FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (19th - 25th DECEMBER 1972)
This week's stories include the police raid on a British Legion club, the Parr jockey that broke his hoodoo, Eccleston's new library opens on Broadway, the bumper Christmas cash sales in the shops, the watchdog women in Rainford that monitored food prices and the pre-Christmas entertainment in St Helens
We begin with the Baccardi Club in St Helens, which was in trouble this week for playing music inside their Ormskirk Street premises without a licence. The High Court forbade the club from any further copyright infringement and granted an inquiry to decide on the damages that they had to pay.
In even worse bother was the British Legion located in Liverpool Road in St Helens. The police had raided the club in September for serving after hours and breaching other rules – such as not signing the 32 non-members present on the night of the raid into their visitors' book.
In total 61 people faced charges and after a three-day hearing, fines totalling more than £1,100 were imposed. The court also ruled that the club had been "habitually used for an unlawful purpose" and cancelled its registration certificate – prohibiting alcohol sales for six months.
The Echo on the 22nd ran a lengthy piece on John James, a jockey from Fleet Lane in Parr, who bore the nickname "Jinx". That was because it had taken the 25-year-old ten years to win a race – both as a stable boy and an actual jockey. "I'd been first at the last hurdle several times before," John explained. "Then I've either fallen or been beaten on the run-in to the post".
His debut win had been on a horse called Moon Saint at Doncaster on November 2nd and he described his feelings of relief at breaking the hoodoo: "I just couldn't believe that at last I was on a winner. The post seemed to get further and further away. I thought I was never going to get there. When I led Moon Saint into the winner's enclosure I felt just wonderful. It took ages for it to really sink in that at last I'd achieved a life's ambition." But now John was on a roll with several wins under his belt.
The Reporter was published on the 22nd and announced that St Helens shoppers had so far spent £1½ million (over £20m in today's money) on a "record Christmas spree". Although Access cards had recently been launched to join Barclaycard and other credit cards offering "have now – pay later" facilities, the Reporter stated that the takings at the larger stores had been mainly in "hard cash".
Percy Carman, the manager of Helena House, reported that 90% of its sales had been in cash with credit facilities only used on more expensive items like colour TV. Both Lennons and Nevins supermarkets had enjoyed a bumper Christmas with the latter declaring: "We have sold literally thousands of turkeys". The Trustee Savings Bank in Hardshaw Street reported that it alone had paid out £1½ million in withdrawals to its customers, 10% more than last Christmas. And Williams and Glyn's Bank in Church Street said their figures over the last two weeks showed an 18% jump in withdrawals.
It was too early to determine the level of this year's Christmas post. But St Helens head postmaster, Harry Hart, felt that people had so far been more careful with their parcels, saying: "There will be fewer disappointments due to parcels bursting open in transit. The standard of packing is a little better, indicating that people are taking more care."
Jasu Karia was pictured in the Reporter with her Christmas tree inside her home in Bridge Road in Clock Face. She and her husband Mukano were amongst the many Asians that earlier in the year Idi Amin had expelled from Uganda. However, the couple were currently the only such family to have settled in the St Helens area but were full of praise for their reception.
"We have been well treated and the people are friendly, especially in the pubs and clubs", remarked Mukano, who back in Uganda had his own haulage business but was now employed in a Widnes asbestos factory. His wife added: "I like it here. I think we will be staying a long time."
Fifth-formers from Robins Lane Secondary School (shown above) were pictured in the Reporter with Annie Jameson of Beth Avenue in Sutton. She had been one of forty local senior citizens invited to the school to partake of what was described as a "slap-up Christmas tea". The girls had paid for the treat out of their own pockets and after serving the pensioners their tea, they joined in a sing-song with them. The Robins Lane school nurse was also a health visitor in Sutton and so had been able to suggest the names of deserving participants.
