The Bulls Head Inn once stood on the corner of Yorkshire Street and Burnley Road. Henry Baron was the first landlord to be shown. In 1910 Messrs Baxter's of Glenn Top Brewery made an application to have the Bulls Head demolished building in its place a new Hotel. The new Hotel would be known as the. King George  opened in 1912 it closed as a public house in 1983. At it’s opening it was the only public house in the country to carry the reigning monarchs name. The Bacup Natural History Society's rooms  were next door with Ward's Cafe, Meads Chemist, and the Angel Hotel .Bacup's oldest pub with stables and coach house behind, these being used by Wright Walker for his horses and the coach house by Harry McWicker, Signwriter. After the Angel on the other side of Lanehead Lane was the Queen's Hotel, Albert Duckworth the Licensee. Overtons had a garage next door in the premises formerly Bacup Working Men's Club and latterly Harry Alexander, Plumber; Teddy Pilling's shoe shop, outside of which hung a huge wooden Clog as a sign pictured below.

 

 

 

 

 

Behind these premises was the old Buck Inn used by the British Legion as their H.Q. and nearby Doorstones, a lodging house. Joney Walker who ran the lodging house lived in the shop across the opening from the shoe shop. Next door was Howarth's Newsagents, run by two sisters, and a brother. This shop was always called "Pissers" by everybody. Across the next opening was the White Horse chip shop (formerly a public house) run by a family called Holmes; next another lodging house formerly a public house called Hare and Hounds now the home of the Bacup Natural History Society. Across the opening and facing Bacup centre was Brigg's Provision and Corn Dealers  pictured right with their warehouse and garage for an ancient motor lorry behind. He used to deliver the feed to the hillside farms and was a very old business. At the time of his death in 1952 Mr Briggs was the oldest shopkeeper in Bacup

 

Commencing on the opposite side of the road and across the road from the Queen's Hotel we had Hindles sweet shop, butchers shop, and Green Man Hotel; the Old Corn Mill used by Howard and Hargreaves, Printers, on the top floor a firm spun silk. Behind the Corn Mill was Overton's Glove factory and Brigg's Wholesale Food warehouse. these premises surrounded the Corn Mill yard on two sides only, the Todmorden side being open

 

 

 

 

Behind Burwood House and Briggs shop  were Bacup's oldest houses known as the Newgate Areas. With streets called Lower Cross Row , Mount Pleasant, Dawson Brow, Higher Newgate, Lower Newgate. A clearance order for the  Newgate area was issued in 1937.

 

 

 

Once the Hare and Hounds public house today this is the preset home of the Bacup Natural History society. During the 1880s the club was open from 7 to 10pm on weekdays and from 2 till 11pm on Saturdays. From 1889 until 1936 the Nat was based at 6 St James Square, moving from that location in 1937 to the Sunday School of Zion Baptist Chapel. In 1947 the Nat decided to rent the former Hare and Hounds public house at 24 Yorkshire Street. In 1951 the Nat bought the premises for a sum of £370.

The first Committee members were Mr Thomas Aitken J.P First President, Mr Henry Halstead Vice President, Mr James Holmes Secretary, with Messrs J.P. Holmes, Robert Smith, Joseph Flack, Henry Kerr.

 

 

 

Before being used as a lodging house Doorstones was the home of a Mr Slattery mentioned elsewhere on this site. Mr Slattery was a chimney sweep and it is said he learnt his trade the old fashioned way by climbing up inside the chimney known as a Chimney Lad. For several years the lodging house was run by a man named Hurney who also had a shop in Yorkshire Street. When the lodgers were hard up they could go down to the shop and for the price of sixpence could pay for a nights lodgings and two meals. A half-penny's worth of tea and sugar which made two good cuppas. Halfpenny for an onion and and a penny loaf made two good meals.  At the back of Doorstones was the basket works for the blind people of Bacup.

 

 

 

 

The original Buck Inn pictured left  was a very low place and one of it's doorways was under the boundary of  Ebeneezer Church right. At this time a lady known as Old Mrs Bridges lived at the Buck and one day the boundary wall fell exposing the old graves and bodies from the Ebeneezer graveyard. Asked what she thought about the accident the old lady said she was not afraid of ghosts in the day time, but she did object to them coming at night and disturbing her sleep. 

 

 

 

 

 

The burial grounds in Bacup left rather a lot to be desired whilst carrying out the public health report of 1849 Mr Lees described the Ebeneezer burial ground as appearing to be quite full. The last services at Ebeneezer were on the 28th October 1962.

 

 

You can just see the railings that belong to Mount School on the left hand side, people in Lane Head Lane suffered the same problems as many in Bacup when it came to toilets and water facilities in 1849. There was only one privy for 16 houses the maximum distance which the inhabitants had  to go to reach it was  96 yards and the minimum  was 35 yards. It was also used by persons passing by. A well for water was known as Peggy Spout. When this well dried up in summer the residents of Lane Head and no option but to walk to Broadclough for their water. Lane head was a favourite with local youngsters during the winter months when snow was plentiful on the ground. Its said the lads from  Mount Pleasant could sledge all the way from the top of Lane Head to the very bottom without having to worry about traffic.

 

 

 

Perhaps sledging right out  into what was known as Townhead pictured above right.This island of shops comm­encing at the corner of Bridge Street and Yorkshire Street going clockwise started with Crooks the Clothiers.

Chris Ridings, sweets and ice-cream parlour the Old George and Dragon, which had now only a counter trade, Y J Ashworth's fruit shop, which bordered Yorkshire Street and Stewart Street. Partly in Stewart Street and Bridge Street was Frank Heyworth's fruit shop.

 

 

Then a small opening called Short Street; Tommy Johnson Jewellers; next as Miss Hall's hat shop, over the top of which was Young's Dentist. Slightly set back was Tom Mitchell's Auction Mart (formerly Marks and Spencer's Penny Bazaar) then another entrance to Chris Riding's shop.

 

 

Frank Heyworth's Bridge St Florist in 1926 shown left

Left: Harold Lumb, Lady: Ida Greenwood Centre: Frank Heyworth Right: Dick Newman

 

Bridge Street butchers shown right note the goods hanging outside. Bridge Street was the road to Rochdale from the junct­ion to Rawtenstall as far as Meads Chemist (now Cohens) whence it became St James Street. Stewart Street passed in front of the Mechanics' Hall to join Yorkshire Street at right angles, and Yorkshire Street from the King George V Hotel to the corner of Burwood House, whence it became Todmorden Road.