Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Sorry Cashy, forget I posted .. read it all wrong .. :D

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Now now Retlaw, CALM DOWN! You used to be a grumpy devil, I thought you had calmed down now AND MELLOWED. Just dont ask questions that most people are not in a position to answer, thats all. BE FAIR! You have lots of knowledge, just share it NICELY! And I have to say that I believe LOTS of people are really interested in local history, just look at the number of people who join in by posting or looking at the site. This is a fabulous way to show others about our town.

by the way, HAPPY CHRISTMAS Tee Hee
DONT YOU DARE STOP POSTING.

So, where was The Clay Inn? :-)

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Retlaw, Please do not stop posting. Having been away since 1961, and prior to that being too interested in Sport and Girls, not much about the history of the town resides in this old brain of mine, and with very limited reference material available.
I find your postings informative and interesting - yes, frustrating at times but that is part of the enjoyment. Please, carry on.

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Hi Retlaw, I know you will be reading this, even if you are not posting AT THE MOMENT. I now "believe" that the Clay Inn, was at no 4 Albert Street, Accrington and that the Bulls Head was at 124 Abbey Street, BUT, dont know if true because the list I looked at said that "Good Ale Tomorrow for Nothing" was on Manchester Road! THAT I DO NOT BELIEVE! There is a typewritten list in Accy Library which lists pubs c1869, done by Mr J Kelly, but .. how do we know where the info came from?

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Is Retlaw still sulking ? :rolleyes::D

Come on Retlaw .. at least let us know that Atarah is correct with these two inns ... I have driven meself crazy trying to find these.http://planetsmilies.net/confused-smiley-17720.gif

Was even dreaming about 'em last night... thought Atarah had put up a new list, and went into the thread before I realised ... haha!

I have come across quite a few innkeepers/beer sellars in my search ... unfortunately, as you know, doesn't always show the name of the pub or before street numbering, which is blooming annoying.

For instance .. 1868: an inn keeper shown in Pitt Street .. Edwin Ashworth, wife Mary Ashworth, had son christened in this year called George.

Was also one in 1823 on Abbey Street .. William and Alice Ratcliffe.

All the rest are late 1800's.

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

A posting about the Alma, Bash mentions The Blockade, King Street. and suggests that it was Crimean war-related.The Crimean war was in 1850s. I have not looked up the relevant dates, but I was under the impression that it was named after a famous incident involving two railway companies near Manchester (Middleton?) about 1840 in the course of which a blockade of the lines occurred.The close proximity to the railway may have brought about this suggestion. This pub was owned by Bentley's Brewery of Milnshaw Lane, and was sold with the others in their empire, to John Smith's in 1924

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

The Blockade: I am trying to ascertain when it was built. The railway blockade referred to occurred in March 1849 when the East Lancashire Railway trains were blockaded at Clifton Junction, near Manchester by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway in a dispute over using their lines. I am wondering if The Junction pub, (St James st/Paradise st),also a bentley's house, was named after the same (Clifton) Junction incident. I will try to ascertain when it was built. I do favour this Blockade reason because Richard hacking, chairman of the ELR in 1849, has his initials on the viaduct which can be seen to the left from the front door of the pub, and perhaps he was a frequenter when in Accrington.

It has been suggested to me that the blockade referred to was that of the ports in the Southern states during the American Civil war, 1862-66 when cotton could not be exported to Lancashire. I await the result of a census check.

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

That explanation does take a little jump in imagination. There was certainly an incident in Middleton involving a blockade, but it was much earlier and involved our old chums the Luddites....sometime during the Napoleonic wars, if I vaguely recall and because it was cavalry who eventually cleared the ground it could well have been another Peterloo..except it preceded Peterloo.

Anyway, I suppose we would agree that the building is 1850's/1860's, so excepting the Crimean link - which is what I always believed it was - there is one other contender, and that is the naval blockade of the Confederate ports in the US civil war, 1861-1865. This did, of course, lead directly to the Lancashire cotton famine and an effect on the local economy far worse than in the 1930's. There is a belief that depite the trials and tribulations of the local populace, the majority of cotton mill workers were anti-slavery, and so supported the blockade...so maybe someone thought of naming a pub to commemorate the local stance? I dunno... It would be nice to see some hard documented evidence.

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

There's an Accy character I've never heard of before. I thought punters had to take a bus ride to the Barbary Coast for that sort of thing?

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez! I am pleased to announce that, as mentioned in posting no. 51 - the "Good ale tomorrow for nothing" beerhouse/inn, whatever, WAS on Warner Street ..... and here is my proof - from the Annual brewster sessions in the local paper Accrington Times 11th September 1869. This makes me belive then that the article in a local historian's book saying " t'was on the corner of Church Street and Warner Street" must be true!

By the way Tealeaf, good posting on the Alma explanation!

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

ya need to ask cashy about titty bess, knew her, remind me.:D

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

Certainly will, Mr C, at pre-match drinks next Saturday. I'm sure there's another amusing anecdote to come out of this! ;)

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

LOL ... you moved in the best of circles Cashy.

I think re. the Blockade ... Cashy was called Aiden in a past life, and was named as a warning for him to keep out !

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

You must have moved in the same circles as Ianto cashy:rolleyes:

Re: Pubs in old & new acc
 

we certainly did bernie, funny how things turn out init?:);)