The Reporter described how a group of "watchdog women" in Rainford were monitoring food prices in the village in order to give elderly residents the opportunity to buy food at bargain prices. Their survey findings of nearly 40 foods stocked by seven Rainford shops were then pushed through about 400 letterboxes. The organisers included Susan Constable of Witton Way who said:
"We go round shops with certain items on our list and make a note of the cheapest. We have produced two lists. We are doing it once a month, but if more people help we could do it more often. Instead of pensioners having to shop around we try and help by doing it for them. It should also be an incentive to shopkeepers to keep prices down."
The paper also described the opening of Eccleston's new library in Broadway. The £48,000 building was described as the product of ten years of planning and replaced the old Kiln Lane library that had been built in 1940. Over 18,000 books were on the shelves and the building also featured a meeting room that was available for public use.
This advert was in the paper: "Burtonwood ‘Big Taste’ Export, the new lager style bottled beer for men and women. Be “Big”! Think “Big”! The beer that is “Big"! and add to your Christmas cheers."
There didn't appear to be many pre-Christmas events in the town, perhaps because the 24th was a Sunday. The Geraldo Club in Lord Street had what they called a 'Grand Christmas Eve Dance' with turkey buffet, spot prizes and raffles. The Manhattan Cabaret Club in Gerard Street in Ashton called their event a 'Grand Christmas Eve Carnival', with cabaret, dancing, buffet and spot prizes. Tom O’Connor was the star act at St Helens Town's Social Club in Hoghton Road. The former Bootle maths and music teacher was starting to make a name for himself after making appearances on the TV show 'The Comedians'.
The town's two cinemas made little effort to inject any seasonal slant or family entertainment to their fare – at least before Boxing Day. On Christmas Eve at the Capitol, six days of '2001 A Space Odyssey' began, replacing Michael Caine's 'X'-rated 'Get Carter'. And the 'X'-rated pre-Christmas film at the ABC Savoy called 'Naughty Knickers' was replaced on the 24th with another 'X'-rated feature in 'Dracula, Prince of Darkness'. Both cinemas shut their doors on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day the ABC Savoy screened Disney's 'Bedknobs & Broomsticks'.
The Christmas TV schedules for the three channels that were then available were published in the Reporter. The Christmas Day highlights on BBC1 included Billy Smart's Christmas Circus, Dick Whittington starring Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game, Christmas Night with the Stars and the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show. The Granada / ITV highlights included A Merry Morning with Leslie Crowther visiting children in hospital, The Big Top international circus, Opportunity Knocks Christmas Special, Coronation Street, The Comedians and an All Star Comedy Carnival starring Jimmy Tarbuck with over 50 top artists.
The Reporter also described another disturbing incident of railway vandalism when a train near Rainford Junction carrying up to 100 passengers came within yards of being flung off the track. The driver managed to slam on his brakes and avoid the concrete and metal posts that had been dumped on the line.
The first Christmas Day baby to be born in the town was Claire Kavanagh. Her mother Irene gave birth to her 8lb 4oz daughter just after midday at her home in Snowdon Grove in Sutton. Other Christmas Day births were an 8lb 2oz boy born at home to Mrs Mervyn Park of Taunton Avenue; a 7lb 9oz daughter to Susan Devaney of Birchfield Street; a 6lb 4oz son to Susan Walker of West End Road, Haydock and a 6lb 8oz boy born to Dorothy Lines of Darent Road, Haydock. All of the last three births took place in Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the stolen poison at Rainhill, the alleged scandal of the workhouse school, the people taking their lives in their hands crossing Dragon Lane and the old wives tales hindering the take-up of a distemper vaccine.
We begin with the Baccardi Club in St Helens, which was in trouble this week for playing music inside their Ormskirk Street premises without a licence. The High Court forbade the club from any further copyright infringement and granted an inquiry to decide on the damages that they had to pay.
In even worse bother was the British Legion located in Liverpool Road in St Helens. The police had raided the club in September for serving after hours and breaching other rules – such as not signing the 32 non-members present on the night of the raid into their visitors' book.
In total 61 people faced charges and after a three-day hearing, fines totalling more than £1,100 were imposed. The court also ruled that the club had been "habitually used for an unlawful purpose" and cancelled its registration certificate – prohibiting alcohol sales for six months.
