The Deck
 

Remember the Deck? It was the popular name given to the area in front of the market hall stretching from the town hall to the bus station and it was THE place to hang out for generations of teenagers from Accy and district.

I "served my time" there from the mid-60's to the early 70's. Saturday afternoons were the prime time with the long haired/hippie types lounging around at the town hall end and the mod dudes showing off their cool threads at the bus station end. Whenever I walk past on a Saturday nowadays it's practically deserted, so I guess kids must hang around somewhere else.

Anyone else have any memories of the place?

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I to remember the deck,it was a very poplar meeting place,we used to lean on the
railings just watching the talent go by when women looked like women.I dont think
the saying (see you on the deck) exists any more but that was how it used to be.

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Lets see .. who can I remember from there....... Issac.....Tunny

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Isaac, Florrie and Vito were all real characters and permanent fixtures on the deck, or so it seemed at the time. There were actually two Tunnys who were brothers - "big" Tunny and "little" Tunny. "Little" Tunny lives down South and runs a successful mug manufacturing business. He occasionally posts on the Stanley forum on this site.

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I thought outside Wooolies was the meeting place for the culturally conscious folk of Accrington...hey hey hey...or was it the Copper Kettle?

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The woolies side of the road was the meeting place for the upper crust.

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I thought that the Town Hall benches was for the flat cappers and pensioners.

The Deck
 

I forgot to ask, which railings did you lean on. I dont remember any railings?????

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Of course you do Atarah!!! The ones at the side of the town hall (Broadway side) and the Rawtenstall bus stop was at the other side. But there weren't any outside Wollies.

Remember Ollie? He use to stand on the deck, poor lad he was 3 bricks short of a building set. Last saw him a couple of years ago...he didn't recognised me, and I don't think he recognised anybody...shame really.

Did you ever go into the Blue Dahlia Cafe? We knew it as the Blue Dandelion, Sunday afternoons just after 2 (Pubs closed then), drinking coffee and cackling.

The Deck (photo by Jambutty from an old posting)
 

Oh silly me, I didn't realise you meant THESE railings!!!!

This photo was on an old posting by Jambutty (hope its OK I have shown it)

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The van in the picture was owned by Walter Smith confectioners,they had a shop in
Whalley Road near to Bootleggars.There pies were really good,as was all the stuff they
used to make,the shop was always busy why it shut down so quickly I dont know!.

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What a great picture, Atarah! It really brings back memories. I seem to remember when I was a nipper (round about the time this picture was taken) that the railings were the favourite hanging out place for the local teddyboys. They always looked a bit sinister to me in their long black drape jackets. However, by the time I'd reached the stage where I was hanging around there, ten years later, the favourite spot had moved to the benches at the other side of the town hall and, of course, the fashions had changed too.

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Pity there was no teds in the picture they would have been around at that time, I would have been 9 yrs. Am I right, Joe Morts was the dance hall they all went to. I used to hang around the bus station end of the deck, near the Blackburn bus stop and hagle where we were going to go that night, stay in town or hop on a bus to Blackburn to go to the Mecca, or go round to Melbourne St and catch a bus to Manchester. They opened a cafe accross from the town hall in the late 60s cant remember what it was called. The Dahlia was an institustion, Friday nights we Would'nt go out till Ready Steady Go, had finished.

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Darby - You mentioned Ollie and that he was 3 bricks short of a building. Ollie is very intelligent, I see him regularly. He owns an appartment in Spain and lived there for a few years. I think he is worth a bob or two, so don't feel sorry for him.

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I think we got our Ollies mixed up. I meant Ollie Rowley!! Did you mean Walter Ollet??
Or somebody else??

I didn't mean to be nasty or anything, Ollie (Rowley) was OK for a bit of crack (fun), and I use to spend ages talking to him (well listening actually), he wasn't a bad lad or anything like that, quite harmless actually. Though I've heard he turned a little wierd after he got beat up by some yobs a few years ago!!

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The cafe opposite the town hall was actually a Wimpey during the mid-60's. Then it changed to become the Grill Bar in the late 60's. It didn't have much merit in itself (no jukebox, boring decor, mediocre food) but the window seats were a great vantage point from which to survey the comings and goings on the Deck. The Blue Dahlia was THE place to be, though - frothy coffee and a great jukebox! The Olympus in Union Street was also something of a hangout but mainly for rockers.

