Nuttall Street

[Atarah]

I think quite a few of you on this Accyweb know the area around Nuttall Street. It was originally known as Coal Pit Lane as it gave direct access to early coal mining activity in Priestley Clough. If you look on early maps, the section from Manchester Road to Grange Lane is shown as Syke Street, but I still know it as Spring Gardens, but maybe people dont call it that now and think of Nuttall Street staring from the Manchester Road end.
There used to be a really old beerhouse just down Grange Lane called The Black Dog. Nutall Street was only opened out in its present form after the demolition of this pub. I think it was roughly in the region of where Conveyor and Elevator now are. In times past people would have to walk all the way round this pub building to get to Nuttall Street (named, I believe, after a local J.P.)
How many of you remember Littlefairs newsagents on the corner of Nuttall Street and Wellington Street. And you do remember the cottages below street level? The line of the road was vastly altered when most of the property on Wellington Street was demolished to make way for the large new council development which included Acorn Lodge. By moving the road from its original line it created a much large site which was "ear marked" for a new fire station - but of course we all now what happened to that. They even took good old Lincoln Street away. I loved that "secret" street as I thought it was when I was a kid. Remember the Star Pub - there was a ginnel facing it which had a few houses in it. When you walked through you could see Lincoln street to your left, although the proper approach to it was off Russell Street. I always remember seeing an old lady, who lived up that ginnel, often coming out of the Star Pub, with a white jug in her hand, she'd been to get herself some beer to drink in the comfort of her own front room! The end of the ginnel brough you out onto Clement Street. Wish I had some decent pictures of my old area

[Retlaw]

According to father at the end of Sykes St. (named after the owner of Sykes Mill.) there were a ginnal just wide enough for a wheelbarrow, which you could get into Woodnook Loyne as it were then called.
Retlaw
Has thy mate worked out what the Railway hotel were.

Originally Posted by Atarah

I think quite a few of you on this Accyweb know the area around Nuttall Street. It was originally known as Coal Pit Lane as it gave direct access to early coal mining activity in Priestley Clough. If you look on early maps, the section from Manchester Road to Grange Lane is shown as Syke Street, but I still know it as Spring Gardens, but maybe people dont call it that now and think of Nuttall Street staring from the Manchester Road end.
There used to be a really old beerhouse just down Grange Lane called The Black Dog. Nutall Street was only opened out in its present form after the demolition of this pub. I think it was roughly in the region of where Conveyor and Elevator now are. In times past people would have to walk all the way round this pub building to get to Nuttall Street (named, I believe, after a local J.P.)
How many of you remember Littlefairs newsagents on the corner of Nuttall Street and Wellington Street. And you do remember the cottages below street level? The line of the road was vastly altered when most of the property on Wellington Street was demolished to make way for the large new council development which included Acorn Lodge. By moving the road from its original line it created a much large site which was "ear marked" for a new fire station - but of course we all now what happened to that. They even took good old Lincoln Street away. I loved that "secret" street as I thought it was when I was a kid. Remember the Star Pub - there was a ginnel facing it which had a few houses in it. When you walked through you could see Lincoln street to your left, although the proper approach to it was off Russell Street. I always remember seeing an old lady, who lived up that ginnel, often coming out of the Star Pub, with a white jug in her hand, she'd been to get herself some beer to drink in the comfort of her own front room! The end of the ginnel brough you out onto Clement Street. Wish I had some decent pictures of my old area

[WillowTheWhisp]

I always call in Spring Gardens too. Any idea where that name came from?

I remember looking for a street once round there and not knowing how to find it! A friend of my mother's lived there and I'd been omce with her but trying to find it again myself I got thoroughly confused. Maybe it was your "hidden street". I know I was very young at the time but honestly couldn't give a date.

It's a shame to lose interesting nooks and crannies like this. I love them when I come across them in other towns.

[JohnW]

I too have an interest in Nuttall Street, my paternal grandparents and then my uncle (Bob Wilkinson) owned the hardware shop at number 75. Uncle Bob also owned the pet supply shop next door which sold pet foods and also fishing tackle. He was an avid fisherman himself and introduced me to the sport at an early age. When my family went to live in Southport (1953) I used to return to Accrington on my bike in the summer holidays and stay with Uncle Bob for about four weeks every year. Like Atarah, I would love to see some old photographs of the area, especially of the shops, which have been demolished, to make way for the worst looking row of 'town houses' I have ever seen in my life. Atarah has very kindly sent me the snaps she has of the area but if anyone has any more I would appreciate them being posted on the site. On her site, Atarah has a link to a local artist whose father lived in Nuttall Street and wrote a book about his life there. It is really worth a read for anyone interested in the area. The man in question was obviously around the same age as my father (born 1917) and many of the names mentioned in the book I recalled from my father's stories of his early life there. The whole book gives a great insight into life as it was in the first half of the last century.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I remember being sent to Bob Wilkinsons shop for coal briquettes and lamp oil.
The Co-op was on the other side of the street. They used to get big wooden tubs of butter.....I used to watch fascinated at how they made lovely patterns in the butter using the bottom of a Bee Top Sauce bottle.....totally unhygienic but we never came to any harm.
There was also Harry Booths Butchers shop on the same side as the Co-op.
I remember one of my brothers being sent to Harry Booths foa a lb of best end of neck chops...... mum was going to make a hotpot...... he must have run all the way along Nuttall St reciting to himself what he wanted, but when he got to the front of the queue he asked for a lb of HENS NECKS...... Harry knew we were poverty struck and didn't charge him for these and he came back quite proud that he had got something for nothing......Mum though, was livid and called him all names under the sun.
When Mum next went into the butchers Harry said to her ' Dorothy I know you are good at making ends meet but what did you want the hens necks for?' she said 'Harry I wanted best end of neck for a hotpot' he asked her what she did instead and she told him that she had to open a tin of corned beef to make tater hash.

[Retlaw]

You all seem to like the old Nuttal Street I did I used to take the battery from our house, to a shop in Nuttall St very near to where the post office was, to get it charged up, till my dad bought a trickle charger. There was a shop on Nuttall St callked Dickey Scents how many know who or what he was. I can also remember doing my grandads shopping every saturday morning on Nuttall St, carrying a big basket and his ration books, intut Co-op then butchers then tobacconists near post office 1 1/2 pennies placed on scales & a piece of twist tobacco cut of a big roll till it balanced the three halfpence, then across road to Thorpes greengrocers for spuds & things.

Retlaw

[MutinousMuse2]

Margaret
Totally hilarious ... nearly rolled off my chiar laughing.

[baldy]

thanks for that i have lived on clement street all my life

[Margaret Pilkington]

Glad you liked it MM......and Baldy all this happened well before your time......
I could tell you stories that would make your hair curl!