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T08 – Summary

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T08 Mrs Amy Greenhalgh

Childhood in Ramsbottom

 

Recorded 17/01/1988

Length 00:46:33

 

  • Speaker reminisces about childhood in Ramsbottom, detailing local shops and community life.
  • Describes various shops, including grocery and chip shops, and the market scene.
  • Mentions school experiences, including teachers and daily routines.
  • Discusses leisure activities, such as playing games and attending the cinema.
  • Shares anecdotes about family life, including parents' work in cotton mills and community events.
  • Highlights the impact of historical events, like World War I, on local life.

 

Overview

This is an oral history recording of Mrs. Amy Greenhalgh (née Entwistle), recalling her early life in Ramsbottom, Lancashire. She describes her childhood, local landmarks, community life, work in the cotton mills, wartime experiences, and social customs. The conversation, led by an interviewer (Judith), vividly captures working-class life from the early 20th century through the post-war years.

  1. Early Life and Family Background
  • Amy was born and raised at 32 Rector Street, Ramsbottom, later moving to Carr Street and then Up Tanners.
  • She recalls the shops and houses in Rector and Carr Streets:
    • Mrs. Shaw’s grocery shop, Brocklebank’s chip shop, Kelly’s toffee shop, and other small traders.
  • She fondly remembers playing as a child in communal yards, hanging washing on lines behind the houses, and exploring local woods and tunnels (such as one under Holcombe Hill).
  1. Childhood Activities and Local Places
  • She attended Holcombe Sunday School and joined the Girl Guides, often trekking on the moors.
  • Local landmarks mentioned: Tenter Woods, Postnos Quarry, Plantation View, and Judith Spout – a local spring said to provide the purest water, believed to have healing properties.
  • Families would picnic near Judith Spout and Fisher’s Farm.
  1. Schooling
  • Started school at age three at St Paul’s School in Ramsbottom.
  • Teachers included Miss Hassall, Miss Whitaker, Mrs Cook, Mrs Parkin (“Penny Parkin”), and Headmaster Mr Price.
  • She recalls early lessons, playtime in sandpits and dollhouses, and nap times on raffia mats.
  • School hours were 9am–4pm, with an hour for lunch. Children were often frightened of strict discipline.
  1. Leisure and Entertainment
  • Before cinema visits were allowed, Amy listened to radio dramas like The Man in Black and Paul Temple.
  • Typical weekly routine as an adult:
    • Monday, Wednesday, Friday: cinema (“pictures”)
    • Tuesday: washing night
    • Thursday: cleaning and ironing
  • Collected jam jars and bottles for money; shopkeepers refunded deposits (a penny or halfpenny per jar).
  1. Local Markets and Shops
  • The Saturday market outside the Grant’s Arms Hotel was a highlight, with stalls for greengrocers (Reeves’s), confectioners (Kay’s), and butchers.
  • Describes a fountain with gargoyle heads for horses to drink from.
  • Remembers Jack McAvoy, a local trader who sold ribbons and later moved to Blackpool.
  1. Community and Street Life
  • Local men congregated on Parker’s shop steps on Saturdays, buying leftover bones from butchers to make broth and drinking at the Newmarket pub.
  • Alcohol was cheap—a penny a glass of whisky—and pubs closed at 10pm.
  • Children played kick-out ball, marbles, and top-and-whip, often in the street.
  • The Grant’s Arms pub was said to be haunted by locals.
  1. Work and Industry
  • Amy’s father “Little Joel” was a spinner at Halstead’s Cotton Mill, walking daily in his clogs.
  • He worked barefoot on oily mill floors, keeping his feet smooth.
  • Describes the dangerous machinery (“wheel gate”) used in spinning and recalls fatal accidents.
  • Her mother worked as a winder in the mills, often “working sick” (sharing shifts under one name).
  • Amy began work at Robinson’s Mill (The Flan) at age 14, earning 15 shillings a week.
    • Her first purchase: silver dance shoes.
    • Worked in the “fent room,” sorting and weighing fabric offcuts.
  1. The Cotton Trade and Decline
  • She explains how raw cotton was processed and the difficulty removing black seeds.
  • Mentions Old Ground Mill, Rose Mill, and Cobden Mill in Ramsbottom.
  • The Old Ground had an underground water system leading to Kebro Lodge.
  • Says the cotton trade declined after Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Lancashire, when weaving knowledge was transferred to India.
  • Describes Reddish’s Dye Works, which could uniquely produce true black and khaki dyes due to local water quality.
  1. War and Domestic Life
  • Recalls her mother’s tale of a Zeppelin raid during WWI: a bomb hit Oak Mill, injuring only one man and killing a hare that was later displayed in Holcombe School.
  • During WWII, furniture, clothing, and carpets required ration tokens; newlyweds could only get one carpet square.
  • Describes pre-war home life: scrubbing stone floors, using felt paper instead of carpets, and donkey-stoning flags.
  1. Marriage and Later Life
  • Met Ken, an electrician at Orn’s Locomotive Works, who was kept out of the army due to munitions work.
  • Married at Holcombe Church at age 22, after seven years of courting.
  • Her wedding dress was self-designed—white velvet and chiffon made by a local tailor, Mrs Hodgkinson.
  • Reception held at the Shoulder of Mutton; honeymooned in Blackpool, travelling on the “midnight train.”
  • Ken later worked at Reddish’s Dye Works and Kirklees, where Amy also sewed Marks & Spencer underwear.
  1. Everyday Anecdotes
  • Told humorous stories about:
    • Having teeth pulled in the pub yard by “Enoch the landlord” using pliers.
    • Her mother kicking the toilet to scare off rats in outdoor privies.
    • Black peas vendor Mr Manders, who sold snacks from a yoke with tin tubs.
  • At Kirklees, the waste by-product from acetate manufacturing was sold to Walls Ice Cream as filler—people refused to eat Walls’ products afterward.
  1. Festivals and Social Traditions
  • The annual Sunday School Whitsun Walks were major events.
    • Processions visited Aitken Sanatorium, singing hymns, and children received an apple or orange from villagers.
    • Later years saw the walks replaced by day trips for Guides and Brownies.
  1. Reflection and Tone

Amy’s recollections blend humour, nostalgia, and realism, offering a vivid portrait of working-class Ramsbottom. Her memories reveal:

  • Strong community bonds
  • Hardship offset by resilience and creativity
  • The gradual modernization of domestic life
  • The decline of Lancashire’s cotton industry

 

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