Sooner or Later By Harold Cunliffe
When you reach a certain age you acquire a number of tales relating to characters you have known from the past. It is with this wealth of material that my two grandchildren usually request an interesting tale before they take to their slumbers.
O
f all the tales which I have related there is one which has remained in their minds, one which I am reminded of each time we pass under a certain railway bridge. It all began when as employed as the Parks and Cemeteries foreman, one of the gardeners had previously spent time as a ‘rag and bone’ man touring the district with his horse and cart. By all accounts Mike enjoyed his time collecting old clothing due to the number of items which was in good condition and he could make use of. My two little girls however enthralled by the tale of when Mike would visit the dealer at the end of his working day. This depot was located in Chadderton, Oldham. The most direct route was via Jumbo, or Middleton Junction. The highway passes under a railway bridge, being the line to Rochdale. Each day Mike had to prepare himself for action, because upon entering the tunnel his horse would take fright at the echo of its own hoofs, its ears would pick up, followed by its hoofs. He commented that the animal would race up the highway for two miles before it calmed down and came to a standstill. So whenever passing this bridge, two little voices in the rear seat of my car enquire, “Is this where the horse frightened itself granddad?”
of procuring a cigarette or a little money to enable him the buy a breakfast. It was a waste of time him asking me, I was possibly more hard up than him. I found out many years later that this man was a retired pig farmer named Les, so this was how he gained his nick name. He was well known in the town due to the antics he got up to. It transpires that he would board a bus carrying with him an old sack. In the sack was a quantity of pig muck. After travelling a couple of bus stops he would exit the bus and leave the sack under the seat. The passengers were left to ponder where the awful pong originated. A shop keeper who witnessed him driving a horse and cart during the time he did some ‘totting’ related the story of when he allowed the horse to proceed through a red traffic light in the centre of town. A policeman observed this incident and gave chase. But when he reprimanded him for allowing his horse to go through a red traffic light he jumped from the seat of his cart and went to have a word with his horse. He stood in front of the poor animal, waving his finger he swore and cursed at the horse, exclaiming, “How many times have I told you not to go through a red light.” Les would be seen out and about, walking the streets around eight o’clock each day, so maybe he gained board at the Men’s Hostel which was located close to the centre of town. This hostel was owned by Mr Deakin, who also owned a small chip shop which was a timber construction, supported by wooden stilts and positioned over a river. Our image shows the building following its closure. The left hand room was the dining area; the right hand room was where the coal fired cooking range was located. Deakin said that he stood no messing. He had a trap door near the counter and should anyone kick off he would open the trap door and they would find themselves in the river below. He also had a strict rule at his hostel. He requested everyone be out of their beds at a certain time each morning. He found that some of the customers were reluctant to vacate their beds. To remedy this situation he had all the beds removed and the rooms were converted to hold hammocks. Should anyone fail to vacate their place of slumber Deakin would cut the rope attached to the hammock. A large coil of rope was visible in the corner of the room so this type of wake-up call must have been adopted with regularity.
Above: Rag and bone man Image: David Lappin
“PIGGY” The gardening staff that was responsible for maintaining the Central Garden area would commence work at 7:30am. Then half an hour later an elderly chap would canvass the workmen, exchanging pleasantries in the hope 54
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
Above: “Deakin’s,” Chip Shop
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