FURNESS VALE LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Jim Mycock

2012-02-10T09:46:00.000Z

The school photograph in the following Furness Vale School topic was provided by Joanna Carr and includes her grandfather Colin Mycock.

Joanna had been carrying out some family history research and looking at a collection of photographs and letters. A number of these concerned Jim Mycock and are in the possession of her Great Uncle. Jim's brother Harold, was Joanna's Great Grandfather. The Mycocks lived at Long Row, Buxton Road in Furness Vale. Harold was born in 1889 and Jim in 1891.

Jim was killed in the battle of the Somme on 16th October 1916. He was serving with the 11th Cheshires. He is commemmorated on the memorial tablet which came from the Methodist Chapel and at the Thiepval Memorial in France.

Joannah has provided a number of photographs, letters and documents concerning Jim Mycock and copies of these are now in the History Society archives and may be vied on request. A few are reproduced below.

James Mycock, a studio photograph

James with his fiancee, Ida Jodrell of Fernilee.

National registration card

Official notification of death

Letter of sympathy from his friend Douglas Shirt (also of Furness Vale)

Furness Vale School

2011-11-16T19:21:00.001Z

This photgraph was probably taken just before the Second World War. The boy in the third row who is looking directly at the camera is Colin Mycock who was born in 1929. Can anybody identify any of the other children ? The picture is courtesy of Joanna Carr, granddaughter of Colin Mycock.

Dolly Ford has subsequently found a similar photograph featurning the same group of children who are all named on the reverse. In the background can be seen three shopfronts. That on the left 114 Buxton Road was then a greengrocers and later became Mrs Nash's shop, 116 in the middle was a doctors surgery and that on the right, a confectioner and baker.

The Buxton Belle

2011-11-10T20:35:00.000Z

Derek Marshall has painted the steam special "The Buxton Belle" which passed through Furness Vale earlier this year. Derek and his wife Elaine have a studio at Bridgemont and details of this and other local scenes can be found on their website : http://www.bridgemontstudio.co.uk/

School Group

2011-11-10T20:28:00.002Z

This school photograph has been loaned by Francis Footitt. This may be Furness Vale School but we are unsure. Can anybody help with identifying any of these people or in dating the photograph

The following response was posted to the Whaley Bridge Forum by "Hauxton"

Thanks to the wonders of Google I recently became aware of this wonderful forum and was astonished to see the picture in the first post on this thread. I have exactly the same picture in the same sort of frame, handed down from my grandfather Thomas Wilson. He’s the boy second to the left on the front row, born in 1881 at the Lodge, Fernilee and in the 1891 census living at 156 Horwich End. So I think this is Taxal & Fernilee C of E School in the early 1890s. The school leaving age then was around 11-12 so I’ve assumed this was the leaving photo of the Sixth Grade pupils. My photo has been cut slightly differently to fit the frame so I have one or two more broken panes of glass at the top and don’t get the legs of the front row. I can just make out a bit of the large type at the top of the poster to the right of the shot: HIGH PEAK COUNTY OF D ... My grandfather’s older brother Albert figures in the 1891 census as a ‘Pupil Teacher’ aged 15, I presume at this school, but not I think in this picture. My grandfather was the youngest of 8 siblings who all went to this school as far as I know.

New Mills Local History Society

2011-09-01T21:32:00.000+01:00

We have been advised of the Autumn programme of New Mills Local History Society. This can be found under the heading "FURTHER PAGES" on the right hand side of this web site. Visitors from Furness Vale are always warmly welcomed. Meetings are held at New Mills Town Hall.

Christmas 1944 (Flying Through The Air

2011-08-25T07:23:00.000+01:00

“I’m the pilot not you. You were the pilot last time you are the rear gunner”

“No I’m not I’m the bomb aimer an, I’m sittin’ on that branch cos that’s were ‘e sits” –No ‘e doesn’t. He sits near the pilot because he has to tell ‘im when to drop the bombs”

‘F’ for Freddie slowly fills up with the crew on this cold Saturday afternoon before Christmas and the lads (all experienced fliers) ready themselves for a special mission over enemy territory.

When it’s full, that is, when there is a pilot, a tail gunner, a bomb aimer, and another gunner.( The navigator is usually left out because there was a big argument once and someone fell off his branch.----That is, he bailed out over enemy territory.----Well actually he was pushed. So nobody wants to be the navigator any more.) When it’s full the others will have to be happy with a place in one of the aircraft further back in the formation.

It begins to snow and there is some discussion as to whether it is possible to fly in snow. “You can’t see the other Lancasters so you might crash into them, so you can’t” says the pilot. “You can. I can see ‘em from ‘ere” shouts the rear gunner from his precarious perch well out on a branch which puts him nearer to the following tree than anyone else. “ The pilots got snow on ‘is glasses” ---Somebody starts to laugh, and with this shift in spirit it is decided that we should take off.

Engine noises are made by all, and the brakes released, we speed down the runway until everyone is getting fed up with growling and then just when the crew are about to start complaining the pilot calls—‘Take off effected’.

He had remembered ‘Takeoff effected’ and he smiled to himself.

Twelve thousand feet now, a good height, the navigator had ‘bailed- out’ at six feet- er- thousand feet, ‘On an earlier opp’. The maximum height on this ‘opp’ was Fifteen thousand feet.

We watch in silence for a while as the white thumb nail clouds we are flying through sail easily down onto the runway that is so rapidly disappearing, as we gain height. Tufts of grass and small shrubs become snow magnates and melt into the runaway earth and all becomes white.

Scarves are tightened and collars pulled up, peaks on leather helmets pulled down, and as we fly the snow flakes increase to maximum size—‘August Mushroom’--- late afternoon ones.

The biggest one I ever found weighed a quarter of a pound.

