42 replies to this topic

[gilly]

citijen, on 13 May 2009 - 06:02 PM, said:

I remember the kimmicks down Jackson St My memory does not however stretch to a couple of years ago when if I had been let out of a car I would have got lost as stated

You were being chauffered to the bingo ,with a whistlestop tour.The car was stopped at traffic lights,RIGHT outside what was once your childhood home.You looked around and asked was you close to said home.Iput it down to your prolonged exile,now i think it might be medical

[citijen]

hahaha did I win?

ah just clicked you mean Traverse St. cos there was no traffic lights in Lowe St come to think of it there wasn't much traffic either unless it was the rag n bone man.

and I only lived in Fingerpost for 3 years not quite my childhood but I will get you a cigar when next over.

Edited by citijen, 17 May 2009 - 05:21 PM.

[mickycrockett]

Davy Molyneaux was my mates Dad he was transport manager at Pickies offered me a Job washing down the wagons as they left the Kimicks.I had 3months to go at school..I was offered 60 quid a week!! That was huge in the early 70`s..The school board would not let me go!! I was sick as a pig...The Job I got 3 months later was 9 quid a week!

[SWIMMER]

We played on the kimmicks as children. One day my brother took me right on top of one and my foot went right through the soft clay at the top, not sure what it was made of, not sure I really want to know. There were to gas holders one of which my grandchildren christened "grandads tower" because he told them as a young gasfitter he had sat on the top an ate his dinner. Looking at the height of them you should see their expression. Getting back to the kimmicks we played on both lots, both were highly dangerous when you think about it,but that was just it we didn't think we played

[gilly]

SWIMMER, on 05 August 2010 - 06:30 PM, said:

We played on the kimmicks as children.my foot went right through the soft clay at the top, not sure what it was made of, not sure I really want to know. There were to gas holders one of which my grandchildren christened "grandads tower" because he told them as a young gasfitter he had sat on the top an ate his dinner. Looking at the height of them you should see their expression. Getting back to the kimmicks we played on both lots,

Are you sure it was the kimmicks,off Jackson st and not the BURGIES?Top of the kimmicks wasn't soft clay and i don't remember the gas holders?I played on both(kimmicks and burgies) at some point in my childhood .I even took a few girlfriends up the burgies and had some pleasent.........................never mind ,begining to go into too much detail ,sounding like Pete:ph34r:

[SWIMMER]

You're probably right gilly, I'm not sure which it was but I remember a white clay surrounding my foot.

[HORT]

What were the brick buildings on top of the Kimmicks?

[gangad]

i used to play on the kimmicks in the early 60s i cant remember any buildings but my memory is not the best i lived on manor st

[SWIMMER]

I don't remember any buildings on the Kimmicks, however, my husaband does he says they were stone buildings. He doesen't know what they were for maybe someone can enlighten us

[Le200]

gilly, on 05 August 2010 - 07:00 PM, said:

Are you sure it was the kimmicks,off Jackson st and not the BURGIES?Top of the kimmicks wasn't soft clay and i don't remember the gas holders?I played on both(kimmicks and burgies) at some point in my childhood .I even took a few girlfriends up the burgies and had some pleasent.........................never mind ,begining to go into too much detail ,sounding like Pete:ph34r:

The gas holder would have been the ones in Jackson St and Peasley X Lane if they were seen from the kimmicks... wouldn't they?

[SWIMMER]

My husband has a better memory than me and he says there was more than one chemical dump, and I can't remember which one it was. I have a feeling it was behind Ravenhead works, which according to my husband both gasholders can been seen from there. He should know because as a young gasfitter he had his dinner on the top of one.

[Veronica]

The Kimmicks were chemcial waste from manufacturing processes and was dumped in vast quantities at veraious places in the town.

These were in Borough Road, (now built on) a lot of the waste removed and large amounts of other meterials to make foundations for the houses brought in. They did find two very large fossiled trees under that one which they said were of national importance, but the St Helens folks never got chance to see them because they were whisked off to museums elsewhere. Harry Ockley (Hockley) used to hang around the Kimmicks otherwise known as the Galosherman" he Lived in one of the side streets off Eccleston near to the large Milk Dairy (cannot remember the name of the street right now,

The heaps in Ashcroft Street were huge waste dumps as well from the chemical manufacurings and brick making - In the 1950's if you went past on a Sunday afternoon you'd see look-outs (boys) that was because the miners after they'd been to the pub used to go up there and play pitch and toss which was illegal and the kids were there to warn if the Police arrived.

There were also some where the Old Teapot was. and then the Burgies. we were always told it was too dangerous to go near those, sinking sands and goodness knows what else. There have been developers wanting to build on the Burgies, but the chemicals in that are dangerous, and also it has now developed into a wildlife and rare plants (orchids) area.
There was also the "Red Raddle Works" on Peasley Cross Lane just under the railway bridge on the right hand side going up from Town. I think that was the "rouge" used in glass polishing or at least it looked like it.In addition there was the colliery waste behind the houses opposite the Hospital and behind the Fever Hospital.

Joe Pickavance also cleared the colliery waste in Sherdley Road when the old Colliery (Burtonhead Road) was still there in the 1950 's, he used it for road works and ballast. Joe Pickavances son in law had a band in those days but I have forgotten what it was called.

As for the book The Black and the Gold it was unfortunately very much flawed and that was because it wasn't proof read by someone who knew the town, he was told about it and he said it would be OK, but it wasn't OK. and what could have been a superb book ended up practically given away because of the large amount of errors in it.

Veronica

[Dave]

Are you sure that you mean 'Black Gold and Hot Sand' by Mike Fletcher? I know Mike as he lives next door to my dad - and he's always lived in the town.

Have you got a list of errors by any chance?

[Veronica]

Dave

It is that book my son knew the author when he was writing it they were both at Standguide, my son asked him did he want it proof read and he said no his Mum had read it for him. I have worked with publishers on books plays television scripts etc., in the past and had local knowledge as well. My son thought another pair of eyes would be useful.

I actually paid the £25.00 for a copy. I was looking forward to reading it, and as I was doing so, all my sons could hear was me muttering at the inaccuracies etc., There were a lot of complaints about it at the bookshop which sold it, people going in and complaining about it. This is why it ended up being on sale at £5.00 I was asked by the Local History Library could I do a precis on the book for them. and I do have a list of the inaccuracies which I used for that, but would need to search for it, never bothered with it since.

[Dave]

Thanks Veronica. If you could find that list again I'd be interested. I remember seeing Mike in the archive while he was doing research but I didn't know him back then. He did receive some criticism - some I heard myself, but the one that annoyed me was someone who I overheard saying "... and he doesn't even have a degree." I'm not being protective of that work - I'm just interested in the inaccuracies.