Gradely folk from historic town A COUPLE, newly-moved into the Earlestown district, have quickly discovered something that I have always known - that the folks from that neck of the woods are a right gradely lot!

Yvonne Charlton and her partner, Rob Mattocks, have rapidly blended into the Earlestonian way of life. So much so that they have developed an appetite to learn more about the famous old railway town's history.

Writing from their new address, 312 Earle Street, they say: "We are not from these parts, so if any of your readers can help us put a bit of local history together, regarding our immediate and surrounding areas, we would be very grateful.

"We would love to know the origins of the area - for example, how Earle Street got its name and who may have lived in our house in days of yore."

They have discovered that their house, set in a row of four, was built in 1901. And judging by the standard of workmanship, they believe that whoever erected the dwellings did so with no expense spared.

"Perhaps someone's grandparents may have lived in the street, if not our house, and may be able to provide recollections."

And the partners, who say they are now dedicated fans of this old page, sign off cheerfully: "This is a delightful area to live in and we have found the locals to be polite and friendly."

Well, I think that I can set the ball rolling by suggesting that Yvonne and Rob should try to acquire copies of locally-born author Barry Carman's two-volume publications, 'Earlestown: Yesterdays of a Railway Town.'

These superior local-history offerings, costing about a fiver each, carry a wealth of easy-to-digest information and a splendid selection of pictures reaching deep into history, plus flashback photos from more recent decades. There's more than enough stuff within the shiny pages.

Just to be going on with, though, let's put that Earle Street question in focus. It was named (as was the town of Earlestown) in honour of pioneer rail tycoon Sir Hardman Earle (1792-1877).

In 1853, the London and North Western Railway, under the direction of the Warrington-educated Sir Hardman, leased a small works known as the Viaduct Foundry. This was named because of its closeness to George Stephenson's famous Viaduct spanning the St Helens Canal.

The works expanded into one of the biggest carriage and wagon works in Britain (booming until it was axed by the savage Dr Beeching Report on British Railways in 1964). The rail town built around it grew and flourished, becoming a significant base for a cluster of major industries.

BUT I shan't steal Barry Carman's thunder. Anyone with a thirst to learn more should try to grab copies of his splendid publications.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.