Looking Back: Marsden Road, St George’s Road and Topp Way in the 1980s

The Howcroft

wanderlust wrote:The Howcroft

The Howcroft pub is not on that photo.

It's hiding under "Click"  you pedantic knob

wanderlust wrote:It's hiding under "Click"  you pedantic knob

You are right but it still isn't on the picture - the 'click' facility thingy is an addition to the photo not an overwrite of it - Biggie set up the facility on the site when we first started the forum.

I used to live around the Howcroft area (Norpig did too I believe) so I knew right away that the Howcroft wasn't shown on the photo (although you can see part of the bowling green which had to be partially re-sited when Topp Way was built).

Fwiw, the Royal on Vernon Street just around the corner from the Howcroft more or less, was probably the last pub I was in, in Bolton - quite a few years back now.

There was the Cotton Tree on Prince street which is not too far from there.

I think that pub has gone now as well.

There used to be closer pubs to the Howcroft and Royal than the Cotton Tree.

There used to be the Popular on Vernon Street which closed in the late sixties / early seventies time and if you went Davenport Street way there was the Rock Hotel and the Licensed Victualler's Club, before you got to the Cotton Tree (which used to be my Uncle Tommy's local - well he was actually my mothers uncle in fact).

If you went the other way the Farmers Arms on Chorley Street, facing the entrance to Bolton Royal and The Crofters at the junction of Chorley New and Old Roads would have been closer too.

I hope Norpig sees this thread as this is the area he was brought up as a kiddie.

Walked down St Georges road many a time to go into town. Used to drink on Chorley Old Road and would go down to the Crofters. Went in the Farmers a few times as well but all long gone now.

Stangely enough never went in the Howcroft, we always thought it was an old mans pub.

I can remember being left in the car for a couple of hours with my brother while my Dad went for a drink or two at the first pub on Vernon St after turning off from St Georges Road but can't remember the name?

Imagine doing that now! The 70's were a bit different 

Norpig wrote:Walked down St Georges road many a time to go into town. Used to drink on Chorley Old Road and would go down to the Crofters. Went in the Farmers a few times as well but all long gone now.

Stangely enough never went in the Howcroft, we always thought it was an old mans pub.

I can remember being left in the car for a couple of hours with my brother while my Dad went for a drink or two at the first pub on Vernon St after turning off from St Georges Road but can't remember the name?

Imagine doing that now! The 70's were a bit different 

That would be the Royal Hotel which is the one I've been talking about and which I believe is still going.

I remember three pubs on Vernon Street, the Royal on the left as you are heading up Vernon Street, The Popular on the right and the 'Cally' (The Caledonian) on the left  before you got to Merehall Road.

Both the local barbers and local pie shop were also on Vernon Street and the paper shop and butchers on Merehall Road.

Happy memories of growing up around there!

Its all newish housing and flats on Vernon St now Sluffy so changed a lot even since i was a kid. I remember my Granny and Grandad on my Dads side had a flat on Merehall Drive near the junction of Gaskell St and Brownlow Way in the 70's

Norpig wrote:Its all newish housing and flats on Vernon St now Sluffy so changed a lot even since i was a kid. I remember my Granny and Grandad on my Dads side had a flat on Merehall Drive near the junction of Gaskell St and Brownlow Way in the 70's

Yes I'm old enough to have seen much of it built!

The whole area from St Georges Road through to Halliwell Road and from Gaskell Street/Brownlow Way through to School Hill was basically all knocked down and rebuilt in my lifetime even before I left Bolton to come down south.

I remember for instance Vernon Street dogs home, the old Gaskell Street Primary school, Skagen court flats being built, the Cotton Tree being built and the Brownlow Way shopping precinct being built with the Casino, the snooker club and the social club! I used to go swimming in Moss Street baths and play on Mere Hall Park (even before the youth club cabin was built there!).

The Street where I lived was one of those knocked down to make way for Brownlow Way and we moved into the new council houses they had just built nearby at the time.

Some of our older neighbours moved into the flats exactly where your grandparents lived and they all probably knew each other!

Happy days they were for me, long time ago now though!

Spent a lot of time on Brownlow Way precinct as my other Granny had a warden controlled flat right next to it so was in the newsagents, the chippy and the supermarket a lot. When i was older i went playing snooker at Rileys with my Brother. All gone unfortunately but as you said lots of happy memories from round there. The only thing left is the club on the corner, now called the Roundhouse.

Norpig wrote:Spent a lot of time on Brownlow Way precinct as my other Granny had a warden controlled flat right next to it so was in the newsagents, the chippy and the supermarket a lot. When i was older i went playing snooker at Rileys with my Brother. All gone unfortunately but as you said lots of happy memories from round there. The only thing left is the club on the corner, now called the Roundhouse.

Small world, my mam had a warden control flat facing the Precinct (well the church really) after my dad died on Camrose Gardens so there's a fair chance that they may even have known each others perhaps!

The first ever bar job I had was in the Spinners on the precinct - and I was under age at the time!

Happy days indeed!

Wasn't Remploy at the bottom of St George's? My "auntie's" friend was disabled and worked there. Think I went to a gig there when it moved/closed but maybe my memory is playing tricks again.

I always knew it to have been on Manchester Road unless it relocated there.

wanderlust wrote:Wasn't Remploy at the bottom of St George's? My "auntie's" friend was disabled and worked there. Think I went to a gig there when it moved/closed but maybe my memory is playing tricks again.

My mate's brother worked at Remploy. Got a vague memory of it and I'm sure there was one on Manchester road.

The same mate got a job polishing coffins, and I'm sure that was on Manchester road too.

wanderlust wrote:Wasn't Remploy at the bottom of St George's? My "auntie's" friend was disabled and worked there. Think I went to a gig there when it moved/closed but maybe my memory is playing tricks again.

I knew it as the blind school back in the day and was the building at the junction of  Marsden Road and St Georges on the western side.

You couldn't see into the building but there always seemed to be wicker baskets in the window.

I also seem to remember once reading in the BEN about some youth jumping over the wall on Marsden Road not realising it was a bridge - he survived!

Sluffy wrote:

I knew it as the blind school back in the day and was the building at the junction of  Marsden Road and St Georges on the western side.

You couldn't see into the building but there always seemed to be wicker baskets in the window.

I also seem to remember once reading in the BEN about some youth jumping over the wall on Marsden Road not realising it was a bridge - he survived!

That's the building. I remember the workshops for the blind bit, but I have it in my head that there was some link to Remploy - despite knowing about the Manchester Rd site.

The first picture is actually quite famous for having a topless women hanging out of a window if you can zoom in enough. Or get your hands on the full size version.