Strangely the pilot’s glasses no longer collect snow, and the two gunners no longer shoot at the following Lancaster.

Quite suddenly and as from a distant place the bomb aimer calls –‘Bombs Away’.

The crew cheer, and the whole aircraft shakes de-snowing it’s self as we turn for home. And as we watch the august mushrooms become sparkling frosted flowers as they reflect the dim yellow light of a paraffin lamp that spills out from behind the half closed shutter of the railway signal box near by. Tiny spots of light shine out and are gone to appear again near-by and lower down. We watch in the special silence that comes with snow.

“Number one engine broke” calls the ‘other’ gunner (as if trying to bring us back to earth) “Broke?” “What do you mean ‘Broke?’ you can’t say ‘Broke’ it’s daft” says the pilot whose glasses are now covered again. “Number two engine dead” shouts the rear gunner to prove the point, and at the same time almost, the bomb aimer shouts the demise of number three engine.

“You can’t have three engines broke at once” the pilot shouts forgetting himself. “You can fly about with one engine for hours” some one covered in snow calls from somewhere aft. “My auntie makes them at Woodford and she says you can” Nobody seemed to want to argue the point so the pilots landed their Lancaster Bombers safely in the snow and the crews tramped off arguing amongst themselves.

When I get home my Dad is there in his RAF uniform. Home on leave for a week.

Cliff Hill.

The Guernsey Evacuees

2011-07-31T18:57:00.000+01:00

Members will recall the fascinating talk earlier this year by Gillian Mawson on the subject of The Guernsey Evacuees. Gillian now has a web site on this subject which includes a fascinating diary which is updated daily on the life in 1940 of an evacuee in Stockport.
http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com

264 Buxton Road

2011-07-30T10:20:00.000+01:00

Alongside 264 Buxton Road, there was once a narrow lean-to shop. Before WWII this had been the haberdashers shop of the Birchenall sisters. Also sold were items of clothing such as scarves, gloves and hats. The premises later became the hairdressing salon of Jean Lomas. In 1978 it re-opened under the name of "Cutter's Cabin" having been vacant for some time.

This is a computer generated reconstruction.

The Methodist Church Play 1927

2011-07-13T21:49:00.001+01:00

The cast of the Furness Vale Methodist Church Play of 1927 pose for the photographer in the garden of "Garswood", Diglee Road, one of the Australian bungalows. Can anybody fill in the missing names or identify the play? Thanks to Joan Wild for the loan of this photo.

Early Bus

2011-07-01T21:08:00.000+01:00

A bus waits at the corner of Station Road. One of the boys by the front wheel is Norman Bennett, Mabel Townend's father and later owner of the ironmongers shop. The date is c1912. The bus is perhaps on an excursion.
Photo courtesy Mabel Townend.

Furness Vale Station

2011-07-01T21:00:00.001+01:00

A view of Furness Vale Station. Zoom in to the picture for some interesting detail. Furness Row in the background. Note the advertisements for Hudson's Soap and Sutton's Seeds. Photo courtesy of Mabel Townend.

Bennet's Ironmongers

2011-06-27T19:34:00.002+01:00

The ironmongers shop at 57 Buxton Road was sold to Norman Bennett in 1934. The shop had previously been owned by T.Cook whose name can still be seen in the light above the door. This photograph, taken in 1936 shows Mrs Bennett in the doorway. The enlargement below shows some of the products displayed in the window.

Photograph courtesy of Mabel Townend, daughter of Mr and Mrs Bennett

Furness Vale Station

2011-05-13T23:00:00.001+01:00

The following drawings are from the collection of a local railway enthusiast. These represent the schedules for positioning display and poster boards on the station. The drawings are undated.

Wartime Child Evacuees

2011-05-13T22:47:00.001+01:00

The May meeting of the Furness Vale History Society was addressed by Gillian Mawson who told the fascinating story of the children evacuated from Guernsey durning the Second World War. Gillian has now written a follow up story.

CHANNEL ISLAND EVACUEES IN NORTHERN ENGLAND, 1940-1945
by Gillian Mawson, History researcher at The University of Manchester

In June 1940, thousands of Channel Island evacuees, mostly school children with their teachers, and mothers with infants, came to Northern England, just prior to the German occupation of their islands. They left a quiet rural island and settled in the industrial areas of Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire.They owned only what they had in their suitcases, and remained in England for five years. Over 1,000 arrived in Stockport, with hundreds more arriving in Oldham, Bury and Wigan.

A number of the evacuated Guernsey schools re-established themselves in empty buildings in in order to keep the teachers and pupils together for the duration of the war. The attached picture shows the children and teachers of the Guernsey Forest School in their wartime school premises at Cheadle Hulme Parish Hall in Cheshire.

The evacuees had many different experiences, but one thing that many in the Bury area had in common was the memory of a local man, Mr J W Fletcher. Mr Fletcher was a retired travelling salesman. He took a keen interest in helping the evacuees, arranging parties and outings for the children and fund raising. After the war Mr Fletcher travelled to Guernsey to be reunited with the families he had been so close to, and a party of thanks was held for him.

With funding from the Beacon Trust, which enables university researchers to share their knowledge more widely with the public, I was able to work with Bury Archives Service to create a short documentary film. This captures the memories of three individuals impacted by the Guernsey evacuation in Bury in different ways. On 28th October this film was launched at Ramsbottom Heritage Gallery and gave many individuals an opportunity to be reunited after 70 years. The contributions of memories and photographs which we received from evacuees and local people provided a great deal of new information about this period in Guernsey’s and Bury’s history.
I have been interviewing Channel Island evacuees since 2009 and organised a three day event in June 2010, with Stockport Council, which marked the 70th anniversary of the Guernsey evacuation.

