The Greenmount Primary School years

1956?

1960?

Two more pictures of my class at Greenmount. Pretty sure that the "youngest" of them was when we were in Mrs Meadley's class, which makes us juniors. That must have been close to the year she set fire to the Christmas tree. I do recall being a very small person then. I cannot even remember anyone else at the school. We could only play in the small persons playground. I recall lessons occasionally being outside.  For some strange reason I have really natty socks. It seems that Alan Read and I shared heavy head syndrome. Never managed to stamp it out - some of my students still have it!  The photo on the top right must be dated about 1960, We all look faintly superior as if nothing could touch us. I can recall some of the names. On the back row: don't recall the chap at the far left, me, Timothy Burrill, Alan Taylor, Martin Capstick.

A Postcard from Greenmount

 The middle row, the three big lads in the middle were Alan Read, Paul Hassell, Peter Jones? - not quite clear about the surname, and Jack Tebay - I believe Jack rode a motorbike from Australia or something. I can only recall he had the best den ever. He taught me how to shoot an air-rifle. I shot a hole in his dad's best bucket and he was absolutely livid. I also stood on a nail in his best den ever and it came all the way through my foot. Either my mother didn't believe me or she thought I should be able to handle it! Hurt for months. Life was dangerous around Jack. I spent a lot of time with Alan Read, went back to his house a couple of times - I believe he worked on the milk in the mornings.  I don't remember the girls, there was a Helen, Jane Rowland, pretty sure she must have been there, my Grandmother taught her piano, Christine Ashworth. Stayed away from them!

The outdoor toilets are right behind Martin, a door slammed against my hand and I lost a nail. They were freezing. In fact the photo has an air of freezing about it! The toilets have now been knocked down - If you revisit the school it's about the only thing that's changed in 50 years!

The postcard dates from about the same time. The top left photo is from the middle of the road between the school and the Bulls Head pub looking towards Bury down Brandlesholme road. The 5 white panels on the left were the Railway bridge. The train still ran when I was at school. Just beyond was a sweet shop. They had identical twin girls who were at the school for a while, further down on the left the white building was the Nab's Head pub, worked there over a Christmas. The top right picture looks toward Greenmount. The church on the left is the Congregational church where some of my Lomax ancestors are buried. The majority of the the fields are now covered in houses. The bungalow was owned by an elderly couple called Bradshaw, just below that was our garden. and a little bit further on was Brookhouse farm which was connected to the Quaker movement.

This was the road from Brookhouse up to Greenmount
My Grandmother Jane was a staunch tory worker and one of these houses on the left became the office for the election. Stuffed info into envelopes, ran up and down from the school on "political" errands. Further on up is some shops or at least a post office. (Ashworth rings a bell). There was another row of houses behind this one - a mirror image that faced over the fields. Aunt Irene's best friend Julia and her mother lived in one of those. Opposite was the Doctors - Doctor Kerr I believe - had a son called Donald - never got on. Gerry Haberfield from Coronation Street lived close by too. - Kept himself to himself.

The bottom left photo is from Turton road. The big building in the middle is Hollymount Convent. Greenmount is to the right. The bottom right picture is from right outside the Bulls Head facing what was known as the finger post which leads towards Hawkshaw and Ramsbottom. Peel tower is clearly seen. To the left is the Church and to the right is the Co-op. Alan Read lived in the houses to the left. Jack Tebay lived very close to church on the left. I actually think he had a pond outside his back door too. A den and a pond!  The middle photo is looking straight up to the church. More photos here, not much has changed. Added some pictures in the datastore of the school now - not much has changed

The Bulls Head clearly on the left, and the school on the right. The Nabs Head was just below. I always wondered why it was the only building at a tilt in the whole village! The cricket club is on the left. Alittle further on on the lefthand side was the official Greenmount Primary school football pitch which was actually awful - so were we!

Maybe more will land here.