The Echo on the 22nd ran a lengthy piece on John James, a jockey from Fleet Lane in Parr, who bore the nickname "Jinx". That was because it had taken the 25-year-old ten years to win a race – both as a stable boy and an actual jockey. "I'd been first at the last hurdle several times before," John explained. "Then I've either fallen or been beaten on the run-in to the post".
His debut win had been on a horse called Moon Saint at Doncaster on November 2nd and he described his feelings of relief at breaking the hoodoo: "I just couldn't believe that at last I was on a winner. The post seemed to get further and further away. I thought I was never going to get there. When I led Moon Saint into the winner's enclosure I felt just wonderful. It took ages for it to really sink in that at last I'd achieved a life's ambition." But now John was on a roll with several wins under his belt.
The Reporter was published on the 22nd and announced that St Helens shoppers had so far spent £1½ million (over £20m in today's money) on a "record Christmas spree". Although Access cards had recently been launched to join Barclaycard and other credit cards offering "have now – pay later" facilities, the Reporter stated that the takings at the larger stores had been mainly in "hard cash".
Percy Carman, the manager of Helena House, reported that 90% of its sales had been in cash with credit facilities only used on more expensive items like colour TV. Both Lennons and Nevins supermarkets had enjoyed a bumper Christmas with the latter declaring: "We have sold literally thousands of turkeys". The Trustee Savings Bank in Hardshaw Street reported that it alone had paid out £1½ million in withdrawals to its customers, 10% more than last Christmas. And Williams and Glyn's Bank in Church Street said their figures over the last two weeks showed an 18% jump in withdrawals.
It was too early to determine the level of this year's Christmas post. But St Helens head postmaster, Harry Hart, felt that people had so far been more careful with their parcels, saying: "There will be fewer disappointments due to parcels bursting open in transit. The standard of packing is a little better, indicating that people are taking more care."
Jasu Karia was pictured in the Reporter with her Christmas tree inside her home in Bridge Road in Clock Face. She and her husband Mukano were amongst the many Asians that earlier in the year Idi Amin had expelled from Uganda. However, the couple were currently the only such family to have settled in the St Helens area but were full of praise for their reception.
"We have been well treated and the people are friendly, especially in the pubs and clubs", remarked Mukano, who back in Uganda had his own haulage business but was now employed in a Widnes asbestos factory. His wife added: "I like it here. I think we will be staying a long time."
The Reporter described how a group of "watchdog women" in Rainford were monitoring food prices in the village in order to give elderly residents the opportunity to buy food at bargain prices. Their survey findings of nearly 40 foods stocked by seven Rainford shops were then pushed through about 400 letterboxes. The organisers included Susan Constable of Witton Way who said:
"We go round shops with certain items on our list and make a note of the cheapest. We have produced two lists. We are doing it once a month, but if more people help we could do it more often. Instead of pensioners having to shop around we try and help by doing it for them. It should also be an incentive to shopkeepers to keep prices down."
The paper also described the opening of Eccleston's new library in Broadway. The £48,000 building was described as the product of ten years of planning and replaced the old Kiln Lane library that had been built in 1940. Over 18,000 books were on the shelves and the building also featured a meeting room that was available for public use.
This advert was in the paper: "Burtonwood ‘Big Taste’ Export, the new lager style bottled beer for men and women. Be “Big”! Think “Big”! The beer that is “Big"! and add to your Christmas cheers."
There didn't appear to be many pre-Christmas events in the town, perhaps because the 24th was a Sunday. The Geraldo Club in Lord Street had what they called a 'Grand Christmas Eve Dance' with turkey buffet, spot prizes and raffles. The Manhattan Cabaret Club in Gerard Street in Ashton called their event a 'Grand Christmas Eve Carnival', with cabaret, dancing, buffet and spot prizes. Tom O’Connor was the star act at St Helens Town's Social Club in Hoghton Road. The former Bootle maths and music teacher was starting to make a name for himself after making appearances on the TV show 'The Comedians'.
