Union Street was part of the club house neighbourhood built between 1813 and 1823 by the members of the Bacup Building Society known locally as the "Club House Society". The owners of these premises formed themselves into a small Town Council, and had jurisdiction over the streets access being restricted hence the bollards in the road and the notice on the wall.
 

The British Queen shown left stood opposite Shuttleworth's with  Calverley's Cloggers behind in King Street, then a news­agents called Haythwaite.Then there was Chadwick's fish and chip shop where if you wanted a nice warm on a cold night, you went through the shop to the room behind and enjoyed fish and chips etc. sat by a warm fire.

 

 

 

 

Middleton's provisions were on the corner of Irwell Street shown left whose neighbour was a naturalised German family called Zimmerman who had the fish shop next to the opening,

 

 

Then the Waterloo Hotel, whose landlady was Isabella Lord. Joined on to the Waterloo Hotel and forming a corner was Fielden's tripe shop run by a brother and sister.

 

Crossing the road brought you to the Co-op Boot & Shoe Department built in 1881. Across the opening that led to Temple Court was Ibbs ladies' and gents' outfitters, Stott's watch­makers, Burton's cake shop Shuttleworth's pawn shop, Law's butchers, who-when he weighed meat--always said "one and two pence half­penny"--always td on the end It was said he retired to St Annes on his halfpennies. At the top of the street was Martins Bank and  on the opposite side was Jimmy Duckworth's provisions.

 

 

 

 

Temple Court was an area of overcrowded dwelling, and lodging houses  also known at one time as " Down The Yard "  during the public health report of 1849 it was stated "In the place called Down The Yard, there is such a scarcity of privvies that the people send their children out into the open air, and the soil is accumulated in heaps." Today it is home to the new Bacup Market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was  taken looking down Irwell Street towards the gates of Irwell Mill. Like Temple Court, Irwell Street and it's surroundings were very much the areas inhabited by the very poorer or less fortunate folk of Bacup usually in lodging houses of which Irwell street had plenty.

 

 

A description of one of the lodging houses is as follows: a  4 roomed house 3 Beds, containing 4 females and 3 males, 4 beds containing 3 females and 4 males.  4 Beds 6 females and 8 males. In this room were 5 persons in 1 bed, in another a man, woman and child. The man says they go out with a basket, but the stock of matches and tape never exceeds 2s 6d  to 3s and sometimes less. 2 Beds , 8 persons , in one a man, wife, and 3 children, and in the other a woman and 2 sons , one 16 and the other 14 years old. Some of these beds consists of a quantity of straw spread on the floor, and covered with a rug, and for the use of this wretched accommodation the family of 5 pay 8d. per night, being at the rate of 2d each for adults and 1d for children. The totals are 4 rooms, 13 beds, and 36 persons. The nearest privvie for folk living in Back Irwell Street pictured right was 170 yards away at Bank House which was situated near to were Trinity Baptist church is today.

 

The houses in King Street were known as Club Houses. Built between 1813 and 1823 by the members of the Bacup Building Society known locally as the "Club House Society". The owners of these premises formed themselves into a small Town Council, and had jurisdiction over the streets known as King Street, Irwell Street and the abutting streets from 1813 to 1823. At one time at least until the Market Tolls act came into being in 1867 the owners let positions on the street to various stallholders, and others for Saturday Markets and other Fairs fixing and collecting the tolls with considerable success and financial gain. Whilst these streets were open for pedestrian use they were closed against through traffic for vehicles, hence the bollards that can be seen in the above photograph of King Street and also the one of Union Street. The fact that these roads in the centre of town were closed off and privately owned was a bone of contention to some on the Town Council of the time.

 

King Street was home to the Bacup Times and Rossendale News office and shown below are some of the employees.

 

The Rossendale Union Gas Company was formed in 1854 by an act of Parliament dated June 1854. Bacup was originally supplied by Gas by a company of its own. Established in 1835, with a capital of £3000.00 but works and plant were merged at the date above. In 1896 plans were passed by the town council for the erection of a new Gas office in Lee Street. During the excavations of the old foundations several large tanks were discovered and were thought to have been used at Tar tanks.

 

Further excavations however found no outlet and it was never discovered what the tanks were used for. In 1864 a announcement in the Bacup Times reported that gas lighting would be extended to cover the areas  of Sheep House Clough Rochdale Rd,

On the Newchurch Rd they would extend to Acre Mill and to the limits of the boundary at Stacksteads. As far as the boundary road at Higher Broadclough and as far as the Bull & Dog in Todmorden Rd. In 1895 the company introduced the penny in the slot  gas meter.

 

 

 

A View of the Irwell Area showing the Gas Company offices.