Darby, I remember Ollie Rowley. Lived up Craven Street. Nice bloke, but things always seemed to "happen" to him. I remember sitting in Leonard's Chippy in Ranger Street one day when Ollie walked in with a plaster cast on his leg. He'd been on a pub crawl in Burnley, gone to the station to get the train back to Accy and fallen off the platform (fortunately there were no trains coming at the time)! Very sorry to hear he'd been beaten up. A damning indictment on today's sick society when a harmless bloke like him gets attacked.

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Wynonie,

Lens chippy.....I remember him, use to be the best chippy in Accy..nice bloke as well.

My missus always used Lens chippy, although it was a bit of a walk from Charter Street. Names....and memories come rolling back.

You must be from the same era as me, Blue Dahlia and all that. Do you remember the Spiders Web on Blackburn Road just before the Arches, across from Little Jacks? That was the place to be in the late 50's - Sunday afternoons (before I took to the demon drink). Turned into the first Chinese restaurant in Accy. First owner was a Mr. Chung, who ran away with our neighbours wife...but that's another story!!

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I agree, Darby, Len's chippy was definitely the best! I think it's because he stuck to what he knew best - fish, chips and peas (with a few bottles of Tizer and packets of Park Drive stacked in the corner). No pies, puddings or sausages. It worked, though, because they tasted better from Len's than anywhere else in town. His popularity was such that the queues sometimes stretched outside his shop and up Ranger Street.

Don't remember the Spider's Web but if it was late 50's I'd still be in short trousers and too young to frequent such places. Remember the Chinese though. In the mid-60's we sometimes used to walk over from the Deck and have our lunch in there. It seemed incredibly exotic at the time!

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Dont recall any railings on the Deck,outside the Townhall.The only railings were people used to hangout was opposite the Jewelers I think?

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May have been removed before your time. See the thumbnail at Atarah's posting on page 1 of this thread!

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I do remember when the Wimpy opened they gave away free coupons for burgers, is it an Italian cafe now?

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No, it's still just an ordinary cafe. From the outside it doesn't look to have changed much from 1969.

The Italian cafe ("Si") is on the next block, on the corner of Dutton Street where MacDonalds used to be (or where Woolies used to be for those of us who are getting on a bit!).

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Incidentally, Darby, could you tell us some more about the Spider's Web? Was it some favourite haunt of Accy teens in the 50's? I'm intrigued!

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I'm going back a bit...but age plays tricks ye know
!! :) :)

However, I think it was the first cafe in Accy to have a jukebox (be about 1957 or so). And that was upstairs.
It was next to what was Gibsons Sports, and downstairs was a normal coffee type cafe. Upstairs was quite large (or was I just small?), with the outstanding feature being the Jukebox, you know the type, one that plucked records out with an arm and turned then horizontal onto a turntable (only 45's). Naturally the highlight of each week was the introduction into the Jukebox of the latest entries into the Top 20 (New Musical Express).

Saturday nights was OK until the "Teds" came in from "Morts", but by that time I'd gone to the flicks (Empire or Princess in Edgar Street). Sunday afternoons was the main event. Everybody who thought they were anybody had to be in the Spiders Web, and there was a great deal of eyeing up from both sides. Eventually, you might slip off with a girl (or try to), and that after making a coffee last 2 hours!

I think the place only lasted about 2-3 years before Chung took it over in 1959. What it was before, I can't remember....

But to my memory it was the forerunner of Cafe's in Accy, those for the youth of the day at least.

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Thanks for that, Darby, an interesting piece of Accy social history. Wonder if anyone has any pics of the place?

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I remember the Blue Dahlia, was one of the posher places, unless my memory serves me wrong. I was in Blackburn by then (having been at school in Manchester for a couple of years), a student nurse at the Infirmary, so we couldn't often afford coffee! I do remember the KJ in Blackburn - anyone remember that?

I also remember being taken out to dinner by a boyfriend in Hurst Green - I wasn't sure how much money he had, so I said all I wanted was a green salad. He ate steak!

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The KJ Coffeehouse on the corner of Jubilee Street and Bridge Street on the Boulevard. First coffee bar I ever went in as a nervous 13-year old in 1964. I loved it and it was the start of a misspent youth in various coffee bars/cafes around the area!

