Fol-de-Rol-flick back

THOUGH it had a rather snooty-sounding ancient nickname, there was nothing posh about Fol-de-Rol Row!

It consisted of a string of humble terraced dwellings which graced the Parr scene for more than a century. The cottages stood below street level, so that their front doors could only be reached by descending a series of steps.

One who remembers it well is former St Helens publican Fred Worrall who was born in that old row, along Chancery Lane and on the opposite side to Boardmans Lane. Fred is among a cluster of readers who responded to a request on this old page for any details about that historic settlement.

The plea came from Susan Helsby of Haresfinch and her partner Ged Marsden, who were about to take over the licence of the old Hen and Chickens pub, closed and shuttered in recent times. They'd been considering a possible name change as part of the re-launch and a number of local old-timers had made reference to 'Fol-Dol Row', a shortened version of the original ancient nickname.

But before putting Fol-Dol on the short-list, Susan and Ged wanted some additional details.

Among those who kindly responded were Fred Worrall, now of Monkswood Close, Warrington; Nancy Harrison of Windsor Road, Ashton; Ronnie Lyon of Charnwood Street, Parr; and Bill Hughes of Haydock Lane, Haydock.

Fred Worrall also chips in with an interesting anecdote which should tweak the memories of upper-age Parrers. "My mother used to tell of a lady who lived in one of those old houses (or maybe it was a shop) who sold a special potion. It was a pale yellow liquid, fed to restless and cranky babies.

"Just one dose would put them to sleep for hours," adds Fred. "Maybe someone remembers the lady and her potion by name?" (It certainly sounds to have been a highly-risky cure to me!)

And Fred signs off: "As far as a replacement name for the Hen and Chickens, how about The Chancery (in honour of the ancient lane)? As an ex-licensee of pubs in St Helens, may I wish the new couple every success."

Nancy Harrison chimes in with a fascinating theory as to how Fol-de-Rol Row became so dubbed. "My father, Stanley Bradbury, was born in one of the cottages, but sadly died two years ago, aged 80. However, he did once tell me the origins of the nickname.

"It seems that many years ago, a troupe of travelling entertainers, called the Fol-de-Rols, used to perform at the far end of the row of cottages. Their position, below street level, meant that it was a sheltered spot and the gable wall at the end became the backdrop for their stage."

Proud Parrer Ronnie Lyon takes us on a sentimental trip back in time. "I was born in Chancery Lane," he writes, "and the cottages were apparently built during the early 19th-century to house the families of miners working at Greenall's Colliery (known during my childhood as Mile Pit)."

Ronnie then sets off on his look-back saunter around the Fol-de-Rol district, starting at the Co-op, across the road from the Bulls Head pub, there pausing to recall the old Parr Library . . . "a magnificent piece of early 20th-century architecture now gone forever."

He glances towards Nunn Street, housing the YWCA Building, where he spent many a childhood evening. "The street," he points out, "was named after the Rev. Patrick Nunn, administrator of St Peter's School, demolished before I was born." Local cobbler Tommy Twist once banged away on his last at a shop on the corner of Tickle Street. And not far away, at the flooded Mile Pit, Ronnie spent his 1950s boyhood summers searching for frogs and newts, and the winters skating across its frozen surface - unaware of the extreme dangers.

The Methodist Church, standing since about 1864, was followed by the little general store of Bob Harrison, who coped well despite having only one arm.

"Facing our house was Broadbent's radio shop," Ronnie strides on, "my father used to disappear into that shop occasionally to have our wireless set fixed."

Leyland's chipshop came next and in the two "big houses" close by lived the Boardmans and the Schofields. "Adjoining these was a short row of low-level cottages which had to be frequently baled out after becoming flooded by severe rainfall."

Next on the short hike back in time came a couple of cottages, occupied by the Chesworth family and by a Mrs Warburton. "These were set back from the roadway and had lovely gardens."

An "awesome-looking structure" then loomed up. It had once been the Royal Oak pub, says Ronnie, and although it closed for pint-pulling business around 1938, it was still being used as a private residence by a family named Connolly.

"Next in line came Fol-Dol Row, fronted by a wall of stone slabs," he adds. "It began at street level, but by the time it ended, near the Hen and Chickens, it was well below." The legendary Councillor Margaret Shard is said to have once occupied the tiny cottage connected to the original pub.

"The land upon which Fol-Dol Row actually stood, was probably less than 100 yards in length," says Ronnie. "But the mention of it will always inspire a few reminiscences and bring a smile to the faces of the older generation from Parr."

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