ACCY Holidays
 

When I was there in the late 70's to mid 80's Accy used to shut down for a week or two does that still happen. eg the paper shop used to close and he sold his papers from outside the shop.


People used to say at the time that it was an old mill town tradition.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

No it's nothing like that now. Most people's holidays are staggered.

Even twenty years ago most shops closed down for the fortnight, and you could only buy newspapers from a man at the bus station.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

The term you are looking for is Wakes Weeks. You might find the odd small business still closing for the duration but it is rare. Definately gone are the days when the paper shops closed and somebody sold them outside. My grandad used to do that and I used to help him.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Ah yes the old wakes weeks. If you were unlucky enough to be left behind working those weeks you had to go to Burnley to shop! :D

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

You wouldn't even be able to do that now because the wakes weeks there have been brought in to line with the rest of Lancashire.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Our family bakers in Ossy still keeps to the Accy Wakes weeks holidays, as do a few small shops, were it isn't practical to have staggered holidays.

I think originally it was introduced by the mill owners, so cotton production wasn't too affected, when the unions won paid holidays for their workers. Burnley was always first, then Accrington, then I think Preston and Bolton had their holidays.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

When did this Wakes Weeks take place? In Rhode Island where I grew up most businesses (mailnly the jewlery industry) used to closed during the first two weeks of August.

I believe it was due to the cost of air conditioning. Actually it probably was before air conditioning. Hence, it was because of the intense heat at that time of year inside such industries.

Brian

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Theres a good article on the history of it here;

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/05/July/wakes.shtml

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

I seem to remember that Accrington wakes weeks were a week before Blackburn (the second week of Accrington coinciding with Blackburns first week ). I was raised in Arrod (Gt. Harwood) so I know they followed Blackburn but I worked in Church , used to ride the Ribble 227 bus and the service was allways cocked up that week

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

It usually started in Accy around the week commencing the 14th of July. Lots of people around here got married then, so they could use the holiday as their honeymoon.

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Okay, so it's not only different from say Lancashire and Yorkshire but down to each village eh? Curious as my grandparents used to talk of going here and there for holiday. They were either mill workers in Yorkshire or miners in Ashton-Under-Lyne.

Brian

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Or had split personalities :D ;)

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

Yes neighbouring towns had staggered holidays.

Which may have been a curse or a blessing, if you worked in Accrington, and your wife worked in Burnley, for instance.:D

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

burnley holidays always used to start before accringtons and more often than not got more rain.:D

Re: ACCY Holidays
 

We always used to go on holiday on the 9th/10th July and came back in the middle of the wakes weeks. It used to be strange because of the holidays all the shops were shut except for the supermarkets and we always had to stop off and do the shopping on our way down from the ferry in Scotland because they were shut and we'd arrive back at home normally round about 7pm. Mind you there wasnt any round the clock opening then anyway!