A Piece of Lowton History

Notes on local history (1950’s and from then on)

Information from Miss Collier (former teacher) or Mrs Beaumont (former school secretary)

• Lowton was a little village in 1951.  Everyone knew everyone else and would notice a stranger.
  

• VG used to be a wood yard.  (VG was a supermarket that was on Church Lane, on the other side of the East Lancs), where the hotel attached to the Toby Carvery is now).  Also beside the wood yard were cottages.
  

• Church Lane – school side of the East Lancs – there were only 3 semis, no side roads, (i.e. no Fulwood road, no Bradwell road, certainly no Ranworth Drive) only fields.  Mr Hooper, the school head master, lived in Norwood Ave, which was a cul-de-sac
  

• After the 3 semis and the fields, came the Toffee Works – (which after became Hille, making seats for football stadiums - though now it’s gone and new houses are there) - then the Junior building. (School dinners came from Abram)
  

• There was a green fence then a white house, then a farmhouse with an orchard, belonging to Mr Parker.  The “gravestone” came off the Infant building – the first school building - 1857 – when Mary Leigh gave money for the very first school.
  

• Summer 1953 closed Infant building.  Infants into Junior building (dated 187?)
  

• Playtime was 2.45 to 3pm.  Infants went home at 3.30, juniors at 4pm.
  

• The footpath to the farm was there.
  

• On the other side of Church Lane – near the East Lancs – hens were running loose on the grass.
  

• There were (and are) 2 blocks of terraces, then the PO, then hedges.  Opposite the factory was a cottage and a sideways-on row of cottages.  There was no Alderley, no Stretton Ave.
  

• Row of houses opposite the Junior building – terraced
  

• On our school side – fields as far as the council houses around Ashwood Ave, then nothing as far as the church graveyard.
  

• On the other side there was no Rutland, no Milton Avenue.  The old cottages were there.  The old block near Bridgefords, the estate agents, wasn’t there – it was a park.
  

• The school caretaker lived opposite the Sovereign Toffee Works
  

• In the 1960’s first came Broughton Ave, then Rutland, Ave, Bradwell Ave and Newlands Drive
  

• Mt Hooper left in 1961, and then it was Mr Probert.
  

• The church took over the school after a donation was made.
  

• In 1962 the Infant building was opened again because all the children wouldn’t fit into the junior building.
  

• Walked to field opposite the church.
  

• School was Lowton Parish school, not St. Luke’s
  

• The education department wanted to distinguish us from St Mary’s
  

• There were separate heads for the Infant and Junior School until Mrs Johnson retired and they were amalgamated.
  

• 5 public footpaths led from the East Lancs to Church.
  

• There was no rectory – rector Thomas lived in Norwood Ave.
  

Information from Mrs Audrey Malley – given to Infants in around 1985

• 27 years ago Lowton was a little village
  

• At the Lanehead lights there were 2 pubs.  Costcutters (VG) was a wood yard.  There were houses opposite and a shop, Hawarths, next door.
  

• The white house near the East Lancs road was a Co-op building.
  

• Lights, detached house and 2 semis
  

• All fields from church Lane to Newton Road.
  

• Quiet
  

• Started building houses in Fulwood Road.  Mr Gill built houses.  Then Bradwell Road.  They were going to be cul-de-sacs.
  

• The fields beyond St Luke’s are called the cabin fields.
  

• The houses near the post office have always been there. Orchard behind them – that’s where children play – the bottle pit
  

• Terraced house and Spar then Rank Strand (formerly Sovereign Toffee Works)
  

• Facing, there was a little row of cottages.
  

• Mr Gallagher stood on the corner.
  

• The old school
  

• The old building at the top of the path was the old School Hall
  

• As school got too big, some children had to be taught in the old school hall.
  

• Terraced houses with dentist were there.
  

• Broguhton Ave just being built.
  

• 1964 Those facing Broughton Ave, near Rutland Ave just being built.
  

• Cottages
  

• They were building Michael Carpenter’s house when Audrey Malley came to Lowton
  

• Dentist’s was built, but it wasn’t a dentist.
  

• Deep bottle pit between Church Lane and Chester Ave.
  

• Mr Probert still lives on slag Lane (old headmaster)
• 4^th March 1967, new school was built.

The Teachers House of the original School now a private residence


The old school - still in use

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