FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (23rd - 29th September 1969)
This week's 24 stories include a public inquiry into a Walkers Lane scrap metal "eyesore", the St Helens Duckling Club, a public meeting to discuss the future of church schools in Sutton, a building site worker suffers an accident near Leathers and there's a parade of historic old vehicles to Sherdley Park to mark St Helens Transport's Golden Jubilee.
We begin at Rainford Council's Public Services Committee meeting on the 23rd when Councillor Bob Rose complained of a lack of sporting facilities for young people in the village. This he blamed on an attitude of penny-pinching by his own council. The councillors asked their clerk Ken Isherwood to find out what grants might be available from Lancashire County Council, with a field in Higher Lane earmarked as a possible sports site.
On the same day the annual inspection of the Rainford Red Cross cadet corps took place at the Corpus Christi Church Hall in Victoria Street. Many of the members were young girls. I wonder how many went on to become nurses?
A public meeting was held on the 23rd to hear an appeal by a Walkers Lane scrap metal firm against a council enforcement order. Five residents from Sutton Manor appeared to complain of the noise, smoke and smell that came from the Walker Metal Company. Mr G. Woodwood called the place an "eyesore", saying scrap metal was stacked everywhere and looked untidy.
Ethel Bretherton complained of black smoke that came from the site accompanied by a smell of oil that leaked from a tank and flowed towards the front of her house. "It is a terrible stench", she said. Another Walkers Lane resident called Mrs Haslam told the inquiry that her health was starting to suffer through the smell of oil and burning rubber, adding: "I am tired of complaining about it".
However the owner of the company – F. W. Gardam from Mill Lane in Rainhill – denied that there had ever been any smell or fumes and claimed the site generated very little noise. After the inquiry had ended the inspector from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government went to inspect the premises and said he would announce his decision within the next few weeks.
Later that day a public meeting was held in the Parish Hall in Eaves Lane to discuss the future of church schools in Sutton. The Diocese of Liverpool's Director of Education was in attendance. In his parish magazine the Rev. Paul Conder had written that some "critical decisions" concerning the future of the schools would have to be taken very soon.
Of particular concern was the high bank rate that was increasing the cost of loan charges, with money for new schools, extensions and repairs often having to be borrowed. The Vicar of Sutton had only recently returned from a preaching tour of the United States and he wrote an article on his experiences in the St Helens Reporter.
Since April St Helens had been part of the new Lancashire Constabulary. This week its Chief Constable William Palfrey reported that crime had dropped by 2% in the four months since the force had been created. These were the number of offences that had been reported, compared with the same period last year. The number of crimes solved had also increased by 1%.
On the 24th building site worker Desmond Williamson was pinned under a massive piece of clay while working in a trench near to Leathers Chemicals in Sutton. Workmates of the 33-year-old from Reynolds Avenue in Parr jumped into the four-feet deep trench to rescue him and Desmond was taken to St Helens Hospital with a fractured leg.
On the same day an elderly man from Parr had to be rushed to Providence Hospital after collapsing while completing legal aid forms in the Magistrates Clerk's office. Minutes before he had been before the St Helens Bench facing two charges of indecent assault against a six-year-old and a nine-year-old girl.
Also on the 24th a thirsty thief sneaked into Holy Trinity Church at Ashton and stole a week's supply of communion wine. The two bottles had been stored in an unlocked cupboard inside the vestry that was left open for daytime worshippers. Last October it was revealed that many St Helens' churches had begun keeping their doors locked because of vandalism and thefts. I wonder if Holy Trinity followed suit after this experience?
Also on that day a fashion show was held at Knowsley Road Congregational Church Hall with proceeds going towards new curtains for the building. The event was such a success that it was decided to hold two such shows each year showcasing Spring and Autumn collections.
It wasn't a good week to be on the westbound carriageway of the East Lancs Road as there was what the Reporter called "traffic jams galore" near Carr Mill lights. Repair work on a leaking gas main meant queues at peak time stretched as far back as Haydock.
