1970's View

This is a picture from the early 1970's
I guess the view today is the same the trees have got thicker with another 40 years of growth but apart from that it's the same. One thing has changed the use of the buildings...On the right of the photo you can see the opticians I forget the name of those who ran it in fact "did I ever know?" I am not sure. The building holds even earlier memories for me. At the bottom of the building you can see two half windows that are in the basement. This was place where Harold Whitley cut the villages hair. Harold was a very old man when I was a lad but I remember going. People used to sit on a Carver style chair to get their hair cut but any lads who went sat on a plank placed across the arms of the chair,Harold could not bend down. This was a time when haircuts where meant to last rather than be admired and Harold was the master of the long lasting haircut. I remember having a cold neck for a few weeks after a visit. The shop was always full of flat capped pipe smoking men yet you never had to wait long I suspect that it was more of a social club than a business.
Next building down lived a man called Ormerod who worked in the office at Hudson's I don't remember much about him apart from he had no use for the skills of his neighbor (Bald as a coot) and that he always wore a beige Macintosh. In one of the cottages further down lived a family called Kitchen,they had a son who was a few years older than me Phillip. This is just an assumption based on what I remember but I suspect Mr Kitchen had held some sort of Army rank at some point. Small and squat he would strut around the square with a swagger stick under his arms probably dreaming of days on the parade ground giving people hell. He from time to time had a go at us lads but got nothing back but abuse. Whilst Mr Kitchen strutted his stuff Mrs Kitchen was often stood on the door step smoking, chatting to passers by wearing slippers always slippers. Next down we now have the Vet's. I am told that it was once Clarks  butchers
but that's before my time. In the early 60 this was a small Cafe until Jeff Dixon knocked through to create the Flying Dutchman Milnthorp's legendary Coffee Bar. By the 70's the building was again knocked in to two and the top became Harts Cabin. A magnet for all the village kids Harts Cabin was run by Brian Hart and his wife, the shop stocked  every kind of sweet and bars of Chocolate that where available and also sold Bruccianis ice cream. The Harts where great people and great company and an asset to the village....Well that's about it for this photo I have mentioned the Flying Dutchman in name only but such is it's reputation it deserves a post on it's own when I get around to it.

Cross Roads from the west

Looking east from the middle of the road.

Traffic Lights from the South

The crazy thing about this title is that there are no Traffic lights. This picture was taken in the late 1920 when the village had it's own Coppers. Enough coppers in fact to have one one on traffic duty. Cannot imagine he will have been that busy. Take a look at the van parked outside
what is now the Raj,wrong side of the Road Facing the wrong way as the Bobby peers west looking for a car from the Arnside direction. Could he do that today ? of course he could we have no Police at all these days,well not any that can get about without being in a car. It would seem that we where more open about things in those times, well maybe not but things that bother some people today did not seem to matter then. If you look closely on the left hand side of the picture there is,strapped to the wall a set of weighing scales. Now these scales may have been "New Fangled" at the time of the photograph and people would put their farthing in and for the first time perhaps found out that they where healthy. I guess people only worried when they started loosing weight. In today's weight obsessed society I cannot see a set of scales positioned for public use taking much money, unless they told you what you wanted to hear. The last set of Public scales I remember where in Rushtons old Chemist shop.So looking North whats changed?

I have to say"not a lot". I stood in the same place as the person who took the photo and things are very similar,obviously he had more time than me, but things look just the same,Ok there are a few of life's essentials Sky dishes etc visible but thankfully things remain as they where.. Being from the North east of the village this area did not play a big part in my early life, I remember being taken to Daffadys, who's shop was just beyond the scales for new shoes. Charming people who had a daughter who was at primary school at the same time as me,blowed if I can remember her name. Later of course this area was central to a young mans life at 13 you where allowed to become a member of Mil'thrups premier club "The Institute" where for an annual fee of a couple of bob you where allowed to sit quietly in the corner hardly daring to breathe and if you where exceptionally luck you would be allowed to have a game of snooker on the "Old" table. Never one for being able to keep still or for that matter quiet the institute soon lost it's appeal. A couple of years later me and my peers where again drawn to this area,this time to a place where people laughed, had fun and talked to us lads a place where sometimes the conversation made us blush and people of our parents age seemed normal. This was The Bulls Head. For a couple of years we had been knocking about (Yesterdays equivalent of hanging out) around the back door in particular when there was a dance on at the Memorial Hall, not daring to go in. Then one night a Lad who we knew said come on in,sit in yon corner and I'll git drinks in.Having previously only ever drunk the odd shandy made by the old fella (Heavy on the Lemonade there Dad) I was now faced with a massive glass of Beer and having tasted it was convinced that I was about to self administer poison. Come on lad tha's backwattering said our chum as I gulped down the evil brew. A'vin another? er no thank,better git off yam..As I walked home I could hardly believe that we had spent all that time hanging around waiting for the time to come and when it did it very nearly killed us Egggh. But as lads are we where still curious and back we went and in time we got the hang of the beer. As it turned out Vaux Beer was renown for being "badtekkin" the trick was a drop of lime in the glass and it

