Old Accrington
 

Found this whilst searching for a soldiers obit in the Accy Observer 1917.
Retlaw

re: Old Accrington
 

I think this is the terrace far right with The Hargreaves

re: Old Accrington
 

Hi Wadey, yes that is the terrace shown on the old photo supplied by Retlaw. This terrace is known as Bank Terrace and was built 1834. Certainly the oldest elevated terrace in Accrington.

Old Accrington
 

Glad you put that photo on Retlaw. Has made me at last get round to giving some information I have intended doing for a while. Its sad that sometimes people are mis-led about historical information, not always intentional.
Your photo shows a rounded building (in the centre of the photo). This was the Toll Bar (Manchester Road and Grange Lane being on each side of it). At the other side of the road, between Grange Lane and Wellington Street, was another rounded building. This, many years ago, was known as Bew's Shop, then it became Riley's shop, then it was used as a small nursing home, then North Lancs Training Group used it, now its a house I believe. But ... somewhere along the line, someone has probably looked at pictures such as the one you have shown here Retlaw, and .. assumed ... it was the Toll bar and have now had a lovely plaque put on the wall saying it is the Toll House. WRONG!
Its the premises of Bew's shop. The sad thing is, people moving into the area will accept that this once was the Toll bar/house, cos they wont know any different.
But .. at least WE all know now, eh? :-)

Old Accrington
 

Glad you put that photo on Retlaw. Has made me at last get round to giving some information I have intended doing for a while. Its sad that sometimes people are mis-led about historical information, not always intentional.
Your photo shows a rounded building (in the centre of the photo). This was the Toll Bar (Manchester Road and Grange Lane being on each side of it). At the other side of the road, between Grange Lane and Wellington Street, was another rounded building. This, many years ago, was known as Bew's Shop, then it became Riley's shop, then it was used as a small nursing home, then North Lancs Training Group used it, now its a house I believe. But ... somewhere along the line, someone has probably looked at pictures such as the one you have shown here Retlaw, and .. assumed ... it was the Toll bar and have now had a lovely plaque put on the wall saying it is The Old Toll House. WRONG!
Its the premises of Bew's shop. The sad thing is, people moving into the area will accept that this once was the Toll bar/house, cos they wont know any different.
But .. at least WE all know now, eh? :-)

re: Old Accrington
 

[quote=Atarah;752258]Glad you put that photo on Retlaw. Has made me at last get round to giving some information I have intended doing for a while. Its sad that sometimes people are mis-led about historical information, not always intentional.

Yes, do you remember when it was being done up, I could hear some one working in the bottom floor, you can only see the to 12" of the windows. I shouted down and asked him what he was doing. Result was I nipped home for my camera and he let me take photos of the old fire places and some of the things he had found.
They also built that wall at the front which encroached onto the pavement, they were supposed to knock it down but its still there.

Another misnamed building is at the bottom of Timber St, which says Cow Houses, its over 700 yards from Cow Houses, which in the 1841 and 1851 census returns, is actually an area of Accrington centered round Black Abbey, not a specific building.
Were you there on the day went into Cow Houses with Walter Haworth and took photos and made detailed drawings of it

Retlaw.

re: Old Accrington
 

Thanks for the info

re: Old Accrington
 

Re confusion at top of Grange Lane and Wellington St, hope these pictures clear things up once and for all.

Retlaw

re: Old Accrington
 

Do you mean this.
Retlaw.

re: Old Accrington
 

Thats just the end of my street !! the "Toll house" was a old folks home in the 1990s and then nltg took it over for offices , i haven't seen the sign saying cow houses though !!
ian

re: Old Accrington
 

The sign Cow Houses is on the bottom cottage in Timber Street. Probably just trying to re-create a bit of old Accrington and its possibly mentioned on their deeds, you never know.

re: Old Accrington
 

I thought the picture would have explained that the property at the top of Wellington St and Grange Lane was NOT the "Toll House" It was Bews Shop, old folks home etc.

The TOLL House was demolished when they built the Fire Station Houses.
Look at the pictures again, the frontages are entirely different.