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I remember the KJ Coffee house, used to go there, sometimes after college, or at lunch times, I was a fulltime catering student, at Blackburn Tech, in 60s. At that time they also had lunchtime sessions at the Mecca. It was free to get in and you could buy pies and coffee, but the DJ played some great soul, the session went from 12 to 1 pm. There was also the pub accross the street from the tech called the Vulcan. The pubs in Blackburn the Mods hung out was the St Johns Tavern or the Adelphi, or the backroom of the Olde White Bull. I seem to remember the Odeon in Accy opening a bar called Pickwicks in the early 70s, also a bar & grill called the Astronaut?. never went im there.

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The Astronaut was on Union Street, near where Corals is now. It was first a Massey house and then changed to one of them midlands breweries. It didn't have any special signs outside it and looked more like a cafe than a pub. Got filled with a lot of posers in the mid-60's, and we never went in there much.

The Pickwick Grill & Bar ran down the side of the Odeon. Didn't go in there much...I think it was mid to late 60's when it started...by then I was off to other lands.

Thanks for the memories Alan!

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I remember the Pickwick. I spent a lot of my time and money in there from 1975 onwards. It seemed to be part of the town centre circuit; Pickwick, Bees Knees, Regency, Bridge, round and round all night. They used to do a brilliant home made potato pie in there at lunchtime and they served Lager in dimpled glass mugs. My grandparents used to frequent the Astronaut during the mid sixties.

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Now, Now A-B.........in the mid-70's the Regency was still the Commercial (and a far better pub it was then, to!)

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I cant remember when it changed exactly, but I remember working there shortly after the change which would be around 1979. it was run by a chap from the south of Ireland, short, fat, bald head (him not me).

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A-Bob...The Bees Knees was the "Derby". That's where I spend most of 63-67 (got married in 67...end of going out with the lads). The back room use to have a group on every Saturday night...Packed to the Gunwhales every Friday and Saturday night. It was the Pub to be in.

Landlords name was Ted Green, his wife was Doreen, and his daughter (who really fancied herself) was Anne who married some dope from "dahn saaff". Ted Green moved to the IOM ion the late 60's and died from a heart attack within 18 months!!

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Darby, when you "retired" from the Derby, I began my drinking "apprenticeship" there. Spent large amounts of time in the place from 68-72. "Our" spot was just to the left as you walked in, while the "big lads" like Isaac, Florrie etc sat down the far end. The back room was called "The Blue Room", but they only had bands on occasionally by then. The landlord was a Scottish guy called Ian. One of the barmaids was an old lady called Ethel who shouted "last orders" in a voice that could shatter windows.

Went in there last August and I couldn't even recognise the place. Totally spoiled like so many other pubs in downtown Accy.

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Now I do feel old! I was one of the posers in the Astronaut in the 60s, together with A-B's grandparents! It was reckoned to be a bit posh, got all the businessmen, etc, although goodness knows why, it always looked like a glorified bookies. I remember the Commercial when it was, went to a few wedding receptions there, had my mother's funeral there as well, and had a boyfriend, Marten Ankersmidt, who was working in Accy as an engineer, who stayed there. Happy memories - he had a Jensen and occasionally let me drive it. I don't know which I fancied more, him or the car!

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Pendy,

I'm sure it was the car...............Jensens were quite rare.
So it was you sat at the bar in the Astronaut......Do you remember a woman (not a girl you understand), quite attractive, petite etc., called Jean? She was almost a fixture in there.

Jimmy Crow, Mick Absolom, Ben Watson...they were the spivs of the day (60's and early 70's)...remember any of them?

Wynonie,
The only pub that I'd go into in the town centre is the Arden or the Warners....But not at night. Almost all pubs, anywhere, have been devastated and are normally full of the yob culture, they have to be so, just to make a living. But with a 33cl bottle of Bud costing £2.50 or more, they can stick 'em.

Naturally there are still a few good 'uns. Like the Stag, Rose & Crown, Heys Inn, but not many more.

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We discovered the Arden not long after we got the house up here. It's a great pub, and we usually go on a Saturday after shopping. It's always good to see Barry and the lads.

You're right, I was, of course, the fantastic looking one at the bar with the long hair, my party piece was that although I was only about 9 stone wringing wet (what a memory!) I could down a pint in one if asked! The name Jimmy Crow rings a bell, but I don't remember the others. I do remember Bert, who was an alderman and I think had a garage, they lived on Whalley Road. The barman was Irish, I think his name was Jimmy. It's all a while back.

