algy Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 c1900. A Horsebus waiting in a blizzard outside the Hop Pole (est.1762), around 1900 it became known as Coop's Concert Room, J.Coop was the Licensee, it reverted back to it's original name of the Hop Pole at a later date. c1900. Horsemarket Street, Horse Market day with a great deal of activity. c1900. Oliver Street, a very run down area. c1900. Queen Stree Fire Station, two 'Merryweather' Steam Fire Engines Captain & Major with their proud Crews. 1890's (late). Another view of the Fire Station's 'new' technology, this time with enthralled youngsters looking on. 1901. An elderly Organ Grinder busking or begging outside Central Station. 1904. Oliver Street at Townsend off Winwick Street the child looks very undernourished, probably suffering from Rickets. 1904. The inhabitants of the notorious Hell Fire Square off Oliver Street, this area was well known for it's poverty. The Boars Head on Town Hill also known as 'Pig Hill' as the swine market used to be held there. The old Lord Rodney at the corner of Pinner's Brow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Love this set of photos, especially the Organ Grinder. Where was Oliver St? I'm intrigued by Hell Fire Square, never heard of it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazj Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Where is the Organ Grinders Monkey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted April 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Where is the Organ Grinders Monkey? Sat on the top of the stick under the cover, where else would he keep it Baz. :grin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted April 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Love this set of photos, especially the Organ Grinder. Where was Oliver St? I'm intrigued by Hell Fire Square, never heard of it before. Oliver Street still exists Tracy although all houses have long since disappeared, it connected Winwick Road with Orford Lane and situated as the second Street behind The Lord Rodney public house. Here are a two earl maps- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Oliver street is at the back, between the Lord Rodney and the old box works.(Tracey posted while I was typing) Re the organ grinder - there was a similar strange looking music man with a pram. who operated at the back of Woolworths when you could get in and out that way. Harmless old fellow - someone reported him as a spy during the war. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Thanks all. It's quite spooky, one of my ancestors lived in Oliver St in the 1830's. He was a glass blower which makes sense looking at that map as it's close to the Glass works. I didn't realise where it actually is until now. My Mum used to work in the Wheatsheaf (as The Original Wire used to be called) and in school holidays I had to go with her. I'd play with the children of the landlord and landlady - usually outside in the Oliver St area! I think there may have been some houses still standing there, this would've been in the mid 80's I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Where is the Organ Grinders Monkey? He will be on later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 There are no characters in Warrington, such as the organ grinder, like there used to be. It reminded me, when I was my daddy's little princess, of the one legged man on crutches who would walk down the middle of the roads singing with his cap in his hand, and the man with a grinding wheel who would come, periodically, and sit at the end of the streets with his grinding wheel and people would bring their knives to him to be sharpened. And the flower woman who went door to door with her large basket full of flowers. Used to love her coming. Can smell even now the scent of her flowers. A lovely, friendly woman who always had a broad smile on her face. The woman who used to frequent the town centre with newspapers wrapped around her legs. Anyone recall any of the other characters? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 When I see the women on some of these old photos I wonder how the population continued to expand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Oh the man with the gramaphone in a pram Harry? forgot about him. I believe he played requests and had any record you wanted to hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 The welfare state and benefits have robbed us of characters - who were almost invariably, penniless souls. Every night a hundred or so characters' used to drift into town to get a night at the 'spike', or if they had the odd copper, the Sally army hostel. Wigan the next night. The Jimmy Bub Bubs; Ambrose Gardner's of this world are pretty much a thing of the past. Still, I suppose people will wax eloquent about the chap who sits on the Holy Trinity wall. Time lends enchantment. We needed the door to door seller when we couldn't afford the bus ride. Now.......... Happy days (which often weren't) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey Bennett Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 There are no characters in Warrington, such as the organ grinder, like there used to be. It reminded me, when I was my daddy's little princess, of the one legged man on crutches who would walk down the middle of the roads singing with his cap in his hand, and the man with a grinding wheel who would come, periodically, and sit at the end of the streets with his grinding wheel and people would bring their knives to him to be sharpened. And the flower woman who went door to door with her large basket full of flowers. Used to love her coming. Can smell even now the scent of her flowers. A lovely, friendly woman who always had a broad smile on her face. The woman who used to frequent the town centre with newspapers wrapped around her legs. Anyone recall any of the other characters? You should move to Norfolk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 You should move to Norfolk! Thanks but I will stay here in Egypt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzy Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Thanks for posting that Tracey.... I needed a giggle to keep me going Fantastic pics as usual Algy and I particularly like the old fire brigade ones... well I would considering my mums relatives were the cheif and 2nd fire officers at the time I love all your photos which show people and kiddies and whenever you post any I always wonder what they were thinking at the time and whether they were 'happy' in some sort of way that we can't comprehend. Shame there are no records of the names of all the people in most old pictures as it would be interesting to see what they did or what became of them (if