I am currently collecting the memories of evacuated Guernsey mothers and teachers in order to write about their experiences. For information on purchasing the film, or to find out more about my research, including public events, workshops for schools, publications etc, please visit my blog and website at:-
http://guernseyevacuees.wordpress.com/

or email me at gillianmawson@btinternet.com

The following is a news report from Channel Islands Television:
http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline_guernseynews/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=494109

The Yeardsley Players

2011-03-24T20:09:00.000Z

Do you remember The Yeardsley Players ? Dudley Garratt has found a programme from the 1981/2 season.

The Furness Vale Bank

2011-03-20T23:14:00.001Z

The branch of National Westminster Bank at 99 Buxton Road closed in August 1974. For many years this branch had been open just three days a week between 10am and 2pm. The bank, originally Manchester and County Bank was first at 47 Buxton Road at the corner of Station Road. It became in turn, District Bank and moved in about 1933. The Antique Shop is still of course, in business. Here is a re-creation using 3D computer modelling software.

DOLLY FORD - HER STORY

2011-03-01T21:15:00.000Z

This is an account of life in Furness Vale before World War Two as told by Dolly Ford. The story has been recorded by Jean Plover.

This is also available in booklet form including additional pictures, price £1.50 from the society or by post £2.00.

Bahamas and Furness Brickworks

2011-02-17T21:30:00.000Z

Jack Hardman has sent the following story of the maintenance of the locomotive " Bahamas" at Dinting Railway Centre:

In the early 1970's, it was decided that 5596 Bahamas (the loco that was the "cause" of the Dinting Railway Centre) needed a new brick or concrete arch in the firebox. The purpose of this is to ensure more complete combustion, which improves efficiency, and reduces smoke. Obviously in the firebox, ordinary bricks or concrete cannot be used, and so refractory materials are used. The proper materials were therefore acquired from R E Knowles at Furness. I can't remember the names of all the stuff, but Ganister was definnitely one, and I think, something called Grog.

My Dad, and a chap called Cliff Barnes put the concrete arch in, and I laboured for them, so I know this to be true. As the refactory material "went off" quickly, and generated lots of heat, it was mixed in small batches, and carried to my Dad & Cliff in the firebox in buckets small enough to fit through the firehole door, I know I had to run with the buckets, in order to get it to them in a still workable state.

Knowing my Dad, he had probably persuaded the manager at Knowles to sell the stuff to the Loco Society at cost price (or even gratis!) as some sort of goodwill gesture!

I spoke to my dad, he can't remember what the payment arrangements were, but he knows that he got the fire cement, and the grog from Knowles's.
Grog is crushed-up firebricks, used as the aggregate in making refractory concrete, much as limestone chippings are used in normal concrete.

5690 LEANDER

2011-02-17T21:16:00.000Z

Jack Hardman has kindly sent a photograph of a steam special headed by locomotive 5690 Leander. The train was approaching Furness Vale on 29th April 2006

Coming Soon

2011-02-16T23:20:00.000Z

We will shortly be publishing Dolly Ford's account of life in Furness Vale in the 1920's and 1930's. This will appear on this web site and will also be available in booklet form. Author of this account, Jean Plover is currently recording Edwin Bold's memories of life in Furness Vale and the story of the Paragon Garage at Newtown.

May 21st is the date of the Furness Vale Field Day. A family and music event supporting the upgrading and re-equipping of the village sports field. The History Society will be represented and our stall will feature aspects of our heritage as well as having a few products on sale. We hope that as many members and visitors as possible will support this event.

Martha Beatrice Webb

2010-11-11T07:44:00.001Z

Martha Beatrice Webb was a notable woman.

Born in Furness Vale in December 1863, she was educated privately at Broom Bank in Stockport. At a time when few women enjoyed a university education, Martha studied at Newnham College Cambridge for a tripos in natural science.

In 1890 she was appointed as assistant mistress at Edgbaston High School For Girls and taught there for the next ten years.

Martha was 38 in 1902 when she enrolled at the newly opened Birmingham Medical School, one of the first female students. Her education included training at the General Hospital and Queen's Hospital. Graduation as MB ChB was at Edinburgh followed in 1909 with MD. During this period she suffered a great deal of discrimination from both her male colleagues and patients.

Much of Martha's career was spent as a GP in Birmingham where she gained much influence in the medical profession. She lectured at Birmingham University on personal hygiene and became medical officer to the Department of Education. Martha started the Women's University Club and the Women's Medical Society and in addition held posts with a number of medical committees and asscoiations. Research work for the Ministry of Munitions led to the publication of two books "Health of Working Girls" and "On Keeping Well". Webb was an active supporter of the BMA's campaign for equal rights.

There is no account of her private life and as her name never changed, she perhaps never married.

Martha Webb retired in 1932 and died in Birmingham in February 1951.

Her father Philip Henry Webb was born in Runcorn in March 1839. He married Frances from Wrexham, seven years his senior and came to live in Furness Vale. The 1861 census does not include the Webb family so they perhaps arrived shortly after. Ten years later they were living at "Shirt's Row" which seemed to be a terrace of 6 houses. Philip was a manufacturer of cotton yarns. Martha at that time was 7 years old and her brother James Henry Philip, two years younger. In 1891 the Webbs were living at Bank End where both Philip and his son were stone merchants. Martha was already living in Birmingham.

Milk Deliveries

2010-10-23T21:35:00.002+01:00

Brian Fearon continues to write about life in Furness Vale in the 1950's..

Bank End

Bank End for me started around the corner from Fletcher's farm on the A6 where there was a terraced row in front of the disused quarry. A school friend, Freddie Robinson, lived in the second house and the lovely Preston sisters lived in the first. I remember Fletcher's farm as I went to primary school at Newtown with Gerald, the farmer's son. I also did some potato picking there until it was discovered I suffered from hay fever and couldn't go too near farms!