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Jimmy Crawshaw fancied himself as a bit of an entertainer, and in fact did a few Gigs (I think that's the words he used), as a "Stand-up" comedian (and that he certainly was). He also played the Sax, and tried to sing a bit. All-in-all Jimmy wasn't such a bad person and I'd known him since I was 6 years old. He was about 5'11" with gingerish hair and a pale sort of face. At one time he'd knocked around with Les Gibson and Stan Ridehalgh (building site bullies). But use to drink halves at first (don't trust people who drink halves), but matured to Pints with Whiskey chasers (a man after my own heart).

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Funny, isn't it how Ossy has managed to keep so many of it pubs unspoiled? One of my favourites was the Stop & Rest. This was my dad's regular haunt and I used to go in with him in the 70's to stand at the "deep end". There were some great characters there and the "crack" was excellent. The landlord was a gentleman by the name of Jim Lucas who kept standards very high. Truly a pub amongst pubs!

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I passed the Stop and Rest the other day, did you know it was up for sale? Get yourself down to the bank, it's just begging for decent landlord or landlady.

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When was the clock erected on the corner of Peel St. and Blackburn Road? There seemed to be a shift from the deck to the clock. When I used to frequent the town centre in the mid 70s to mid 80s the saying, "Meet you under t'clock at half seven." was more commonly heard.

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Wynonie, what were you doing in Blackburn, coffee bars at 13 yrs old. I used to go in the Derrby, but noy very often. Always remember a guy getting up to sing, Walk Tall, in an Irish accent, very funny and very p--st. By the way are there any old shops, still in Accy, like Redmans, ( cold meats, black puddings, etc ).Erni McNoes, John Colliers, ( the window to watch ) Alexnder's, all tailors. Marys records. Wardelworths, ( bookshop ) Note the word shop, not store. I used to fanncy a girl in a drycleaners in Peel st, Greenghalls, I think the name of it was. I used to model for a barber in Warner St, called Bazagaloopo ( dont know how to spell it ) , next to the Arcade entrance, anybody remember it . Now Im completly bald, had a great head of hair back then though. Has anybody any more memories of certain shops in Accy centre. Is clock garage still there.

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Good heavens, Alan you have been away a long time. All of the businesses that you mention are gone now. Redmans is an antique shop now. I noticed in passing the other day, that it too is closing down. Mc Noe's is an asian take-away. Wardleworths moved across the road during the seventies and then moved again to the end of broadway, they closed a couple of years ago, unable to compete following the end of the net book agreement which allowed ASDA to massively discount bestsellers. Which is really annoying because if you look at ASDA's offerings now they have shrunk to a fraction of what they were when they decided that they were going to corner the market and drive other booksellers out. Accrington looses out again! Greenhalgh's is empty-I think. Not sure which barber shop you mean, there is still one across the road from the entrance to the arcade but it is run by different people. and Clock Garage is closed and moved to Hyndburn Road.

Stay tuned, I hear that there are plans to close Accrington too.

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Don't know if they gave out free vouchers - anyway what about the Copper Kettle?

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Lens would have been just off Willows lane if i remember rightly?

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The first cafe to have a juke box was the Melbo which was situated on Melbourne St,
the other main cafe was Lens which was on Church Street,the Blue Dahlia followed
later.Another well known Cafe was the clock cafe at Clitheroe.

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as a former resident of princess st I remember jimmy crawshaw living with his mother on blackburn road facing sacred heart church mick absolom on lonsdale st and had a beautiful sister who was a model jimmy also was at one time entertainment mananger at marthorme grange night club

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Mik, Len's was on the corner of Eden Street and Ranger Street, just across the street from the side of St Peter's school (now Wolstenholmes' funeral parlour). Still reckon it was the best chippy in town.

Alan, what was I doing in coffee bars in Blackburn at 13? Well, you know how it is, you tell your folks you're going to your mate's house, he tells his folks he's going to yours and off you go. You must have done it!

