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Post by michele cryer on Mar 14, 2005 23:23:26 GMT
Take a walk around your town, city, village...see all the old buildings, some in a good condition, some run down, ready to be demolished...take a few photographs and try to look up the history of it...the many changing faces it might have had...a theatre, bingo parlour, cinema, shop...and record it here, post some of the pictures...let these buildings remain in our memories...
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Post by Mitch on Mar 15, 2005 0:53:59 GMT
 Socialism. Our Hope  An old play performance at Unity Hall I love Unity Hall on Vernon Street in Nelson. It used to be the old Independent Labour Party centre and was paid for by the people of Nelson who all contributed a few coppers. It was opened by Selina Cooper, a famous Nelson woman activist. I think there was a big ceremony at the opening, with a large crowd of local people marching through Nelson arriving finally at Vernon Street. I remember when I first saw it, and the stone laid by Selina Cooper on the outside in memory of Enid Stacy and Carolyn Martyn. I was pretty moved when I saw it. Enid Stacy I had heard of. She was a socialist who died very young, literally wore herself out with going around the cold North spreading the word of socialism. The windows in the building now aren't the original windows. They were much more ornate like stained glass windows. One of them you can see up at the Clarion House at Roughlee near Pendle Hill. The outside is more impressive that inside, although as you walk into the porch there is still the ILP logo inscription in a small tiled motif on the floor, and if you go up to the main large room on the top you have spectacular views across Nelson and the Pendle hills beyond. You can see why they chose this spot. I'm really glad that the building is still used for lots of community events and is now owned by Ithaad. They used to do a lot of theatre performances in here, and it was fantastic recently when the play 'Tea with Mrs Pankhurst' was performed there. There's a spiritualist church next door to unity hall, and that's a fantastic building as well, although it's currently up for sale. I pretended I was interested in buying it, and sneaked a look inside. It's amazingly intact, and has many more original features inside compared to the old ILP centre next door. The gallery is still there, and there is original tiling all around the walls, plus theres a stage as well, and a massive underfloor cellar. What a great community theatre that would make. There is history everywhere in Nelson, from Silverman Hall to Selina Cooper's house even - no 59 St Mary's Street, down from St Mary's church. There's a plague on the outside - well worth a look. Reminders of the days when Nelson was called 'Little Moscow' and 'Red Nelson'. To have these buildings so close to where you live is something special indeed. I know you've got some photos somewhere of the performance of 'Tea with Mrs Pankhurst', Michele. Be great to see some of those here too.  One of the original windows of Unity Hall.  |
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Post by michele cryer on Mar 15, 2005 1:14:38 GMT
A wonderful post Mitch...great pix too...
Think I'll give that 'plague' on the wall at St. Mary's a miss..don't wanna get like those people in Cabin Fever!! LOL.
I will start a new thread about Southfield Methodist Church when I get those pix off Ian Dixon...and I will post some of the Tea with Mrs. Pankhurst pix again in this topic.
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Post by Mitch on Mar 21, 2005 10:11:09 GMT
 Devout Methodists Mitch and Michele tread in John Wesley's footsteps at Southfield Methodist Chapel near Walverden Reservoir. |
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Post by Mitch on Mar 21, 2005 10:22:33 GMT
 John Wesley take two! |
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Post by michele cryer on Mar 21, 2005 12:18:31 GMT
Teehee...wonderful pix Mitch! Will get going on the 'story' soon!
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