The Christmas TV schedules for the three channels that were then available were published in the Reporter. The Christmas Day highlights on BBC1 included Billy Smart's Christmas Circus, Dick Whittington starring Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game, Christmas Night with the Stars and the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show. The Granada / ITV highlights included A Merry Morning with Leslie Crowther visiting children in hospital, The Big Top international circus, Opportunity Knocks Christmas Special, Coronation Street, The Comedians and an All Star Comedy Carnival starring Jimmy Tarbuck with over 50 top artists.
The Reporter also described another disturbing incident of railway vandalism when a train near Rainford Junction carrying up to 100 passengers came within yards of being flung off the track. The driver managed to slam on his brakes and avoid the concrete and metal posts that had been dumped on the line.
The first Christmas Day baby to be born in the town was Claire Kavanagh. Her mother Irene gave birth to her 8lb 4oz daughter just after midday at her home in Snowdon Grove in Sutton. Other Christmas Day births were an 8lb 2oz boy born at home to Mrs Mervyn Park of Taunton Avenue; a 7lb 9oz daughter to Susan Devaney of Birchfield Street; a 6lb 4oz son to Susan Walker of West End Road, Haydock and a 6lb 8oz boy born to Dorothy Lines of Darent Road, Haydock. All of the last three births took place in Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the stolen poison at Rainhill, the alleged scandal of the workhouse school, the people taking their lives in their hands crossing Dragon Lane and the old wives tales hindering the take-up of a distemper vaccine.
This week's stories include the police raid on a British Legion club, the Parr jockey that broke his hoodoo, Eccleston's new library opens on Broadway, the bumper Christmas cash sales in the shops, the watchdog women in Rainford that monitored food prices and the pre-Christmas entertainment in St Helens.
We begin with the Baccardi Club in St Helens, which was in trouble this week for playing music inside their Ormskirk Street premises without a licence.
The High Court forbade the club from any further copyright infringement and granted an inquiry to decide on the damages that they had to pay.
In even worse bother was the British Legion located in Liverpool Road in St Helens.
The police had raided the club in September for serving after hours and breaching other rules – such as not signing the 32 non-members present on the night of the raid into their visitors' book.
In total 61 people faced charges and after a three-day hearing, fines totalling more than £1,100 were imposed.
The court also ruled that the club had been "habitually used for an unlawful purpose" and cancelled its registration certificate – prohibiting alcohol sales for six months.
The Echo on the 22nd ran a lengthy piece on John James, a jockey from Fleet Lane in Parr, who bore the nickname "Jinx".
That was because it had taken the 25-year-old ten years to win a race – both as a stable boy and an actual jockey.
"I'd been first at the last hurdle several times before," John explained. "Then I've either fallen or been beaten on the run-in to the post".
His debut win had been on a horse called Moon Saint at Doncaster on November 2nd and he described his feelings of relief at breaking the hoodoo:
"I just couldn't believe that at last I was on a winner. The post seemed to get further and further away. I thought I was never going to get there. When I led Moon Saint into the winner's enclosure I felt just wonderful. It took ages for it to really sink in that at last I'd achieved a life's ambition."
But now John was on a roll with several wins under his belt.
The Reporter was published on the 22nd and announced that St Helens shoppers had so far spent £1½ million (over £20m in today's money) on a "record Christmas spree".
Although Access cards had recently been launched to join Barclaycard and other credit cards offering "have now – pay later" facilities, the Reporter stated that the takings at the larger stores had been mainly in "hard cash".
Percy Carman, the manager of Helena House, reported that 90% of its sales had been in cash with credit facilities only used on more expensive items like colour TV.
Both Lennons and Nevins supermarkets had enjoyed a bumper Christmas with the latter declaring: "We have sold literally thousands of turkeys".
The Trustee Savings Bank in Hardshaw Street reported that it alone had paid out £1½ million in withdrawals to its customers, 10% more than last Christmas.