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Yes I did it mate. this will give you a laugh, me and my mate Paul Grant, used to wear bell bottom jeans, we frayed the bottoms, and stitched bells on. He was;nt allowed to wear jeans, so he got changed at a mates place. His dad thought he ws wearing a suit and tie. One night we went into the Off Licence, on the corner, accross from the Clock Garage to get some Cider and the Cops were waiting for us outside, ( Only 16 ) they took us home to our parents, my mum broke down and cried. Then it was his turn, he said to the cops, can you take me round to my mates place so I can get changed back into my suit, so they said OK, then took us to his house, his dad went bolistik, said his name would be in the paper, cops had to pull hime off him, god knows what he would have done if he had'nt got changed . We had to go down the station the next day for a telling off by the Sargent. Did anybody else go in to that Off Licence, near the Arcs Ballroom?.I Remember the the Cafe in Melbourne St and itsjuke box and the clock cafe in Clitheroe.

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Al, I remember that off-licence! Once when we were in the Arcs, we nipped out to buy some booze from there. We were all aged 14-15, so it was a bit of a lark. As we came out of the shop, a squad car appeared, so the lad who was carrying it rushed up a back street and hid it in a bin 'ole. We crept back when the coast was clear, just in time to see a little old lady extracting something from the same bin 'ole and scurrying off round the corner. Needless to say, it was our booze! I bet she had a good night - we didn't because we'd spent all our money, so we didn't even have enough for a coke when we went back into the Arcs!

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Correct Keith...Mick Absoloms sister was a cracker, but wouldn't look at you unless you had wads of money. Didn't know that Jimmy Crow had been the entertainment manager at Martholme Grange.

Anybody seen him lately?

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There were quite a few girls in Accy in the 60s, who would'nt look at you unless you had wads of money, I think they thought it was their ticket out of working class life.

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Has anything really changed,there are always girls everywhere who won't look at you unless you have loads of money! ha ha that's the way of the world!

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mick absoloms sister Jackie as been featured in the observer remember photos the last two weeks she was indeed a lovely girl but now another name for a regular on the deck big reg whose father was landlord of the Bay horse baxenden his haunts were the Bull on bullbridge up the con also the ritz a real round the town man

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any chance of putting them on here to see if I recognise her. How old would she be.

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The heading over this weeks photo reads 1964 beauty contest and I would guess jackie looks round twenty so that makes coming up sixty wonder what she looks like now as regards posting the picture sorry only got a pc and printer and I

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sorry about that I was going to say I have not mastered them yet as regards the observer picture they are taken from garth dawsons new book entitled garth dawsons accrington out in october with 90 pictures within it Last weeks picture was a printing mistake which they apologized for this week

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Well, what happened?, did she do well for herself and marry into money. The suspence is killing me.

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I have to be honest never met the girl Mick her brother often talked about her winning beauty competitions and her picture was often in the papers but have no idea were her or mick are now I know they wont live in lonsdale street thats for sure

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There must be a hell of a lot of other ex Accy people around the UK & the world. Who would love this great site. The next best thing to being there. Pity we cant reach them. What with all the regular contrbutors. To mention a few. ( Atarah, Wil A the Wisp, Wynonie, Darby, Mez and all the others I could mention It gives us a chance to meet on the Deck, any time we want, so thanks for all the memories ane photos to you all. Ps I make no apologies for being nostalgic and sentimental.

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I was just thinking of that railing (and others like it, usually outside of school gates) did any of the rest of you used to ''topple tail'' over the top bar as children?

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Accyweb as a virtual deck - I like it! What a pity we can't all nip across the road to the Dahlia for a frothy coffee and a blast on the jukebox!

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Dont forget the thrill of getting ready, the really neat Mod clothes, our hair (just a memory now all gone ) Catching the bus into Town, to meet that special girl, or on a date, with someone you walked home with the week before ( nerves, nerves. ) or plucking up the courage to ask someone to dance just to get a knockback, or the feeling of her saying yes, OH what a feeling, especialy if you left together, to walk her to the bus stop or home and that kiss before you leave. You say can I see you next week, so she says OK , Meet you outside the ODEON, friday night. need I go ON & on & on. Meet you on the DECK Later Folks.

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Ah those good old days. I'd forgotten all about the Blue Dahlia. You could just hang around there for hours listening to the juke box.

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It's a late weekday afternoon in May 1969 and I'm sitting in the Dahlia. It's packed with the afterschool crowd and Chris, the owner, is working busily behind the counter amid clouds of steam from the noisy expresso machine. The jukebox is blasting out the Temptations' "Get Ready" and I'm in a mood of anticipation, mixed with nervousness.

