FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (2nd - 8th DECEMBER 1969)
This week's stories include good news for the angry families of Baxters Lane, a gipsy lorry ploughs into a house in Reginald Road, the buzzing sound driving two families in Parr up the wall, a profile of the characters in St Helens Market and more Christmas gifts adverts are in the Reporter.
We begin on the 2nd when St Helens' nurses were amongst thousands taking part in a huge demonstration in Manchester that brought traffic to a standstill. It was part of their campaign for improved pay and a contingent of 67 nurses went from Rainhill Hospital.
On the 3rd the Town Council gave the go-ahead for a feasibility study into designating Cleveland Street and Manville Street as "play streets". If the police backed the idea, the roads in Peasley Cross would be closed to traffic during certain hours.
The longstanding dispute in Reginald Road between residents and the so-called gipsies encamped on waste land took a new turn on the 3rd. That was when one of their lorries ploughed into the front room of an elderly couple's house after first demolishing their garden fence. Annie and John Lowe at 278 Reginald Road were uninjured and so was the vehicle's driver. However the lorry smashed a three-foot hole in the wall of their house and shattered four window frames. It also damaged a TV set, table and carpet. Neighbours comforted the shocked couple as a crowd of gipsies gathered on the pavement outside.
Recently there had been some letters in the St Helens Reporter that defended the gipsy way of life. On the 5th there was a stern riposte from a Mrs M. Forber who described the site as the worst slum in St Helens: "The people of Reginald Road for years have overlooked lovely fields right over to Bold Park. What do they see when they draw their curtains now? – an unsightly mess of vans strewn any way, lines of washing, scrap and dirty, dirty children." Mrs Forber also claimed that the police did not enforce laws against the gipsies and complained that they were allowed to use Hawthorne Road as their private toilet.
The Reporter also described how the "mud and road-traffic worries of the angry residents of Baxters Lane, Sutton, St. Helens, should soon be over." Currently lorries travelled past their homes on a stretch of road that was covered in mud and potholes. However this would soon end as the council had announced that a Manchester firm had been engaged to build a new road.
Three years earlier the residents had been angered by the building of houses on the opposite side of the street, as the council made up pavements and installed new lamp standards. However their side of the street was unchanged and had no pavements, with lorries jostling to get past each other within the narrow roadway.
The paper also announced that Parkside Colliery was expanding so fast that it was on a recruitment drive. The mine in Newton-le-Willows already employed 1,550 men but needed fifty more. So the Coal Board was trying to tempt former pitmen to return to mining with the offer of "big money" jobs paying £27 per week.
The Reporter also described how a mystery noise in Redgate Drive in Parr was driving two families up the wall. The buzzing sound like a washing machine had started several weeks ago and Annie Carney said it could be heard in every room of her house. Jane Rowson next door could also hear the noise and so Manweb was called in and after an investigation declared: "We haven't a clue what it is". The men from the Gas Board were similarly baffled and the Coal Board said no underground work was taking place nearby. And so the mystery continued…
The Reporter also revealed that plans for "massive" out of town car parks had been shelved. This was because there would not be a good enough bus service to ferry motorists into the centre of St Helens – largely because of the staff shortage.
'Market in Honey Lane' was an ITV soap that ended in March 1969 after being on air for two years. So when the Reporter decided to profile market life locally, their headline was "Honey Lane St. Helens". Although they concluded that real life market work was not as glamorous as in the cockney soap, with stallholders "getting up with the lark and managing the pitch through all weathers." The paper described the men and women that worked in the St Helens' open and covered markets as a "happy crowd" and a "friendly, close-knit community".
"It's a grand life", butcher Bob Fitzpatrick declared to the Reporter man. "I've been on the market since I was a lad. I used to come and help my dad when I was small. My family's been here on St Helens market for over 100 years and I'm proud of that." Graham Causey (known as "Graham the Music") kept a record stall on East Street, that his father "Eric the Music" owned. "We've got everything here from classical all the way through to pop", the 27-year-old said.
Graham's stall was opposite "Joe the Bag", the nickname of Joe Hurst who had been selling bags of all descriptions in St Helens for over 20 years. "I love this life. I wouldn't swap it for anything", enthused Joe. "I like the open-air and the casualness." Joe had been moved twice since he first arrived in 1948. His first stall was behind the Savoy; then it was near the new ring road and currently he was on a concrete section.