Retlaw.

re: Old Accrington
 

I doubt it is mentioned on their deeds, all that land surrounding the Christ Church area was part of Grange Farm, which belonged to Lawrence Duckworth.
The farm buildings were situated where Kemp & Murrays butchers shop was.
The word Cow House Post was only mentioned in the 1841/51 census directions, for the census takers benefit.

Retlaw

re: Old Accrington
 

Much fun and amusement with this thread! I am the current owner of the wrongly attributed Toll House!! Very appreciative of the comments and the fact that my husband let you, Retlaw, see what state its in at the moment. We are trying our best to be sympathetic to the buildings former uses and hope to have some exciting plans for it in the future. We will not be removing any original features. If anyone can help with any further history of the building, as I really do love it, it would be great. NLTG left behind some framed articles and pictures - of which have been posted on here- but it would be nice to hear locals stories. Thanks again for clearing up mistakes. It's a pain to know that we will have to take out the etched glass which states 'The Toll House' in the outside lamp though!!!

re: Old Accrington
 

Err...why do you have to take out the etched glass?

re: Old Accrington
 

Don't know but might be something to do with PP, over to our sleuth Kate:D

re: Old Accrington
 

You raise me to higher levels of knowledge than I have, Jaysay.
Possibly to do with safety or maybe valuable. Mind you, if valuable, would have disappeared years ago .. :)

Sure Bekibird will know why ... they will have asked of course.

re: Old Accrington
 

Went and had a look again at your property, if you look at the width of the pavement on the Grange Lane side, it should be that width all the way round to Wellington St, the previous owners were ordered by the council to reinstate, the original pavement and to remove that wall. The lamp with the etched glass, is not an original type of street lamp of that era, and is stood in what used to be the pavement, it is an ornamental lamp, probably purchased from a garden center, also the plaque on the wall. There are photographs on this thread showng what it used to be like.
You need to watch out now, you may get lumbered with that pavement problem.
I don't think your husband was the one who let me take photographs in the basement, it was over 30 years ago.
Retlaw.

re: Old Accrington
 

We've had the building for about five years now ... I think!! Haven't heard anything from planning dept about the pavement but I will keep it in mind (thank you). Shame about the street lamp too (the age and probable provenance!!) I will one day get around to taking down the 'Toll House' signs as I don't like to have the property identified as something that its not.
I thought you might have been inside recently, Retlaw, as my husband was working on the ground floor last year and someone called around to ask if they could have a look inside. Might have been a former owner or just an interested passer by.
I am assuming PP refers to Planning Permission? I was going to take out the etched glass as it clearly and proudly states the house is The Toll House!! Might be a while before I get round to that though as the place needs other pressing works. Thanks again everyone.

re: Old Accrington
 

It is a good few years since I was in that property, I was passing the building on the Grange Lane side, when I heard some one working in the cellars.
Those cellar widows are almost covered by the pavement, which happened when Grange Lane was raised to join with Manchester Rd, before that they were at ground level. I asked the chap who was working there if I could have a look, and took one or two pictures, which I've attached.
Retlaw

re: Old Accrington
 

the stairs look like the ones going down into the basement from the ground floor. There is yet another floor under this one, which we believe runs right under the house into the area that has took up the pavement at the front. It is very dark and spooky down there and with so much to do above ground we haven't yet done a proper exploration!! Great pictures though, thank you

re: Old Accrington
 

A chap called David Platt or Pratt lives in Plantation St He is always writing to the Observer. His grandparents were the Bews. He loaned me some photographs for my book 'ACCRINGTON OBSERVED'

Re: Old Accrington
 

You do realise you have two different house levels in your property. It was four storey property at the top end of Grange Lane. The entrance to the first two floors being from Grange Lane and a totally seperate entrance to a different property was on Wellington Street. When they highered the road in Grange Lane, the bottom two sets of windows then became BELOW ground level. If you peep down and look into the "cellar" of the property at the top of Grange Lane, you are actually looking at the bedroom windows.
Then you have an entrance on Wellington Street - so they are sort of back to back properties, one low down and one high up, if you get my drift. So your basements are actually the upstairs and downstairs rooms of terraced propety which once had a Grange Lane address (photo again shown which Retlaw kindly included in one of his posts).
Hard to explain, if you can do it any better Retlaw, please feel free to have a go. Tee hee.