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. In  1926 the shops numbering 1-3 Market Street would become Burtons menswear shop.

 

 

 

Althams tea shop 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 which was demolished under the improvement scheme in 1939 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 pictured below was at one time Miss Kerr's whilst Argenta Meat was on the opposite side of  Bank Street. 

 

 

 

 

Dickinson's confectioners came next  with Pillings Ironmongers shown below right next door.

The town plan of 1849 shows nothing on the site of 27 to 39 Market Street but a plantation of trees and shrubs. In 1854 a Ironmonger by the name of Westray Benn occupied 33 Market Street. That business was taken over by Mr Pilling and remained so until 1950.  Across the road was Duckworth's grocers over the top of which was Albert Shaw'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 1911 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. 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.

 

Behind the buildings pictured above was Lord Street this was of course fronted by the shops belonging to the Market hall. From here one could gain access to Bankside passing of course one of the smallest streets in England that of Elgin Street.

 

 

Bankside Cottages  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 on Bankside was erected in 1932 as a gift from Mr & Mrs J.H.Lord in Memory of those killed during the Great War of 1914-1919. Dandy Row 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. 

 

 

 

The houses of Market Street fronted what was known as Plant Back, or Irish Back, the original name for this area had been Back Street and Ireland Street in 1884 the town council abolsihed the previous names and adopted the new name of 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 coalman or milkman. Alderman Coates offered to have the whole area tarmaced and this was carried out  with great improvement to the area.

 

 

Henrietta Street  was home to the Fire brigade and the town Mortuary shown above the firemen being summoned by use of a klaxon horn.  This area was known as Mashwood in Bacup's early history. The area that houses Forest mill was rich pasture land in which a man named John Lord grew fruit, vegetables and hay. The river at this point was only crossable by use of a wooden plank and it was using this that caused John Lord to die at the age of 93 when he fell off the plank into the Irwell and drowned. The area housed a spring known as Pipping Spring however there was no access to this spring from Newchurch Road, until Messrs Howarth & Bros built Forest Mill.  Even so access was limited by having to travail a wooden bridge which passed over the lodge for the mill, then over stepping stones placed in the river which could only be used if the river was running low. George Maxwell began building a bridge over the Irwell to Mashwood in 1870 the lease for his mill was dated 26th February 1873 by 1877 he was bankrupt. In 1877 the local board bought the Mashwood estate for £1,400.  Also in this area was Barkers foundry they of course extended their foundry into what we know today as the Royal Court theatre. Originally the fire station was to be situated in the area of Springholme mill but in  July 1893 it was decided to build the station in premises once owned by Mr Lord part of Barkers foundry. A new fire engine had been ordered and it arrived in Bacup the week of Dec 16th 1893, unfortunately the fire station wasn't completed until April 1894.

 

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.

 

 

Joshua Hoyle built Plantation Mill in 1841 he also built a house on the site only later building and moving to Hawthorn Hill where he lived until his death in 1849.The picture below shows just a small portion of the  wall of Plantation Mill that fronted on to Market Street the mill was 130ft long by 70ft wide. The mill was known as Edward Hoyle mill in 1873 named after Joshua's youngest son Edward. A new weaving shed complete with electric lighting  was built and opened in 1898. The mill continued to give employment to many Bacupians until 1963 when the mill was closed, the site was demolished and cleared by November 1970.

 

 

Lower Market Street is shown in the picture above the white house just visible in the middle is one of the first homes of  Joshua Hoyles. Some of the shops in this area just after the first world war were, 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.