Research Street Names.

STREET NAMES.

I decided to photograph the street name signs/plagues as a part of my final major project and I am going to find the history out about each of the streets.

Revidge Road.

Revidge Road when the cotton trade was depressed thousands of the town's 

inhibitions found them self out of work local schemes were some times set up to help some temporary paid work one such scheme was building of revidge road which was cut out of the side of the hill in 1820's. The road engineer in charge was famous ''BLIND'' sock meta calf and this plague commemorates the achievement and can still be seen today.

Evaluation. 
This photograph is a photograph i took to show the Piece of stone work which is on Revidge road which in the research above says this was one of the things the temporary paid work schemes did cut out of the side of the hill in 1820.
This photograph i photographed looking up at the stone showing how high this is and the actual size you can see through this photograph I like the light blue sky with the deeper contrast of the stone work which really lets it stand out. if  I could re-shoot this photograph i would make sure not to get the trees in at each side as this distracts the eye from looking straight at the subject. 

King Street.

King street 1848 until the commercial centre of the town shifted some distance to the north with the laying out of the new market place in the mid 1840's King street was one of the main thoroughfares and was addressed with some social cachet indeed well into the mid nineteenth century it still had a sprinkling of well-to-do residents as well as bank the royal hotel and one of the main post offices in Infantries barracks is a reminder that Blackburn like many of the cotton town was regarded with apprehensive by those in authority at this time of political the very opposite of radical town not also the poor rate office hear the Wesleyan road Methodist church on Clayton street.

King street was once a fashionable area in this Lancashire cotton town. Two century's ago it was known as Sudell Street after one of Blackburn's most wealthy families. Sadly in 1827 the Sudells fell on hard times and left the town by then the street had already it's new name of King street (after king george lll)  to commemorate victory over neopolian in 1815. The area became the hub of the early 19th century Blackburn and was home to other important business people, including the Hornby family where at 41 king street in 1847 a future England cricket captain, ''Albert Monkey'' Hornby was born, 33 King street housed the town's assembly rooms and become the original town hall when Blackburn achieved borough status in 1851.

Evaluation

This is King Street looking towards whalley banks this was the main thoroughfare to the town centre you can see in the photo on either sides of the street there is busy shops and pubs. 

King William Street.

The region of King William street IV from 1830 to 1837 was brief compared to that of his niece and successor Queen Victoria however he was a popular monarch when Blackburn began town centre improvements in 1832 his name was adopted for the new street constructed from Sudell cross at the bottom of Preston New road to the market cross on church street. Old shops were built along what had previously been known as Livesey street, which was now absorbed by the new thoroughfare.

The new market house was erected in 1848 it was built in King William street on a site formerly known as sudell cross and measured 18  feet by 90 feet. The architect was all by Terence Flanagan's and the contractor was the local builder Robert Ibbotson, William Yates foundary supplied the iron frame work and the roof supports a clock tower was also built it was 18 square feet and 72 feet high with a ball at the top.

Evaluation

This photograph is a photo captured from King William St in the photograph you can see this is the main hub of the town as to the left you can see the original town hall and you can see the market clock tower and you can also see that there was a busy trading outdoor market in this town.

Railway Road.

Blackburn railway station (1893). The towns first station terminus of the new line from preston was first opened 1st June 1846 the bottom line was opened by a separate company with its own station at Bolton road. In june 1851 the latter was closed and all trains there after used the main station, which was eventually rebuilt on a much grander scale as shown on this map 1893. There were a goods shed and sidings but space was very limited the line entered the tunnel immediately north of the station and the ground rose sharply towards the canels on the east side. The main Blackburn goods station were there fore at daisy field junction and at king street, south east of town centre.

Railway Road was renamed in 1903it was previously called Station Road since 1870

The first local meeting to consider the possibility of a railway for Blackburn took place at the Old Bull Inn in December 1840. By that time the North Union Railway had reached Preston from the south and it was proposed that any Blackburn company should attempt to link with this new line.  Those who attended the meeting felt that the time was not yet right to risk investing in this new mode of transport.  However, their reticence was to be short-lived, for within three years firm proposals were in place to connect the adjacent towns of Preston and Blackburn with a new line, appropriately named the Blackburn & Preston Railway.  The Act of Parliament authorising the route was passed on June 6th 1844 and the first sod cut on August 19th.  In engineering terms, the line was relatively easy to build - there were no
 tunnels and only one major viaduct, the three-span 108 feet high Hoghton Viaduct.  The Blackburn Standard considered this to be one of the most striking objects on the line.
The opening of the line on June 3rd 1846 created great excitement in the town.  Once again, the Blackburn Standard were in attendance:

This photograph shows the railway station when it was first built. The photograph reflects the era it was taken in. The train station is a Victorian building with the busy boulevard in front of the train station with the trams and buses and the old lamps which all tell a story of when this was captured. 

Fielding Street.

Fielding street was named after the fielding family.

Witton park (1893) the home of the fielding family was built in 1800, a fine Georgian mansion set in a very extensive and beautifully landscaped park. when the map was made it was at the end of its long period of granduer for after 1895 the family rarley lived there and the house slowly fell into disrepair in 1947 the entire estate was purchased by blackburn coporation and in 1952 the house was demolished today almost no trace remains although the stable block and out buildings (north-west of the house) survive as the visitor centre and estate office.

This photograph shows fielding street taken from Montague street. the photograph was taken when the construction of the new Technology College at Blackburn.

