Earlestown – Newton-le-Willows – Burtonwood

The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Earlestown

24 September 202428 September 2024 Steven Dowd

St. John the Baptist, Earlestown

A Brief History with details of some of the individuals involved with the Church between 1878 to 1932 Some sixty or seventy years ago Earlestown was a small but growing collection of houses, built to meet the needs of the workers at the Viaduct Wagon Works and situated in the parish of Newton-in-Makerfield, the nearest Church being that of Emmanuel, Wargrave. As the works extended and a large increase of population became resident, Canon Whitley, then Rector of Wargrave, seeing the necessity of providing religious services and instruction, erected an…

1891: THE SANKEY VIADUCT DIVE.

9 September 202428 September 2024 Steven Dowd

Sankey Viaduct - Tommy Burns

TOMMY BURNS’ ATTEMPTED DIVE: Completed by local Collier.Newton and Earlestown Guardian – Friday 13 November 1891 The inhabitants of Earlestown, Newton and surrounding district were considerably moved last week end by the startling announcement that Tommy Burns, the champion diver, who has gained such notoriety around Liverpool, Runcorn and district by his swimming and diving feats, would dive off the Viaduct Bridge or “Nine Arches,” on Saturday afternoon at three o’clock. The bridge is nearly 70 feet high, while the water in the canal is only about seven feet deep,…

1875: St Johns, A New Church for Earlestown

28 August 202428 September 2024 Steven Dowd

With the church approaching it’s 150th year, I thought this newspaper account from its foundation stone ceremony would be of interest Liverpool Weekly Mercury – Saturday 07 August 1875 LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE. On Wednesday, the little town of Earlestown, in the parish of Newton-in-Makerfield, was the scene of no little excitement, being the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of a new church, to be called St. John the Baptist’s, which is about to be erected in the locality. The day was observed as a general…

Earlestown’s Brunswick Road Mission

1 November 20231 November 2023 Steven Dowd

From Mission to Church The City Mission Movement: it was discovered that the poor would listen in great number’ provided they were not asked to enter a church” (Owen Chadwick, The Victoria Church, Part Il, P .286). Our Church has its origins in the City Mission Movement of the last Century. The Town Mission in Earlestown began in 1875 as an outreach from the Manchester City Mission. As the Industrial Revolution progressed, great cities, like Manchester, mushroomed with vast working populations overnight. The whole social structure of Britain was changed…

The Irish Club, Earlestown, ’50 Years’ Golden Jubilee 1888-1939.

30 October 20231 November 2023 Steven Dowd

We go back fifty years. From the four Provinces beyond the sea have come exiles of Erin, settling in and around the district of Newton-in-Makerfield. They are not here of their own desire. They have been forced to leave their native land to earn a livelihood. Strangers in a strange land, they are God’s creatures, with the right to live. They are the poorest of the poor in this world’s goods, but in their poverty they are richly endowed with the spirit of faith, self-sacrifice, and affection, one towards another.…

Steam-Boiler Explosion at Newton

28 December 20134 July 2020 Steven Dowd

There was a Great Loss of Life by a Steam-Boiler Explosion at Newton.. 22nd Sept 1838 We regret to inform that the Viaduct Foundry on the Manchester & Liverpool Line of Railway at Newton in the Willows, the property of Messrs, Jones, Turner, and Evens, was on MOnday morning last the scene of a dreadful and fatal steam-boiler explosion, by which eight persons are already dead, and two others are lying without much hope of recovery. It appears that Messrs Jones & Co. employ about 200 men, and in the…

Earlestown War memorial – unveiled by Lord Newton.

