Podcasts about haslingden

GUEST 1 OVERVIEW: Dubbed the 'UK's richest Gypsy,' Alfie Best is the chairman of Wyldecrest Parks, a mobile home company that he considers an "affordable housing crisis solution." In Lancashire alone, there are five of these parks located in Heywood, Freckleton, Lancaster, Penwortham, and Haslingden. GUEST 2 OVERVIEW: John is a former police officer, university manager, local authority manager, and IT professional who now shares opinions on a wide range of topics. GUEST 3 OVERVIEW: Blake Lovewell is a TNT Contributor and an expert in economics and personal finance.

Our guest on this episode is the MP for Hyndburn & Haslingden, Sara Britcliffe. She was elected to the UK Parliament at the age of 24, making her the youngest Conservative Member of Parliament elected in the 2019 general election. Sara has joined us on the podcast not in her role as a politician, but as the daughter of her mother who battled with an addiction to alcohol when Sara was a child. Sadly, Sara lost her mother twenty years ago and she is now sharing her experience in the hope that other children might not have to lose their parents too soon. --- Get In Touch: Of course, you can always get in touch with us (publicly or privately) on our socials - @alcoholfreepod on Instagram, or search for "Over The Influence" on Facebook. We'd love to hear your story - please get in touch with us directly at otihq@overtheinfluence.co.uk or go to our website, www.overtheinfluence.co.uk --- The Premium Podcast: If you love OTI and you'd like to hear behind the curtain, subscribe to the OTI Premium Podcast now! --- Links: For links to alcohol-related support services, please visit our website. --- Disclaimer: All views expressed in this podcast are of the participants themselves, and not necessarily those of Over The Influence (OTI) Ltd. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this podcast is done at your own risk. We are not medical professionals but normal people giving their own experiences of removing alcohol from their lives, and as such this podcast should not be considered professional advice. If you are dependent on alcohol, or think you may be, we strongly recommend that you seek professional medical advice. --- Helpful Hashtags: We found hashtags and sober social media accounts really helpful in our early days alcohol free, as following them can help to reinforce that you are not alone! These are some of the hashtags we've followed: #alcoholfree #stopdrinking #healthandwellnessjourney #zeroalcohol #idontdrink #sobercurious #healthydrinking #alcoholfreelife #soberaf #alcoholfreeliving #sobermotivation #podcast #healthpodcast #noalcohol #nobooze #sober #sobercurious #soberlofe #soberliving #sobercommunity #afcommunity #soberwomen #sobermom #sobermomtribe #sobersisters #sobriety #soberuk #soberjourney #sobrietyrocks #overtheinfluence #oti

In the bustling food scene of Lancashire, Saiful Islam is like a culinary wizard, blending innovation and grit effortlessly. With a heart that beats for all things food and an unyielding spirit of an entrepreneur, Saiful has made a name for himself by bringing the magic of Japanese fusion cuisine to the folks in Haslingden. His journey is a colourful tale of creativity, never-give-up attitude, and a genuine love for all things delicious. And guess what? Saiful isn't stopping anytime soon! He's still in the kitchen, cooking up a storm and delighting customers with his mouthwatering creations. His dishes are like a journey through Japan, with flavours that dance on your taste buds. Saiful's legacy as a true food entrepreneur and culinary pioneer is woven into every dish he serves, reminding us all of the incredible things that can happen when passion meets perseverance.  Cheers to Saiful, the maestro of flavours in Lancashire!

When Moses Clayton's body was laid to rest on Saturday, 1st March 1919, it would close the book on one of Rossendale's most notorious villains. A character that had once terrorised an entire district with his brutality and drunken carefree attitude would no longer pose a threat to the townsfolk of Accrington, Bacup, Haslingden and Rawtenstall, as well as other places such as Whitworth and Todmorden. Born in 1857 to parents James and Susannah, Moses was just one of nine siblings, and he had spent much of his childhood and early teens living in and around Crawshawbooth, within an area known as Lower Booths. In 1871, from the census records, we can see he was living at number 25 Holmes Terrace along with his father James, four brothers and three sisters. His mother had sadly passed away in 1870 at the age of 44. Interestingly, one of the earliest accounts of Moses getting into any form of trouble appeared in 1870, the same year as his mother's death. The Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser ran a small story detailing how a young lad, just 13 years old, had been arrested and charged by Inspector Hargreaves at the Salford Police Court under the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Moses had been found working a horse that was in an unfit condition. His employer, Mr. George Pullett, a coal dealer from Pendlebury,would eventually pay a fine of 40s. Whilst this was obviously a serious charge, it would be nothing compared to what was to come. Please follow me on social media; Twitter – https://twitter.com/dohpods Instagram – www.instagram.com/dohpods Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/DaysofHorrorPodcast Music; Casual Desire – Ugonna Onyekwe – No Copyright Music Beyond the Lows – The Whole Other – No Copyright Music Missing Pieces – Sir Cubworth – No Copyright Music Edge of Life - Myuu - No Copyright Music

