A Postcard from the Past - 1908
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A Postcard from the Past - 1908 |
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The postcard shown below was posted in 1908. It has six views of Boothstown,
most of which remain familiar today. Top-left picture shows Leigh Road. Top-middle looks up the road called Stirrup Brook (later renamed as part of Chaddock Lane) from the brook towards the Methodist chapel and the junction of Mosley Common Road (then called Coupe Brow). Top-right shows Booth Villa on Leigh Road (Shuff's shop is next door). Bottom-left looks up Mosley Common Road (then called Coupe Brow) - the shop on the right of this picture was the butcher's, with the Conservative club also on the right. Bottom-middle is Vicars Hall Lane. Bottom-right shows the chimney of Yates's mill with the Methodist chapel in the distance (this is the only scene unfamiliar today). |
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You'll notice that next to the words Greetings from Boothstown, the sender has written 'My native village'. The back of the postcard (below) shows that it was sent with 'Best wishes' by W.M Edge of Lancaster to a Miss Skead in Montreal. The postmark is 4.15pm on 5 September 1908 at Lancaster. |
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The Boothstown post office in 1908 was on the corner of Orchard Street (close to the Royal Oak pub) - shown in the photo below. In 1908 it is understood that the post office was run by James Ruffley. |
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However, on the left side of the postcard the words 'J. Hilton, Post Office, Boothstown' are printed vertically. The present post office (opposite the Royal Oak) was a shop belonging to the Hilton family. The printing on the postcard suggests that at some time before 1908 the Hilton family had taken over the post office from James Ruffley, or that the postcard was sold from the present-day post office premises. Interestingly, Boothstown's original post office (at the junction of Stirrup Brook and Victoria Street) was run by John Edge. Was W.M. Edge, the sender of the postcard, related to a former postmaster of Boothstown? The present post office in Boothstown is at the junction of Leigh Road and Simpson Road, opposite the Royal Oak pub. The photo below shows workmen outside the current post office (then Hilton's hardware shop) in 1895. For more on Boothstown's post offices, click here. |
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The postcard shown on this page belongs to Angela Pryor (nee Edmondson). Angela writes: My family moved to Boothstown in April 1976 when I was a small child. I was educated at Boothstown Methodist Primary School and remember moving from the old hall to the new school. I missed seeing the Queen open the new school as I had chickenpox. I have wonderful memories of Mr Lee, Mr Hodgson, Mrs Sinkinson, Mrs Hilton, Mrs Monaghan and or course Hilda the cook. I went to Fred Longworth Secondary School, Tyldesley, and then Salford College of Technology. I was a member of the local Guides which my mum also helped to run. She then went on to be a Ranger Leader in Worsley. Many a happy time was spent at Middlewood Scout Camp. I came upon this postcard whilst searching for cards from the local area - I intend to make a montage of postcards for my parents' wedding anniversary. This postcard was found on a well-know Internet auction site. |
Thanks to Angela Pryor for sharing the postcard.
This page last updated: 1 April 2005.