They were certainly very proactive at All Saints Church in Sutton. This week a team from the Ellamsbridge Road church was visiting every house in the district to invite people to attend their harvest services.
A by-election was held in Moss Bank on the 25th caused by the resignation of Tory rebel councillor Roy Elson. On the following day members of the St Helens Duckling Club were pictured in the Reporter having been formed five months earlier to promote water safety. About 350 children aged between five and eight attended the club's 30 minute sessions every Saturday from 9am to 11am at Boundary Road baths. For ten shillings the boys and girls were taught to swim by volunteer instructors. "The idea has proved very successful", said Mr G. Smith, the baths manager.
There was also a write-up on Rita and Stephen Mayston from Alice Street in Sutton who were withholding their rent in protest at the council not replacing their faulty gas fire. A Building Department spokesman told the Reporter that they were having difficulty finding parts for the type of fire used in the Mayston's home.
There had been a considerable influx of Welsh workers into St Helens during the 19th century, with many finding employment in the copper industry. Many Welsh churches were established and the Reporter wrote that Gwllym Ellis had been presented with a gift in recognition of his 50 years of service to the Welsh community in St Helens. Gwllym was the organist at the Welsh Presbyterian Church in Peckers Hill Road and like the Welsh Baptist chapel in nearby Robins Lane – and other Welsh chapels in St Helens – the building has long stopped being used as a church.
"If you're ready to come back then we're ready to welcome you at Sutton Manor Colliery", said a recruitment ad from the National Coal Board in the Reporter. "Good jobs available now for experienced miners." The NCB had been running similar ads for Sutton Manor and Bold collieries for two or three years with a previous one promising "permanent employment and a secure future. Britain will need coal and mines for a LONG, LONG TIME". Bold closed in 1986 and Sutton Manor in 1991.
On the 26th the Salvation Army held a jumble sale at their centre in Thatto Heath with the price of admission 6d. Sponsored walks to or from Southport were another popular means of raising money for St Helens' organisations during the ‘60s, although those in Rainford had a slightly shorter slog. However the young members of Rainford Congregational Church decided to do their walk on the 27th the hard way. The group was raising funds for Christian Aid and hiked from Southport via Halsall Moss and Aughton, a journey of 22 miles.
Also on the 27th Stanley Shirtcliff gave a free organ recital at St Helens Parish Church (shown above) with a collection taken for the homeless. At the same time of 7:30pm Park Road Baptist Church was screening the film 'For Pete's Sake', with a special appearance by Christian evangelist Billy Graham. And during the same evening the St Helens Caledonian Society was at Kiln Lane Congregational Church for a programme of Scottish country dancing.
'The Parson Calls' was a national institution on the Home Service from 1949 to 1952 in which Wilfrid Garlick delivered a weekly radio sermon in a down-to-earth Lancashire style. On the 28th Canon Garlick was one of two guest preachers in the harvest services at St Nicholas Church in Sutton. The Rev. Harry Bellis, the recently retired Vicar of Rainford, was the other preacher.
It would be the golden jubilee of St Helens Corporation's Transport Department on October 1st. Fifty years earlier the council had taken over the operation of the trams from the privately owned St Helens & District Tramways Company. So it was decided to celebrate the event (a few days early) with an "historic public service vehicle rally".
At 1:15pm on the 28th more than thirty vehicles – some from the 1920s – trundled out of the bus garage in Jackson Street on a 75-minute trip to Sherdley Park. The processionists first paraded around Parr and then the Mayor "took the drive past" at the Town Hall. Redgate Boys Band led the convoy on an open-deck bus. The procession then went down Westfield Street and onto Prescot Road and into Thatto Heath and then down Elton Head Road into Sherdley Park.
On one bus were members of the 1st / 5th South Lancashire Regiment from WW1, along with current and retired bus conductresses who were dressed in costumes from the early part of the century. In Sherdley Park the vehicles were judged with trophies awarded for the best entries in groups 1919 to 1929, 1930 to 1939 and 1940 to 1949.