28 December 201328 December 2013 Steven Dowd

On Saturday afternoon, at Earlestown, Lord Newton unveiled a memorial of the South African war, which has been erected outside the Town Hall in honour of fifty men of Newton-in-Makerfield who volunteered for service in that historic struggle. The cost of the monument, about £360, is defrayed out of the local fund started in 1899 for the relief of necessitous cases arising out of such service. Much of the money was contributed by working men, and happily out of £991 raised it was found necessary to distribute only £215 in…

George & Robert Stephenson

19 April 201819 April 2018 Steven Dowd

THE LIFE OF George Stephenson and his son Robert Stephenson Comprising also a history of the invention and introduction of the railway locomotive. By Samual Smiles With Portraits and Numerous Illustrations. [iii] PREFACE. The present is a revised edition of the Life of George Stephenson and of his son Robert Stephenson, to which is prefixed a history of the Railway and the Locomotive in its earlier stages, uniform with the early history of the Steam-engine given in vol. iv. of “Lives of the Engineers” containing the memoirs of Boulton and…

Autobiography of Garret Ronayne

6 September 201322 December 2013 Steven Dowd

An old Indian Mutiny Veteran, who served diligently and faithfully throughout the mutiny of 1857-1858. Having been asked by several, of my friends to give a short sketch of my eventful career, I have pleasure in dedicating to them my autobiography in the hope that they will at last confirm a statement I have often made, that I am a most singular man. As it is about fifty-eight years ago since my enlisting in the army, I must respectfully request that my readers will forgive me for any mistakes I…

Everton V Earlestown

1 January 201322 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Here are a few more facts about Earlestown FC 1899-00 Joined Lancashire League 1903 Lancashire League closed down 1903-04 Joined Lancashire Combination as founder members of new Division 2 Lancashire Combination Division Two runner-up Promoted to Division One 1906 Relegated to Division Two 1906-07 Lancashire Combination Division Two runner-up Promoted to Division One SEASON LEAGUE P W D L F A P POS 1899-00 LANCS 28 7 5 16 40 64 19 11/15 1900-01 LANCS 20 8 3 9 31 45 19 8/11 1901-02 LANCS 24 12 5 7 54…

Some Earlestown Sporting History

21 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

My father, a supporter in the 1880s often spoke to me about the team in those early days. The playing field was at the back of the Swan Hotel, on Newton Common. He was present on this ground when the famous Preston North End Invincibles played Earlestown and beat the local team 19-0. I understand the record score for the Noah End was beating Hyde 26-0.! Earlestown also played Everton in the 1880s can you imagine it? A team from Earlestown playing against Everton in a cup final. Well, that…

Newton & Earlestown in 1895

15 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

I do not guarantee that my transcription doesn’t include some pretty basic mistakes, apart from my poor typing ability and bad spelling, some pages were very marked making them hard to read. I hope this transcribed text will be well received, its easily searched with the find on page facility included with most any web browsers from the browsers edit menu. There are two sections to this article, Newton-le-Willows is the top one, and Earlestown is the lower one, Hope you find them useful. NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS (SEE ALSO EARLESTOWN), INCLUDING ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD…

Earlestown & Newton in 1890

10 August 201222 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Bridge Street Earlestown

And now let us take a walk round Earlestown and Newton and see what it was like about 1890. Immediately to the left of Earlestown Station was a large open space where the shops now stand and which was a common playground for the youth of the neighbourhood. That side of the street has changed very little, except that the shops at the top have all been altered and had new fronts put in to meet changed conditions. On the other side, starting at the bottom, there was Mr. Attfields…

Earlestown Market 1938

11 January 201122 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Market successful despite removal Trading centre provided for new town. Prosperous council undertaking at Earlestown Having commenced the story in the middle and glanced at the finish to see the happy ending it would now be appropriate to look at the opening chapter of the story and see how it began. From very remote times Newton-in-Makerfield has held a very important position. It stands on the northern road between Warrington and Wigan and about the same distance from both. In the days when Saxon kings ruled over the island it…

The Story of Vicars

31 October 201022 December 2013 Steven Dowd

Around a year ago, I compiled from different sources a history on one of Earlestowns oldest firms, T & T Vicars, somehow, the article has been lost from the database, probably when the website changed Servers some months ago, for those interested, here again is the missing history article The year 1849 has been generally accepted as the foundation year of the firm of T & T Vicars, but it is possible that the partnership was formed even earlier than this. The story began when Thomas Vicars, son of an…