Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

Very interesting Bazf...trying to imagine what the area looked like in those days is difficult, and the civil engineering work must have been tremendous.!!
Good stuff Bazf!

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

sorry to disappoint ! talking to someone about the old wharf, they said nowts happening with it yet.the owner has been forced to board it up to make it safe so kids cant get in.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

Staggeringman, Do you have any local history on the Commercial?

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

:drink:sorry dougdont have anything on the commercial.

Commercial Inn
 

I have read somewhere that the coming of the Turnpike road through Church in 1827 led to further developments. In 1834 the pub was built on Petre land by a Mr James Haworth and a Mr James Greaves.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

The interesting thing about Blackburn Road, which as Atarah says, was built as a Turnpike Road following an Act of Parliament in 1826, is not the road itself, but the preceding road..does anyone know the older route between Accy/Church and Blackburn? I think I do, but I'm not 100% certain.

Another point about the new turnpike road is that when the railway came over in 1848, the road had to be lowered to allow for a minimum height of the bridge. The consequences of this are still with us today....very heavy rainfall results in the road under the railway bridge flooding.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

Tealeaf I'm not sure myself, but I once read that the road from Church to Blackburn went up Coach Road over the Whiteash - Stanhill - Knuzden and came ot the other side of the Intack. I was also once told that the original road went from Church Kirk in a more (or less) direct route to Coach Road through what is now Blythes.
I can't confirm any of this but I'm almost sure that I once saw a copy of a very old map of Church / Ossy / Blackburn. Coach Road has been there a long, long time and it didn't lead to just Ossy!

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

There was an announcement in this weeks observer about the drawing up of a strategic plan for Church. Included was a mention of the Hargreaves' Warehouse and Church Commercial. Nothing specific, just that since they were listed they couldn't be knocked down and would have to be included in the plan.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

I do wish they'd get on and do something specific about all the eyesores in and around the area. It just seems to get scruffier and scruffier.

I'd love to see that old map you mentioned Darby. I'm amazed when I look at old maps and photographs just how much things have changed - even within my lifetime there have been so many changes that it's almost impossible to remember how some things once were. We seemed to have far more actual houses in the town centre of Accy in the olden days, not to mention the Market St, Blackburn Rd, Henry St area of Church.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

The one I saw belonged to an old friend who borrowed a copy of it from somewhere. Unfortunately, he lost it!!! I think you may have seen to one at:

http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/environ...cc/accwest.jpg

That one has the canal in it and the railway. The old one I saw was sometime at the end of the 1600's / begining of the 1700's (we didn't know the real date), and the quality wasn't too good either. The coach road followed tinker brook across what is now Blythes, and came to an old bridge before turning right towards Church Kirk, and then on down the Dunk. There was also a road from Church Kirk towards the Antley via the Stag and onwards towards accy following the River Stink to Bull Brig.

It must have been a fasinating place, and totally unrecognisable form what we have today.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

I can relate to most of that map. I'm puzzled as to why whoever joined up the two pieces joined two obviously unmatched pieces as the bit on the far right dates from much earlier than the majority of the map.

I love looking at old maps and trying to see if I can match them up with what we have today and I agree with you that it must have been fascinating round here in the olden days. If we went back in time we probably wouldn't have a clue where we were.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

It's bad enough when I come back to Accy now!! At least Ossy hasn't changed much!

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

Whilst looking at that owd map darby, one thing caught my eye! The stag inn is the only one that is called an inn! The rest have PH on them for public house.Isnt an inn not a public house?

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

The OED does not make much of a distinction between the two, except to say that, historically, an Inn sometimes provided accommodation for travellers.

Re: Church's Historic Waterfront
 

Perhaps the Stag is the only one that is/was actually called "Inn" at the time. Wasn't the Griffin at Huncoat originally called The Griffin's Head Inn? I can't recall if it has Inn in the title now or not.

I tend to think of an inn being somewhere with rooms for the night and a pub as being somewhere for a drink.