On the 29th the Spiritualist Church in Charles Street held a spiritual healing session. "A progressive church which welcomes progressive thinkers", they claimed. And finally the romantic comedy film 'I Love You, Alice B. Toklas' starring Peter Sellers and with music by Harpers Bizarre, began playing at the ABC Savoy from the 29th. It was a double-header with 'The Sergeant' in which Rod Steiger had the lead role.
Next week's stories will include another town centre redevelopment scheme, a new home for the Reginald Road gipsies, the bad old days at the Cannington Shaw bottle works, a "phantom postman's" poison-pen letters and how St Helens's Employment Exchange had pioneered Job Shops.
We begin at Rainford Council's Public Services Committee meeting on the 23rd when Councillor Bob Rose complained of a lack of sporting facilities for young people in the village. This he blamed on an attitude of penny-pinching by his own council. The councillors asked their clerk Ken Isherwood to find out what grants might be available from Lancashire County Council, with a field in Higher Lane earmarked as a possible sports site.
On the same day the annual inspection of the Rainford Red Cross cadet corps took place at the Corpus Christi Church Hall in Victoria Street. Many of the members were young girls. I wonder how many went on to become nurses?
A public meeting was held on the 23rd to hear an appeal by a Walkers Lane scrap metal firm against a council enforcement order. Five residents from Sutton Manor appeared to complain of the noise, smoke and smell that came from the Walker Metal Company. Mr G. Woodwood called the place an "eyesore", saying scrap metal was stacked everywhere and looked untidy.
Ethel Bretherton complained of black smoke that came from the site accompanied by a smell of oil that leaked from a tank and flowed towards the front of her house. "It is a terrible stench", she said. Another Walkers Lane resident called Mrs Haslam told the inquiry that her health was starting to suffer through the smell of oil and burning rubber, adding: "I am tired of complaining about it".
However the owner of the company – F. W. Gardam from Mill Lane in Rainhill – denied that there had ever been any smell or fumes and claimed the site generated very little noise. After the inquiry had ended the inspector from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government went to inspect the premises and said he would announce his decision within the next few weeks.
Later that day a public meeting was held in the Parish Hall in Eaves Lane to discuss the future of church schools in Sutton. The Diocese of Liverpool's Director of Education was in attendance. In his parish magazine the Rev. Paul Conder had written that some "critical decisions" concerning the future of the schools would have to be taken very soon.
Of particular concern was the high bank rate that was increasing the cost of loan charges, with money for new schools, extensions and repairs often having to be borrowed. The Vicar of Sutton had only recently returned from a preaching tour of the United States and he wrote an article on his experiences in the St Helens Reporter.
Since April St Helens had been part of the new Lancashire Constabulary. This week its Chief Constable William Palfrey reported that crime had dropped by 2% in the four months since the force had been created. These were the number of offences that had been reported, compared with the same period last year. The number of crimes solved had also increased by 1%.
On the 24th building site worker Desmond Williamson was pinned under a massive piece of clay while working in a trench near to Leathers Chemicals in Sutton. Workmates of the 33-year-old from Reynolds Avenue in Parr jumped into the four-feet deep trench to rescue him and Desmond was taken to St Helens Hospital with a fractured leg.
On the same day an elderly man from Parr had to be rushed to Providence Hospital after collapsing while completing legal aid forms in the Magistrates Clerk's office. Minutes before he had been before the St Helens Bench facing two charges of indecent assault against a six-year-old and a nine-year-old girl.
Also on the 24th a thirsty thief sneaked into Holy Trinity Church at Ashton and stole a week's supply of communion wine. The two bottles had been stored in an unlocked cupboard inside the vestry that was left open for daytime worshippers. Last October it was revealed that many St Helens' churches had begun keeping their doors locked because of vandalism and thefts. I wonder if Holy Trinity followed suit after this experience?
Also on that day a fashion show was held at Knowsley Road Congregational Church Hall with proceeds going towards new curtains for the building. The event was such a success that it was decided to hold two such shows each year showcasing Spring and Autumn collections.
