mainly for British Leyland, but work at the factory was continuing in spite of the blaze.
The much-needed scheme intended to cut congestion and stop heavy lorries thundering through St Helens town centre was beset by problems. The planners wanted to convert a half-mile stretch of road from the bottom of Church Street to Fingerpost into a dual carriageway of three lanes, each with roundabouts and including a flyover.
The council said that Higher Parr Street was the most overloaded road in the town, with nearly a third of its traffic being heavy lorries and at peak periods there were up to 85 buses using it every hour. But a couple of years ago Merseyside County Council had decided to delay the scheme and concentrate on others instead, as they said they did not have sufficient cash to go round. The first stage of the scheme was finally approved in April 1975 and work had started in January 1976.
However, the St Helens Reporter on April 2nd described how a dispute between workers and contractor Tarmac over the use of non-union labour on the job had stalled work for nearly four weeks. And the strikers had now received backing from the TGWU and wanted a pay rise in addition to a commitment by Tarmac to only employ trade union labour.
The Reporter also wrote: "A series of incredible foul-ups has helped to escalate St. Helens Council's rate arrears by over half a million pounds." The council’s auditors had revealed that in the financial year ending March 31st 1975, rate arrears had spiralled from £274,000 to £885,000.
The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington blamed the problem on the old councils that St Helens had inherited when reorganisation had taken place in 1974. "In one area, there were 400 and 500 ratepayers who hadn't received a rate demand or a summons for about four years." And he claimed that some industrialists were withholding a total of £400,000 quite legally as they were appealing against their evaluations and using delaying tactics to avoid paying.
The Reporter described how the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority were pressing for the overnight closure of the accident and emergency department at St Helens Hospital. However, the Community Health Council was said to be unhappy with the proposals and had called a meeting to discuss the implications.
The proposed closure was based on lack of use of the facility, with emergency admissions between 8 pm and 8 am representing only 12% of total admissions to the hospital. And a survey had showed that in every one in every four weeks, there were no patient attendances at all in the A & E department between midnight and 8 am.
There was also this ad in the Reporter: "Come to Helena House for your wedding or any functions. Two banqueting suites with bars available. High class party catering for any occasion."
There was also a report on how Saints' hospital broadcasting service was under threat because of the actions of vandals. Commentary on home matches was relayed to local hospitals from the Knowsley Road ground but vandals had broken into its broadcasting unit through the roof and caused damage to telephone wires and the equipment. Hospital broadcaster Bill Lewis said they were racing against time to either repair the old apparatus or buy new gear before the Saints derby game against Wigan on Good Friday.
Market stallholders were complaining to the Reporter about a new rent increase which meant that traders in St Mary's Market would, on average, have to pay an extra £3 a week. That took the average rent of stallholders to £24 per week.
Barry Smith, who kept a clothes stall, told the paper: "I will find it very difficult to make a living after paying off the rent and all the overheads. The average stall in this market is only 11 feet long and eight feet wide. Why do we have to pay such a large amount for so small a space?" And Carol Joyce said: "The place is like a morgue, it is so cold. We could rent a shop for less than the rent we have to pay for the stall."
The paper said parents of what were then described as handicapped children in St Helens were complaining that their youngsters were being forced to stay in their wheelchairs because of hold-ups in the issue and repair of leg callipers. Nancy Maddocks, secretary of the St Helens and District Association for Spina Bifida, claimed that the development of a young child’s walking could be affected if there were delays in obtaining functioning callipers.
At an inquest held on the 3rd, an open verdict was recorded on a 19-year-old Liverpool man who had gone missing from Rainhill Hospital. Raymond Kirkwood's body had been found in the reservoir at Eccleston Lane Ends and despite three previous suicide attempts, the coroner felt there was insufficient evidence to show how Raymond had died.
At the ABC Savoy for 7 days from the 4th, the psychological horror film 'Deranged' was shown. This is how the film was sensationally promoted in the Reporter: "Warning!!! DERANGED, the true story of a psycho sex killer. Without doubt the most disturbing film ever shown, from its blood curdling opening to its terrifying climax! Not for the squeamish!"