Milk Deliveries.

When we first moved to Furness in 47/48 our milk was delivered by a Mr Thorpe from a horse and trap. Mr Thorpe was a dumpy little man who wore a brown overall and a battered trilby hat. I mean no disrespect, but he reminded me of character from a Thelwell cartoon.. The milk was carried in the trap in huge urns and was ladled out by Mr Thorpe into pint cans which you left on you front doorstep - one can meant you wanted one pint and two cans two pints.... I seem to remember that the horse was called Bess and I still wonder what happened to her. Around late 1948 or early 1949 Mr Thorpe became motorised with a small van and our milk was then delivered in pint bottles. I was vividly reminded of this last winter when we suffered some dreadful weather. On the Radio 4 PM programme one evening they were reminiscing about the 1947 winter and played a recording from someone in Whaley Bridge who was concerned as to whether the milk would get through! Those were the days....

All for now but will follow soon with memories of the Methodist Sunday School anniversaries.

Earlier contributions from Brian may be found under the OTHER PAGES heading to the right of this article

Willis

2010-10-11T22:17:00.002+01:00

WILLIS

Reminiscenses 1919 - 1939

I was born in Furness Vale in 1919 and have lived here most of my life. My dad was born here too but Mum came from Barlow near Chesterfield. Mum Ellen and Dad Norman met when she came with her sister to be in service up Yeardsley Lane. My Brother Fred and I were born at 32 Yeardsley Lane. The first house on the left hand side of Yeardsley Lane belonged to Carters, then there were gardens where the bungalow now is. Next were Edges then us at No 32.and next door the owner of our row Miss Elizabeth Webb lived. Beyond that was a hen run that Edges kept. The rest of the road were the fields of Yeardsley Hall Farm. Further up Yeardsley Lane is the big stone house on the corner of Diglee. Then there were three bungalows belonging to Carter’s, Alexander’s and another. There was then a big stone house, Glencroft where my Mother cleaned, a field then the house Heatherby at the top of the lane. The field is where the ponies from the pit in the brickyard were grazed. They were used to pull the wagons of coal out of the pit. I would have been about 5 years old when us children would have gone to look and stroke them.

Yeardsley Lane was used as a playground. We would sledge, ride bikes and scooters down that hill.

We then moved to the first house past the school. It was very convenient at lunch time, I would get over the stone wall at the bottom of the yard and into my garden. The garden was just flags and grass. A place for Mum to hang out the washing with the outside toilet at the far end. More often than not the toilet paper was old newspaper torn to size and held on a spike. The school toilets were outside too; about four of them but there we had Izal medicated toilet paper on a roll.

There were no meals provided at school, you either went home or took something to eat. Dad would join my brother and I as he worked nearby at the printworks. He was a back tenter on the printing machine. Mum would have left us something to eat, maybe soup or stew that she would have cooked on the fire of the range cooker. Dad used the sink by the window in the kitchen to shave every evening with a cut throat razor. The tin bath was kept in the cellar and used once a week on Friday evening in the kitchen. Fred and I would have first go, then Mum before Dad who would be the dirtiest because of his job. We all used a loofah to clean ourselves. Mum worked too - cleaning and washing in a house up Whaley Lane in Whaley Bridge, just one stop on the steam train from Furness.

When Mum did our washing at home it was in a boiler

in the cellar. The water was heated by a coal fire under the boiler. There were two dolly tubs, one for washing and one for rinsing . The last rinse of white washing had Dolly Blue dipped in the water for extra whiteness. To squeeze out the water between rinses, the washing was put through a mangle. This was a wooden frame with rollers, turned by a handle.

In the front room was a settee and chairs but we only used it on a Sunday. The same for the best crockery, only used on Sunday or for company but we always used a table cloth.

We only had gas lights in our house, there was no electricity. There was only gas downstairs. When we went upstairs to bed we took a candle but I don’t recall there ever being a fire in the Village. Mum and Dad were woken by a wind up alarm clock.

In the evening my Brother and I would read comics but then we got a second hand wireless from where my Mum worked, a large house at Disley up Jackson’s Edge. It was a piece of furniture with fancy legs, lots of dials and a big horn on top. In the base was an accumulator which was collected every week and charged up. Lots of people did this.

All the road lights were gas too, they lit up the dark road where the wood was. The wood was both sides of the road, more trees on the lower side out of the village towards Newtown. My Grandad lived in Furness too, opposite the Post Office, the second house past the well. When my dad was younger he would collect his dad's wages for him. He worked at the pit at Lady Pit and the wages office was the last cottage by the garage. My Grandad wouldn’t let my Dad work down the pit. He paid one penny a week for my Dad to stay on at school until he was 14 years, 13 being the normal leaving age at that time. I remember sitting on the step of Grandad's house watching the coal man delivering his sacks of coal from his horse and cart. There was Clancey’s steam traction engine too. They came through Furness Vale from Manchester on their way to collect lime at Buxton in the open top trailer it pulled. Buxton Road wasn't busy when I was young and my friends and I would play whip and top together in the road; it gave us lots of room to spin that top. Some of the girls would play skipping or hop scotch.

My first teacher was Miss Brown from New Mills. The head master was always a man when I was young. He would take the top class. We had arithmetic, tables, mental arithmetic, composition and reading. We sat two at a desk with a pen and an inkwell or pencil. Any wrong doing and you got the strap. It was leather and hung by the front door in the cloakroom. That is where you would be punished; a wrap on the palm of the hand. I remember Miss Turner, she has used the strap on seven and eight year olds.