Princess Street.

waterfall (1893) the great cotton mills, tucked into the long bend of the river Darwen, dominate the scene-note the weir on the river and the mill race which flows from the waterfall and griffin mills, a reminder of the time almost a century before the map was made when water was made when water was the main source of power for the towns industry's the street names are interesting some such as Queen Victoria street, Princess Street and Lorne Street, are patriotic (the marquis of Lorne was the queens son-in-laws)

This is a photograph of Princess street in 1964 when the river Blake water broke its banks and a rescuing was under way you can see policemen rescuing occupants from there houses

Exhange Street.

Exchange street built in 1870,

a weekly exchange meeting was held in old bull in a proposal to build an exchange on the site of the market cross failed and the weekly meeting moved to the vestibule of the town hall. The corner stone for the exchange way laid on march 10th 1863 and opened in 1865. The architecture is 14th century gothic, the building comprised a large hole with anee-rooms a two story tower with hall, assembly room and news room. The exchange later became a lecture and concert hall and later still a cinema being known successively as the exchange hall, the majestic, by Essoldi and the classic 

Evaluation 
This photograph shows the Exchange hall building with its Gothic features such as its spire roof and Gothic architecture around the windows and also the arched door way.
This building still remains today but is a closed run down cinema

Museum Street.

Museum street changed its name in 1990 and orginially was called libarary street the musuem and art gallery was built in 1874 as a libarary alothough facilities had been avaliable since 17th febuary 1862. the architect was JB Mc Collum borough engineer and was designed in a medieval gothic style costing £12,000.

In 1893 it was enlarged for £7, 000 the site had been given by John Pickop JP.

This photograph is of the museum on museum street in c1890, It is a Gothic style building this is shown by architecture especially around the windows and the door way. this building is still standing today and is still used as Blackburn Museum  

Preston New Road

Preston New Road. The road was opened in 1825 having built by the turn pike.

St. George's Presbyterian Church,

Preston New Road, Blackburn

The foundation stone for the Church was laid in March 1865 by Dr. Francis Skinner, minister of Mount Street, Blackburn's first Presbyterian Church. It opened for worship in June

 1868. Dr. Skinner died before the completion of St. George's and was succeeded by distinguished author and editor Dr. Alexander B.Grosart. The last service was held in January 

1974 and the building was subsequently demolished and a restaurant built on the site.

St. George's Presbyterian Church,
Preston New Road, Blackburn
The foundation stone for the Church was laid in March 1865 by Dr. Francis Skinner, minister of Mount Street, Blackburn's first Presbyterian Church. It opened for worship in June
 1868. Dr. Skinner died before the completion of St. George's and was succeeded by distinguished author and editor Dr. Alexander B.Grosart. The last service was held in January 
1974 and the building was subsequently demolished and a restaurant built on the site.

Evaluation

This is a photograph of the church which was situated on Preston new road. And was originally opened for worship in June 1868.
Also in this photograph you can see that the forms of transport was horse and carriage and trams. This was situated on the corner of Preston New Road and New Park St but was demolished and it is now a fast food restaurant.

 

Barbara Castle Way,

In Blackburn, a dual carriage way which makes up the one of the main parts of the ring road has been called Barbara castle way, Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness castle of Blackburn PC, GCOT (n'ee Bette, 6 October 1910 3 may 2002) was a British labour party politician who was the member of parliament for Blackburn from 1945-1979.
Barbara castle way acts as a barrier between whalley range / Victoria street and Blackburn town centre. This is an unintentional outcome of the construction of this dual carriage way. Before the exisitant of Barbara castle way,whalley range/Victoria street was connected to the town centre via Victoria street.


Aspden's Buildings, Preston New Road, which is built in brick and terracotta.Aspden's Buildings of 1886 (see gable) shortly 
before they were pulled down for the continuation of Barbara Castle Way in 2002. The capita offices were built on the left hand side of the plot. Barbara castle way from Eanam to Preston new road opened in 1992 costing £2.2M named after Barbara castle MP for Blackburn extension costing £2.5M from Preston new road to Montague street opened Friday 6th June 2003 by RT Hon, Jack straw MP

Evaluation
This is a photograph of the terracotta buildings, which got knocked down so they could build Barbara castle way. These buildings were named Aspden's.

Fleming Square

Fleming square was originally Blackburn first purposely built shopping mall. 
It was named after the successful textile merchant who was appointed a trustee for rebuilding of the parish church in 1819
Fleming Square was originally designed by the Architect, William Hop-wood, and erected by the prominent merchant, John Fleming. Known
 originally as New Square it was erected mostly of stone from the old Parish Church, demolished in 1819, and was designed to accommodate the overflow of stalls from the old market 
square in Church Street. John Fleming's most ambitious project, however, was the erection in 1824, of a cloth hall on the south side of the square, and distinguished by its colonnade. 

A covered arcade was erected in the middle of the square in 1849, seven years after John Fleming's death.

Evaluation

In this photo it shows Fleming Square in the 60's.

In this photograph you can see the main part of Fleming square building this houses a numerous amounts of shops still to this day one being a coffee shop and cafe.

St Aidens.


St. Aidan’s Avenue built in 1912,
named this as St. Aidan’s Church Mill Hill consecrated September 1932 accommodates 300 people. The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Blackburn. A previous church had been built in 1826.

Evaluation

This photograph below is a photograph of the church which is still standing and is situated on the corner of St Aidens ave and Norfolk St. This church has beautiful architecture, original stain glass windows. It is built out of Accrington Nori a traditional building material for this period of building.