And Williams and Glyn's Bank in Church Street said their figures over the last two weeks showed an 18% jump in withdrawals.
It was too early to determine the level of this year's Christmas post. But St Helens head postmaster, Harry Hart, felt that people had so far been more careful with their parcels, saying:
"There will be fewer disappointments due to parcels bursting open in transit. The standard of packing is a little better, indicating that people are taking more care."
Jasu Karia was pictured in the Reporter with her Christmas tree inside her home in Bridge Road in Clock Face.
She and her husband Mukano were amongst the many Asians that earlier in the year Idi Amin had expelled from Uganda.
However, the couple were currently the only such family to have settled in the St Helens area but were full of praise for their reception.
"We have been well treated and the people are friendly, especially in the pubs and clubs", remarked Mukano, who back in Uganda had his own haulage business but was now employed in a Widnes asbestos factory.
His wife added: "I like it here. I think we will be staying a long time."
Fifth-formers from Robins Lane Secondary School (shown above) were pictured in the Reporter with Annie Jameson of Beth Avenue in Sutton.
She had been one of forty local senior citizens invited to the school to partake of what was described as a "slap-up Christmas tea".
The girls had paid for the treat out of their own pockets and after serving the pensioners their tea, they joined in a sing-song with them.
The Robins Lane school nurse was also a health visitor in Sutton and so had been able to suggest the names of deserving participants.
The Reporter described how a group of "watchdog women" in Rainford were monitoring food prices in the village in order to give elderly residents the opportunity to buy food at bargain prices.
Their survey findings of nearly 40 foods stocked by seven Rainford shops were then pushed through about 400 letterboxes. The organisers included Susan Constable of Witton Way who said:
"We go round shops with certain items on our list and make a note of the cheapest. We have produced two lists. We are doing it once a month, but if more people help we could do it more often.
"Instead of pensioners having to shop around we try and help by doing it for them. It should also be an incentive to shopkeepers to keep prices down."
The paper also described the opening of Eccleston's new library in Broadway. The £48,000 building was described as the product of ten years of planning and replaced the old Kiln Lane library that had been built in 1940.
Over 18,000 books were on the shelves and the building also featured a meeting room that was available for public use.
This advert was in the paper: "Burtonwood ‘Big Taste’ Export, the new lager style bottled beer for men and women. Be “Big”! Think “Big”! The beer that is “Big"! and add to your Christmas cheers."
There didn't appear to be many pre-Christmas events in the town, perhaps because the 24th was a Sunday.
The Geraldo Club in Lord Street had what they called a 'Grand Christmas Eve Dance' with turkey buffet, spot prizes and raffles.
The Manhattan Cabaret Club in Gerard Street in Ashton called their event a 'Grand Christmas Eve Carnival', with cabaret, dancing, buffet and spot prizes.
Tom O’Connor was the star act at St Helens Town's Social Club in Hoghton Road. The former Bootle maths and music teacher was starting to make a name for himself after making appearances on the TV show 'The Comedians'.
The town's two cinemas made little effort to inject any seasonal slant or family entertainment to their fare – at least before Boxing Day.
On Christmas Eve at the Capitol, six days of '2001 A Space Odyssey' began, replacing Michael Caine's 'X'-rated 'Get Carter'.
And the 'X'-rated pre-Christmas film at the ABC Savoy called 'Naughty Knickers' was replaced on the 24th with another 'X'-rated feature in 'Dracula, Prince of Darkness'.
Both cinemas shut their doors on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day the ABC Savoy screened Disney's 'Bedknobs & Broomsticks'.
The Christmas TV schedules for the three channels that were then available were published in the Reporter.
The Christmas Day highlights on BBC1 included Billy Smart's Christmas Circus, Dick Whittington starring Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game, Christmas Night with the Stars and the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show.
The Granada / ITV highlights included A Merry Morning with Leslie Crowther visiting children in hospital, The Big Top international circus, Opportunity Knocks Christmas Special, Coronation Street, The Comedians and an All Star Comedy Carnival starring Jimmy Tarbuck with over 50 top artists.
