Stallard12 Posted July 30, 2011 Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 Hi, Just checking something that popped into my mind, probably stimulated by the recent excellent conversations on the forum. Is the 'Home Stores' (?) still there, just around the corner from the fish market ? Used to love the old wooden floor and washing powder smell. Also, what about the little pub just across the street? Had my first pint in there at the age of fourteen. Rumor in town had it that the landlord never enforced the age laws. Walked in on tip-toes, sat in a dark corner and ordered in a gruff voice!! I was going to ask about the pub close by, first place that I had the famous Ploughman's Lunch, but saw on mywarrington, that it was the Blue Bell. Also saw on mywarrington, the old tech college next to the Parr Hall. Was surprised that Gordon didn't mention that it was also the old Warrington Girls High School, and after that it was used for further education. I know that, because on many an evening I clattered across the marble floor and up the stairway, late as usual for my engineering class. Wow! Just looked at mapquest to give you the street name (Bluebell on the corner), but nothing on mapquest but a ruddy great empty space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 That road disappeared when they made the area pedestrian only and now as you say it’s just a walk through area. The Blue Belle is still there as is the Barley Mow and while I can remember the road being there, I can’t recall another pub between the two. My dad used to be a keen gardener and I used to go to the fish market for him to collect the wooded fish trays that he’d then use as seed trays. That was over fifty years ago now and I’ve only just managed to get the smell of fish off my hands. The old collage next to the Parr Hall is something to do with the council now (I think) but I attended the place during my engineering apprenticeship. In fact I used to go there and also to some place in Arpley Street that reminded me of a very old school. We were moved from pillar to post back then and had classes in the outbuildings at the back of the college and even those across the road on Museum Street. Then in the afternoons it was off to the main buildings down at Long Lane. (Now also gone!) Not exactly landmarks, more markers along the long road we call life. As Harry would say… happy days! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallard12 Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Nice to hear from you Bill. Thought you were me there for a second! I too was an apprentice at the British Aluminum from '55 to '60 and that's exactly when I used that building. I seem to remember some portable buildings that were used too, in the parking lot of the building across the street. I realized after I posted the thought, that I was probably miles out in my thinking. I see some of the town as it is now in Algy's pictures and should have realized, that most of what could be considered 'slum' type areas are now gone. The street ran fairly steeply downhill from the Barley Mow to Horsemarket Street, the pub I was taking about was a little used, plain fronted, one door affair on the left hand side. I think the store was actually 'British Home Stores', it was cheap, cheap and always played second fiddle to the splendor that was Woolworth's! I doubt that anyone will remember the old Victorian, underground, 'penny' public toilets that were in the very center of that street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Not certain about all this. Lyme street ran downhill from the Barley Mow to Horsemarket street. Iremember the cheap shop as Peacocks with Unsworths hatters and clothiers opposite. The only public toilet I remember bordered on the fish market towards Sankey Street, with the Blackburn Arms, Marsdens opposite that. Will come up with the name of the school in Arpley street, which later became a technicalcollege. It could of course be market street, which ran downhill to Queen Street, which in turn ran onto Horsemarket street. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallard12 Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 You have a fantastic mememory Harry. Now that you mention it, I believe that it was Peacocks, I thnk that it was bought by Brit. Home Stores - could be wrong. I think you are right with Lyme St. too. Misty memory places the toilets just round the corner from the fish market, across from Peacocks. I seem to remember coming around that corner on two wheels many times and skidding down the stairway - just in time, phew ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Not certain about all this. Lyme street ran downhill from the Barley Mow to Horsemarket street. Iremember the cheap shop as Peacocks with Unsworths hatters and clothiers opposite. The only public toilet I remember bordered on the fish market towards Sankey Street, with the Blackburn Arms, Marsdens opposite that. Will come up with the name of the school in Arpley street, which later became a technicalcollege. It could of course be market street, which ran downhill to Queen Street, which in turn ran onto Horsemarket street. Happy days Stallard I believe the pub that you are asking about may have the 'Cattle Market' which was on the right as you went down Market Street, the 'Bobby' in the photo below is walking past it, that was still there up to the buildings being demolished for the Golden Square complex, the last building on the corner of Market Street and Lyme Street used to be 'The White Horse Inn' but that was way back in the 1850s' There used to be a pub between the 'Barley Mow' and the 'Blue Bell' called 'The Golden Grove' not sure when that disappeared again it' appears in records for 1895. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallard12 Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Amazing Algy, where on earth do you get these pictures, I'm desperately trying to describe something and you have a picture that covers it in a flash. I wish that you hadn't said the Golden Grove, when you mentioned the Cattlemarket, I mentally said "Ah, that's it." Then you said Golden Grove and the bells went off again. The actual area of which I was speaking, (rather flamboyant!!) was further down towards Horsemarket and the toilets, I thought, were just out of the bottom of your picture. There is still a chance that both of those pubs were there, with the one I was thinking of was, once again, just out of the picture. If so, one was definitely the Cattlemarket and the other The Golden Grove, but couldn't say which was which. Orrrrrrrrrrrr could be entirely wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Would I be correct in thinking that Gary's dad? had an office down the side road just past the bobby on the picture. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted July 31, 2011 Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Stallard, This map is not going to help regarding what pubs were around when you were a young man but it will give you some information as to what was going on in old Warrington 1850 althought the 'Royal Exchange' in the old Golden Square would still have been there in our time, I'm pretty sure 'The Vine Inn was still there on the corner of Golden Square and Market Street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallard12 Posted July 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2011 Great Algy, mystery solved. The Golden Grove is marked right there on the map on Lime St, exactly where I was trying to place it. I remember the toilets as being a little way up the street towards the market and Peacocks / Brit. home Stores pretty much right across from it. Added bonus, I now know where the Golden Sq. thingy is when I see it mentioned in WW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 Stallard, I am going to PM you with information regarding Old Warrington photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted August 1, 2011 Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 That's a bit unfair Algy... what about the rest of us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 That's a bit unfair Algy... what about the rest of us Come on! Dizz, I uploaded them all (well almost all) to photobucket a while back and everyone had the opportunity too download what they wanted and judging by the amount that's flying about on the 'net' a heck of a lot did so. I only leave them their for about a month then remove them as it clutters up my account Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 I only leave them their for about a month then remove them as it clutters up my account I have 11 photobucket accounts Algy..... different subjects etc! I just uploaded about 250 photos of Warrington to one of mine which came from the facebook site about Warrington Photos.... Steve Longmore posted a load a few years ago now! Baz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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