ALICE Ingham was born in Burnley in 1894, into a world of gas lights, mills and games of hopscotch.

Today, 115 years on, Looking Back can take a peep into Victorian Burnley through an essay she wrote about her childhood.

Alice was born in Kendal Street, Westgate, and was one of the first scholars at Coal Clough School when it opened in 1900.

She wrote: “In those days girls wore big, white, starched pinafores and on blowy days we would hold on to the corners and let the wind take us ‘full sail’, down Ulster Street to lessons, where we wrote on slates in wooden frames.

“If we were ever late we got the cane and had to nurse our smarting hands for the rest of the day.

“We had inspection parades for cleanest hands and shoes and we were very proud of our appearance.

“For playtime ‘eats’ I used to take oatmeal and sugar in an envelope.”

Alice continues: “After school we played whip and top, hopscotch or with hoops which we knocked with a stick along the streets. Boys played marbles and we also put a rope on the gas lamp or across the back gate for a swing. Other games included bobbies and burglars or window knocking.”

She remembered coalmen used ply their trade along the back streets, with sacks for 10d, while the farmers arrived at the front, twice a day, selling milk in huge cans, which was ladled out into customers' jugs.

Barrel organs, sometimes with chained monkeys, used to come on to the back streets and the children danced to the music. They were followed by dancing bears, but Alice was always frightened of these huge animals and sat on the stairs at home until they moved on.

Alice remembered the sound of the mill workers’ clogs on the cobbles at 5.30am and the knocker-up, who collected 2d from every customer, including her dad, every Friday.

Friday was pay day and people would buy groceries from the Co-op. Alice was given a penny to spend.

On Saturday mother would take her into town shopping at Cheap John’s bazaar in Hammerton Street, or the bazaar in St James’ Street.

Once finished, they would catch the horse-drawn bus home. Alice remembered the ‘awful’ steam trams, which cost 2d to travel up Westgate and 1d down.

On Mondays an auction market would take place around in the cattle market, selling all kinds of quack medicine, clocks and umbrellas.

One landmark she particularly remembered was the ‘Gormless’ gaslight at the bottom of Manchester Road.