Emma Swift had been a stallholder on the market for 34 years, selling a variety of goods from toys to wool and pots and pans. She felt conditions had not improved over the years – especially the heating – and said the supermarkets had taken custom away but she still enjoyed her job. "Market folk have always been a nice class of people to work with", said Emma, "and it does get into your blood."
In the old covered market (shown above) was Barker's Florists, where manageress Freda Legge also complained to the Reporter about the heating: "It gets so cold in here that sometimes it is almost unbearable. There's no heating and the floors are only tiles. We would love to be able to move into a new market hall." However, overall, Mrs Legge loved her job, telling the Reporter man: "See luv, I wouldn't swap for anything."
Now it was December lots of shops were advertising Christmas presents in the Reporter, including Baby World of Ormskirk Street and Market Street. They had a large advert in the paper with the headline "We Are Agents for Father Christmas – See the T.V. Toys". There was then a long list of toys that presumably were being advertised on ITV, including: Hot Wheels, Talking Barbie, Jump Jockey, Electric trains, Stickle bricks, Chemistry sets, Rocking horses, Tippy Tumbles, Table football, Pedal cars, Action Man, Spirograph and Spiromatic etc. The latest Waddington games in stock were called 'Headache', 'Frustration', 'Hands Down' and 'Ker Plunk'.
Frank Waring had electrical shops in Duke Street, Church Street and Parr Stocks Road and he was advertising "Christmas gifts that are sure to please”. These included Emerald record players for 14½ guineas, Falcon radiograms for 34½ guineas and Morphy Richards spin dryers for 19½ guineas.
Dingsdales shops were in Duke Street, Higher Parr Street and Church Road in Haydock and they were advertising their cycles ("hundreds in stock"), as well as trikes, go-karts, sledges, Scalextric, pedal cars etc. Eric Bromilow was also selling bikes and trikes from his shop in North Road, with Raleigh a favoured brand. There was also Ben Brooks of Duke Street selling Hornby and Triang model railway sets, steam engines, Subbuteo football, Scalextric racing, Meccano and snooker tables.
Promising "Gifts Galore" was J. Hardy of 74 Peckers Hill Road, who wrote: "Don't miss seeing our old English street lamp in brass or copper finish." Marsdens of Barrow Street, Higher Parr Street and Cooper Street was offering "high fashion boots for women" from 42/11 to 7 guineas – "the gift that's sure to please". And Grosvenor House in Duke Street was promoting its Double Two shirts that "get good looks from everyone".
The Reporter was full of praise for Ray Wilkins for heroically dragging his landlord to safety from a gas-filled bedroom in Lowe Street during the weekend. The 27-year-old singer had been woken by a strong smell of gas and several times during his rescue of 65-year-old James Hunter he had been overcome by fumes. Ray asked two passers-by to dial 999 but they ignored his plea. A neighbour eventually rang for help and by the time the ambulance men arrived, Mr Hunter's heart had stopped beating. However they managed to restart it and after he and Ray were given oxygen treatment in Providence Hospital, both men were allowed home.
A photograph of Pilkingtons worker Gaynor Ford was also in the paper under the headline "Bonus Beauty 'Exhibit' at Glass Museum". This was their caption: "One of the most attractive 'pieces' in the Pilkington Glass Museum this week was 21-year-old Gaynor Ford of 19, Lilac Grove, Billinge. But Gaynor was only there for a few minutes while our photographer found a suitable background for his picture." I wonder if Gaynor liked being referred to as an "exhibit" and "piece"?
A visit from Father Christmas was a highlight of the Rainford Girl Guides and Brownies 4th annual Christmas Fair. This was held on the 6th and raised £125 towards a new hall for the Guides and Brownies. During the evening of the 6th, Chris Barber and His Jazzmen made a return appearance to the Theatre Royal. From the 7th at the ABC Savoy, 'The Virgin Soldiers' starring Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett and Nigel Davenport was screened for seven days. Meanwhile at the Capitol from the 8th, 'A Touch of Love' starring Sandy Dennis and Ian McKellen was shown for three days. Penelope Keith had yet to become a household name and she had a small role in the film as a nurse.
