Accrington Web - Accy Places

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I heartily agree with you flashman the Accy Con Club on Saturday nights was the place to be as was the Ritz on a Friday and for boys and girls learning the intricacies of the waltz, quickstep and foxtrot there was always Knowlmere Street Dancing. Nothing quite like the big band dance music. I mean we actually got to hold the girl, which was nice.

When I left school in ’52 I went to work at Scaitcliffe Colliery at one end of Scaitcliffe Street after six weeks training at Bank Hall Pit in Burnley and became a pit pony. I wanted to be an electrician but they wouldn’t give me an apprenticeship so I pushed tubs of coal from the face to the chain. I left after a year and joined Uni-Relays on Abbey Street to install Radio Luxembourge to go with the Home Service and Light Programme on what today would be called cable radio. I reckon that I have run across most of the rooftops in Accy and surrounding areas hauling a cable behind me. Still couldn’t get an apprenticeship to become an electrician with them either so after a few months left to join the navy to become an electrician. The navy had other ideas and I became a Radio Electrician.

Just across the road from the baths down a side street there was an alleyway on the left that led to a door where you could buy 1d and 2d packets of Smiths crisps after swimming. You got a proper sealed bag with the little blue salt packet inside but the crisps were small bits, but lots and lots of them - enough to fill a hungry child’s belly.

The Saturday mornings at the Odeon was OK but the Bug Hut (Kings Hall) was better ‘cos they had the Flash Gordon serial and cowboy films and it only cost 3d on the benches at the front or 4d on proper seats. 6d upstairs.

Whenever I could scrape together a few pennies I would go to the Hippodrome to watch the variety shows from the Gods of course. If I couldn’t get a few coppers I would stand outside the entrance with that sad urchin look on my face hoping that someone would take pity on me and take me in. Some did and some just gave me the 6d that it cost to go up in the Gods. One nice lady even gave me a bag of sweets.

We used to do something similar at Peel Park. The exit gates would be opened about 20 minutes before the match ended so we watched from the top of The Coppice (you could see half of the pitch) and after half time we would make our way down to the ground. We would stand outside and cheer and shout for Stanley. What usually happened was that the gatekeeper would tell us to come in and we would get passed down to the front to sit on the benches pitch side of the wall and watch the last few minutes of a match. Jack Hacking the goalie was my hero because I was a goalie too.

I can’t imagine that sort of thing happening today.

:rose8: As I read this post I thought what do I remember about Accy?
Princess cinema, sat morning wouldnt be sat without it !
Church st chippy, best mussy peas in Accy
Copper kettle, try out your best chat up lines
Bowdens cafe, great platemeat pie.
Black bull, under age drinking. Tinker and budget(ossy) under age drinking.:drink:
Barley wine from the off license to start the evening.:drink:
Free bus to Blackpool, rose room at Burnley Mecca, White bull in Blackburn then in to the
cav. :kiss8:
I could go on but maybe my memory is letting me down tell me if I got any wrong.

Free bus to Blackpool, rose room at Burnley Mecca, White bull in Blackburn then in to the
cav. :kiss8:
Hey, I remember all these well too! But what about the Disco on Whalley Road, you must have gone there. It was The Disco, The Con on a Monday night, then Rose Room at Burnley, then Blackburn Mecca (drinking Blue Bols in the back room of the White Bull- thinking you were really "trendy") - then the Cavenish. The wonderful, wonderful Cav! A place before its time!!

Of course a fading memory of Whalley Rd disco, but I see on your web site that you grew up on Nuttall st, while I hail from Rhoyd st.

Aint life strange, we remember these places, the Cav, Meccas, discos, ballrooms, on certain nights, our paths must have crossed, if having a dance, buying a drink at the bar, or on the bus home, getting our coats from the cloakroom. Here we are 40 yrs later, with the same memories. Its really interesting reading your recolections of those days and to jog my memory of the ones I forgot. I supose Im in a different position, its been 35 yrs since I was in Accy, so I have only those memories, of 50s & 60s to go on. Keep em coming much appreciated. P. S. I was at a school fair at St Marys school in Clayton, when J. F. K. died. Where were you?.

Friday Night, 22nd November 1963...about 6.30pm..I was having me tea.... tripe & chips, if I recall correctly.

OK, then how did you have the tripe? boiled, fried, baked grilled, in an omelet,curried, tripe rissoles,tripe salad. Bet you enjoyed yer chips though. Dont forget U.C.P. Tripe & Cowheels are sold pure and fresh.

yea but you cant buy um on accy market anymore ///

Eh? You can get out you want on Accy market - provided it's a quid.

:rose8: Dewhursts did the best according to my Dad, cant stand tripe but love Black Pudding if only the Americans would make it I would never leave.

Try making your own...you should be able to get the ingrediants OK... sausage skins, pork, gristle, herbs & blood....surely you should be able to get those ingrediants in Florida? Then you only need some experimentation to get it right.

I just realised I was replying to a post on a previous page.

Bob's Stall on Accy market sells tripe (and great black puddings). Bought some black puddings last Saturday. Am trying to get them to make some for a Jewish vegetarian friend of mine, but no luck so far .....

I remember the Empire, girls in the loo with spit mascara talking about lads, being enticed down Foxhill Bank (whether I went is a different matter). It's sad to see it now, derelict and unloved, when it probably was the cradle of many a good-sized family!

The disco off Whalley Road was Knowlmere Street, used to have a disco on Sunday afternoons, I think.

Remember Miners make-up from Woolies, girls? We used to buy a card with four lipsticks for about 1/-, but we only ever used the really pale one. And the eyeshadows - also four to a card, blue, green, mauve and white.

Anyone remember the Blue Dahlia - Accy's only (fairly) posh coffee bar? Still a coffee bar, but not at all the same - ah, the memories.....

do i remember the empire pendy, weve just had yet another reunion, its great seeing all the (old) faces, i used to go up th"arts on a sunday avo too, or round rhyddings park, or nice walk up arden hall, or up oakhill park even !mmmm the good days/