Re: Priestly Clough
 

If cashy's out like me, youth is a faded memory these days LYNX:D

Re: Priestly Clough
 

I was brought up in the woodnook area and spent lots of summers as a kid swimming in that river and jumping off the pipes. I think the building you are thinking about are the remains of the leather works i think the farm at the bottom of the lodge was owned by the charlesworth family the blocked all access to to pipes

Re: Priestly Clough
 

you swam in that river and your still here to tell the tale...sometimes the water was a bright orange colour...I do recall the Charlesworths having the farm by the lodge, you could fish there for 50p a day.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

There were two cloughs as I knew Priestley Clough - the first went as far as the track to the left to King George's playing fields, and from there to the five arches was the second clough. We use to catch tiddlers and sticklebacks in the lodge close to Highams Mill. Monkey Hill was opposite the entrance/exit to Black Rock (the old quarry), and the rock just off the track back from there towards Bath Street and Highams was known as the King's Throne. We used to build rafts on Shutt's Lodge, and swim in there too. The Red Barn used to mark the beginning of the second clough, and from there one crossed two sets of pipes across the stream before eventually arriving at the higher level pipe crossing the stream closer to the five arches. Here one could either cross by clambering carefully around the spikes, swing across by means of the raail alongside the actual pipe or chicken out and get one's feet wet. I agree with those of you who've said that it was a fantastic place for kids.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Does anyone know what the Red Barn actually was, I only remember it as a few red bricks and foundations?

Re: Priestly Clough
 

MM My dad saved someone from a local lodge when he was about 13/14 that would have made it about 60 years ago - I found the story from old newspapers an framed it for his birthday years ago - so would have to root it out
I wonder how many people have been savd from drowning and dont know who it is that saved them?

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Don't know what it had been built for, but I knew it as a two-storey brick building and although there were no doors or windows there were internal stairs because I used to climb to the upper floor. The upper floor floorboards were rotting/missing in some parts so one had to be careful where one trod. I suppose that I'm talking of around 1953-54 time.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Picture of Priestly Clough.

Retlaw.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

That was the other Clough, I used to live on Arncliffe Ave and spent most of my time at that Clough. We used to pick Blackberries from the bushes and make rope swings over the brook.
I also used to go to Priestly clough from the "Factory bottom", Victoria st. and through the lodges that were there, there used to be a big 'drop' on one side were the river ran, used to scare me, then over passed the mill ruin and over the pipe that crossed the water up to the Five Arches, we also picked wild rhubarb that was if you went on the top path.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

I just remembered what the "other" Clough is called. Nelson's.
I had a brain wave last night.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Was that because there was a farm called Nelsons, seem to remember the Farm near the Holy Family was called Nelson's though I might be wrong:confused:

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Yes, it was at the start of High St. in Ossy I think. Right on the main road, I think it was a continuation of Miller Fold.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Now I'm confused.. is Priestly Clough the one that starts around Nuttall St and goes all the way up past Baxenden?

Re: Priestly Clough
 

That's the one,end of Nuttall St turn left onto Bath St and just keep going.I think Nuttall St becomes Mount St for the last few yards though just to confuse the matter.

Re: Priestly Clough
 

Your not wrong pete.........Mount st starts where the old bridge was and goes up to the corner where Bath st starts :D