Ron Freethy's England: Barrowford

LAST week I visited Barrowford's Pendle Heritage Centre in the company of its Graphic Designer, John Westwell.

John suggested that if I wanted to know more about East Lancashire's industrial history I should visit Colne Library and talk to Christine Bradley. When I met Christine I was not quite sure whether I was in the reference library, a well-run museum or on a literary tour of the works of Robert Neil.

Robert Neil wrote Mist Over Pendle but he also wrote The Song of Sunrise, which tells the story of life in Colne when the cotton factories first began.

From now until January the library is hosting an exhibition about the life and times of the Shaw family, who were prominent in the days of cotton.

Robert Neil was related to the Shaws and for this reason Song of Sunrise is as much a history book as a novel.

It was first printed as a hardback volume but it was later reprinted in paperback.

Unfortunately it was renamed The Mills of Colne, which has caused confusion because some think that there are two separate volumes. Christine Bradley said the library had copies of Songs of Sunrise but no copy of the paperback The Mills of Colne. Can any reader help by donating a copy so that the records can be kept?

As well as the history of the Shaws during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, there are also many other bits and pieces relating to the history of Colne.

There are memories of Wallace Hartley, the bandmaster aboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

Wallace bravely played on as the waves closed in around him.

Christine also showed me the town stocks, which are unusual in the sense that they could cope with three wrongdoers at once.

The stocks were also almost unique in that they could be moved around on wheels.

By far the brightest object on display is the mayoral gas lamp.

At one time, each mayor of the town was given his own gas lamp over his door and one of these magnificent ornaments has been preserved.

All towns should follow Colne's example and glory in their history.

What a joy it would be if each library in the country had a corner where historical items could be displayed instead of being destroyed or confined to a dusty cupboard.

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