Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

Mel
Thats the same link that you posted before. As Gloria said Haggate House is to the rear right of the bowling green photograph you have shown (twice)

Think I have lost the plot!
I was looking at the Cobden Street link higher up the thread!
So the houses in that bowling green picture are on the main road are they? Roger must have another picture. It will hopefully be in the next batch that I borrow.

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Mel

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Sorry for being wrong about the date, senior moments again!!

Picture of Haggate House now added to the site.
http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/Photo%20Archive/Briercliffe%20Buildings/Haggate%20House.htm
Thanks David for getting it.

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Mel

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Not to worry Judi. You've forgotten the date and I've forgotten where I've put the newspaper cutting. Both having senior moments!!

A big thanks to everyone who added things to this topic and to David for his photo its surprising what you forget about the area when you live away. It was nearly a weekly sunday trip from Lanehead up to Haggate with my Uncle Clifford to visit the graveyard,it was a great place to explore. I wonder how many children around the age of 6 years would do the same today!!.I think the other reason was Uncle Clifford liked to call in to see relatives who ran the Commercial Inn on the way home.
Sues.

Hello!
I remember the fire happening during my final year at school, it was on the 17th Mary 1962. I also recall being told off by my mother because I laughed when she told me about it (let's just say it was a nervous laugh. Didn't know what else to do really.)
Fire started under the floor. Mr. Parr (Ted Parr, deputy head, local musician and later head of Lane Head school) rushed inside the blazing hall to rescue several silver cups from the display cupboard. School choir was brilliant under his direction! First prize everywhere - except that evening of the fire, when we were to sing at a festival where we came in 'only second'. Ted Parr explained that we didn't win 'because of the smoke in our throats' (ahem).
The same day as the fire, we got our 11-plus results. We moved to the Happy Cot for the remaining weeks of the school year.

Quinny

Hi Quinny, welcome to the forum.
I have just edited your post. It's not wise to give out your name (maiden name especially) and date of birth on a site such as this. You never know what dodgy folk might do with that kind of info. Hope you don't mind, just didn't want anything to unwelcome to happen!

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Mel

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Hi Quinny

Glad it's not just me who remembers the Happy Cot. I was beginning to think people on here would think I was a few sandwiches short of a picnic.

I have the paper clipping from the Burnley Express. I'll post it soon. I was 7 at the time of the fire and remember it well. Also remember Mr Parr. I've some school photos to email to Mel to put on the web site as well.

Welcome to this friendly site

Pollyanna

SCHOOL FIRE MEANS A WEEK OFF FOR 130 PUPILS

FIERCE BLAZE DESTROYS ROOF

The contents of the Haggate Primary School at Briercliffe which was swept by a fierce fire on Thursday evening have not been as severely damaged as was at first thought. That was the verdict of Lancashire County Council Education officials yesterday morning after a quick look through the building.

The fire destroyed practically the whole of the roofing but the two infant classrooms escaped undamaged and furniture and other equipment in other classrooms should be serviceable once it has been allowed to dry out.

The school hall however was covered with charred wreckage but there will be no school for the 130 pupils for another week. By then is expected that alternative accommodation in the village will have been obtained for the older boys and girls and that the infants will have been able to return to their own classrooms.

Mr W Shepherd the Nelson and Colne Divisional Education Officer told our reporter yesterday “All our rearrangement plans are going well but parents must not send their children to school until they receive notification by post telling them when and where to send their children”

CROWD WATCHES

The hill top school at the higher end of Briercliffe is in an exposed position. As the flames fanned by a high wind swept through the roof timbers on Thursday evening it seemed it seemed improbable that the building could be saved.

A large crowd including many of the boys and girls who attend the school left their homes and assembled outside the building to watch 40 fireman from local brigades tackle the blaze.

Seven appliances from Burnley Nelson Colne Padiham and Accrington were called to the fire and the fire-fighters used six jets.

Traffic was delayed for a considerable time because of hoses thrown across the road. The firemen had to supplement the supply by running hoses nearly half a mile to a mill lodge.

First signs that something was amiss were noticed at about 5.50 when smoke was seen coming from the roof.

Among the first to see the smoke was Mr Edgar Buck of 4 Chapel Court Haggate. He told our reporter “I climbed over the railings. There was a little bit of smoke at one end of the building. Then a window at the opposite end cracked. As soon as the window broke it went “whoosh” and the fire was off.”

