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.
Parr Stocks fair summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (28th FEB. - 6th MARCH 1972)

This week's many stories include a hefty fine for selling obscene books in Bickerstaffe Street, the new trial of town centre taxi ranks, Silcock's Annual Pleasure Fair in Parr, the boy sniper at a St Helens soldier's wedding, the opposition to proposals to build homes on a Rainhill pub's bowling green and the Carr Mill Service Station's concern that the monster East Lancs road scheme would drive his business into the ground.
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Helena House summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (21st - 27th FEBRUARY 1972)

This week's many stories include the end of the miners' national strike, worries over the water supply situation in St Helens, the Congregational Church leaders in Ormskirk Street that were gassed by their central heating system, the Sutton explosion after a North Sea gas conversion, the vandalism of Haresfinch's public loos and the monster scheme on the East Lancs Road that was expected to cause monster hold-ups.
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Trolley bus summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (14th - 20th FEBRUARY 1972)

This week's 16 stories include the Derbyshire Hill woman who refused to have electricity in her home, another post office robbery takes place in Cambridge Road, the hole-in-the-heart Haydock boy returns to school, more on the power cuts in St Helens, the creation of the St Helens Trolley Bus Society, action's taken to address ambulance men's concerns and vandals cause a near-train disaster at Marshalls Cross.
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Ambulance station summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (7th - 13th FEBRUARY 1972)

This week's stories include damning criticism of the St Helens Ambulance Service from its own staff, the packed family planning clinic in Bickerstaffe Street that was embarrassing its female clients, the Rainhill woman who found a fly in her sausage, the brazen Cambridge Road post office robbery, a power cuts rota is organised for St Helens and the egg and sausage artist of Duke Street is back in Whalley's World.
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Bold Power Station summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (31st JAN. - 6th FEB. 1972)

This week's many stories include Beecham's prosecution of Dave Whelan's supermarket in Sutton for selling their medicines too cheaply, Providence Hospital closes in on its fundraising target, the "ignorant savages" push back against criticism of miners, the Prescot Road dancing school courts the kids, Greenall's leap in profits and oil tankers slip past a picket line into Bold Power Station under cover of darkness.
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Leslie Spriggs Christopher Chattaway summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th JANUARY 1972)

This week's stories include the explosive situation in Billinge when a car carrying gelignite crashes, Pierre the Clown comes to St Helens schools to talk teeth, the Carr Mill garage in trouble for opening on a Sunday, the taxi-driver who claimed he was brainwashed by his radio, panto time at the Theatre Royal and the St Helens MP puts down a Commons motion deploring the lowering of moral standards on television.
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Greenalls summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (17th - 23rd JANUARY 1972)

This week's 15 stories include the shock closure announcement of Greenall Whitley's Hall Street brewery, a Bold Colliery pitman describes his weekly pittance, concern over a dangerous stretch of Crank Road, a double-decker bus crashes in Prescot Road, proposals are made for a linear park in Rainford, Saints successfully trial a 6-tackle rule and St Helens Council approves 7 major road improvement schemes.
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Dollies summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (10th - 16th JANUARY 1972)

This week's many stories include the dollies in a dust up in Prescot Road, Harold Wilson visits Prescot Employment Exchange, the coal strike forces some St Helens' schools to consider closing, the house-building and slum demolition situation in St Helens, a 13-year-old boy's brotherly heroism in Sutton Manor, there's a Reporter feature on Westfield Street and the town's last trolleybus is saved from the scrapyard.
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Billy Bottle summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (3rd - 9th JANUARY 1972)

This week's stories include the green light for the long-delayed Parr baths, the council considers whether stinky brook is still stinky, Saints threaten a boycott of the BBC2 Trophy, the return of Billy Bottle as householders are urged to give back their empty milk bottles, Rainford Council announces plans to sell off its stock of council homes and why the town's doctors could now remain snug in their beds at night.
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Leslie Spriggs Scruffy summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (27th DEC. 1971 - 2nd JAN. 1972)

This week's many stories include the New Year celebrations in Victoria Square that led to Queen Victoria's orb and sceptre being stolen, the St Helens' MP calls for a clean up of sex and violence on television, the St Helens New Year's Day babies, Scruffy the lost Thatto Heath dog is reunited with his owner, the Rivoli bingo grocery collection and a family feud continues at a funeral in St Helens Parish Church.
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Nevins New Year babies summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (20th - 26th DECEMBER 1971)

This week's article is a Christmas special with many stories describing how the festive season was spent – including the New Year baby contest, the Christmas parties, Christmas Day dinner for Thatto Heath old folk, the St Helens Hospital crib theft, the New Year scheme to reduce the council house waiting list and the Dean of St Helens upsets ex-soldiers by delivering a fiery Christmas sermon on Northern Ireland.
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