The Reporter also described another disturbing incident of railway vandalism when a train near Rainford Junction carrying up to 100 passengers came within yards of being flung off the track.
The driver managed to slam on his brakes and avoid the concrete and metal posts that had been dumped on the line.
The first Christmas Day baby to be born in the town was Claire Kavanagh. Her mother Irene gave birth to her 8lb 4oz daughter just after midday at her home in Snowdon Grove in Sutton.
Other Christmas Day births were an 8lb 2oz boy born at home to Mrs Mervyn Park of Taunton Avenue; a 7lb 9oz daughter to Susan Devaney of Birchfield Street; a 6lb 4oz son to Susan Walker of West End Road, Haydock and a 6lb 8oz boy born to Dorothy Lines of Darent Road, Haydock. All of the last three births took place in Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the stolen poison at Rainhill, the alleged scandal of the workhouse school, the people taking their lives in their hands crossing Dragon Lane and the old wives tales hindering the take-up of a distemper vaccine.
We begin with the Baccardi Club in St Helens, which was in trouble this week for playing music inside their Ormskirk Street premises without a licence.
The High Court forbade the club from any further copyright infringement and granted an inquiry to decide on the damages that they had to pay.
In even worse bother was the British Legion located in Liverpool Road in St Helens.
The police had raided the club in September for serving after hours and breaching other rules – such as not signing the 32 non-members present on the night of the raid into their visitors' book.
In total 61 people faced charges and after a three-day hearing, fines totalling more than £1,100 were imposed.
The court also ruled that the club had been "habitually used for an unlawful purpose" and cancelled its registration certificate – prohibiting alcohol sales for six months.
The Echo on the 22nd ran a lengthy piece on John James, a jockey from Fleet Lane in Parr, who bore the nickname "Jinx".
That was because it had taken the 25-year-old ten years to win a race – both as a stable boy and an actual jockey.
"I'd been first at the last hurdle several times before," John explained. "Then I've either fallen or been beaten on the run-in to the post".
His debut win had been on a horse called Moon Saint at Doncaster on November 2nd and he described his feelings of relief at breaking the hoodoo:
"I just couldn't believe that at last I was on a winner. The post seemed to get further and further away. I thought I was never going to get there. When I led Moon Saint into the winner's enclosure I felt just wonderful. It took ages for it to really sink in that at last I'd achieved a life's ambition."
But now John was on a roll with several wins under his belt.
The Reporter was published on the 22nd and announced that St Helens shoppers had so far spent £1½ million (over £20m in today's money) on a "record Christmas spree".
Although Access cards had recently been launched to join Barclaycard and other credit cards offering "have now – pay later" facilities, the Reporter stated that the takings at the larger stores had been mainly in "hard cash".
Percy Carman, the manager of Helena House, reported that 90% of its sales had been in cash with credit facilities only used on more expensive items like colour TV.
Both Lennons and Nevins supermarkets had enjoyed a bumper Christmas with the latter declaring: "We have sold literally thousands of turkeys".
The Trustee Savings Bank in Hardshaw Street reported that it alone had paid out £1½ million in withdrawals to its customers, 10% more than last Christmas.
And Williams and Glyn's Bank in Church Street said their figures over the last two weeks showed an 18% jump in withdrawals.
It was too early to determine the level of this year's Christmas post. But St Helens head postmaster, Harry Hart, felt that people had so far been more careful with their parcels, saying:
"There will be fewer disappointments due to parcels bursting open in transit. The standard of packing is a little better, indicating that people are taking more care."
Jasu Karia was pictured in the Reporter with her Christmas tree inside her home in Bridge Road in Clock Face.
She and her husband Mukano were amongst the many Asians that earlier in the year Idi Amin had expelled from Uganda.
However, the couple were currently the only such family to have settled in the St Helens area but were full of praise for their reception.
"We have been well treated and the people are friendly, especially in the pubs and clubs", remarked Mukano, who back in Uganda had his own haulage business but was now employed in a Widnes asbestos factory.