Next week's stories will include what St Helens' children thought of Father Christmas, rumours that Harold Wilson wanted to be the MP for St Helens, plans for an open-air festival of Gospel music with Cliff Richard, St Helens prepares for its biggest Christmas cash spree ever and why the bins weren't being emptied very often in Rainford.
We begin on the 2nd when St Helens' nurses were amongst thousands taking part in a huge demonstration in Manchester that brought traffic to a standstill. It was part of their campaign for improved pay and a contingent of 67 nurses went from Rainhill Hospital.
On the 3rd the Town Council gave the go-ahead for a feasibility study into designating Cleveland Street and Manville Street as "play streets". If the police backed the idea, the roads in Peasley Cross would be closed to traffic during certain hours.
The longstanding dispute in Reginald Road between residents and the so-called gipsies encamped on waste land took a new turn on the 3rd. That was when one of their lorries ploughed into the front room of an elderly couple's house after first demolishing their garden fence. Annie and John Lowe at 278 Reginald Road were uninjured and so was the vehicle's driver. However the lorry smashed a three-foot hole in the wall of their house and shattered four window frames. It also damaged a TV set, table and carpet. Neighbours comforted the shocked couple as a crowd of gipsies gathered on the pavement outside.
Recently there had been some letters in the St Helens Reporter that defended the gipsy way of life. On the 5th there was a stern riposte from a Mrs M. Forber who described the site as the worst slum in St Helens: "The people of Reginald Road for years have overlooked lovely fields right over to Bold Park. What do they see when they draw their curtains now? – an unsightly mess of vans strewn any way, lines of washing, scrap and dirty, dirty children." Mrs Forber also claimed that the police did not enforce laws against the gipsies and complained that they were allowed to use Hawthorne Road as their private toilet.
The Reporter also described how the "mud and road-traffic worries of the angry residents of Baxters Lane, Sutton, St. Helens, should soon be over." Currently lorries travelled past their homes on a stretch of road that was covered in mud and potholes. However this would soon end as the council had announced that a Manchester firm had been engaged to build a new road.
Three years earlier the residents had been angered by the building of houses on the opposite side of the street, as the council made up pavements and installed new lamp standards. However their side of the street was unchanged and had no pavements, with lorries jostling to get past each other within the narrow roadway.
The paper also announced that Parkside Colliery was expanding so fast that it was on a recruitment drive. The mine in Newton-le-Willows already employed 1,550 men but needed fifty more. So the Coal Board was trying to tempt former pitmen to return to mining with the offer of "big money" jobs paying £27 per week.
The Reporter also described how a mystery noise in Redgate Drive in Parr was driving two families up the wall. The buzzing sound like a washing machine had started several weeks ago and Annie Carney said it could be heard in every room of her house. Jane Rowson next door could also hear the noise and so Manweb was called in and after an investigation declared: "We haven't a clue what it is". The men from the Gas Board were similarly baffled and the Coal Board said no underground work was taking place nearby. And so the mystery continued…
The Reporter also revealed that plans for "massive" out of town car parks had been shelved. This was because there would not be a good enough bus service to ferry motorists into the centre of St Helens – largely because of the staff shortage.
'Market in Honey Lane' was an ITV soap that ended in March 1969 after being on air for two years. So when the Reporter decided to profile market life locally, their headline was "Honey Lane St. Helens". Although they concluded that real life market work was not as glamorous as in the cockney soap, with stallholders "getting up with the lark and managing the pitch through all weathers." The paper described the men and women that worked in the St Helens' open and covered markets as a "happy crowd" and a "friendly, close-knit community".
"It's a grand life", butcher Bob Fitzpatrick declared to the Reporter man. "I've been on the market since I was a lad. I used to come and help my dad when I was small. My family's been here on St Helens market for over 100 years and I'm proud of that." Graham Causey (known as "Graham the Music") kept a record stall on East Street, that his father "Eric the Music" owned. "We've got everything here from classical all the way through to pop", the 27-year-old said.
Graham's stall was opposite "Joe the Bag", the nickname of Joe Hurst who had been selling bags of all descriptions in St Helens for over 20 years. "I love this life. I wouldn't swap it for anything", enthused Joe. "I like the open-air and the casualness." Joe had been moved twice since he first arrived in 1948. His first stall was behind the Savoy; then it was near the new ring road and currently he was on a concrete section.