On Saturday, 22nd December 1866, the body of a young woman aged 18 years was recovered from a lodge adjacement to Holden Wood cotton mill, that was owned by Mr. James Maxwell and situated in a place known as Holden Wood, near Haslingden. At around half-past one in the afternoon, John Holgate, a spinner employed at Maxwell's mill, whilst passing by his place of work, had noticed something bobbing about just above the water level in a lodge that was within yards of the mill. Upon making his way over to the waters edge, it was then he saw the head of a young girl which was just above the water, with the remainder of her body submerged. Already knowing the depth of the water in the lodge was quite deep, reportedly around nine feet, he knew that trying to recover the body himself was an almost impossible task, so Holgate left to fetch for another worker, who in turn went off to search for a policeman. By the time a police officer had arrived, water from the nearby Holden Wood reservoir had been slowly filling the lodge, which in turn was by now submerging the victims head. And yet despite a struggle, all three men succeeded in retrieving the body. For more on this story, please visit our website at https://www.daysofhorror.com Please follow us on social media; Twitter – https://twitter.com/dohpods Instagram – www.instagram.com/dohpods Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/DaysofHorrorPodcast Music : Another Day - Myuu (free copyright sounds and music) Casual Desire - Ugonna Onyekwe (free copyright sounds and music) Contact - The Tower of Light (free copyright sounds and music)

Ever since the death of her husband, Maurice, who had sadly passed away only two years prior in 1923; 82 year old Mary Ann O'Shea had lived alone at a place known as Tower Hill that was situated within the top end of a town called Haslingden, that lies within the boundaries of the Rossendale Valley. Residing at number 11, Mary had lived in a pitifull and frightening condition. Her house was extremely basic, having just two rooms of which one included the basement. Dampness, filth and grime had made living conditions a nightmare, not just for Mary, but for all of the other residents living at Tower Hill. And out of the 36 houses situated at Tower Hill, 16 of them had no real accomodation for food storage and a staggering 35 homes had no access for washing! In fact, it was the basement that Mary would mainly use as she had suffered terribly from rheumatism and along with an ulcer on one of her legs, it had become too painful to walk up the stone steps to her other room. From all accounts, Mary was a feeble old lady, often relying on the help of a single woman by the name of Margaret Flannagan, who would call on Mary to see how she was doing and if she needed any help. For more on this story, please visit our website at https://www.daysofhorror.com Please follow us on social media; Twitter – https://twitter.com/dohpods Instagram – www.instagram.com/dohpods Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/c/DaysofHorrorPodcast

A bit of an emergency pod, after the weekend we had. We're joined by Jez and Joe, the MD and Toxy Hussain to talk about this weekends games against Haslingden and Rawtenstall. Many thanks to our sponsors: Milltown Pies – www.facebook.com/MillTownPies/ Spoonful of Sweets www.spoonfulofsweets.co.uk

Towering over the town of Haslingden, Cribden Hill imposes its presence in a grand demeanor. And whilst it may look picturesque from spring right through to the autumn months, it can arguably be as intimidating as well as beautiful looking during the winter months, and it's during this period back on Sunday, 6th March, 1910 our next story takes place. Young Isabella Walker, who was just 2½ years old, had spent the best part of the day outside playing with other children. Although it had been a cold and mixed type of day, this hadn't stopped any of them from enjoying the rare opportunity of making the most of their free time together. By mid-afternoon, many of the children had returned home, leaving Isabella pretty much alone. It seems that she still had an abundance of energy still to burn off and so she went back to her home to spend time with her elder brother and sister, John and Hilda. John was seven and Hilda, ten years of age. Unbeknownst to her, both John and Hilda had already been sent out to a farm a short distance away to collect some milk and so, after finding only her mother and father at home and with her brother and sister nowhere to be seen, she left the house to go and look for them, or so it seems. Time would soon pass, and despite John and Hilda returning home with the milk, it would be around 5.45pm when Isabella's parents, Frederick and Margaret would for the first time realise Isabella was missing. The home of Frederick and Margaret Walker was situated on the slope of Cribden Hill in an area known as Cribden 'Side', with several farm buildings separated by dry stones walls and the odd hedgerow. They had four children, with Isabella being the youngest at just 2½ years of age. John and Hilda, as we have already mentioned, and also Isaac, who was five years old. With Isabella now apparently missing, Frederick set out to scour the moors, frantically searching for his daughter. But as a thick layer of mist soon began to fall and with darkness quickly descending, his search would turn to frustration, and with a gaslamp as his only source of light, visibility was extremely poor. Shouting out into the thickness of the fog, the sound of his voice would be muffled out just as quickly as it left his mouth. For more on this story, please visit our website at https://www.daysofhorror.com

