T64 – Summary – Ramsbottom Heritage Society

The transcript is an interview with Neil Clarke as transcribed by Microsoft Word and summarised by ChatGPT and subject to errors.

Born: 1928, Ramsbottom, on Ransbottom Lane near where the bus shelter is now.
Family: Youngest of four children (two sisters and a brother).
- Father: builder (outdoor worker).
- Mother: worked at Ramsbottom Paper Mill during WWII; previously cleaned at St. Paul’s vicarage.
- Brother: worked as gardener and batman for Sir Richard Porritt, local MP; later served in the army.
- Sisters: one joined the ATS in 1939, the other also worked during the war.

First job at the Wire Works near the cemetery (produced wire for aeroplanes used in WWII).
Later worked at Bradford Dyers Association (BDA) in Ramsbottom, finishing cloth (dying and treating fabric so it was suitable for suits, uniforms, etc.).
Finally worked at Stubbins/Porritt’s Mill, where he stayed until retirement at age 60, around 40 years of work.

Brother narrowly avoided Dunkirk due to a horse accident; Sir Richard Porritt was killed there.
Heavy rationing but strong community spirit — “everyone helped each other.”
Recalled severe snowfall in Edenfield (1940) where the army had to clear roads.
Soldiers were billeted locally, including in Irwell Vale.

St. Paul’s Church central to life: pantomimes, Whitsuntide walks, choirs.
Strong Good Friday tradition of walking to Peel Tower, with stalls selling sweets at Holcombe Hill.
Many churches in Ramsbottom, though many later demolished.
Bonfire Night was celebrated in multiple places with local bonfires, roasted potatoes, and neighbourhood rivalry.

Remembered the Royal Cinema/Theatre being rebuilt and also the Empire Theatre.
Railway central to travel: steam trains from Ramsbottom to Bury, Bacup, and beyond; cheap and regular service.
Where Ramsbottom swimming baths now stands, there was once a “Destructor” (refuse site) and water area children played near.

Grants Tower: remembered vividly when it collapsed in 1944; locals shocked, never rebuilt.
Peel Tower: central symbol of community traditions.
Many mills and factories, most now gone, were once key employers (cotton, paper, calico).

Lived in various parts of Ramsbottom: Bolton Street, near the Royal Cinema, Edenfield.
Always stayed local, commuting back to St. Paul’s when needed.
Saw major changes in housing, with many old terraced streets cleared for modern developments.

T64 – Summary