This is Larkhill, at its junction with Regent Street, in 1913. I was born on Caton Street, which backed onto the shops on the left, in January 1958. Although this photograph was taken a good 45 year before I was born, it doesn't look much different to the Larkhill that I remember as a young child. The awnings outside the shops, the wide pavement, the elevated properties of Larkhill Terrace on the right hand side, looked just the same in the early 1960's. There would have been a few motorcars parked by the kerbside maybe, by the sixties, but not too many. I can even remember posters being pasted to that long wall at times.
COURTESY OF THE CP COLLECTION
The photo below is for the anonymous finder of the diary (please see the comments). Sadly it doesn't show the property that would have been 98 Lark Hill Terrace, as it would be just behind the photographer. This photo is courtesy of Richard, a volunteer in the textiles display dept at Blackburn Museum.
Colin
ReplyDeletebrings back loads of memories for me walking up and down this street twice a day to the Convent!
Great photo!
dmc
Glad you like it Deborah!
ReplyDeleteI have found a diary by a man called F.Shaw...who lived on 98 Larkhill Terrace,Blackburn ....but on another page sais 60 Earl st. blackburn.....i don't know the exact date but it look pretty old soo i need to find out who he is;what time this was written: and if possable..wheather this is real.can some one help me find out
ReplyDeleteHi - I have three trade directories for Blackburn, one from 1894, one from 1925 and one from 1951. In all three of them, there is no number 98 Lark Hill Terrace, it ends at 96. That doesn't necessarily mean there was no number 98, it could have been unoccupied those years.
ReplyDeleteI've also looked for the Earl St address in all three. In the 1894 one and the 1925 one, there is a Mrs Shaw living at 60 Earl St, but she doesn't appear in the 1951 directory, so possibly she was gone by then (or deceased). It doesn't give her initial, so I couldn't confirm if she was the 'F' Shaw in your diary (are you certain it's a man, or just presuming it is?).
Mrs Shaw is listed as being a ''Shopkeeper'' But that's the only info I can give you. Maybe someone else (in time) can add to this.
You could possibly narrow it down further by visiting the reference dept in Blackburn Library (if you're local), as they have directories for almost every year they were published (about once every four years), so you could see if they were at either address between my 1925 directory and my 1951 directory.
Is there anything of interest in your diary ? Nice find anyway.
Number 96 (and we'll assume 98) Lark Hill Terrace were at the Primrose Bank end of the terrace, according to my directories. I have a phot of that junction. It's not very clear, but I'll add it to the site on this post, below this old photo (if I can find it).
Colin, my 1947 directory gives a Mrs S.E. Wright living at number 60 Earl St and Larkhill Terrace ends at number 94.
ReplyDeleteThanks John. Your comment threw me a bit when I read it.
ReplyDeleteBut having now read the above comments, it makes sense :-)
Regards.
Colin
Colin, Do you remember the Southworths who lived on Caton St, my mum was one of nine children who lived there. All of us grandchildren would visit on Saturday afternoon and play on the street.
ReplyDeleteI also remember my mother saying that her brothers made a bonfire so big on bonfire night that the fire brigade had to come out.
Christine
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI remember the name Southworths from Caton St, but sorry, I can't remember the family. If I'm right, I think they lived on the opposite side to us, so on the left side, as you entered from Regent St. I think there was also a family called Costello on the same side.
I was only 9 when we left Caton St to move to Shear Brow and my memories of Caton St are pretty vague. I always envy people who seem to remember lots from their childhood, I can remember very little.
You say there were nine children? I would probably have remembered a large family. I can only think that maybe they were a generation or more before mine and maybe they had all flown the nest by the time I was growing up there (1958 - 1969). So maybe there was only the parents (your grand parents) there when I was living there.
On our side of the street, I can remember at No 2 lived the Rudykowski's (not sure of the spelling). No 4 (can't remember), No 6 (our family, the Pritt's), No 8 (the Wilson's), No 10 (the Coleman's) and No 12 (the Riding's).
Best regards.
Colin
1967 we left sorry, not 1969.
ReplyDeleteHi Colin,
DeleteYes you;re right, there was probably only one of my aunties still living at home by then. I think they lived at No.1 on the left. When the houses were demolished my grandmother and aunt were allocated a flat at Trinity Court near Belper St baths.
Christine.
Hi Colin,
DeleteJust read about you going to St. Albans in the 60;s. Do you remember Mrs. Costello and Peter ? ( my mum and brother).
Christine
Hi Christine,
ReplyDeleteAgain, I just remember the name Peter Costello.
I can remember talking to my mum about 8 -10 years ago (when she could still remember, she has dementia/alzheimers now) and I mentioned the name Costello, as I knew there was some tenuous connection to Caton St and my mum shook her head, as if to say ''No, I don't recall anyone called Costello'' So I just dismissed it, thinking I had things muddled (as usual). But now you have mentioned the name Costello, maybe I was right after all :-)
As mentioned, we left the street in 1967, when I would have been 9 years old, but if your gran and your aunt were still in their house when they started to demolish, they would have been there into the early 1970's, as I think Caton St still had people living in a few of the houses until about 1972.
I have a trade directory from 1951 and the Southworth's were living at No 1 back then. There's not much info really, it just has:-
'No 1 - Southworth J - Traveller'
Regards
Colin
My grandfather, H. Southworth, was a brush manufacturer on Larkhill and made the brushes behind the shop.
ReplyDeleteNext door to his shop was Mr. Cutler a watch repairer
My grandfather H. Southworth manufactured brushes on Larkhill and next to his shop was a Mr. Cutler a watch repairer
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather George Southworth also made brushes up on Larkhill.
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