Mick Malone joins us to talk about the 1977 Ashes tour of England, that culminated in Mick taking 5-63 and scoring 46 with the bat at the Oval in his one and only Test for Australia. He also chats growing up in Scarborough, World Series Cricket and his time playing in the Lancashire League for Haslingden. 

With much of the country blanketed under deep snow and underlying frost that had brought hundreds of mills and factories to a close with over 15,000 workers within East Lancashire alone all being left unable to work, for children – it brought an unexpected break from their daily chores of not just work but that also of school. Many took to the parks and playing fields to enjoy the extended break, throwing snowballs, making snowmen and if they had the means, they would find somewhere steep enough to enjoy the rare opportunity to sledge down. And it's within the township of Haslingden that we are once again travelling back to, and to the evening of Wednesday, 3rd March 1909 as we delve into the story of the Charles Lane toboggan misadventure. Fifty year old, James Roberts, a waste breaker who was employed at Spring Vale mill, had left work at around 7.40pm to make his way home at nearby 27 Prospect Hill. With him was a man named Havelock Bond, an engineer who also worked at the same mill as James. Taking a pipe out from his jacket, lighting it and after a couple of puffs of smoke, Havelock patted James on his back, telling him it wouldn't be long before they both reached their homes, despite the lane ahead being in a hazardous condition. “Aye, perhaps your ‘reet.” replied James as he lit his own pipe.

Lollipop man Peter Griffiths returns to his post after a covid scare. Haslingden's vaccine bus, a Burnley plumber's memorial garden and house prices soar.

Jack Usher was a player many years ahead of others in terms of quality and his statistics back that up. After having joined Haslingden Cricket Club from Whalley, he soon established himself as perhaps one of the finest slow-left-arm bowlers that the Lancashire League had ever witnessed. A native of Liversedge, Usher quickly made a name for himself at several Yorkshire clubs, including Heckmondwike, Holbeck and Holmfirth. It was in 1888 that he was asked to partake in a trial with Yorkshire County which ultimately led to him playing at Lords against Cheshire as well as the Yorkshire Colts at Sheffield. At some point in the early 1890s, he left Yorkshire and moved to Lancashire where he would become a professional for Bacup in 1892 as well as Rishton in the Lancashire League. He would later move to the Ribblesdale League when he signed for Whalley and he would stay with them for five years, winning the Ribblesdale League Cup in the process. In 1900, Haslingden would come calling for his services and despite them having one of the worst seasons recorded in Lancashire County Cricket the season before, Usher didn't hesitate to sign for them. Less than twelve months later, Usher would be pivotal in them winning the league for the first time in their history. Both Church and Haslingden ended the 1900 season with the exact same points, both having played twenty-six games, winning seventeen, drawing six and losing three - with finally ending on forty points. In the end, Haslingden would beat Church by 116 runs over two matches that began on Saturday 8th September and concluded on the following Monday, 10th September. Both innings would be played at Accrington in front of over 10,000 spectator's. The scenes where incredible. Haslingden town center was brought to a near standstill as well-wishers and bystanders all took to the streets to welcome home their heroes. Setting off from Accrington and the scene of their triumph, the players all returned by stage coach drawn by six horses. Behind them came the waggonette carrying the committee and board members and as they all arrived at Hudrake, the Haslingden Temperance Band welcomed them by playing a vast number of songs, with one being, "See the conquering hero comes." Perhaps the biggest scenes, however, occurred at the four junctions in the center of Haslingden and near to the Commerical Hotel where a sea of people, all laughing, shouting and cheering had congregated. Fireworks were then let off further down Blackburn Road. The procession made its way around to Bury Road and Manchester Road and returned a short time later at the Commercial Hotel where the team and committee members were treated to an extravagant tea. It seems everything was going well not only for Haslingden Cricket Club but also for that of Jack Usher. But the title triumph that had amazed everyone within the cricketing world had been overshadowed by controversy when back on Saturday, 18th August, 1900 - a match between Nelson and Haslingden, played over at the Seedhill Ground, resulted in serious accusations of attempted bribery from Usher to a Nelson player being made.

