Market Street was originally named Queen Street. This photograph from 1914 is looking towards what we know today as the King George built in 1912. The previous pub the Bulls Head was demolished in 1911.

 

 

Greenhalgh's grocers shop pictured left was on the corner of Market Street, walking on the left hand side of the street about 1914 from here we would then come to Hornes opticians and the entrance to Morris photographers.On the opposite side of the road shown right  was Bon Marche, Wilkinson's Hat Shop, Heaps Grocers, Hindles newsagents and then the Billiard Hall

 

 

 

Althams tea shop shown in the picture left  which stood at the junction of Tower Street originally known as Back Bridge Street it's name change occuring in 1912.

 

 

 

 

Bradleys clothiers came next with Alice Ann Hills Cake shop shown right. Birtwistle grocers, Jack Lords butchers and Foulds Grocers. A shop selling fancy goods owned by Cora Ashworth came next.

 

Shops in this area were Shepherd and Markham's, Maudesleys Jewellers and Lloyds Pie shop. Followed by Greenwoods Tobacconist shown above and the Manchester and County bank.

 

 

Oakley's photographic studio followed by  Croppers wholesale grocers warehouse and the Market Hotel owned in it's early days by the Bandmaster of Irwell Springs the Employment exchange came next with the Lancashire and Yorkshire bank next door. 

 

 

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank situated at the junction of Union Street and Market Street was opened in October 1878. The building had been designed by the architect Mr H T Percival. As well as the bank the building had rooms for the manager Mr J. R . Pilling carried out his Insurance and Accountant business.

 

 

Across the road at the bottom of Banks Street was at one time Miss Kerr's hat shop pictured right. Argenta Meat was on the opposite side of  Bank Street. 

 

 

 

Dickinson's confectioners came next  with Pillings Ironmongers shown below right next door. Across the road was Duckworth's grocers over the top of which was Albert Shaw's electrical workshop. Next door was the Temperance Hotel, Ben Williams shoe repairs, Schofields Milliners and Schofields Gents outfitters managed by Harry Spencer. 

 

 

Clayton brothers hardware came next and then Taylor's druggist followed by Nelsons saddelery, old father Nelson having been one of the first parish constables in Bacup. Tiity Whiskers, Ashworths Mangle Collar shop shown  in the picture below and then the Corporation rates office. Fred Heyworth's Painter and decorators shops and a house where the Spedding family lived. Ormerods wholesale food warehouse, two houses, then Booths Dentist another house then Ogden's sewing shop over the top of which was the Salvation Army meeting rooms.

 

 

Zion chapel and the Sunday school buildings were built in 19129

The shops underneath consisted of Hargreaves opticians which had a big sign outside the shop of a eye. Willocks Gents tailors, Richens Barbers, Rates office and George Bland Milliners.

 

 

 

 

The picture left shows the entrance to Plantation Street, it is said Plantation Street took it's name from the plantation that once stood in the area that Zion Baptist church was built in as well as other buildings. One of these being Bank House shown right. Bank House was  the site of  one of the cleanest water springs in Bacup during the early 1840's. The public health report of 1849 reported that about 200 people obtained their water from this spring but they quite often had to wait many hours to obtain a full can.  It was also noted that people used the surrounding woodland  as a toilet privies being in such short supply at this time.

 

Walking down Market Street from the entrance to Plantation Street some of the shops were as follows. Old Swarbuck clock repairs, Long Sheps the butcher, Houldsworths Herb shop, a grocers and a number of dwellings. Another Grocers and more dwellings one of which had a large window and was occupied by Simeon Simcock who had a pot stall on the inside market. More dwellings and then the Weavers Union Offices which had previously been next to the Conservative club in the centre. Hargreaves  opticians. Jackson's Furniture store  and a double fronted shop, George Shuttleworth's Furniture and Ironmongers was next followed by Hoyles Off Licence with more dwellings,  the office of Luke Ogden debt collector and Bob Temperlys well known Grocers shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eastwoods Newsagents, a Chip shop with Longlands Bakers next.J. R. Lord's Shoe repairers was next followed by Radio Rentals, and Lillian Ashworths Milliners, Neptune Fish store, Martha Tuckers pie shop and Pickups Grocers, Ashworths Butchers and then Billy Hardmans a Newsagents and Blackburns Ice Cream shop.