We had playtime morning and afternoon. One of the lads would have brought a football (either leather or rubber) and we would use our coats as goalposts. Sometimes we would play at spinning round, holding hands. Harry Moorcroft would be the one on the end and because he wore clogs, he would just slide on the tarmac.

At school we also had a garden where we grew fruit, vegetables and plants; the same garden that's there today. For the last three or four years at school, the boys had woodwork. The class was at Disley school so we travelled on the single decker and we paid our own fare.

There was a shop opposite the school, the first in the row, run by Roberts, that sold pies and bakery but the sweet shop where my brother and I spent our Saturday penny was Booth's. Booth’s was at the top of Station Road on the right hand side and sold sweets and tobacco. In the summer time they would get milk from Halls Farm, up the Lane opposite the post office, and make their own ice cream. I have been in the shed at the back of Booth’s and seen them churn it.

Mrs Rathbone had the shop that was part of the building of the Station Hotel but it was quite separate from it. She sold sweets, tobacco and mineral water; I was always in there.

At the top of Station Road on the left hand side on Buxton Road looking down there was the bank; open full time. Later this moved to the far end past the present antique shop and was only open part time. After being a bank, it became a butcher’s , first run by Johnny Jackson and after that by Harry Moorcroft my school friend who had spun round.

Sam Longden kept a food shop where Spencer’s is now but he also sold corn which he kept in the cellar – for hens. Cook’s next door sold hardware; later this was run by Bennet’s, Mabel Townend’s parents. Mabel was deputy head of Furness Vale school for many years.

At the top of Old Road on the right hand side was a shop selling knitting wool and haberdashery. On the left hand side was Wood’s chip shop where we would buy a penny mix of chips and a few peas or even a tuppeny mix. Next along was Mrs Hill, another sweet shop, then the Post Office; Arthur Worth had it a long time but the present antique shop, next shop along, was a baker’s.

Travelling past the wooded area, the cart track to Carr Farm had a wooden hut on the corner; this too sold sweets and bread.

Maybe it was because I was a child that the sweets in each shop became so important.

The brick works had a railway line from their yard to the main railway line. The trucks would travel down the hill full of bricks and uphill empty. Two or three of us boys would wait under the railway bridge for an empty truck and jump onto the bottom ledge when it went a little slower as it turned right. We would hold onto the edge as it went uphill back to the brick works to be filled again. We jumped off before then; being caught would have meant we were in trouble.

I went to Sunday school at St John’s from being very young. I was in the choir, it was a full choir with tenor, bass and ladies as well as boys. We had practice once a week then the morning and evening service on Sunday. I am the only choirboy left now.

My mum was one of the many fund raisers who made the building of St John's possible. Before that the church was an end building of Lodge Farm down Calico Lane. It had stained glass windows and the CPA mill owner who was involved with the church was a keen member, together with all his workers.

The Co-op was the corner building at the bottom of Yeardsley Lane. Like most people, we had a book where the food purchases were marked down - to be paid at the end of the week. When the bill was paid they stuck a card on a sheet so you could claim back your dividend for being a customer; known as divi. Mum would bake our bread though, putting the dough in a bowl, covered with a tea towel, by the oven; a warm place to make it rise before cooking. One Sunday Mum had two pans on the heat and I knocked one off and scalded myself badly. There was no NHS then and doctors had to be paid for but Jack Coverly had first aid training. He lived in Rock Terrace and was a member of St John's ambulance, he treated my scalds and covered them. I still bear the scars on my legs.

Across the entry to the brickworks from the Soldier Dick was the butcher’s. The slaughterhouse was underneath at the back. I would go down past the Co-op, past the backs of the cottages and watch. They knew I was watching because it was done inside. I didn’t think it was cruel then but I do now. The sheep were laid on their backs, held in a wooden mould and stabbed. The cows were pulled down with a rope, threaded through a ring on the floor until their head met the ground, then hit on the head.

There was a blacksmith behind the Co-op at the bottom of Yeardsley Lane. It was a corrugated iron building with the fire inside boosted by the bellows. The blacksmith wore a leather apron but no gloves as I recall. It was mainly us young lads who would watch. The next smithy to Furness Vale was at Disley where the garage by the traffic lights is now. Horse manure from anywhere left in the road, would be collected by people to use on their gardens from any of these horses.

St John’s was further along Buxton Road than the last house, before the council houses were built. That last house was where the A.A. man lived; he had a motor bike and sidecar. I have been a member of the A.A. for 60 years now.

There was a Co-op in Whaley Bridge that had a men's outfitters department. That was where my clothes came from. It was very rare that we would go to Buxton or Stockport.

My Mum’s sister’s husband, Harold Leach had a job on Furness Vale station platform. He then went to Cheadle Hulme before living and becoming station master at Adlington. One of his relatives had a bicycle for sale. I had saved up my spends and I bought the bicycle for a pound. This bicycle then meant I could work after school delivering milk from Jim Hall’s Farm. The farmer’s wife would measure out the milk into gills and pints into separate cans for the villagers. I had to remember which to deliver to each house. The farm was run with shire horses. At haymaking time they would pull a machine that had a long blade which moved from side to side to cut the grass. The grass was left loose to dry then turned manually with big rakes to finish the drying. When completely dry, a horse would pull a trailer (that was then called a lorry) for people to use a pikel to load the hay onto the trailer.. This in turn was taken to the barn where again it was manually unloaded into the building. The barn was over the shippon where the cows were and again the hay was moved manually into place. Milking was done by hand too, sitting on a stool and squeezing the udders. Hall’s farm had cows, pigs and hens, with a dog in an outside kennel. We would go there just to watch, nobody minded at all

When I was a lad, the wooden bowling green building was the Conservative Club. Dad played bowls on the green. He also went to the Institute. I remember going with him when I was only as tall as the snooker table. It was just men in the club, open every day and evening. Billiards, snooker and a reading room with the option of paying for a bath upstairs.

