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.
Bull and Dog St Helens summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (26th OCT. - 1 NOV. 1970)

This week's stories include a fire at a Rainhill supermarket that had probably been caused by fireworks, a claim that sacked Pilkington workers had been blacklisted, concern over the safety of Billinge Hill, a ladies only night at the Bull and Dog, a 'Wedding Bells and Beautiful Brides' feature is in the Reporter and the first female rugby league team in St Helens is formed, as well as two new Sutton youth clubs.
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St Helens Town Hall summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19th - 25th OCTOBER 1970)

This week's many stories include a sit-down strike by workers at St Helens Town Hall, there are complaints of jerry building on the new Sutton Manor estates, the Moss Bank girl who ate cream buns in order to get into the army, there's a discussion in the Reporter on whether "dolly bird" wives lived longer and why Rainhill Hospital was searching for kind-hearted landladies to take discharged long-term patients.
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Windle Hall summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (12th - 18th OCTOBER 1970)

This week's stories include the plague of giant rats in Silkstone Street, the Rothery Radio strike, the revolutionary Rainford bus fare scheme, Lady Pilkington receives a threatening phone call, the Moss Bank tunnel road, the Eccleston women calling for ladies-only bars, criticism of plans to close Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital and the Pilkington protest march against job losses that resulted in more sackings.
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Joe Murphy summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (5th - 11th OCTOBER 1970)

This week's stories include the strange case of the Church Street safe dumped at Eccleston Mere, claims that Sidac and Leathers Chemicals had conned the town, councillors argue over the sale of council houses, Corporation sewage workers go on strike, a campaign for the creation of ladies only rooms within St Helens pubs and the lads at the Coal Board's training centre in Haydock who were made to wear hairnets.
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Garswood Station summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (28th SEPT. - 4th OCT. 1970)

This week's sixteen stories include the sinking platforms at Garswood railway station, Calamity Jane and the Deadwood Stage arrive in St Helens to much praise, there are burglaries in Reginald Road, Boundary Road and the Covered Market, Rushworths Piano and Organ Show takes place in Corporation Street, the reluctant postcode users within Merseyside and the new housing estates that were being built in St Helens.
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Lowe House summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (21st - 27th SEPTEMBER 1970)

This week's stories include the sex attacks in a dark Parr alley, the shopping binges at the Tesco supermarket in Bridge Street, an end to Stoves cooker strike in Rainhill, what drinkers in the Cuerdley Arms thought of the price of beer going up, the Pilkington Players' performance at the Theatre Royal is praised and snooker star Hurricane Higgins comes to Lowe House Club to play exhibition games and gets beaten!
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Plaza summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (14th - 20th SEPTEMBER 1970)

This week's stories include the troublemakers at the Plaza's strip shows, the obliging Clock Face couple whose garden and garage were destroyed by the council, Marti Caine performs at East Sutton Labour Club, the knock down sale in St Mary Street, the residents on the new Carnegie Crescent estate in Sutton upset about their privacy and why slap-happy St. Helens was daubing its name into the idiot's record books.
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Parr Stocks fire station summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (7th - 13th SEPTEMBER 1970)

This week's many stories include the tramps that were sleeping in Central Library, plans to fight the shock job losses at Pilkingtons, St Helens Fire Brigade decide to axe their axes, anger over the planned closure of Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital, a series of building cock-ups in St Helens, concern over a planned gipsy caravan site in Collins Green and fury over fumes escaping from Sutton's sulphuric acid plant.
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Will Sharrock Clock Face fastest gun

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (31st AUG. - 6th SEPT. 1970)

This week's stories include the choking gas terror from Leathers Chemicals in Sutton, the Clock Face champion gunslinger, parents demand an investigation into the poor performance of a Rainford school, a youth club siege by teenagers seeking revenge on skinheads, the lovely Pilkington dollies and the barrister who said a Carr Mill woman's court evidence should be treated lightly because she was a woman.
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Leathers summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (24th - 30th AUGUST 1970)

This week's stories include the Sidac "acid drop dollies" that had to dodge sulphuric acid bubbles, the armed vigilante gardeners of Alder Hey Road catch a dahlia destroyer, a violent robbery at a farmhouse in Newton Road, a claim of filth and pollution caused by ash drifting from Bold Power Station, Rainford Carnival ’70 takes place, a car is stolen at gun point in Eccleston and "Radio Saints" returns to the air.
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West Park Grammar summary

FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (17th - 23rd AUGUST 1970)

This week's many stories include an update on the sacked Pilkington strikers – including a claim of blacklisting, the Reporter accuses the headmaster of West Park Grammar of a petty boycott, the melting helmets of St Helens firemen, a safety plan is proposed to reduce accidents at Windle Island, a pioneering pre-school playgroup in Sutton Manor and vandals smash a recently restored stained glass window in Sutton.
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