|
My dad, Bill Mullock spent fifty odd
years of his life walking and photographing the canal and when
I was a child in the 1940's and 50's it was common to walk, on
Sunday afternoons from Radcliffe to Bury. We went on to the towpath
at the Royal Oak and walked to the Farmer's Arms ( now Benny's
night club ) for a lemonade as we were Methodists. We passed
the Sunday School Field, which is now part of Coney Green High
School's playing fields, where each Whit Friday the whole church
and Sunday School of the Radcliffe Branch of the Independent
Methodist Church were transported on wagons and carts for the
annual 'field-day' and cricket match. The ball often went into
the 'cut' so play was held up until it had been retrieved. Don't
ask why they didn't have a spare ball ! Maybe they liked to live
dangerously.!
Sometimes we turned off the towpath and walked past the prisoner
of war camp at Warth ( now Macpherson's Paint Factory ) where
I had to give up some of my sweet rations to prisoners in there.
They were mainly Italian and Polish and my dad became friends
with a prisoner called Sensale ( I cannot remember his first
name.) My dad remained friends with him for many years and even
went to family weddings with my mum and always returned home
with bottles of Marsala wine.. and they were Methodists !!.
My other memory is of walking in the other direction from Little
Lever ( Ladyshore ) to Farnworth Fair where my uncle Matt bought
mussels. We kids were with family and friends and after a ride
on the swing boats we would set off to walk back to Little Lever
by the light of lanterns on poles. Nobody fell in and the mussel
butties that my uncle Matt used to make were second to none -
lovely grub! After getting married and moving to Bury, I always
walked to and from Radcliffe to my parents' house along the canal.
I even pushed my daughter's pram along the towpath, on good days,
to visit my parents and parents-in-law. Now,I sometimes venture
down there on my bike. I can ride quite confidently to Radcliffe
on the paving stones at the edge...but I can't ride them on the
return journey...scared of falling in !!
Joyce Fowler (nee Mullock ) 31/10/99 |
