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T26 Mrs Irene Green and Dorothy Farnell
St Paul’s school , work and community
Born – Dorothy 06/05/1921
Recorded 05/07/1999
Length 00:45:55
- Speakers: Irene and Dorothy, cousins from Ramsbottom.
- Childhood Memories:
- Born at 5 Carr Street, Ramsbottom.
- o Family history includes sweet-making and motorbike repairs. Descriptions of living conditions, schools, and local shops.
- School Experiences:
- Attended St. Paul's School with various teachers.
- Shared anecdotes about friends and school activities.
- Community Life: Mention of local events, markets, and family traditions.
- Work History: Jobs in mills and shops, reflecting on early work experiences.
Family & Early Life
- Speakers: Irene and her cousin Dorothy (née Kay, later Farnell).
- Both were born at 5 Carr Street, Ramsbottom, later moving nearby (Dorothy to 20 Carr Street).
- Family included Auntie Florrie Hare, Uncle Percy Hare (motorbike repairer, window cleaner, sweet-maker), and other Hare brothers (Albert, William, Fred) who made and sold boiled sweets in Bury Market before working at Cotterell’s meat shop.
- Homes described vividly: small kitchens, sheds full of motorbikes, unusual toilets, cellars, and iron fireplaces with side boilers. Auntie Florrie’s front room had plants, a piano, and stuffed animals.
Daily Life & Community
- Grandfather’s market stalls stored at home; Dorothy and Irene helped move them.
- Market life central: penny stalls, toys, sweets, meat pies, sausages.
- Dorothy recalls different homes (Carr Street, Calendar Yard) with cooking traditions (heart cakes, finny haddock).
- Strict household rules: shared bedrooms, no pets (except rabbits and doves kept by Dorothy’s brother).
School Days (St. Paul’s, Ramsbottom)
- Teachers remembered in detail:
- Miss Hassall (kind, comforted children).
- Mrs. Metcalf (linked to Metcalf’s Box Works).
- Mrs. Cook (“Ratty Cook”) – strict with ruler.
- Miss Parkin – plants in classroom.
- Miss West – reward/penalty system.
- Mr. Lindley – favourite teacher, wrote school song.
- Mr. Price – strict, used ruler as punishment.
- Dorothy excelled academically but couldn’t attend grammar school for financial reasons.
- Childhood illnesses: Irene contracted diphtheria, quarantined for 4 weeks at Florence Nightingale Hospital, Bury. Nurses wore navy uniforms, used red blankets. She recalled great suffering, no visitors, and one child dying.
Games & Leisure
- Children’s games: cricket, kick-out ball, hopscotch, tops & whips, diablo, rounders.
- Whit Friday walks with bands and fairs.
- Visits to Holcombe Hill & Peel Tower (Good Friday highlight): Easter egg rolling, Wimberry (bilberry) picking, funfair, stories of executions at “Shoulder of Mutton” stone.
- Baths: long walks to outdoor pools with penny admission, bathing in spare underwear.
- Sunday school, park outings, and youth dances at Liberal Club and New Jerusalem Church with the Rhythm Boys band.
Shops & Businesses in Ramsbottom
- Long, detailed walk-through of shops remembered in sequence:
- Herbalists, confectioners, clinics, post office, banks, butchers, pubs, Co-ops, sweet shops, pie shops, chemists, furniture stores, libraries, coal offices, fishmongers, drapers, ironmongers, shoe shops, grocers, barbers, tripe shops, dress shops, markets, and cinemas (Royal and Empire).
- Personal anecdotes: stealing butter corners from Maypole shop, being given pork crackling at butchers, mishaps with knitting wool, mix-up at Isherwood’s furniture vs. jewellery shop.
Work & Adulthood
- Dorothy’s working life:
- First job at Shepherd’s Tower Mill (folding and packing towels, later cutting).
- Moved to Porritts Mill (better conditions).
- War work: insulating materials factory making mica sheets for aircraft/ship engines.
- Later worked in shops after marriage at 21.
- Social life as teens: cinema trips (Royal/Empire), dances, boyfriends, sneaking about to avoid strict parents.
Key Themes
- Strong sense of community and family ties.
- Detailed memory of place – shops, schools, homes, markets.
- Working-class childhood in 1920s–40s Ramsbottom: hardships, illnesses, modest pleasures.
- Traditions like Good Friday Holcombe Hill climb, Whit walks, Easter egg rolling.
- Importance of local characters (doctors, teachers, shopkeepers).
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