And at the Capitol Cinema, Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury' replaced 'The Ghoul' starring Peter Cushing. And finally, from the 5th 'Sooty's Dream Show' was performed for a week at the Theatre Royal. Admission was adults 60p and children 50p. Harry Corbett had created the popular glove puppet in 1948 and when in the St Helens district would commute by caravan, which he often parked outside the Wheatsheaf in Rainford. This probably was Harry's last week of shows in St Helens, as his son Matthew took over in 1977.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the huge cuts planned for Moss Bank and Rainhill buses, Sidac are in the red but there's hope for Todd Steels, the Reporter's Miss St Helens contest and there's criticism of a lack of road signs in Eccleston.
This week's many stories include the suspected arson at Crosby Spring Interiors in Parr, dismay over rent rises in St Mary's Market, the controversial proposal to close St Helens Hospital's A&E department at night, there's a big rise in rates arrears and the Higher Parr Street major road improvement scheme is brought to a stand-still.
We begin on the 30th with a meeting of the St Helens Planning Committee.
British Rail had previously sought permission to demolish the old Marshalls Cross railway bridge (pictured above) and the committee members had initially agreed to its request.
But at this week's meeting it was revealed that they had had a change of heart as the St Helens Conservation Advisory Group had argued that the bridge should be preserved.
That was because in three years time, the 150th anniversary of the Manchester to Liverpool line was going to be commemorated and knocking down the historic bridge would not be in keeping with a celebration of the town's railway heritage.
The meeting heard that British Rail had now said they would consider saving the bridge upon condition that the council paid for its upkeep.
On the morning of the 31st, a fire at Crosby Spring Interiors factory on Fleet Lane gutted a storage shed full of furnishing foam, hessian and machinery causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
The firm's joint managing director Arthur Roberts said he believed that children had been responsible.
Crosby Spring Interiors produced 15,000 car seats a week, mainly for British Leyland, but work at the factory was continuing in spite of the blaze.
The much-needed scheme intended to cut congestion and stop heavy lorries thundering through St Helens town centre was beset by problems.
The planners wanted to convert a half-mile stretch of road from the bottom of Church Street to Fingerpost into a dual carriageway of three lanes, each with roundabouts and including a flyover.
The council said that Higher Parr Street was the most overloaded road in the town, with nearly a third of its traffic being heavy lorries and at peak periods there were up to 85 buses using it every hour.
But a couple of years ago Merseyside County Council had decided to delay the scheme and concentrate on others instead, as they said they did not have sufficient cash to go round.
The first stage of the scheme was finally approved in April 1975 and work had started in January 1976.
However, the St Helens Reporter on April 2nd described how a dispute between workers and contractor Tarmac over the use of non-union labour on the job had stalled work for nearly four weeks.
And the strikers had now received backing from the TGWU and wanted a pay rise in addition to a commitment by Tarmac to only employ trade union labour.
The Reporter also wrote: "A series of incredible foul-ups has helped to escalate St. Helens Council's rate arrears by over half a million pounds."
The council’s auditors had revealed that in the financial year ending March 31st 1975, rate arrears had spiralled from £274,000 to £885,000.
The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington blamed the problem on the old councils that St Helens had inherited when reorganisation had taken place in 1974.
"In one area, there were 400 and 500 ratepayers who hadn't received a rate demand or a summons for about four years."
And he claimed that some industrialists were withholding a total of £400,000 quite legally as they were appealing against their evaluations and using delaying tactics to avoid paying.
The Reporter described how the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority were pressing for the overnight closure of the accident and emergency department at St Helens Hospital.
However, the Community Health Council was said to be unhappy with the proposals and had called a meeting to discuss the implications.
The proposed closure was based on lack of use of the facility, with emergency admissions between 8 pm and 8 am representing only 12% of total admissions to the hospital.
And a survey had showed that in every one in every four weeks, there were no patient attendances at all in the A & E department between midnight and 8 am.
There was also this ad in the Reporter: "Come to Helena House for your wedding or any functions. Two banqueting suites with bars available. High class party catering for any occasion."
There was also a report on how Saints' hospital broadcasting service was under threat because of the actions of vandals.
