Nelson Square

[Bob Dobson]

My earliest memory of playing on Nelson Square is about 1948. A mate has just reminded me of it by asking about the underground passages that were on the bank of the river just on the Church side of where the river emerged from a tunnel fairly close to the 'Lovers' Lane' which came from Gatty Park. They were constructed of concrete but had either collapsed or been filled in. I cannot remember them looking 'new', nor can I remember any evidence of electtric lighting. They were forbidding places for young lads frightened of the dark and of rats.

When were they built? What was their intended uise? How extensive were they? Were they totally filled in when the area was built on? Does the nursing home cover them up, or summat elde. it is years since I walked down there.

Are they shown on any plans? How do early maps show this area, as I think that Nelson Square was the name of a group of houses close by what is now the Sports centre and perhaps not extending as far as Monk & Princess Streets.

[cashman]

all i remember about nelson square is the gypos putting me n mate up, when our landlady evicted us. cant remember seeing any tunnels bob.

[jaysay]

My cousin lived on Park Road when we were in our early teens and we used to mess about on Nelsons Square and Gatty Park, seem to remember a tunnel of sorts, but not too sure really

[beechy]

i seem to remember so called tunnels in the area
would think the nursing home has covered them
if i recall correctly they ran parralel with hyndburn road and
were a square ish construction
you could walk across spare ground, from the corner of the school
hyndburn park, diagonaly towards church

[katex]

Can't remember any tunnels as such .. just the river running across it though and it was partly culverted, think the entrance was arched though.

Trying to look on Mario maps, but finding them really difficult to navigate now since they changed it.

[jaysay]

Its a pity Pendi doesn't come on here now, she lived very near Nelson's Square, I'm sure she would know

[Bob Dobson]

When I said 'tunnel' , it was because I could not think of the word 'culvert'. It was arched. There were wooden shed garages above it. The culvert went from somewhere near the bottom of 'Owd Bob's' on the Accrington side of the Hagg Works. Hyndburn Rd used to be called Hagg Lane.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by Bob Dobson

When I said 'tunnel' , it was because I could not think of the word 'culvert'. It was arched. There were wooden shed garages above it. The culvert went from somewhere near the bottom of 'Owd Bob's' on the Accrington side of the Hagg Works. Hyndburn Rd used to be called Hagg Lane.

I remember now Bob it had an Iron Grill in front of it, the enterance was near the garages opposite the school

[MoreJoe]

Perhaps Bob is thinking about an extensive series of air raid shelters that were laid out under Nelson Square? I just took a peek by satellite at what used to be Nelson Square and there have been some major modifications including what looks like removing or filling the lodge that was there. The river Hyndburn is covered by a culvert through there too. As I remember it the "Lover's Lane" being referenced ran alongside Claude Coulson's house (Known as "The Cottage") and skirted the lodge. There was a lot of tipping and dumping there that almost sealed it off completely.

[Atarah]

I am sure the old pathway by the side of the still existing lodge house for the mansion known as Hyndburn House, was actually known as GLOVERS LANE (or walk). Not 100% certain on this, but have a feeling there was/is a terrace along Blackburn Road also known as Glovers Terrace. (Think Glover was a teacher of sorts).

[Barrie Yates]

Originally Posted by MoreJoe

Perhaps Bob is thinking about an extensive series of air raid shelters that were laid out under Nelson Square? I just took a peek by satellite at what used to be Nelson Square and there have been some major modifications including what looks like removing or filling the lodge that was there. The river Hyndburn is covered by a culvert through there too. As I remember it the "Lover's Lane" being referenced ran alongside Claude Coulson's house (Known as "The Cottage") and skirted the lodge. There was a lot of tipping and dumping there that almost sealed it off completely.

Littlepom also thinks they were Air Raid Shelters, reckons that you could walk quite a way into them. She used to go down to Nelson's Square quite a lot with her brother.

[Bob Dobson]

They definitely were air raid shelters, though there was nothing up to give anyone instructions about using them, and nobody ever topld me they had been used just a few years after I went down there. I was frightened of rats, so diddn't venture very far. I don't remember there being large rooms to hold people, just narrow , squared, concrete tunnels.

[Gordon Booth]

I always knew them as air raid shelters. Never went in, the smell put me off, never knew what you'd step in.

[MoreJoe]

There was a complete set of blueprints for the Nelson Square air raid shelters on display in the basement of Accrington Town Hall. They are mostly concrete tunnels interconnected through out the entire area of the square. I remember kids getting lost down there when their batteries ran out.

[Jim Procter]

I cant remember the names of the streets but I remember that the street which ran from the Grammar School on Blackburn Road down towards Hyndburn Street met up with a large cinder covered field about the size of a football pitch.The Air-Raid Shelters that I remember were under this field. During the War the kids from the Grammar School used to play in the shelters at dinner time. There were 4 entrances and the passages were concrete lined with wooden seats along their length.There were Electric lights throuhout.We used to go in there when it was raining otherwise we played Football on the cinder covered Field.