became palatable. I often wonder if Lager and Lime was a Milnthorpe invention.
As time passed from the late 60's to the early 70's we became regulars and during that period we also became legal drinkers.. The back bar had a glass panel and you could make out shapes through it, if a shape appeared that looked like a Bobby's helmet we would quickly slide our pints behind the curtain. In all the time I was an illegal I cannot remember ever being rumbled in the Bull. As I said the beer needed a make over to be able to drink it, but at 1/9d a pint what could you expect. The Bull like everywhere else had it's fair share of characters, and as young lads we would sit and listen to tales of war,Chickens,dogs and bits on the side. The first time I heard the term Bit on the side I was flummoxed ..During a conversation some one said that so an so had bit on the side, the talk then became muffled and I never got to grips with it. Some days later in walks this chap. After studying him for a while and seeing nothing obvious sticking out I said to my mate in a hushed voice "Where's this Bit on the Side then" he said "She lives up Firs Road" then the penny dropped. At this time the Bull was run by Mr &Mr Burchall who had decamped from Manchester to Mil'thrup although originally from Liverpool. He was a big bloke who held court in the Lounge bar while his wife sat regally at the end of the Bar, this was the time of the coach,when a day out in the lakes was a must for the car less masses of Lancashire and on the return from the 8 Lakes tour an hour stop over at the Bull earned the coach driver a free pint a bag of Crisps and possibly a 10 bob note. The Burchalls loved it, greeting the coach party dressed in their finest,him sporting a Dicky Bow and her dressed to kill. They had not been here that long when Mr Burchall passed away leaving a big gap in the fabric of the pub, not to mention the bed,he was a big bloke. Pints in the back bar where most pulled by one of the best Mr Eric Halliwell. Eric was a great chap who by day was "on the bins" and by night The Barman,Eric looked after us young lads and kept us safe and relatively sober, he also had the knack of dealing with difficult situations,and there where many without getting thumped his only down side was the bandit,what ever he earned he must have gambled away,he was never off it. Eric's other claim to fame was he was the Cinematographer at the Village Cinema another job that by all account needed all Eric's charm as the equipment regularly broke down which stirred up a bit of fuss among the audience. I remember going to the Cinema as a very young lad

The Lads

Looking at the names on the Memorial you can see that these where Milnthorpe Lads,the names Garth,Ashburner etc still thrive in this Grand L'al Spot. You could be having a pint with a descendant tonight !. Today those that are involved in the Afghan conflict and those that served in the Falklands and Baghdad had some idea what was facing them ,many of the names on here would have had no idea what was to greet them on continental Europe,particularly those who fought in the Great War. These Names,this memorial deserves it's day in the spotlight. For those of you who maybe the Great War was" just" a History lesson have a look at this.

http://www.greatwar.co.uk/

Remembrance Day 2010

Sunday 14th November ..Remembrance day..A few images from the War Memorial,This was the first time I had been to this ceremony for a few years,in fact it would be more than a few years if I where to be honest. There has always been a reason to remember the fallen,but I think present times bring this reasoning home to roost,more poignant to be less flippant. Part of me thinks that there could have been a better turn out,then I remind myself of the times I have been.

Park Road looking East

Standing in the middle of the road looking up towards the square, As you can see the entrance to the playing fields is yet to be made. On the right hand side not a lot has changed,may be some slight alterations but it's pretty much the same as the picture. On the left things have changed.
As you can see there is no drive way to Houghtons and the Cottage has gone and been replaced by a tasteful !! block of flats. Further on from the Cottage a building sticks out,I have no Idea what it was then,but it was an integral part of Milnthorpe Modern School in the 50s and 60s and at one stage Mil'thrups only Laundromat name of which escapes me. The thought of having to take your washing to another place to do it appalled my Mother,she wondered how they managed on Mondays as Rain or Shine Monday was washing day. A little further on, hidden by the School building sits the cottage where a grand chap called Bobby Langhorn lived with his wife. Bobby was a great bloke who looked old before his time as many did. Small frail looking and quietly spoken people where quietly taken a back when they found out what he did for a living.
Bobby was a Prison officer at H.M.P.Bela River, I am not certain but I think he did permanent nights in the Gatehouse, anyway myth has it that when Bobby was on nights the car park was busier than Sunday Afternoon,Official visiting time. Clandestine visits from Wives and Girl friends and probably boyfriends was the norm along with illicit delivery's of essentials.
I said that this was a myth but knowing kind hearted Bobby there will be an element of truth in it. Just up from Bobbys on't other side of the Road we had Milnthorpe one and only Department store, This was not Harrod's ,Binns or owt like that this was the CO OP,food stuffs downstairs and a Drapery department on the second floor with a Butchers next door. The main shop was managed by George Elwood he seemed a nice enough chap,ramrod straight and permanent smile (I find people who smile all the time a little un nerving to be honest). I used to run the odd errand to the Co OP as a lad note in hand I would walk up to the counter and just as I was about to read out my requirements a still smiling George would snatch the note out of my hand and proceed to put things on the counter in front of me. The next part of the transaction was the most terrifying. ! George would stick his hand out and say 2/'11 pence and take your money. At this point he seemed to metamorphosis, the smile was gone and the eyes grew wider as he leaned over and said"Divvy Number"Phew Let me explain,Coop is short for Cooperative, in other words the shop belonged to the members and to be a member all you had to do was shop there. A dividend was paid annually to the members and each member had their own number.
At the time it seemed to me that if the "Divvy Number" was forgotten George would hurdle the counter and throttle you such was the look on his face. Once you had blurted out the number George was back to normal,smiling and wishing you Good day. As long as I live one sequence of numbers will be for ever chiseled in to my memory 16568 our "CO OP Divvy Number.

Viaduct from Haverbrack