A very similar shot to the last posting, again showing the main entrance to Corporation Park. Strange how they refer to it as just 'New Road', as by the time this photo was taken, early in the 20th century, it wasn't exactly new anymore. I suppose it's just as we do today, a way of distinguishing it from Preston Old Rd.
COURTESY OF THE CP COLLECTION
If you ignore the road and Tram Lines, very little has changed from this Photo apart from the stone wall the children are passing no longer being there. Before this was Corporation Park it used to be a quarry known as "Quarry Park". Am I right Colin ?
ReplyDeleteThe Quarrymans Pub on Dukes Brow might have some sort of connection to the Parks history, but I'm not sure. I'll have a long shot at why it's entitled "New Road"...If the Photographer didn't come from Blackburn and wasn't familiar with the towns roads,after taking the photo he asked those passing children "Where am I" they might have replied in a broad Lancashire accent "Tha's in't New Road ta Preston"
If you asked someone where Whitebirk Dr and Brownhill Dr was in the 60's they would probably refer to it as the Arterial Rd.
It looks like the girls are in school uniform all seem to have the same design of head gear, both big and small girls alike. Do you know where the nearest school was? It may have been mixed but seems to look as it was girls only bit thats a pure guess.
ReplyDeleteJohn S. -- I have never heard it referred to as Quarry Park, though it could have been. From memory (without consulting my books), I think it was known as Pemberton Clough and possibly part of Lady Whitehead's estate. I do know the two lakes were known as the Big and the Little Cans and before they were turned into ornamental lakes, they were part of an early source of fresh water, piped into the town (via wooden pipes, believe it or not). They fed pipes down towards the Snig Brook area and there was a pump to the rear of those houses at the top of Montague St, sort of somewhere in the back lane behind the Bank pub and there was also another pump on Duke St, close to the Northgate corner. You had to pay to use them.
ReplyDeleteThe Quarryman's got its name from the quarries closer to Dukes Brow. If you go to the rear of those houses towards the top of Dukes Brow (the ones facing the pub), you can still see massive hunks of rock, poking out of the ground. The pub and those houses were probably built with stone from the quarry. That bit of land I'm talking about, has never really been developed, there's just a few garages (from memory) and still evidence of the quarry. I think there was also another small quarry, over the crest of Revidge, just opposite the top of Dukes Brow. Is it Beardwood Brow? The one that takes you past the golf club.
I have an old framed print and the label on the rear just reads 'Haworth - Art Dealer and Framers - 25 Preston Road' (doesn't say either Old or New), but I know they were on Preston New Rd in the late 1800's, so your thoughts on the Old / New reference sounds feasible.
John C -- Elsewhere on this blog, there's an old coloured print of the Girls High School. That would be the nearest school to were these young girls are. It stood just further on than where the filling station (top of Montague St)is now. It was in recent decades the Curriculum Centre, but now demolished and flats built on the spot. In fact it is just out of view in the above photo, sort of around that left curve.
I HAVE AQUIRED ONE OF YOUR PRINTS - THE GIRL WITH THE PEARL EARING, IT HAS YOUR NAME AND ADRESS ON THE BACK ALONG WITH TELEPHONE NUMBERS 5107 AND 6506 DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?
ReplyDeleteYou've confused me here Janet. Are you sure you've left your comment on the right blog?
ReplyDelete