Emma Swift had been a stallholder on the market for 34 years, selling a variety of goods from toys to wool and pots and pans. She felt conditions had not improved over the years – especially the heating – and said the supermarkets had taken custom away but she still enjoyed her job. "Market folk have always been a nice class of people to work with", said Emma, "and it does get into your blood."
Now it was December lots of shops were advertising Christmas presents in the Reporter, including Baby World of Ormskirk Street and Market Street. They had a large advert in the paper with the headline "We Are Agents for Father Christmas – See the T.V. Toys". There was then a long list of toys that presumably were being advertised on ITV, including: Hot Wheels, Talking Barbie, Jump Jockey, Electric trains, Stickle bricks, Chemistry sets, Rocking horses, Tippy Tumbles, Table football, Pedal cars, Action Man, Spirograph and Spiromatic etc. The latest Waddington games in stock were called 'Headache', 'Frustration', 'Hands Down' and 'Ker Plunk'.
Frank Waring had electrical shops in Duke Street, Church Street and Parr Stocks Road and he was advertising "Christmas gifts that are sure to please”. These included Emerald record players for 14½ guineas, Falcon radiograms for 34½ guineas and Morphy Richards spin dryers for 19½ guineas.
Dingsdales shops were in Duke Street, Higher Parr Street and Church Road in Haydock and they were advertising their cycles ("hundreds in stock"), as well as trikes, go-karts, sledges, Scalextric, pedal cars etc. Eric Bromilow was also selling bikes and trikes from his shop in North Road, with Raleigh a favoured brand. There was also Ben Brooks of Duke Street selling Hornby and Triang model railway sets, steam engines, Subbuteo football, Scalextric racing, Meccano and snooker tables.
Promising "Gifts Galore" was J. Hardy of 74 Peckers Hill Road, who wrote: "Don't miss seeing our old English street lamp in brass or copper finish." Marsdens of Barrow Street, Higher Parr Street and Cooper Street was offering "high fashion boots for women" from 42/11 to 7 guineas – "the gift that's sure to please". And Grosvenor House in Duke Street was promoting its Double Two shirts that "get good looks from everyone".
The Reporter was full of praise for Ray Wilkins for heroically dragging his landlord to safety from a gas-filled bedroom in Lowe Street during the weekend. The 27-year-old singer had been woken by a strong smell of gas and several times during his rescue of 65-year-old James Hunter he had been overcome by fumes. Ray asked two passers-by to dial 999 but they ignored his plea. A neighbour eventually rang for help and by the time the ambulance men arrived, Mr Hunter's heart had stopped beating. However they managed to restart it and after he and Ray were given oxygen treatment in Providence Hospital, both men were allowed home.
A photograph of Pilkingtons worker Gaynor Ford was also in the paper under the headline "Bonus Beauty 'Exhibit' at Glass Museum". This was their caption: "One of the most attractive 'pieces' in the Pilkington Glass Museum this week was 21-year-old Gaynor Ford of 19, Lilac Grove, Billinge. But Gaynor was only there for a few minutes while our photographer found a suitable background for his picture." I wonder if Gaynor liked being referred to as an "exhibit" and "piece"?
A visit from Father Christmas was a highlight of the Rainford Girl Guides and Brownies 4th annual Christmas Fair. This was held on the 6th and raised £125 towards a new hall for the Guides and Brownies. During the evening of the 6th, Chris Barber and His Jazzmen made a return appearance to the Theatre Royal. From the 7th at the ABC Savoy, 'The Virgin Soldiers' starring Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett and Nigel Davenport was screened for seven days. Meanwhile at the Capitol from the 8th, 'A Touch of Love' starring Sandy Dennis and Ian McKellen was shown for three days. Penelope Keith had yet to become a household name and she had a small role in the film as a nurse.
Next week's stories will include what St Helens' children thought of Father Christmas, rumours that Harold Wilson wanted to be the MP for St Helens, plans for an open-air festival of Gospel music with Cliff Richard, St Helens prepares for its biggest Christmas cash spree ever and why the bins weren't being emptied very often in Rainford.