His wife added: "I like it here. I think we will be staying a long time."
She had been one of forty local senior citizens invited to the school to partake of what was described as a "slap-up Christmas tea".
The girls had paid for the treat out of their own pockets and after serving the pensioners their tea, they joined in a sing-song with them.
The Robins Lane school nurse was also a health visitor in Sutton and so had been able to suggest the names of deserving participants.
The Reporter described how a group of "watchdog women" in Rainford were monitoring food prices in the village in order to give elderly residents the opportunity to buy food at bargain prices.
Their survey findings of nearly 40 foods stocked by seven Rainford shops were then pushed through about 400 letterboxes. The organisers included Susan Constable of Witton Way who said:
"We go round shops with certain items on our list and make a note of the cheapest. We have produced two lists. We are doing it once a month, but if more people help we could do it more often.
"Instead of pensioners having to shop around we try and help by doing it for them. It should also be an incentive to shopkeepers to keep prices down."
The paper also described the opening of Eccleston's new library in Broadway. The £48,000 building was described as the product of ten years of planning and replaced the old Kiln Lane library that had been built in 1940.
Over 18,000 books were on the shelves and the building also featured a meeting room that was available for public use.
This advert was in the paper: "Burtonwood ‘Big Taste’ Export, the new lager style bottled beer for men and women. Be “Big”! Think “Big”! The beer that is “Big"! and add to your Christmas cheers."
There didn't appear to be many pre-Christmas events in the town, perhaps because the 24th was a Sunday.
The Geraldo Club in Lord Street had what they called a 'Grand Christmas Eve Dance' with turkey buffet, spot prizes and raffles.
The Manhattan Cabaret Club in Gerard Street in Ashton called their event a 'Grand Christmas Eve Carnival', with cabaret, dancing, buffet and spot prizes.
Tom O’Connor was the star act at St Helens Town's Social Club in Hoghton Road. The former Bootle maths and music teacher was starting to make a name for himself after making appearances on the TV show 'The Comedians'.
The town's two cinemas made little effort to inject any seasonal slant or family entertainment to their fare – at least before Boxing Day.
And the 'X'-rated pre-Christmas film at the ABC Savoy called 'Naughty Knickers' was replaced on the 24th with another 'X'-rated feature in 'Dracula, Prince of Darkness'.
Both cinemas shut their doors on Christmas Day and on Boxing Day the ABC Savoy screened Disney's 'Bedknobs & Broomsticks'.
The Christmas TV schedules for the three channels that were then available were published in the Reporter.
The Christmas Day highlights on BBC1 included Billy Smart's Christmas Circus, Dick Whittington starring Dick Emery, Bruce Forsyth and The Generation Game, Christmas Night with the Stars and the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show.
The Granada / ITV highlights included A Merry Morning with Leslie Crowther visiting children in hospital, The Big Top international circus, Opportunity Knocks Christmas Special, Coronation Street, The Comedians and an All Star Comedy Carnival starring Jimmy Tarbuck with over 50 top artists.
The Reporter also described another disturbing incident of railway vandalism when a train near Rainford Junction carrying up to 100 passengers came within yards of being flung off the track.
The driver managed to slam on his brakes and avoid the concrete and metal posts that had been dumped on the line.
The first Christmas Day baby to be born in the town was Claire Kavanagh. Her mother Irene gave birth to her 8lb 4oz daughter just after midday at her home in Snowdon Grove in Sutton.
Other Christmas Day births were an 8lb 2oz boy born at home to Mrs Mervyn Park of Taunton Avenue; a 7lb 9oz daughter to Susan Devaney of Birchfield Street; a 6lb 4oz son to Susan Walker of West End Road, Haydock and a 6lb 8oz boy born to Dorothy Lines of Darent Road, Haydock. All of the last three births took place in Cowley Hill Maternity Hospital.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the stolen poison at Rainhill, the alleged scandal of the workhouse school, the people taking their lives in their hands crossing Dragon Lane and the old wives tales hindering the take-up of a distemper vaccine.