Commentary on home matches was relayed to local hospitals from the Knowsley Road ground but vandals had broken into its broadcasting unit through the roof and caused damage to telephone wires and the equipment.
Hospital broadcaster Bill Lewis said they were racing against time to either repair the old apparatus or buy new gear before the Saints derby game against Wigan on Good Friday.
Market stallholders were complaining to the Reporter about a new rent increase which meant that traders in St Mary's Market would, on average, have to pay an extra £3 a week.
That took the average rent of stallholders to £24 per week.
Barry Smith, who kept a clothes stall, told the paper: "I will find it very difficult to make a living after paying off the rent and all the overheads. The average stall in this market is only 11 feet long and eight feet wide. Why do we have to pay such a large amount for so small a space?"
And Carol Joyce said: "The place is like a morgue, it is so cold. We could rent a shop for less than the rent we have to pay for the stall."
The paper said parents of what were then described as handicapped children in St Helens were complaining that their youngsters were being forced to stay in their wheelchairs because of hold-ups in the issue and repair of leg callipers.
Nancy Maddocks, secretary of the St Helens and District Association for Spina Bifida, claimed that the development of a young child’s walking could be affected if there were delays in obtaining functioning callipers.
At an inquest held on the 3rd, an open verdict was recorded on a 19-year-old Liverpool man who had gone missing from Rainhill Hospital.
Raymond Kirkwood's body had been found in the reservoir at Eccleston Lane Ends and despite three previous suicide attempts, the coroner felt there was insufficient evidence to show how Raymond had died.
At the ABC Savoy for 7 days from the 4th, the psychological horror film 'Deranged' was shown. This is how the film was sensationally promoted in the Reporter:
"Warning!!! DERANGED, the true story of a psycho sex killer. Without doubt the most disturbing film ever shown, from its blood curdling opening to its terrifying climax! Not for the squeamish!"
And at the Capitol Cinema, Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury' replaced 'The Ghoul' starring Peter Cushing.
And finally, from the 5th 'Sooty's Dream Show' was performed for a week at the Theatre Royal. Admission was adults 60p and children 50p.
Harry Corbett had created the popular glove puppet in 1948 and when in the St Helens district would commute by caravan, which he often parked outside the Wheatsheaf in Rainford.
This probably was Harry's last week of shows in St Helens, as his son Matthew took over in 1977.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the huge cuts planned for Moss Bank and Rainhill buses, Sidac are in the red but there's hope for Todd Steels, the Reporter's Miss St Helens contest and there's criticism of a lack of road signs in Eccleston.
British Rail had previously sought permission to demolish the old Marshalls Cross railway bridge (pictured above) and the committee members had initially agreed to its request.
But at this week's meeting it was revealed that they had had a change of heart as the St Helens Conservation Advisory Group had argued that the bridge should be preserved.
That was because in three years time, the 150th anniversary of the Manchester to Liverpool line was going to be commemorated and knocking down the historic bridge would not be in keeping with a celebration of the town's railway heritage.
The meeting heard that British Rail had now said they would consider saving the bridge upon condition that the council paid for its upkeep.
On the morning of the 31st, a fire at Crosby Spring Interiors factory on Fleet Lane gutted a storage shed full of furnishing foam, hessian and machinery causing thousands of pounds worth of damage.
The firm's joint managing director Arthur Roberts said he believed that children had been responsible.
Crosby Spring Interiors produced 15,000 car seats a week, mainly for British Leyland, but work at the factory was continuing in spite of the blaze.
The much-needed scheme intended to cut congestion and stop heavy lorries thundering through St Helens town centre was beset by problems.
The planners wanted to convert a half-mile stretch of road from the bottom of Church Street to Fingerpost into a dual carriageway of three lanes, each with roundabouts and including a flyover.
The council said that Higher Parr Street was the most overloaded road in the town, with nearly a third of its traffic being heavy lorries and at peak periods there were up to 85 buses using it every hour.
But a couple of years ago Merseyside County Council had decided to delay the scheme and concentrate on others instead, as they said they did not have sufficient cash to go round.
The first stage of the scheme was finally approved in April 1975 and work had started in January 1976.