The reason is, I'm meeting Christine. I've fancied her for a while now and and last Saturday at the Jazz Club I finally plucked up the courage to ask her out for a coffee. I'm not feeling too cool in my Accy Grammar blazer but, never mind, I'll be rid of it forever when I leave in a few weeks.

Suddenly I see Christine coming through the door in her distinctive striped Paddock House blazer. She sees me and comes over, giving me a peck on the cheek as she sits down. Aretha's on the jukebox wailing "I say a little prayer for you..." and I feel like a million dollars. I buy her a coffee and we sit making small talk as kids come and go. Finally, I take the plunge and ask her if I can take her out next Saturday. She looks at me regretfully and says no, she's going out with Bobby. My heart sinks. Bobby is a couple of years older than me and cuts quite a dash around town with his immaculately faded Levis and Ernie McNoe-tailored mohair jacket. He's also a promising local sportsman.

We engage in desultory conversation for a few minutes more and finally Christine takes her leave, uttering those dreaded words, "I'd rather be friends than go out with you." I sit there alone as Smokey sings "The Tracks Of My Tears" oh so sweetly. It seems somehow appropriate.

Finally, I wander across Blackburn Road to catch the Moscow Mill bus for that long ride home, reflecting not for the first - or last - time that I really don't understand women at all.

Ah, it all comes back to me now.

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Never mind Wynonie, we'll go and have a pint in the Derby, then go up the Con, plenty more fish in the sea, Sounds Incorporated, are playing tonight, as well as the Dappers. So lets get ready and show those girls that we are the King swingers, on the floor and how cool we are, one hand in the pocket to show off the 18" vents in our jackets.

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Good idea, Al, let's go but if those greasers start anything, I'm off!

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AAAhhhh....well put Wyn..nice story.

But, life's a bitch.......and then it gets worse!!

We've always got nostalgia..... :D :D :D

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Oh grief - did you have to remind me of that b****y awful blazer?

Christine could well have been in deep trouble - we weren't allowed to go into shops etc in school uniform - strictly forbidden on pain of capital punishment (yes, we did have that, but not quite the same). Anyway, it was rather unflattering - especially the awful winter uniform - who would want to be seen dead in a mortar board?

Anyone remember going up Spring Hill on a Saturday night? Long walk home, but if you were lucky you weren't on your own!

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I used to think Paddock House girls looked very posh in their jackets. Our blazers at the High School were thick and horrible - then they changed them to green courduroy which was marginally better.

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That's right, Pendy, I'd forgotten all about the Paddock House uniform rule. Christine was taking a risk, so maybe she liked me after all...or more probably, she couldn't be bothered changing into her trendy gear until she met Bobby later on.

Willow, don't remember the High School girls wearing corduroy jackets. Did that happen in the 60's or later?

Personally, I hated every part of my AGS uniform with a passion. I burned my blazer, badge and all, the day I left. Ironic really, that I now wear a very similar badge on my ASFC home and away replica shirts with the greatest of pride!

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That was the year I started, so it must have been 65. They changed it to distinguish us from St Chris's I believe. That awful cordurouy beret. If you were seen in uniform without it you got a disorder mark. In the first year we even had to wear a "gymslip" but could remove the top bit after that. Blimey, even bottle green knickers! And those absolutely disgusting sports shorts.
Anyone in that uniform was refered to as "Snotty green grass" round our way.
Also remember having to have "indoor" shoes as well as outdoor ones.
The summer uniform wasn't too bad - green or yellow dresses with white diamonds, I could live with that. :)

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Compared to the blazers those courduroy jackets really weren't too bad but the berets weren't so much berets as weird little hats with a rim round and a button on top. No matter how you tried to wear them they just didn't look right. Some people fixed them to the back of their heads with hair clips. Some plonked them at a jaunty angle (and they promptly fell off) and some just rammed them straight on top and took them off as soon as they were out of sight of the school.

Yes I quite liked the summer dresses too........... but oh those awful knickers! And having to do PE in your knickers!!!!

I remember the old blue shorts which were more like a short skirt with a strange additional piece between the legs, very uncomfortable. I can't remember the green ones. What were they like?

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I bet you did'nt hang around the Deck in those uniforms.

