can you remember

[Ianw]

Originally Posted by Kiki

Was it a gay bar?

:sympathy: No it wasn't a gay bar they hadn't come out of the closet in
the late 60s, the Starlight was in Litte Harwood it started life as a cinema, graduated to a night club when gambling was a "free for all".
Artists the like of Mat Munroe etc graced the boards of that establishment, it faded into oblivion with the onset of gaming reform.

[katex]

Originally Posted by Ianw

:sympathy: No it wasn't a gay bar they hadn't come out of the closet in
the late 60s, the Starlight was in Litte Harwood it started life as a cinema, graduated to a night club when gambling was a "free for all".
Artists the like of Mat Munroe etc graced the boards of that establishment, it faded into oblivion with the onset of gaming reform.

Yeh, Ian's correct was down Blackburn. Extremely good value, always had two good, and many well-known acts on every Saturday night (and other nights I think). Small gaming room upstairs, which I presume paid for the entertainment. My ex, friends and myself were sorry when it closed. Pretty sure I saw Mat Munroe myself.

Remember Ken Pilling too, but not much about him.

[Ianw]

Originally Posted by keckfaro

not exclusively a gay bar in todays sense of the word but a lot of them used it and it was going in the 70s early 80s.Does anyone remember the Merchants in Blackburn going at the same time,that was a gay pub,it was owned by a Burnley fella called Ken Pilling and there was some right sights in there I can tell you,the barman/barmaid was Kens live-in and he/she used to wear full make up and had a full beard as well.Hilarious.

:sympathy: You mean "Pearl" she /he was a sceam she ran the place more often than not, Ken was a 100% alright guy, he'd do anything for anyone, and certainly not to be messed with. "What happened to Clitheroe Kate"?

[Kiki]

Im intriqued to know where "Clitheroe Kate"hung out?

I wrote a poem about the old times, can you remember?
Washing Days

When I was young, a long time ago, and I was nay but a posser high.
Mum used to take in the neighbours wash, for a bit of brass to get by.
With her dolly tub, rubbing board, carbolic and dolly blue.
And a big old fashioned mangle and it was made of iron too.
She'd heat the water with fireplace boiler, so she could soften carbolic soap.
What with miners muck, and rubbing it took, it's a wonder, she could cope
That wringer was old, and was told, required some human power.
And me being the eldest lad, was volunteered, for at least a hour.
She'd put the washing on't our clothes rack, then she'd raise high.
O'er fireplace, to drip on't flagstones, until the washing were dry.
She'd iron all lot, with an iron red hot, and put them piles so neat.
Each with their names and number so, I'd know where to tek em on't street.
When all was done she would say to me,"Come here young Frank I'm proud of Thee"
She'd give me a hug, and a sloppy kiss, that's the best part, I'll aways miss.
I am sorry to say, Mum did pass away,, and lots of years have gone by.
But I'll make a bet, she does washing yet,in that place, up in the sky.
BY Frank Langford

[grannyclaret]

Originally Posted by Kiki

Im intriqued to know where "Clitheroe Kate"hung out?

wonder what happened to clive of cliviger

[Kiki]

Originally Posted by grannyclaret

wonder what happened to clive of cliviger

Sounds like another character i want to know more about?

[Kiki]

Originally Posted by oldburnley

I wrote a poem about the old times, can you remember?
Washing Days

When I was young, a long time ago, and I was nay but a posser high.
Mum used to take in the neighbours wash, for a bit of brass to get by.
With her dolly tub, rubbing board, carbolic and dolly blue.
And a big old fashioned mangle and it was made of iron too.
She'd heat the water with fireplace boiler, so she could soften carbolic soap.
What with miners muck, and rubbing it took, it's a wonder, she could cope
That wringer was old, and was told, required some human power.
And me being the eldest lad, was volunteered, for at least a hour.
She'd put the washing on't our clothes rack, then she'd raise high.
O'er fireplace, to drip on't flagstones, until the washing were dry.
She'd iron all lot, with an iron red hot, and put them piles so neat.
Each with their names and number so, I'd know where to tek em on't street.
When all was done she would say to me,"Come here young Frank I'm proud of Thee"
She'd give me a hug, and a sloppy kiss, that's the best part, I'll aways miss.
I am sorry to say, Mum did pass away,, and lots of years have gone by.
But I'll make a bet, she does washing yet,in that place, up in the sky.
BY Frank Langford

Frank, Thats lovely!

[James Pickering]

Anyone remember Bacup Lil?

[keckfaro]

Can anyone recall a lady that lived around the Mitre area called Nellie B,I suspect that the older end of Burnley Webbers may have heard of her,she was what you would call a character.From what I remember of her she was less than 5 feet tall and dressed in black clothes and used to go drinking down the centre of Burnley,my mother once told me a story of her buying a bed down Burnley and pushing it up Westgate and when she got to the Stork pub she tied it to the drainpipe outside,went in and had a few drinks then came out and went to sleep on the bed,my mam swore the story was true.I used to spend many an evening talking to a chap who used to be a miner at Clifton Pit and he did tell me her proper name but as I get older the brain cells get lesser and I,ve forgotten it,anyway the chap did tell me that she used to, in her younger days,be outside the mine at finishing time offering herself to anyone who would pay,I don,t think there were many takers because she was proper ugly,whenever I see the film The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch appears it always reminds me of her.During the war and later she lived at the Mitre pub,in those days all of the building was,nt in use as a pub and the part of the pub nearest to Trafalger St was a house and that,s where she lived,you can still see where her front door was,it,s on the side of the building but bricked up.Does anyone recall a story that was in the Burnley Express a few years ago about workmen doing alterations to the pub and finding the skeleton of a baby behind a fireplace upstairs,that was the part of the house that Nellie used to live in and the speculation was that she had been made pregnant by one of the numerous soldiers that were stationed at the nearby Burnley Barracks,the baby died by fair means or foul and that the body was secreted behind the fireplace,true or not who knows.Just a little story about just one of the many characters that have lived in Burnley.Cheers

[grannyclaret]

There was a young bloke walked around town called Paladin,in the 50/60s,,He dressed like a mexican and had a shoulder strap full of coloured felt tipped pens,,,I diddent know him personally but he was very well liked,,I remember seeing it in the Burnley Express that he died young,,its people like that that we could do with instead of all the yobbo,s