Produced by Wigan Heritage Service Issue No. 52 August - November 2009 25th Anniversary Miners' Strike 1984 £1 YOUR HERITAGE HERITAGE SERVICE Contents Letter from the 3 History Shop Update 4 Archives News Editorial Team 5 Learning and Outreach News The History Shop restoration project is gathering pace. You can read all about progress on the opposite page and visit our new online 6 Local and ‘blog’ at www.wlct.org/Culture/Heritage/hsblog.htm Family History News 7 Collections Corner This issue of PAST FORWARD commemorates the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Miners’ Strike. On page eight two local miners share their 8-10 Miners’ Strike of 1984 memories of the strike. Collections Corner turns the spotlight on two 11 Heritage Open Days objects from the museum collection related to the strike and Archives Heritage Network News focuses on mining records. 12-13 Vanished Deer Parks In the last issue we reintroduced the Probing Pictures feature and had 14-15 Memories a great response from our readers. This issue we are introducing 16-17 Walter Hurst – another new feature the Puzzle Page, we hope you enjoy it! We plan ‘Mr Hindley’ to develop this feature further in future issues. 18-20 August 1966 - a PAST FORWARD now has its own e-mail address Nostalgic Tour in the [email protected]. You can use this to send in your articles, Dying Days of Steam letters and comments. 21 Hindley’s Bell-man Finally, Tyldesley Library will be celebrating its centenary in December. 22-23 Do you remember? PAST FORWARD issue 53 will commemorate this anniversary with an Wigan’s Town Centre article about the Library and its benefactor Andrew Carnegie. Cinemas 24 Friends of Wigan Heri tage Service Information for Submission Guidelines 25 Whelley Hospital • Electronic submissions are Clogs on Cobbles Contributors preferred, although handwritten Poem ones will be accepted 26-28 If you would like to submit an • Maximum length – no more Leigh Labour Party FORWARD article for PAST , please than 1,000 words 29 Puzzle Page and note that: Views of • Include photographs or images • Publication is at discretion of Hindley Green where possible – if you wish these Editorial Team 30-32 Can you help? to be returned, please include a • The Editorial Team reserve the stamped addressed envelope 32 Puzzle Page Answers right to edit submissions • Include your name and address – 33 Your Letters • Submissions may be held on file we will not pass on your details 34 Society News for publication in a future edition to anyone unless you have given 35 Probing Pictures • Published and rejected us permission to do so submissions will be disposed of • Anonymous submissions will FRONT COVER PICTURE • Articles must be received by the not be published Banner of the National Union copy date if inclusion is desired in We aim to acknowledge receipt of of Mineworkers as depicted the next issue all submissions. on a commemorative plate. Turn to page seven to find CONTACT DETAILS: [email protected] or The Editor at PAST FORWARD, out more! The History Shop, Library Street, Wigan, WN1 1NU. 2 History Shop Update On 6 April contractors began work on the refurbishment of the History Shop. The architects appointed are Bradshaw Gass and Hope from Bolton, a firm with a long history in the area. The contractors involved are William Anelay Ltd, a firm of heritage builders Pete Gascoigne, Executive Director for Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust specializing in restoration of public buildings. and Gary Shea, Site Manager from William Anelay They recently worked on the Victoria Baths project in Manchester. Outside the building, the slow but steady process of putting up scaffolding took six weeks. During this time work within the building, such as stripping plaster and lifting floorboards was also completed. All the timber that needed attention, including our magnificent roof, was exposed and treated during July. Inside the building a new fire exit has been formed at the Library Street entrance. This is central to the design of the new staircase and lift, giving access to the first floor local studies library. The windows throughout the building have been removed, refurbished and replaced. The intention is to re-use material rather than replace wherever possible. When the windows were inspected quite sophisticated catch mechanisms were found to be incorporated in the sashes. It is hoped that enough of these Can you see the History Shop underneath the scaffolding? can be saved to return a proportion of the windows to full working order. This will Published by Wigan Heritage Service, allow better ventilation in the study library Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust. during the summer. The views expressed in this issue are not necessarily The History Shop project is supported by Wigan supported by Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust. Leisure & Culture Trust, the Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. There will be another Nothing printed may be construed as policy or update in the next issue of Past