Sixty-two year old Mr Ughtred Sutcliffe of 12 Acre Street who attended the school as a boy was another to see the smoke and he went to the telephone to dial 999.

He asked some-one to notify the caretaker and then with others tried unsuccessfully to enter the building.

Mr William Duerden (65) the caretaker was having his tea when he was told about the fire.

Twenty minutes after securing the building for the night he was back there again watching helplessly as the flames increased their grip and dense black smoke billowed from the roof.

Mr Duerden has been the care-taker for 21 years at the school he attended as a boy.

RECENT ALTERATIONS

“We have had a lot of alterations done at the school recently and everything was nice and shipshape” he said.

The headmaster for the past 14 years Mr Harry Proudfoot of Roggerham Gate Cottage was out shopping at Worsthorne when a telephone call was received at his home notifying him of the fire.

When he arrived at the school he wanted to go into the building to try to salvage documents but was restrained from doing so.

Also called to the school was another member of staff Mr Edward Parr of Marsden Hall Road Nelson. Mr Parr the deputy headmaster is the schools music teacher.

Yesterday as planned he accompanied 40members of the schools prize winning choir to the Blackburn Music Festival where they were hoping to win for the fourth time the Winstanley Trophy for junior choirs.

Last year at the Blackburn Festival they also won the trophy for the best choir at the festival. Both these cups had recently been returned to Blackburn but a third trophy won at the Colne Festival was at first feared destroyed in the blaze but it was found intact yesterday morning.

BUT NO CUP THIS TIME

At the Blackburn Festival yesterday the school choir came third in the open class for junior choirs and the fourth in the section for mixed primary schools.

Yesterday morning the school was visited by Mr Shepherd who told our reporter “Things are by no means as bad as I thought they would have been. A lot of our equipment has been saved”

Concerning arrangements for the children’s schooling he said that it was hoped to be able to re-open the two infant classes on Monday week in their familiar surroundings.

“By that time a damaged part of the roof will have been covered and the heating will have been arranged” he said. “The other portion of the school will be fenced off and parents may rest assured that the building will be perfectly safe before we allow the infants to return”

As regards the older children it was hoped that they would be able to return to school on the same day as the infants on May 28th - or a day or two after unless something unforeseen happened.

FURNITURE MOVED

It was hoped that senior children would be using premises in Tennyson Street which would be very suitable. Yesterday a start was made on moving furniture from the damaged school.

Concerning school meals Mr Shepherd said that 60 children normally stayed for their dinners and it was hoped that they would be able to use the O.A.P. premises until things got back to normal. The meals would be taken to Briercliffe from Percy Street canteen.

Mr Shepherd said that he school was owned by the trustees of the Haggate Baptist Church and the future of the school as to repairs etc. would be a matter for them.

From The Burnley Express

A very informative and interesting article Pollyanna. Was funny the headmaster going shopping in Worsthorne,must not have had Tescos,Asdas and Sainsburys in those days.
Do you know if there were any photos taken of the fire?

Hi David

Yes there is a photo with the article but as I got the information off the reader and printer at Burnley library it isn't very clear. The caption is "Taken at the height of the fire this picture shows firemen tackling the blaze at the rear of the school where practically all the damage to the 80 year old building was caused "

The roof has practically gone just a few timbers left. It shows two firemen tackling the blaze.

Yes I wondered why Mr Proudfoot was shopping in Worsthorne. What was available there that he couldn't get up Syke?

Oh days before supermarkets. I remember them. Bliss!

Well I suppose where he lived it was just about closer to Worsthorne than going to the Syke.
Which part of the building was damaged Pollyanna,assume that I am looking at the front of the building from Burnley Road.?
Yes I do think we have lost a lot with the arrival of the supermarkets particularly in communities like Briercliffe. They used to be meeting places for local gossip as well
Does any one remember the small shop that used to be at the top of Walverden Road on the corner with Halifax Road.I think it only closed within the last 10 years,and was certainly licensed to sell wines and spirits.
There are no retail premises now from Haggate all the way out beyond Holt Hill and over the last few years a lot of people have moved into this part of Briercliffe, the nearest shops are now down into Harle Syke.
And of course, going back further, we had the retail premises at the Haggate crossroads.

When other half was a child (in the dark ages) that shop was run by a Billy Frear, we are talking a long while ago.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.