 

Henrietta Street which was home to the Fire brigade and the town Mortuary, the firemen being summoned by use of a klaxon horn. 

 There is some question as to who built the houses of Commerce Street Bland Street and Queen Street as one publication states Queen street was built by John Maden for his workforce of Throstle Mill. Yet another states the houses were built before 1849 by Anthony Aryton and were known as Ayrtons/Airtons buildings. Joshua Hoyle and Sons owners of Plantation Mill shown below  had a motor repair garage in the block between Commerce and Bland street. The houses of Commerce and Bland Street have been demolished.

 

The houses of Market Street fronted what was known as Plant Back, or Irish Back, it's correct name was of course Plantation Street. The photograph right was taken outside number 33 at number 43 in 1914 lived a family by the name of Edmondson. Below is a extract from Life In Bacup written By Stephen Edmondson  it is his memories of living on Plant Back as a child.

 

"We were living at 43 Plantation Street, this was a street of about 80 houses and they consisted of a living room, a very small kitchen, with a stone slab for a sink, with just one cold water tap. One large bedroom and a small one. The fireplace was a large iron one with oven at one side and a boiler at the other, which one had to fill up with water as soon as you had used any. It was heated from the heat of the coal fire. Some of these boilers were whitewashed inside to stop them going rusty.

 

 

 

Toilets were in a row of five outside on the street and 4 to 5 houses joined at them. Each household taking it in turn to keep them clean every week by scrubbing the seats and mopping the floor. The toilet was a tub and you sat on a board with a round hole in it, as for toilet paper  you had newspaper cut into sheets and threaded on a string and this hung on a nail behind the door. If your toilet had a lock the key would be hung near the door in the house. It usually had a bobbin on a string for easy finding. The tubs used to be emptied once a week by a man employed by the council and he used to come round at night between twelve and six.

 

 

When you walked up the brew Plantation Street took a  turn right and you carried on to what we called  The Bonks. The rent for Plantation Street was Four and tenpence. If you were out to play at this time with children from other schools, and you told them you lived on Plantation Street they would say" Oh thats the Irish back" It got this name from the number of Catholics who were of Irish descent. There were the Flynns, Rileys, Walshes, Kellys, Monagahans, Flanagan's, McGoughs, MacNamaras, Gavans, Durkins, Reagans, Burkes and many more. But most of them at my time had never seen Ireland.

 

 

In 1937 during a spell of rather bad weather there occurred two landslides which completely blocked the road. Nothing could access the street, be it milk coalman or milkman. Alderman Coates offered to have the whole area tarmaced and this was carried out  with great improvement to the area.

 

 

 

 

The picture to the right is taken looking down onto Market Street from Bankside just opposite the junction that took you to Princess Street if you turned left  or to Elgin Street  if you walked right  the shortest  street in England pictured below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bankside Cottages pictured right stood opposite the gates of Forest House, the area is now landscaped with steps leading up to the Maden Recreation Ground and the Golf course. Bankside House stands to the right of the steps and was once the home of many of Bacup's wealthier families such as the Smith family who owned  Tong Mill. From Bankside Lane it was possible to follow a path back down through the old Bankside Quarry which by now was unused except by the local boys to play football in and find yourself back in Plantation Street. However on this path stood a old stone known to the local children as a Boggart stone and it is said neither boys or girls would  pass this stone without picking up a smaller stone and throwing it at the Boggart stone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Peace Garden was erected in Memory of those killed during the Great War of 1914-1919.

Dandy Row shown right was a row of  handloom cottages situated on the lane that led up tot he Maden Recreation ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1889 Bankside House and grounds  came up for sale when the owner John Dawson had died, twenty years earlier and owing to a dispute between the heirs-at-law the property had been thrown into chancery and had been the subject of litigation throughout the previous twenty years being rented out by various families, already mentioned. The house hand grounds where bought by Henry Maden for the sum of £1,900.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It had been Henry's it had been Henry's intention that his son should live at the house and part of the farm land purchased at the same time namely, Top'o t'bank, Slip Inn and Banksid made farm should be used for a public recreation ground but he died before his ideas could be carried out. His son however fulfilled his fathers wishes when  he made the presentation to the borough of the Maden Recreation ground on September 22nd 1893.The proceedings started just before noon with a procession from the court house and after proceeding through the town the procession made it's way to the grounds at Bankside.