Forward. In the official announcement unless so stated. Neither meantime, if you want a more regular and Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust, nor the Editor, detailed update please visit our ‘blog’ at accept liability for any matter in this publication. www.wlct.org/Culture/Heritage/hsblog.htm Contributions are welcome, but no responsibility can be taken for loss or damage to contributors’ Copy Deadline for Issue 53 material. Contributors please note the deadline for the receipt © Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust of material for publication is 16 October. July 2009 3 ARCHIVES NEWS Your Archives records relating to the mining industry in the area are the pit order books of the estates The Archives Service is pleased belonging to Roger to announce that it will be Bradshaigh of Haigh involved in the forthcoming (D/DZA/13/34). The volumes Archives Awareness Campaign, date between 1635-1698 and 2009. The theme this year is detail the day to day Take Flight. An Archive exhibition and talk will be instructions given to the running alongside the Heritage Weekend events in ‘Hewers Drawers Winders September. The exhibition is entitled Movement, Treaders Takers of Cannell at Migration and a WWI Fighter Ace. Visitors will be the pit Eye’. They also reveal Haigh Colliery Order given an opportunity to get hands-on with collections Book, 1636. wage payments and directions and see some of the work we do behind the scenes to for ensuring that Roger Bradshaigh received the preserve archival records for the future. correct number of baskets of cannel due to him as the The latest stage in improving the Archives Service owner of the land. strong rooms is now complete. We would like to thank With the growth of the industry through the nineteenth researchers for their patience in waiting for access to and twentieth centuries, so grew the volume of records material whilst the work was ongoing in Leigh Town produced by the prospering mining companies and Hall. Our storage areas have now been upgraded and those manufacturing businesses that developed damp-proofed, allowing us to better care for the alongside the trade. Local solicitors’ collections collections. contained file after file of legal documents relating to Recent Acquisitions the sale and purchase of land, and the mineral wealth beneath the surface. Many engineering drawings and A great deal of work has been completed since the turn order books survive for companies such as Walker of the year in making catalogues of new accessions Brothers (D/DY/Pag) and Park Webb Ltd. (D/DY/PW). available. Recently accepted collections include: At the level of individual mine • Leigh Town Hall, Architectural Drawings, workers, it is sometimes by J. C. Prestwich, c.1905 (Acc. 2009/20) difficult to trace a specific • Nathaniel Eckersley, cuttings book, 1741-1876 person, but powerful (D/DZA/145) accounts of working life • Records of The Duodecimal Society, Leigh, underground do survive. 1901-1991 (D/DS/86) Collections that allow readers • Records of Leigh Christian Holiday Association to make this personal (D/DS/87) connection into the miners’ • Wigan & District, Mining & Technical College, world include the diary of a prospectuses and calendars, 1902-1989 (SR/111) colliery apprentice in 1838 Maypole Accident Sheet, (EHC/192), records of the Details of the collections listed above are available 1948. Lancashire & Cheshire Miners’ from the Archives Service. Permanent Relief Society and even the accident report Archives Corner sheets of the Maypole Colliery in the 1940s. Unfortunately, the Archives hold few records that Mining records relate to the industry, especially in 1970s and 1980s. Mining records are an ever popular research resource If you have any documents, posters or photographs at the Archives, and the collections provide a rich that you are interested in donating, even if simply to variety of material for those interested in the be copied, please contact the Archivist, and help us borough’s industrial heritage. Some of the oldest preserve these important sources for the future. 4 LEARNING & OUTREACH NEWS CURATING IN THE COMMUNITY UPDATE Community Grants for Community Projects The ‘Curating in the Community’ programme supports local organisations in the Borough to develop heritage activities and promote heritage in communities. Since the programme’s pilot phase in late 2007, ten local projects have been supported with five more project awards in the pipeline this summer. All projects have used innovative approaches to heritage. Wigan Archaeological Society’s Roman Roads project included a ‘time team’ style dig at a school playing field in Ince. The dig uncovered some remains of the Roman Road between Manchester and Wigan. Representatives from Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust, Other projects have included Turnpike Community Lamberhead Green Community Primary School, Mayfield Training Centre and Groundwork Trust at the Dig for Theatre’s research and production of ‘Marsh Fever’, and Victory Exhibition Launch on 17th March.