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Bridge Foot/Wilderspool 50's


Dizzy

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Some more photos.... I think they are the 50's as going off the one I posted on the other topic they might not be

 

Bridge Foot/Wilderspool area... and those brave police officers directing the traffic again :wink:  Is that you Harry :)

 

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wilderspool1950s3_zpsddb33265.jpg

 

wilderspool1950snortonarms_zps28eba3cd.j

 

wilderspool1950s4_zps8a27147f.jpg

 

wilderspoolcrossing_zps12a719cf.jpg

 

wilderspoolgrandcinema_zps9b512037.jpg

 

 

 

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Smashing photos Dizz.

 

I remember reading somewhere that the road from the south side of the river bridge at Bridge Foot to the railway crossings was called Wilderspool Rd. and from the other side of the crossings was called Wilderspool Causeway, but can I find it, can I heck as like!. :unsure:

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Algy -  think W/P road went as far as St. James's church.   Nice to see Police pillar number 19 on photo  two.

 

Would suggest the photos were from the very early 50's - I joined in 55 and we didn't do point duty from where shown  but further back on Knutsford Road, outside Domville.s.  You were too often held up at the railway crossing and then just as likely by the swing bridge -  annoying but eole didn't mind quite as much in those days.

 

The Norton Arms, (photo 3 is best), was a fine building both outside and in -  terrible shame to demolish it.

 

We used to play cards in the railway signal box shown.  We made our way back home to Orford at about 4am, and were invariably stopped on our way through the town centre.

 

Happy days

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Algy that is awful and I'm shocked by your behaviour,  I always had you down as being a good little lad and as for you Harry 4am and getting stopped on the way home tut tut.  Seems I might have to keep an eye on you two naughties after all :lol:

 

Obs did you queue and wait too or did you get pedestrian rage and run taking your chances :wink:  

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Sorry accidentally pressed 'post' before I'd finished and it wont let me edit......

 

Harry I agree, the Norton Arms always strikes me as having been a very fine and somewhat imposing building whenever I see photos of it.  A shame they knocked it down like you say and as with all these old buildings which have now gone it's a shame there are no photo's showing what they were like inside too.

 

Re photo no. 2.... what and where on the photo is the 'police pillar number 19' you mention?  Sorry for my ignorance  but in my defence I was only born in 64 :wink:  

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Ooops I forgot to upload one of the Bridge Foot batch.  Gosh I'm making a mess of this now.

 

It says Warrington Bridge so I presume it means Bridge Foot but maybe not.

 

I'm guessing it probably wasn't an old Slimming World drop in centre :lol: .......... but what was it for ? 

 

warringtonbridgeweighingmachine_zpsfb694

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Weighing lorry's going in and coming out of Bishops wharf. The driver would enter the IN door to obtain his ticket and exit the OUT door once issued with it. By weighing the vehicle both empty and when loaded, the load carried by the vehicle can be calculated to

check both axle weights and gross vehicle weights. This helps to stop axle overloading and possible heavy fines. Also by checking  vehicle empty then checking when loaded the owners of the wharf can establish the quantity of material the lorry is carrying.

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Dizzy,  the lady is standing right next to it. To give it it's proper title - Ericsson pillar  which people had trouble spelling.  Somewhere or other, there are pictures of the interior of the Norton Arms ruins, showing just how fine the interior was.

 

Just as a matter of interest, all the oldies you ever see, were young once - mild mischief was the name of the game.  There was a lot of boredom about.

 

Still got my 1930 Road Traffic Act weighing card which empowered us to take vehicles to the weighbridge.

 

 

Happy days

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Thanks Algy.  Sorry for another question.. but was the building on the pic actually at Bridge Foot as I always thought Bishops Wharf area was more over towards where Farrell Street/Howley Lane is?

 

Did they weight the lorries at the Wharf or at the bridge crossing?  I presume by the size of the weighing ticket building and the info you gave that it must have been done at the Wharf.  Seems a long way to walk to prove a ticket or did they just park up near the bridge somewhere, hop out and run up the street to the ticket office to prove their load weight?

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Dizzy,  the lady is standing right next to it. To give it it's proper title - Ericsson pillar  which people had trouble spelling.   Somewhere or other, there are pictures of the interior of the Norton Arms ruins, showing just how fine the interior was.

 

Ahh I see it now Harry and thanks.  What was it for though as I just googled and couldn't find anything about them.

 

Just as a matter of interest, all the oldies you ever see, were young once - mild mischief was the name of the game.  There was a lot of boredom about.

 

:lol:  :lol:  I can imagine Harry. 

 

It was only a tongue in cheek comment and having spoken to my neighbour many times, who has just turned 80, he has me in stiches with some of his tales and antics from his younger days and I hope my son never has the same conversations with him :lol: I might be grilling my dad tomorrow though  as he is always rather quiet about what he got up to as a youngster but if what he's like now is anything to go by I recon he probably spent most of his teenage years behind bars :lol:  :lol:      

 

Still got my 1930 Road Traffic Act weighing card which empowered us to take vehicles to the weighbridge.

 

It would be great to see that Harry and I bet not many people kept theirs.  Maybe you could upload a pic of it (with any personal info blanked out of course) :)

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I will rummage around for the card but it is quite nondescript.  Think there were twenty eight police pillars scattered all over town.  They used to flash when they wanted you.  You rang in every 45 minutes ago to keep check on you and find out about any crimes and stolen vehicles.  They also ensured that all areas of town got a police patrol round their way.

 

One side of the pillar was open for the public to use to report pretty much anything.  That facility was little abused, even by drunks, although one intoxicated man did use it to report a murder and was told to 'go away'.

 

The next pillar to Warrington bridge was Victoria park, and often at the end of the shift, tired officers would ring in and claim to be at VP, ( they were on the same switchboard light.)  Afraid though it was hard to fool an experienced telephonist. - or the sergeant if he happened to be waiting for you at the park.

 

Every recruit was told how to spell the name - erics son.

 

Happy days

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Gosh Harry can you imagine what it would be like to still have those in Warrington now, especially near the bottom of Bridge Street on a Friday or Saturday night as the calls from the 'merry and mischievous' would be never ending. 

 

I love reading all your memories and recollections about your time in the police force was and also how things were for members of the public too.  It seems so different to today but then again in some ways it doesn't.    

 

I wonder what the officers  who were much older than you at the time would have made of todays immediate methods of communication and technology.  I bet they would have just laughed at the time if it had been put to them and said 'yeah right now go and lie down in a dark cell and dream something else up'  :lol: 

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Just round the corner, going to Howley, was Castle Rubber. We used to shout in for a rubber ball, and they'd throw some out - great bounce on them. Plenty of industry then and plenty of jobs.

 

Caslte Rubber... I'm sure I've just seen a building that said that on it too while I was looking through all the pics.  

 

Were your balls round when they threw them out or did you have to reshape them while they were still warm until they cooled before you could play with them ?  :lol:

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Caslte Rubber... I'm sure I've just seen a building that said that on it too while I was looking through all the pics.  

 

Were your balls round when they threw them out or did you have to reshape them while they were still warm until they cooled before you could play with them ?  :lol:

What are you two like, everyone knows that balls bounce better when kept warm that's why boys always carry them round in a bag. :D:wink:

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Thanks Algy and it makes sense to me now  :D  No idea why I always thought it was where Missisippi Showboat used to be.

 

Re your picture just before the one above, interesting that the sign showed that they also carried 'Cold Warehousemen' :wink::lol:

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