However, the St Helens Reporter on April 2nd described how a dispute between workers and contractor Tarmac over the use of non-union labour on the job had stalled work for nearly four weeks.
And the strikers had now received backing from the TGWU and wanted a pay rise in addition to a commitment by Tarmac to only employ trade union labour.
The Reporter also wrote: "A series of incredible foul-ups has helped to escalate St. Helens Council's rate arrears by over half a million pounds."
The council’s auditors had revealed that in the financial year ending March 31st 1975, rate arrears had spiralled from £274,000 to £885,000.
The Borough Treasurer Douglas Pennington blamed the problem on the old councils that St Helens had inherited when reorganisation had taken place in 1974.
"In one area, there were 400 and 500 ratepayers who hadn't received a rate demand or a summons for about four years."
And he claimed that some industrialists were withholding a total of £400,000 quite legally as they were appealing against their evaluations and using delaying tactics to avoid paying.
The Reporter described how the St Helens and Knowsley Area Health Authority were pressing for the overnight closure of the accident and emergency department at St Helens Hospital.
However, the Community Health Council was said to be unhappy with the proposals and had called a meeting to discuss the implications.
The proposed closure was based on lack of use of the facility, with emergency admissions between 8 pm and 8 am representing only 12% of total admissions to the hospital.
And a survey had showed that in every one in every four weeks, there were no patient attendances at all in the A & E department between midnight and 8 am.
There was also this ad in the Reporter: "Come to Helena House for your wedding or any functions. Two banqueting suites with bars available. High class party catering for any occasion."
There was also a report on how Saints' hospital broadcasting service was under threat because of the actions of vandals.
Commentary on home matches was relayed to local hospitals from the Knowsley Road ground but vandals had broken into its broadcasting unit through the roof and caused damage to telephone wires and the equipment.
Hospital broadcaster Bill Lewis said they were racing against time to either repair the old apparatus or buy new gear before the Saints derby game against Wigan on Good Friday.
Market stallholders were complaining to the Reporter about a new rent increase which meant that traders in St Mary's Market would, on average, have to pay an extra £3 a week.
That took the average rent of stallholders to £24 per week.
Barry Smith, who kept a clothes stall, told the paper: "I will find it very difficult to make a living after paying off the rent and all the overheads. The average stall in this market is only 11 feet long and eight feet wide. Why do we have to pay such a large amount for so small a space?"
And Carol Joyce said: "The place is like a morgue, it is so cold. We could rent a shop for less than the rent we have to pay for the stall."
The paper said parents of what were then described as handicapped children in St Helens were complaining that their youngsters were being forced to stay in their wheelchairs because of hold-ups in the issue and repair of leg callipers.
Nancy Maddocks, secretary of the St Helens and District Association for Spina Bifida, claimed that the development of a young child’s walking could be affected if there were delays in obtaining functioning callipers.
At an inquest held on the 3rd, an open verdict was recorded on a 19-year-old Liverpool man who had gone missing from Rainhill Hospital.
Raymond Kirkwood's body had been found in the reservoir at Eccleston Lane Ends and despite three previous suicide attempts, the coroner felt there was insufficient evidence to show how Raymond had died.
At the ABC Savoy for 7 days from the 4th, the psychological horror film 'Deranged' was shown. This is how the film was sensationally promoted in the Reporter:
"Warning!!! DERANGED, the true story of a psycho sex killer. Without doubt the most disturbing film ever shown, from its blood curdling opening to its terrifying climax! Not for the squeamish!"
And at the Capitol Cinema, Bruce Lee's 'Fist of Fury' replaced 'The Ghoul' starring Peter Cushing.
And finally, from the 5th 'Sooty's Dream Show' was performed for a week at the Theatre Royal. Admission was adults 60p and children 50p.
Harry Corbett had created the popular glove puppet in 1948 and when in the St Helens district would commute by caravan, which he often parked outside the Wheatsheaf in Rainford.
This probably was Harry's last week of shows in St Helens, as his son Matthew took over in 1977.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next Week's stories will include the huge cuts planned for Moss Bank and Rainhill buses, Sidac are in the red but there's hope for Todd Steels, the Reporter's Miss St Helens contest and there's criticism of a lack of road signs in Eccleston.