The football pitch was where the Charlesworth Crescent bungalows are now, plus one down at Gow Hole Farm for the Furness Vale football team. Where the electric station is, was the cricket field where my uncle played. All the men and boys went to watch. The tennis was across from the cricket, an enclosed court with netting. I didn't play tennis.

Our first holidays would be a day at Belle Vue near Manchester. We would see the animals and go on the rides-the scenic railway and the ghost train. I liked all of these. Later for our holidays we went to Blackpool in wakes week. We travelled on the steam train straight through from Furness Vale. Our family went with my Aunt Mary and Uncle Frank and cousins Francis, Helen and Ted Rowley. The carriages were all separate along the train and we filled one of them. We stayed in a boarding house, buying our own food which was then cooked for us. We paid an amount for cruet and this was known as self catering. We would play on the sands and walk on the pier. When we were older we went to the theatre and the circus. They had live animals- lions, tigers and elephants. Later still it was the Tower Ballroom with friends for entertainment.

When I was sixteen or seventeen I went with John Smalley and Ronald Hill to Sunnyhurst Holiday Camp. They were chalets and tents near Blackpool. We would walk along the pier and see shows and ride the Big Dipper. There were lots of small stalls selling souvenirs and rock, just like today.

At 13 years we moved home. My Dad had two houses built in the Village, 98 and 100 Buxton Road and we went to live in one of them. My Mum stopped baking her own bread. One year later I left school to start work.

Up at 5am and cycle to Bate Mill for a 6am start. There were large vats of bleach (kiers ?) where cloth would be put in one day and taken out the next. The bleach would blister our hands badly. We were told to urinate on them for relief; it only worked a bit. My job was to collect the hanks which had been bundled by the three women and send them down a chute where a man would lay them out .

There was no canteen, we sat in the fire hole where they stoked the boiler, it was the only free place. We had breakfast and lunch there, sandwiches Mum had made and a flask of hot drink.

After one year, when I was fifteen years old, I became ill. I lost a lot of weight. As a member of the Sons Of Temperance, I was able to see a doctor because they paid him.. It was like an insurance. Once a week I went to the Sunday School, the chapel opposite the Crossings pub,( then the Station Hotel ) and I paid George Pearson who was in charge of the account. The doctor said I had to leave work. I was told to rest, so Mum and Dad kept me for six months until I was told by the doctor it was O.K. to start work again. I had no income for the six months.

I started at Looks of Whaley Bridge who were haulage contractors. After cycling from Furness Vale to Whaley Bridge for 365 days a year including Christmas I loaded clean empty milk churns onto one of his two lorries. We then drove to many different farms to exchange the empty churns for ones full of milk. Using lorries was a reasonably new way of delivering milk. We called at about 20 farms- Long Hill, Taxal, Kettleshulme, Saltersford (where Jenkin's Chapel is - that's very old ). This was all before the reservoirs were in place. The reservoir has stopped cattle from polluting the drinking water. Then we drove for about an hour to Manchester. The roads were for cars but there were many trams as soon as we reached Hazel Grove and all down the A6.

We delivered to "Lancashire Hygienic Dairies" in Derby Street. At first I was just a helping passenger but the boss Mr Look taught me to drive in the lorry. He applied for a driving license for me too. We went together to Ardwick Green test centre, near the barracks. I took the test in the lorry around Manchester for about an hour. I passed and drove back without L plates. Mr Look had a Lanchester fluid flywheel car that was rather special, then he bought a second hand Austin 7. He didn't want to spoil his Lanchester carrying any lorry spare parts that may have been needed. The Austin had a gate change gear box and the window wiper had to be worked manually with a switch. It was grey with a soft top. After passing my driving test at 17 years, I was the only one given permission to have the car all weekend after work. I worked at Looks until I was called up to join the army at 20 years. This was compulsory and called the Belisha army. This started with 6 month training at Cambridge Barracks, Woolwich, London. It was then 1939 and war broke out so the next seven years were spent in the Army.

One Saturday, whilst with other young people, dressed in our best and walking about, I met Ruth. I was 18 and she was 16. Two years later we were married. The next 69 years we were both very happy together.

I still live in Furness Vale. Last year I bought a new car. I don’t need glasses to drive or read the paper but don’t worry I have my eyes checked every year !

copyright©2010FurnessValeLocalHistorySociety ________________________________________________________________________________________

This article is now available in the form of a booklet price £1.50 from Furness Vale Local History Society or £2.00 by post.

The Furness Vale Co-op

2010-10-09T20:34:00.002+01:00

The Furness Vale Co-operative Society was registered as an independent society in 1876. The store closed briefly in 1890 and re-opened on April as a branch of Whaley Bridge Industrial and Working Man's Co-operative Society following a merger. A public tea was held at the Board School to celebrate the event. In 1913 the name was changed to Whaley Bridge and Buxton Co-operative Society to reflect expansion into that Town. Pre war photographs show that the store only occupied part of the building, the other half appearing to be a private residence.
The Society had it's own education committee and it's members included President Mr.W.A.Bradbury of Yeardsley Lane, Mr Mark Kenyon of Shady Grove and Mr Joseph Carter sen. of Clough Lea

The Furness Vale Bank

2010-10-08T08:15:00.001+01:00

The Manchester and County Bank first opened a branch at 47 Buxton Road, at the corner of Station Road in 1908. This was open daily during full banking hours. On the 28th April 1930 the branch moved to new premises at 99 Buxton Road but opening times were now limited.
The bank shortened it's name in 1934 to County Bank and in the following year was taken over by another Manchester company, the District Bank.
The Furness Vale branch closed on 2nd October 1939 for the duration of the War in common with many banks because of staff shortages. On 22nd October 1946 it re-opened as a sub-branch of Whaley Bridge.
In 1962 District Bank was taken over by National Provincial but retained it's identity. National Provinical and Westminster agreed to merge in 1968 and over the following 18 monthe the operations of the three banks were combined. From 1st January 1970 the Furness Vale branch traded as National Westminster.
The Furness Vale branch closed on 9th August 1974.
47 Buxton Road became a butcher's shop, originally owned by Johnny Jackson, later by Harry Moorcroft.and finally by James Lavin. This building is now a private residence. 99 Buxton Road which is two doors past the Antique shop going towards Newtown is also now a private residence.