they survived their childhood years of course) Keep them coming Algy... you are doing a fantastic job... brilliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted April 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 There are no characters in Warrington, such as the organ grinder, like there used to be. It reminded me, when I was my daddy's little princess, of the one legged man on crutches who would walk down the middle of the roads singing with his cap in his hand, and the man with a grinding wheel who would come, periodically, and sit at the end of the streets with his grinding wheel and people would bring their knives to him to be sharpened. And the flower woman who went door to door with her large basket full of flowers. Used to love her coming. Can smell even now the scent of her flowers. A lovely, friendly woman who always had a broad smile on her face. The woman who used to frequent the town centre with newspapers wrapped around her legs. Anyone recall any of the other characters? Harry's right Cleo, those people that you describe as characters were moulded by their unfortunate circumstances, also we were very young and did not really understand what they were about, they were life's unfortunates with no money and zero prospects, probably no family to speak of and living literally hand to mouth, begging and stealing to stay alive, I love the historical aspect of this town and mourn the loss of some of the streets and buildings but not the way of life, God forbid we ever return to that way of life. Some of the photos I post on here especially of the children tear me apart, and I just hope people that see them stop and imagine what there lives involved. Hope I'm not being a 'wet blanket' and it is only my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harry hayes Posted April 7, 2012 Report Share Posted April 7, 2012 Algy, Very much echo your feelings about the waifs on the photos. Just wonder if they thought themselves luckier than the previous generation - say, not being forced to work down the mine; running water and the like. Hope so. Happy days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 Aaaah yes, was so exciting when they brought flush toilets to the common people. What a life changing experience that was after the hole in the board and the stinking pails! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted April 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 Aaaah yes, was so exciting when they brought flush toilets to the common people. What a life changing experience that was after the hole in the board and the stinking pails! Heck! Cleo, either your going to bed or getting up about the same time as I'm sat up having a cuppa' tea, ready for the start of Easter Sunday. Yes I remember us having the old bin toilet down the the yard when I was a youngster, I think our flush toilet was installed (again down the yard) in about 1947/48, we never had an inside bathroom all the time we lived there and had to have a bath in in a galvanized 'tin' bath in front of the fire in the living room, the bath was brought in on bath night from the yard where it normally hung from a 6" nail on the yard wall. As 'Harry' always says - 'Happy Days". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingoDave Posted April 8, 2012 Report Share Posted April 8, 2012 OK - so I'm not as old as some of you lot. I only remember having a flush toilet, albeit at the end of the yard. I do remember bringing the bath in from its nail in the yard on a Sunday after tea, though, and everyone taking a turn in it. Ours went into the "back kitchen" as my mum always called it which, when I was little, had a dirt floor and a tap in one corner. I always remember going to get a stone sink from a local farmer to put in there - carried back on the seat of my dad's bike! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algy Posted April 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 OK - so I'm not as old as some of you lot. I only remember having a flush toilet, albeit at the end of the yard. I do remember bringing the bath in from its nail in the yard on a Sunday after tea, though, and everyone taking a turn in it. Ours went into the "back kitchen" as my mum always called it which, when I was little, had a dirt floor and a tap in one corner. I always remember going to get a stone sink from a local farmer to put in there - carried back on the seat of my dad's bike! Happy memories RD, the kids of today will obviously have their memories, but unlike us old 'wrinklies' theirs will be of playing the latest Wii games and computer games, not of games of their own making or that were passed down from mother and father to daughter and son, but Hey Ho! that's progress for you - or is it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 I had baths in the old brick boiler in the scullery after my momma finished the washing every monday because the fire underneath it was still burning strong enough to heat the water. I would have to stand there turning the big handle on the mangle while my momma guided the laundry through the rollers. No putting the laundry into a machine then forgetting about it till it had finished in those days. Gosh kids today, and even a lot of the adults don't know they are born. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Sid Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 used to spend a lot of time winding those mangles as a kid for my gran. She had a huge cast iron job with wooden rollers about 4 inch diameter and about four foot long. the handle was on a wheel about 3 feet diameter and it had two big springs to help keep the pressure on the rollers. could roll a doubled wool blanket through it with ease. Only time I have ever seen anything close to it was when I was an apprentice and had to use the metal rolling machine that had similar size steel rollers and could curl 1/8 stainless steel sheet with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleopatra Posted April 9, 2012 Report Share Posted April 9, 2012 used to spend a lot of time winding those mangles as a kid for my gran. She had a huge cast iron job with wooden rollers about 4 inch diameter and about four foot long. the handle was on a wheel about 3 feet diameter and it had two big springs to help keep the pressure on the rollers. could roll a doubled wool blanket through it with ease. Only time I have ever seen anything close to it was when I was an apprentice and had to use the metal rolling machine that had similar size steel rollers and could curl 1/8 stainless steel sheet with ease. Seems like the same model as ours. Ours would convert into a table when not in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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