| Name |
Reminiscences |
More |
| ARTINGSTALL, ERIC |
Reminiscences August 2001
Eric Artingstall
Before she was married my mother-in-law was called Hilda Kidger. She lived at the post office by the bottom forge at Park Bridge. When she married Jimmy Whitehead in 1940 they went to live at Bellsfield opposite Briaracre at Fairbottom. Then in 1948 they bought Alt Farm from Charles Buckley, a solicitor. His father, Sidney Buckley was living in... |
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| BIRCHALL, RONNIE |
Reminiscences 1998
Ronnie Birchall
Frank Stott from Bardsley worked on the shears in the top forge cutting up steel billets to be taken by the small Dennis tipper wagon to the bottom forge. Just before the Second World War Frank was working on the shears when he cut off his thumb. He picked it up off the floor and said, ‘Well, that’s no good now!’ and threw it into number... |
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| BROWNE, TERENCE |
Reminiscences September 1999
Terence Browne, aged 78.
When I was young, I lived in Portland Street, Ashton under Lyne. I had five brothers and a sister that I don’t remember, she died very young, in infancy, and a sister that died two years ago, who was two years older than me. My father was Edward Browne and my Mother’s name was Marie Anne Bostock before she was married. Dad... |
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| CLARKE, MARGARET |
Reminiscences February 200
Margaret Clarke aged 73
I was born in Ashton Lakeside Hospital in 1930. My father was William Day, known as Billy and my mother Sarah was known as Sally. I had no brothers or sisters. I started life at Denton in the Kings Head Hotel at Crown Point; my grandparents were licensees there. I came to Ashton when I was six years old because my father’s parents... |
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| FOSTER, BERNARD |
Reminiscences May 1996
Bernard Foster, aged 68.
I was born in 1928, at 23, Dingle Terrace, one of six children. The house was quite small with two rooms downstairs, the house and a kitchen. Mother cooked the meals on a black leaded stove that had an open fire and a side oven. She did the washing in a set pot, made of bricks with a metal liner, under which a fire was lit to heat the water.... |
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| FOSTER, JOE |
Reminiscences February 1996
Joe Foster, aged 78
I started work at the ironworks at Park Bridge, when I was 15, cutting up scrap on the shears at "Spion Kop", the scrap yard in the Top Forge. In my 20's I was promoted to the engineering side of the business and looked after the works boilers in the Bottom Forge. It had two Lancashire boilers and five waste heat boilers over... |
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| HIBBERT, SAM |
Reminiscences January 1998
Sam Hibbert, aged 80. (Died Sept. 1999)
I was born in Bailey Street in Stalybridge in 1918 when my father was away at the war. Later we lived at 15, Smallshaw Lane, Ashton under Lyne in a small stone cottage, one of four, which I believe now have a preservation order on them. I come from a large family. My father, Edward Hibbert, better known as Ned and Mother,... |
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| HOLLAND, HARRY |
Reminiscences 5th April 1999
Harry Holland, aged 62.
We never bothered to go to the canteen for toast. We just toasted in front of the fires, black toast. We did bacon on the plate in front of the furnace. It was the nicest tasting bacon. We used the canteen occasionally at dinnertime, it depended. My Mother used to put us stuff up and we’d warm it on top of the furnace.
I... |
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| HOPWOOD, BRIAN |
Reminiscences July 2001
Brian Hopwood, aged 57.
We moved to Park Bridge in 1957 off Ashton Moss. My parents were Harry and Hilda Hopwood. My sister Elaine lives at Dukinfield and Brother Philip lives at Hyde. Philip was just born when we moved into Mill Brow House. Dad was born in 1919. He worked there (Park Bridge ironworks) since he was fourteen. He started off sorting scrap up on Spion... |
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| HOWARTH, EDWARD |
Reminiscences July 1997
Edward Howarth, aged 89.
I started work on 'Spion Kop', the scrap yard above the Top Forge at Park Bridge Ironworks, on 20th February 1923 when I was only fourteen. I worked there until 1944 and became a rollerman on the big mill in the Bottom Forge.
There were many accidents in the ironworks. One of the lads, Jack Allott, found a Mills Bomb in one of the... |
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| JONES, MARGARET |
Reminiscences July 2002
Margaret Jones
My step-grandfather, Charlie Hough was a labourer in the top forge at Park Bridge.
My father Joseph Longsden, commenced work at Hannah Lees & Sons, Park Bridge ironworks shortly after his fifteenth birthday in 1916. He worked in the forge for most of the years, whether it was the top or bottom forge I am not sure. I just know he had a lot... |
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| KIDGER, JACK |
Reminiscences February 2002
Jack Kidger, aged 78
When I first started work I signed up with Boots as an unindentured apprentice. The job was counter work and some dispensing under supervision. Then I went in the forces. When I came back all the jobs had been taken over by the girls, there was no dispensing to be done so the interest wasn’t there. So I had a sudden change of plan and... |
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| LOMAS, BOB |
Reminiscences October 2003
Vera Moody, aged 85.
Bob Lomas, aged 77
Vera – ‘I was born in Union Road in Ashton in December 1917. I had one brother, Bob, who was nearly nine years younger than me. My father, John William Lomas, known as Jack, was an engineer at Park Bridge ironworks. All the time he was at Park Bridge he worked on ‘textiles’. They made fluted rollers... |
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| MALONEY, BILLY |
Reminiscences September 1995
Bill Maloney, aged 71.
I was born in Stalybridge. As a boy I lived in a cottage next to Pickford Hall at Fairbottom. We then moved to a cottage next to Fairbottom Sunday School. My father was out of work, so mother took in lodgers to make ends meet. They were men from Park Bridge Iron Works.
I went to St. James' School, Park Bridge. The headmaster then... |
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| PROBERT, WILLIAM |
Reminiscences April 1996
William Probert
Park Bridge Iron Works was really four works in one and each depending on one another.
Namely -
Top Forge, where the iron was made.
The Rolling Mills, where iron and steel were rolled.
The Roller Shop, supplied by the mills.
The Bright Shop, supplied by the mills.
May I briefly describe each in turn?
First... |
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| MOODY, VERA |
Reminiscences October 2003
Vera Moody, aged 85.
Bob Lomas, aged 77
Vera – ‘I was born in Union Road in Ashton in December 1917. I had one brother, Bob, who was nearly nine years younger than me. My father, John William Lomas, known as Jack, was an engineer at Park Bridge Ironworks. All the time he was at Park Bridge he worked on ‘textiles’. They made fluted rollers... |
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| HOLT, MAUD |
Reminisences
Maud Holt nee Slater wrote a list of the villagers she knew.
(When the vicar was Rev. Wolf, 1902-23 and the curate was Mr. Timothy, 1912-20)
Tenants of Dingle Terrace;
No.1, Mr. & Mrs. Williamson, he was manager of the Top Forge. Children-Arthur, Alice, Charlotte, Harry & Emiline.
No.3, Percy & Laura Marshes. Children-Dora (died), Lizzie, Janet, Clara,... |
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