Copyright bacuptimes.co.uk Rochdale Road & Thorn Rochdale Road was not always as we know it today if a traveller wanted to get to Rochdale from Bacup his journey would begin in the centre of Bacup whereupon he would then make his way up Yorkshire Street passing the toll house situated at the bottom of Todmorden Road and then up Tong Lane. Bull baiting was once a common sport in Bacup just as in other parts of the country. Bacup's bull baiting ground was on Hammerton Green, named after John Hammerton a trustee of the old school house in Bacup of 1773. Also near here was a low building called the " Witching Hoile" and a building shown on a very early map as the "Dungeon" described as having a massive iron gateway with ponderous blocks of stone, heavy projecting cornices and strong iron gratings for window, designed by Mr Matthew Atkinson brother of Thomas Atkinson builder of the corn mill which once stood on derelict land where the old Bacup Health Centre once stood. This whole area once being known as Stansfeild Field. Mr Matthew Atkinson went on to design several more prisons in York. Tong Lane Between 1848 and 1849 the Smith family who owned of Tong Mill built two streets of houses in an area commonly known as Brickfield known as Brick Street and Clay the streets
were Brick Street and Clay Street. Brick street consisted of seven houses numbered 1-13 and in Clay street numbered 2-14. It was in this area in 1974 that the Bacup stocks were found following years of research by Bacup Natural History Society members. Uncovering the stocks and below the houses of Brick and Clay Street
Tong house Other streets in this area were Provident Street, and Angel Street no 5 Angel Street is the house where Beatrice Potter, granddaughter of Lawrence Heyworth stayed when making her secret visit to Bacup in 1883. Tong Farm House bore the date stone of 1751 and was built in the style of many Georgian houses with heavy stone mullioned windows, the roof and gables decorated with oblong stone balls. Venture Brew came under the eye of the Borough of Bacup clearance act of 1958 when it was decided that numbers 17 17A - 25 were to be demolished this being carried out in 1959
The Old Barn at Tong was one of many farm buildings scattered about the Thorn Estate as we know it today. The Thorn e Estate consisted of just a few farms such as Slack Gate which was / is situated at the bottom of Britannia Old Road and which was the route through to Rochdale before the Rochdale Road we know today existed. The large white house pictured left for those of my generation would be perhaps better known as Taylor s or Hebden s shop on Tong Lane. Also pictured to the right is the gully created by the Tong Clough which flowed from the moorlands above what would become the Fairview Estate feeding into the lodges of the Greave Size houses. On 8th March 1946 Thorn Farm was demolished making way for the new Fairview Estate after acquiring a bad reputation its name was changed in 1983 to Pennine Road with five other streets also having name changes between 1983 and 1991. A family centre called Sunnycrest staffed by five nuns of the Sisters of Mercy was also established. Another farm in this area again farmed by a family by the name of Lord was that of Mettle Cote. The land this farm once stood on is todays Sandfield Road estate. Filled in and landscaped the once deadly Maden Lodges on Rosendale Crescent
Rochdale Rd Sandfield and Turnpike were just two names that this area was known as; today it is known as Rochdale Road. In the above photograph Allendale Terrace can be seen to the right with the tram house in the distance. Just below Green Hill House was an area known as Smelt, named so for the Smelting of Barley that was once carried out here by a Mr Thomas Atkinson. This area was also home to the Victoria Inn and it was in a cellar house below this that a brutal murder took place in 1886 when John Waite killed his wife John Waite aged 35 years, and the victim his wife, about the same age were very poor and had lived unhappily together. Waite's two youngest children, Alice Ann aged 9 years, and Charles Julian aged 7 years, were playing in the road opposite to Lark Hill, shown below and the murderer called the girl saying" Come along with me, as fast, as you can". She went with him down the road, and he took her to P.C Low s house, in Rochdale Road. On entering the officer s house he laid the key of his own house on the table, and said he had murdered his wife although sentenced to death his execution was respired at Her Majesties Pleasure.
Cellar House under the Victorian Inn
Bacup Station and Lower Rockliffee was easily access by using what was known as the Station Steps almost across the road was Lark Hill this was the home of Daniel Baron owner of Throstle Mill the name was also that of a colliery in the area. Lark Hill Today most people know the steps leading from Rochdale Road to Henrietta Street as the Jubilee Steps named so after they were built at the time of Queen Victoria's jubilee in 1887 at a cost of approximately 128.00. The houses that once stood in the gap between Irwell Mill and the Empire numbered 29-49 were demolished in 1958.
Almost directly across the road stood the houses of Camel Street, In September 1896 the wall supporting the road that led to the newly opened Central board school collapsed onto the houses of Cat banks.25 Yards of the wall together with the full width of the road amounting to scores of tons fell with a tremendous crash into the back street of Catbanks and cascading debris and soil into the adjoining Camel Street. One unoccupied house and lime shed were completely demolished. The Collapse Quarry Street was at one time a quarry in 1826 during the chartist riots a large group assembled in this area after attacking Irwell mill which is on the opposite side of the road. The magistrate of the time Mr Whittaker from Broadclough House called out the militia and read the riot act to the gathered crowds. It did little good and the crowd gathered for a further hour before dispersing back to their homes.
Street decorated with bunting to celebrate the opening of the Bacup to Rochdale light railway The large building in the picture left is the Cooperative stores which opened in 1863. The cottage next door was the home of the first Natural History Society rooms known at the time as "The Bug Club". Next door to this was the home of one of Bacup' most humble benefactors Dr Hardman Worrall who it is said kept a monkey called Jack in his surgery. The cottages were demolished about 1892 in order to make way for the building of the Maden Public baths gifted to the borough of Bacup by the late Henry Maden. A short walk away from the Pioneer store which opened on 30 th May 1914, was Thorn Chapel, and though the chapel at Thorn was formerly opened on May 5th 1872 that date was not its real commencement. Strictly speaking it was a transfer from premises in Union Street, were both chapel and school services had been held for over twenty years. Those premises were officially known as Union Street School Chapel for the destitute or the Bacup ragged school. The streets and houses surrounding Central School were known as the Co-houses, namely Inkerman Street, Regent Street, Cooperation Street and Industrial Street. George Street, Mary Street and Lion Street all held names connected
with Royalty, The Lion of England King George and Queen Mary. The whole area including Gladstone Street was land once owned by Betty Lord of Thorne, she sold the land known as Wellfield and Long Meadow to the Cooperative society in 1877. Mary Street Photo Copyright Tom Healey Demolition of Mary, Lion and George began the week commencing 10 January 1983 the streets opposite were Chapel Street, Brewery Street which was home to the Joiners Arms, Smith Street and Pickup Street which was demolished on January 11th 1973. On either side of South Street the cast iron parapets of a bridge were to be seen with Bacup's coat of arms decorated on them erected in 1883 at a cost of 582.18s. These were made by Barkers foundry which once operated out of what is now the Empire theatre. Only one part of the bridge remains now this is on the right hand side looking up South Street. Copyright bacuptimes.co.uk