With thanks to the Royal Bank of Scotland archives and Willis Ford for much of this information

For The Right Of Light 2s 6d per annum

2010-09-28T23:16:00.001+01:00

29th March 1901 at the Station Hotel, Furness Vale an auction was held by George Brady to sell both the pub and adjoining shop. The pub had lately been occupied by Samuel Hall and was currently being run by grocer and provisions dealer James Hall. Inn and shop were in one block and each had the "usual out offices". The buildings were described as substantial and in good condition. The ground plot was of 480 square yards, leasehold with an annual ground rent of £4.1s. The inn was purpose built, modern and commodious having bar, bar parlour, smokeroom, taproom, kitchen and cellars. Above was a large clubroom and 6 bedrooms. There was a large yard with good stabling. Loose fixtures and trade utensils were to be taken by the purchaser at valuation of the auctioneer. Further details were available from Mr James Hall on the premises or Elijah Hall of Furness Vale
7th January 1920 Turner & Son were to auction at the Macclesfield Arms a number of Hotels, Public Houses, Beerhouses, Off Licences and Cottages. The sale included the Station Hotel and adjoining shop. The shop was let at £14 6s per annum with the tenant paying the rates. The 999 year lease had begun on 29th September 1864, the ground rent was still £4 1s. The London and North Western Railway was paid a sum of 2s 6d per annum "for the right of light"

Also in the 1920 sale was The Shepherds Arms, Whaley Bridge with the stables &c., adjoining thereto situate between the new and old main road from Manchester to Buxton.

Kelly's Directory

2010-09-25T17:30:00.001+01:00

Kelly's directory was the forerunner of today's Yellow Pages. The business was formed in1799 by Frederic Festus Kelly who first published a London directory This was followed by county editions which were issued periodically. The 1910 Kelly's Directory for Cheshire lists businesses in Furness Vale and Bridgemont. Unfortunately addresses were not given.

Furness Vale

Furness Vale Print Works.......................James Hadfield, Manager
Richard E Knowles.................................Fire Brick Manufacturer
James Williamson...................................Stone Quarry Owner

Station Master........................................William Taylor
Soldier Dick Inn......................................Samuel Bridge
Station Inn..............................................John Joseph Ardern

Manchester and County Bank.................Sub Branch
Whaley Bridge Industrial & Working Men's Friendly Society Ltd. Furness Vale Branch

Whaley Bridge Co-Operative Society.....Thomas Hallam, Manager
Mrs Sarah Beard...................................Shopkeeper
Reuben Bennett.....................................Yeast Dealer
James Bowden.......................................Insurance Agent
William Bowden................................... .Draper
Edwin Cook...........................................Fishmonger
Thomas Cook.........................................Ironmonger
Thomas Ford..........................................Boot Repairer
James Hartle...........................................Fried Fish Dealer
James Higginbotham...............................Confectioner
Sam Longden.........................................Grocer and Corn Dealer
Frederick Pearson..................................Insurance Agent
Joseph Prestwich....................................Fried Fish Shop
James A. Worth......................................Postmaster and Stationer
Charles H. Lowe....................................Shopkeeper

Bridgemont

Blandola Company Limited.....................Manufacturing Chemists
Matthew W. Lockett..............................Painter
Jesse Robinson.......................................Joiner

Dog and Partridge Public House............. Mrs Mary Jane Walker

Stephen Edge..........................................Grocer
Edward Rathbone....................................Shopkeeper
Mrs Mary Ann Taylor..............................Shopkeeper

Tickets Please

2010-09-22T20:13:00.001+01:00

Today, the return train fare to Leeds is £24.20. In 1945 it was just 11shillings (55p)

A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPH

2010-09-16T22:37:00.000+01:00

Barry Thomasson has loaned a picture from Furness Vale School from 1949 or 1950. Few of the pupils still live in the Village but no doubt many will be remembered.

TOP ROW: Norman Frogget? , Tony Butler, Geoff Littlewood, John Barnes, David Critchlow, Neville Stafford, Harry King,

2nd ROW : Robert Walker, Jean Moorcroft, Hilary Ratcliffe, Margaret Lomas, Stephanie Lomas, Richard Galton
3rd ROW: Marie Beard, Arlene Ford, Jean Ford, Jennifer Bradley, Doreen Redfern.
FRONT ROW: Peter Bradley, Barry Thomasson
TEACHERS: Left- Miss Jeffreys; Right - Miss Turner

The Village Seat 1945

2010-09-04T06:41:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Barry Thomasson for the loan of this photograph. Barry sits with his grandad Bill Robinson and on the left Mr Healey

Murder January 1868

2010-08-30T09:20:00.002+01:00

Joseph Dixon and another man had been drinking in the Soldier Dick on Saturday night. At closing time they started fighting outside the pub and Thomas Ainsworth intervened. Dixon hit Ainsworth who then took out a knife and stabbed Dixon twice in the abdomen. Dixon died from his wounds and Ainsworth, a 23 year old miner was charged with wilful murder.
Ralph Horsefield a fellow miner, gave evidence at the inquest. He stated that about a fortnight earlier he had said to the accused "Joe Dixon and you have a sore time of it." Ainsworth replied "Aye, but I'll do him his job the first time he says anything to me again." Horsefield then said, "Nay Tommy, don't do him no harm" the answer was "Well, but thou'll see."
The verdict of "wilful murder" was given and the prisoner committed for trial.

