HORSES were a common sight in and about Blackburn until the 1950s as they made deliveries round the town's streets.

This superb photograph was taken in the 1940s and shows the horses and their handlers from the Bolton Road railway depot in Blackburn.

As cargo came in by train the horses were responsible for delivering it to local shops and factories.

It would be hard work pulling a full load up hill and the story goes that if the policeman on point duty half way up one street stopped the wagon in full flow the driver would have to reverse all the way back to the bottom and start the climb again.

Many came to realise it was much more convenient to stop the other traffic and let the horse plod its way upwards!

At weekends, the animals were also often groomed and decorated to appear at agricultural shows and fairs.

The handlers would often sleep in the stables the night before a show to ensure they came to no harm.

The fourth handler from the left is Arnold Sharratt, who lived in Marlton Road and his son-in-law, Joe Smith, who sent Looking Back this picture, is interested to know the names of the other handlers, if anyone can identify them.