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i remember coming out of stmarys school on moscow mill st , in winter waiting for the paddock girls to come, &throwing snowballs at them to see if we could knock their motorboards off their heads, i am ashamed to say i got one or two (he he he ).:signntme:

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Mez, has made it Christmas on the Deck. Do they still have the tree outside the Market hall?.

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Always used to hang out on the little wall outside woolies and everyone would meet under the clock for a night out, but we did go in the dahlia and also the golden grill (I think thats what it was called)

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Do they still have the Christmas tree outside the market hall?

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The Tree has been relocated to the front of the town hall, the lights start about 12ft up so the loonies can't get to them, and the crib is there too.

Merry Christmas.

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sorry i didnt get back to you alan, been very busy & didnt seem to get to that part of town.

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Thats OK Mez, I know what its like this time of year. Speaking of the tree, its the same in Launceston, they put 10 foot boards around it, but the Vandels still try to get to it. How come they relocated it, from outside the Market Hall. there seems to be more space there.

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Had a look at it on Saturday - the tree and crib just don't look right outside the town hall. The irony is that there's even more space outside the market hall than there used to be, now the ornamental walls and flower beds have gone. Yet more Hyndburn Council madness!

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just been up dill hall (card posting) & noticed a crib next to the xmas tree, nr the traffic lights in church. i was impressed, never noticed it before.

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I remember the "Spiders Web". I used to go on a Sunday afternoon, it was the "in" place to go. I thought it was where Gibsons sports was, but I could be mistaken. Loved that Chinese place, they had great curries, so hot you'd have tears running down your face. Also recall the "deck" but girls didn't hang-out there just men (boys) Did anyone go "up Knowmere St"? I used to go there Saturday night, Morts Sunday and Wednesday nights. If you got there early on Wednesday, you got in free. Later years I went to Blackburn; Mecca, Mirrebelle, but Morts was the best. They used to come from Blackpool to go up Morts. One time three girls missed there bus/train and my Mum let them stay overnight at our house, although we didn't know them, people trusted each other in those days.

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I knew Jimmy Crawshaw, Mick Absolam, Stan Ridehalgh , Les Gibson, and probably most of those who went up Morts. I thought Jimmy was good when he was entertaining.

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Mods about town. Can any ladies name any guys from the 60s they had a crush on ?.

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Well lets say both, it would be interesting to see what names come up. I dont supose it matters now it was a long time ago.

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Two famous guys of the sixties I knew Eric bentley and arthur lofthouse regulars at joe morts both looneys when on a motor bike I unfortunately stopped outside morts one night with my new matchless g9 500 twin the pair jumped on it came back 2 hours later I was lucky no damage only nearly out of petrol from a tank full Eric worked for his property repairing father and well known and popular in great harwood where he lived Arthur worked for various butchers in accrington market hall

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Looks like most of the people I knew moved away from the area, or dont know about Accy Web, It would be interesting to know what they are doing now. Or maybe they are not sentimental like me.

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I was thinking that way myself...

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Hmmm ... guys from the 60s we had a crush on - how do we know they won't be Accywebbers now, and that could be embarrassing! That said, there was one blond guy from the Grammar School that I fancied like mad when I was about 15 .....

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Can anyone get a photo of the Blue Daliha, to put on here , just to bring back the memories. Long live the deck, dont let this thread die.

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Yeah, I'd love to see a pic of the Dahlia, too. Sadly, no one ever thought of taking photos at the time, as we were too busy enjoying ourselves! Just moving out of town slightly, has anyone got any memories of the Jazz Club? I used to love that place! Always a great atmosphere, a well-stocked bar (and they weren't too fussy about how old you looked!) and you could have a bop to the Riverside Jazzmen! Everything, in fact, for a great night out!

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I never liked jazz much either, especially the sort of trad jazz that the Riverside Jazzmen played. But it seemed great after the fifth pint!

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As you Know Wynonnie I loved the Jazz Club to, Sunday nights, saw Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, my brother Kevin and his wife worked behind the bar. hard to believe it was just a wooden hut. Garth Dawson, must have photos of Blue Dahlia and the Jazz Club. maybe, Atarha can help or Owd Bert.

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reading the replys,noticed nobody remembers the no1 stall,as a popular meeting place in the 60s,people used to come round from the deck for the crack.anyone else remember or what?