It wasn't a good week to be on the westbound carriageway of the East Lancs Road as there was what the Reporter called "traffic jams galore" near Carr Mill lights. Repair work on a leaking gas main meant queues at peak time stretched as far back as Haydock.
They were certainly very proactive at All Saints Church in Sutton. This week a team from the Ellamsbridge Road church was visiting every house in the district to invite people to attend their harvest services.
A by-election was held in Moss Bank on the 25th caused by the resignation of Tory rebel councillor Roy Elson. On the following day members of the St Helens Duckling Club were pictured in the Reporter having been formed five months earlier to promote water safety. About 350 children aged between five and eight attended the club's 30 minute sessions every Saturday from 9am to 11am at Boundary Road baths. For ten shillings the boys and girls were taught to swim by volunteer instructors. "The idea has proved very successful", said Mr G. Smith, the baths manager.
There was also a write-up on Rita and Stephen Mayston from Alice Street in Sutton who were withholding their rent in protest at the council not replacing their faulty gas fire. A Building Department spokesman told the Reporter that they were having difficulty finding parts for the type of fire used in the Mayston's home.
There had been a considerable influx of Welsh workers into St Helens during the 19th century, with many finding employment in the copper industry. Many Welsh churches were established and the Reporter wrote that Gwllym Ellis had been presented with a gift in recognition of his 50 years of service to the Welsh community in St Helens. Gwllym was the organist at the Welsh Presbyterian Church in Peckers Hill Road and like the Welsh Baptist chapel in nearby Robins Lane – and other Welsh chapels in St Helens – the building has long stopped being used as a church.
"If you're ready to come back then we're ready to welcome you at Sutton Manor Colliery", said a recruitment ad from the National Coal Board in the Reporter. "Good jobs available now for experienced miners." The NCB had been running similar ads for Sutton Manor and Bold collieries for two or three years with a previous one promising "permanent employment and a secure future. Britain will need coal and mines for a LONG, LONG TIME". Bold closed in 1986 and Sutton Manor in 1991.
On the 26th the Salvation Army held a jumble sale at their centre in Thatto Heath with the price of admission 6d. Sponsored walks to or from Southport were another popular means of raising money for St Helens' organisations during the ‘60s, although those in Rainford had a slightly shorter slog. However the young members of Rainford Congregational Church decided to do their walk on the 27th the hard way. The group was raising funds for Christian Aid and hiked from Southport via Halsall Moss and Aughton, a journey of 22 miles.
'The Parson Calls' was a national institution on the Home Service from 1949 to 1952 in which Wilfrid Garlick delivered a weekly radio sermon in a down-to-earth Lancashire style. On the 28th Canon Garlick was one of two guest preachers in the harvest services at St Nicholas Church in Sutton. The Rev. Harry Bellis, the recently retired Vicar of Rainford, was the other preacher.
It would be the golden jubilee of St Helens Corporation's Transport Department on October 1st. Fifty years earlier the council had taken over the operation of the trams from the privately owned St Helens & District Tramways Company. So it was decided to celebrate the event (a few days early) with an "historic public service vehicle rally".
On one bus were members of the 1st / 5th South Lancashire Regiment from WW1, along with current and retired bus conductresses who were dressed in costumes from the early part of the century. In Sherdley Park the vehicles were judged with trophies awarded for the best entries in groups 1919 to 1929, 1930 to 1939 and 1940 to 1949.
On the 29th the Spiritualist Church in Charles Street held a spiritual healing session. "A progressive church which welcomes progressive thinkers", they claimed. And finally the romantic comedy film 'I Love You, Alice B. Toklas' starring Peter Sellers and with music by Harpers Bizarre, began playing at the ABC Savoy from the 29th. It was a double-header with 'The Sergeant' in which Rod Steiger had the lead role.
Next week's stories will include another town centre redevelopment scheme, a new home for the Reginald Road gipsies, the bad old days at the Cannington Shaw bottle works, a "phantom postman's" poison-pen letters and how St Helens's Employment Exchange had pioneered Job Shops.