Childhood Memories by Cliff Hill

2010-08-22T10:37:00.002+01:00

Childhood Memories

Soon every child and woman too
Join in the work that’s there to do
The Nineteen Forties job at hand
That goes on over this our land
The men and women still at home
Take on the work of those who roam

Across the world.

The work to do, forever mounting
Like some steep foreboding mountain
Grows and grows with each day passing
Job on job continue massing
Women making Planes for skies
Still supplying cakes and pies
Children when their school day ends
Go out collecting with their friends
Bringing in old books and jars
The only light shines down from stars

That shine across the world

The old men thought too old for work
Make every effort not to shirk
Keeping gardens green and growing
Peas and beans and root crops sowing
All with one mind to carry on
Until this job is well and done

The people of this sceptere'd Isle
Came through the Forties with a smile
So should you ever need to know
How to parry any blow
The only rule will be the same
Think not of winning –Play the game

FOR ALL THE WORLD.

Copyright©2010Clifford Hill

Furness Vale Station

2010-08-16T12:04:00.003+01:00

A 3D computer model of Furness Vale Station has now been completed. Other images will be found in the "FURTHER PAGES" section

Memories Of Furness Vale by Brian Fearon

2010-08-01T23:17:00.002+01:00

The recent postings by Brian Fearon have now been transferred to a new page. Click on the link under the FURTHER PAGES heading on the right hand side.

The Methodist Congregation

2010-05-02T23:20:00.001+01:00

Furness Vale Methodist Church

Lady Pit, The Beard and Bugsworth Colliery

2010-05-02T22:39:00.004+01:00

In 1949 a 100 foot high brick chimney still stood at Lady Pit. Lightning struck on the 5th December bringing down the 80 year old structure. Bricks were scattered up to 300 yards away.

More solid is this stone air shaft still standing alongside Dolly Lane. The only other evidence that this was a busy coal mine is the old railway embankment stretching across the field on the other side of the road.

Lady Pit in 1896 employed 36 miners and closed in 1903.

Ringstones

2010-05-02T21:21:00.007+01:00

Ringstones Colliery closed in 1896 although some workings had been abandoned in 1878.

There were three pits; the "top pit" is shown on the 1875 OS map at the head of the clough. The "bottom pit" at Ringstones, is still very evident and the capped shaft is surrounded by caravans. Further down the clough was a third shaft near the masonry which still straddles the brook.

The mine was connected to the canal wharf at Bridgemont by a tramway and until recently a raised embankment was to be seen running down the middle of the field below the caravan site.

In 1875 the works at the foot of the clough was a tannery. The site was occupied later by the Blandola Seaweed works.

The Fox At The Paragon Garage

2010-04-30T21:51:00.001+01:00

A LETTER FROM PETER THOMPSON REGARDING THE PARAGON GARAGE

Not sure about the spelling but the owner was Joel Bold followed later by his son Edwin, the fox was his pet and I saw it often. In fairly recent years Edwin still lived in one of those quite nice houses on the right heading toward Furness just after Bank End. He had a couple of dogs with him last time I saw him out walking. Used to be very much an outdoor type ,shooting etc. seriously dressed for it. Probably shot the fox cub's mother.

Joel had a plaque on the garage, which read something like –

“You are now in Derbyshire; Strong in the Arm Weak in The Head”

For a short time the Paragon was owned by Jim Riddick Senior's brother, I think his name was Jack.

BESS OF HARDWICK

2010-04-29T14:11:00.002+01:00

Errwood Hall Web Site

2010-04-28T19:49:00.003+01:00

Whaley Bridge Local History Forum has embarked upon a new project. A Posting on the Forum concerning Errwood Hall located in the Goyt Valley in it’s heyday the home of a wealthy local family the Grimshaw’s now just a few ruins has accumulated a great deal of interesting information and pictures.

The members felt that the information should be kept in an orderly fashion for the interest of future researchers it was proposed that a website be set up to attain this aim. Members are now collectively building the site;

Now in early stages but you might find their work to date interesting, address below.

Peter Thompson

http://www.whaleybridge.net/errwoodhall/

Furness Vale Brickyard

2010-04-13T10:56:00.002+01:00

A 3D digital model of the brickyard under development. The main buildings are yet to be added.

Manchester Street Scene (1901)

2010-04-02T21:11:00.002+01:00

The Devonshire Hospital, 1916

2010-04-02T21:03:00.002+01:00

Buxton Skyline 1901

2010-04-02T20:46:00.000+01:00

Body Language 1901

2010-03-31T12:05:00.002+01:00

From Peter Thomspon

Furness Vale Board School

A few years later ?

Some Early Photographs

2010-03-21T10:17:00.010Z

These pictures came from the collection of Mr William Alfred Bradbury who lived on Yeardsley Lane and are now owned by Kathleen Marshall. He worked at the Printworks (according to the census) and died in 1929. If anybody can give any further information it would be much appreciated and will be posted on this blog.
Please e.mail to furnesshistory@googlemail.com.

Mr Bradbury pictured with a visiting African bishop

A 1920 charabanc trip to Llanberis Pass. Perhaps an outing from Furness Vale.

The bungalows on Diglee Road were known as Tarramia, Boomancomana and Yarrawonga. Only the latter retains it's original name

Peter Thompson suggests that this is probably a First World War tableau. As the U.S.A. is not included it is probably before 1917