Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Episode 32
Tue 7th March 2017 | General | By Stewart Taylor
The destination last week was Barnoldswick Town.
The photo showed a pitch perimeter in-fill panel. Nothing particular about this one may think put the small “plaque shaped” piece in the middle is most relevant.
In a scheme which has since been taken on board by other clubs, Barnoldswick Town funded the installation of these panels by asking local individuals, companies etc. to sponsor one. Once this is done then an appropriate plaque is put onto the panel. Most have been sponsored but this one, at least, is still looking for a partner.
Still with the photograph and the more eagle eyed will have spotted, between the panel uprights, the stone wall at the far end of the pitch which is a feature of this ground.
The quick link asked for a link between the club and the TV programme American Idol.
The link is Silentnight Beds in that they are the sponsors of American Idol, have a facility in Barnoldswick and Barnoldswick Town play at the Silentnight Beds Stadium.
Our travels this week take us to a new town but not a New Town. Not for the first time we see an opening sentence which is somewhat enigmatic and, thus, designed to provoke a question. In this case - when is a new town not a New Town?
To understand this we need to consider a New Town in the sense of a town developed under the New Towns Act (1946). Examples here include Stevenage, Milton Keynes and, a bit closer to home, Telford. The objective here, post Second World War, was to relocate populations (here we could use the word “communities” but I’m not altogether sure that the word was invented back then) which had suffered from the ravages of war in the sense of bombed out housing.
Where we are today is the older, more prosaic, definition of a town which was once a seemingly random collection of settlements which gradually coalesced to become a town, hence, a new town. The name of the town comes from words of Danish origin and that Nordic link to the sporting activity in the town continues to the current day.
As with many of the towns we have visited, and will visit, this season, this one has particular resonances with me from an earlier time. Many find that as they near the end of their working careers, companies will try to use the experience of years which is vested in that individual to the benefit of younger staff members. This is a laudable objective in that the marrying of knowledge, and at least some experience with the benefit of the enthusiasm of relative youth, is valuable in taking companies forward.
Hence I found myself, briefly, in this town in what can only be described as an educational role – we may well return to this aspect in a later Episode in this series.
In the context of the above, this town houses one of the key learning centres for those interested in at least one aspect of the industrial heritage of North West England. Originally described as a “museum”, this place now calls itself a “science discovery centre” and, to be fair, the latter descriptor is most relevant as the objective is to enthuse people about science rather than simply dwell on the past as might be implied by use of the word “museum”.
It may seem odd to point out a car park as a place of interest – unless we are looking for the remains of some long ago King of England – but it is fully justified in this case. The car park here is just part of an area previously blighted by industrial wastelands, not only in terms of derelict buildings but also contaminated land.
Known generally as an island, this place was the centre of a particular industry in the UK for many years but, as we have seen before, basic industries have largely moved away from the UK to countries with lower labour costs and cheaper sources of raw materials and energy.
Massive efforts in the late 1970s and into the 1980s have restored this area to a green space which is widely admired as a place for recreation and home to many species of wildfowl.
Another recurring theme of these weekly journeys is the vibrant music scene in the North West. This green space hosted a famous concert by the Manchester band The Stone Roses in 1990. A film about that concert was released some five years or so ago.
But back to the town itself and we see today a lively place with significant traffic issues. The centre of the town boasts the usual facilities and, as can be expected, a strong focus on shopping. However, the relatively short history of the town means that there are few historic buildings. The former town hall is Grade II listed and is now occupied by a local firm of solicitors. Also of interest historically are two local railway stations which were both built in 1872.
One of these has a plaque indicating that the legendary America singer/songwriter, Paul Simon, composed one of his more famous songs, Homeward Bound, whilst waiting on the platform. The quote from Simon that "If you'd ever seen ????????, then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible" is, of course, not entirely flattering!
The sporting life of the town takes us back to the Danish origin of the name of the town. As with many of the towns in our region, football is not the only sport and, in this particular case, can be seen to be very much second to football played under an entirely different code.
The local side in this sport retains its links with the Danish in its name as did the football side but that appendage was dropped relatively recently by the exponents of the eleven-a-side game.
The football club was founded as recently as 2003 and focussed initially on junior football. A huge early achievement was the awarding of FA Charter Standard status less than 12 months after being formed. The open age side moved to the current venue in 2012 in time for their first season in the local Step 7 league and gained entry into the NWCFL the following year. The link with the Danish name of the town was dropped for the 2015-16 season.
Quick link - What links this town with Ali Hassan al-Majid who sprang to prominence in 2003?
Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Episode 32
Tue 7th March 2017 | General
By Stewart Taylor
The destination last week was Barnoldswick Town.
The photo showed a pitch perimeter in-fill panel. Nothing particular about this one may think put the small “plaque shaped” piece in the middle is most relevant.
In a scheme which has since been taken on board by other clubs, Barnoldswick Town funded the installation of these panels by asking local individuals, companies etc. to sponsor one. Once this is done then an appropriate plaque is put onto the panel. Most have been sponsored but this one, at least, is still looking for a partner.
Still with the photograph and the more eagle eyed will have spotted, between the panel uprights, the stone wall at the far end of the pitch which is a feature of this ground.
The quick link asked for a link between the club and the TV programme American Idol.
The link is Silentnight Beds in that they are the sponsors of American Idol, have a facility in Barnoldswick and Barnoldswick Town play at the Silentnight Beds Stadium.
Our travels this week take us to a new town but not a New Town. Not for the first time we see an opening sentence which is somewhat enigmatic and, thus, designed to provoke a question. In this case - when is a new town not a New Town?
To understand this we need to consider a New Town in the sense of a town developed under the New Towns Act (1946). Examples here include Stevenage, Milton Keynes and, a bit closer to home, Telford. The objective here, post Second World War, was to relocate populations (here we could use the word “communities” but I’m not altogether sure that the word was invented back then) which had suffered from the ravages of war in the sense of bombed out housing.
Where we are today is the older, more prosaic, definition of a town which was once a seemingly random collection of settlements which gradually coalesced to become a town, hence, a new town. The name of the town comes from words of Danish origin and that Nordic link to the sporting activity in the town continues to the current day.
As with many of the towns we have visited, and will visit, this season, this one has particular resonances with me from an earlier time. Many find that as they near the end of their working careers, companies will try to use the experience of years which is vested in that individual to the benefit of younger staff members. This is a laudable objective in that the marrying of knowledge, and at least some experience with the benefit of the enthusiasm of relative youth, is valuable in taking companies forward.
Hence I found myself, briefly, in this town in what can only be described as an educational role – we may well return to this aspect in a later Episode in this series.
In the context of the above, this town houses one of the key learning centres for those interested in at least one aspect of the industrial heritage of North West England. Originally described as a “museum”, this place now calls itself a “science discovery centre” and, to be fair, the latter descriptor is most relevant as the objective is to enthuse people about science rather than simply dwell on the past as might be implied by use of the word “museum”.
It may seem odd to point out a car park as a place of interest – unless we are looking for the remains of some long ago King of England – but it is fully justified in this case. The car park here is just part of an area previously blighted by industrial wastelands, not only in terms of derelict buildings but also contaminated land.
Known generally as an island, this place was the centre of a particular industry in the UK for many years but, as we have seen before, basic industries have largely moved away from the UK to countries with lower labour costs and cheaper sources of raw materials and energy.
Massive efforts in the late 1970s and into the 1980s have restored this area to a green space which is widely admired as a place for recreation and home to many species of wildfowl.
Another recurring theme of these weekly journeys is the vibrant music scene in the North West. This green space hosted a famous concert by the Manchester band The Stone Roses in 1990. A film about that concert was released some five years or so ago.
But back to the town itself and we see today a lively place with significant traffic issues. The centre of the town boasts the usual facilities and, as can be expected, a strong focus on shopping. However, the relatively short history of the town means that there are few historic buildings. The former town hall is Grade II listed and is now occupied by a local firm of solicitors. Also of interest historically are two local railway stations which were both built in 1872.
One of these has a plaque indicating that the legendary America singer/songwriter, Paul Simon, composed one of his more famous songs, Homeward Bound, whilst waiting on the platform. The quote from Simon that "If you'd ever seen ????????, then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible" is, of course, not entirely flattering!
The sporting life of the town takes us back to the Danish origin of the name of the town. As with many of the towns in our region, football is not the only sport and, in this particular case, can be seen to be very much second to football played under an entirely different code.
The local side in this sport retains its links with the Danish in its name as did the football side but that appendage was dropped relatively recently by the exponents of the eleven-a-side game.
The football club was founded as recently as 2003 and focussed initially on junior football. A huge early achievement was the awarding of FA Charter Standard status less than 12 months after being formed. The open age side moved to the current venue in 2012 in time for their first season in the local Step 7 league and gained entry into the NWCFL the following year. The link with the Danish name of the town was dropped for the 2015-16 season.
Quick link - What links this town with Ali Hassan al-Majid who sprang to prominence in 2003?