Synopsis On today’s date in 1692, London audiences were treated to a lavish theatrical entertainment entitled “The Fairy Queen.” This show was loosely based on Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a play already 100 years old in 1692. To make it more in line with contemporary taste, characters were added or cut, and scenes shifted around to such an extent that Shakespeare, were he alive to see it, would be hard put to recognize much of his original concept. Musical sequences were also expanded, and the producers hired the leading British composer of the day to write them. His name was Henry Purcell, and “The Fairy Queen” would turn out to be the biggest success of his career. In addition to writing the show’s songs and dances, Purcell provided music to entertain the audience as they entered and exited the theater or stretched their legs during the intermission. The good news is that no expense was spared in the show’s production. The bad news was the show’s producers barely recovered their expenses. Subsequent productions, they decided, would be less flashy, but, recognizing the quality of Purcell’s music, they signed him on once again for their next extravaganza. Music Played in Today's Program Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) The Fairy Queen Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, cond. Auvidis 8583 On This Day Births 1660 - Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, in Palermo; founder of the "Neopolitan School" of music and father of the composer, Dominico Scarlatti; 1752 - Baptismal date of German oboist and composer Ludwig August Lebrun, in Mannheim; 1810 - Danish conductor and composer Hans Christian Lumbye, in Copenhagen; 1843 - Austrian conductor and operetta composer Carl Michael Ziehrer, in Vienna; 1905 - English composer Alan Rawsthorne, in Haslingden; Deaths 1864 - German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Jakob Liebmann Beer), age 72,in Paris; 1990 - American composer William Levi Dawson, age 90, in Montgomery, Ala.; Premieres 1692 - Purcell: opera "The Fairy Queen," in London at the Queen's Theater, Dorset Garden; 1935 - Ibert: "Concertino da Camera" for saxophone and chamber orchestra, in Paris; 1936 - Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf" at a children's concert by the Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; 1947 - Copland: "In the Beginning" for mezzo-soprano and chorus, at Harvard University; 1947 - Schoenberg: String Trio, Op. 45, at Harvard University; 1951 - Cage: "Imaginary Landscape No. 4" for 12 radios, in New York; 1951 - Ulysses Kay: "Sinfonia" for orchestra, in Rochester, N.Y.; 1965 - Bolcom: "Oracle" for orchestra, in Seattle; 1965 - Grofé: "Trick or Treat: Halloween," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, André Kostelanetz conducting; 1981 - David Amram: Violin Concerto, by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting, with Charles Castleman the soloist; 1984 - Ezra Laderman: String Quartet No. 7, in New York City, by the Colorado Quartet; 1984 - Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Sunday in the Park with George"; 1990 - Elliott Carter: Violin Concerto, by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, with Ole Böhn as soloist; Others 1855 - American premiere of Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" (The Troubadour) at the Academy of Music in New York. 1872 - First documented American performance of Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" in D (Op. 123), at Steinway Hall in New York , by the Church Music Association, Dr. James Pech conducting; Subsequent regional premieres of this work occurred in Cincinnati (May 19, 1880) and Boston (Mar. 12, 1897). Links and Resources More on "The Fairy Queen" More on Purcell

Synopsis On today’s date in 1692, London audiences were treated to a lavish theatrical entertainment entitled “The Fairy Queen.” This show was loosely based on Shakespeare’s comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” a play already 100 years old in 1692. To make it more in line with contemporary taste, characters were added or cut, and scenes shifted around to such an extent that Shakespeare, were he alive to see it, would be hard put to recognize much of his original concept. Musical sequences were also expanded, and the producers hired the leading British composer of the day to write them. His name was Henry Purcell, and “The Fairy Queen” would turn out to be the biggest success of his career. In addition to writing the show’s songs and dances, Purcell provided music to entertain the audience as they entered and exited the theater or stretched their legs during the intermission. The good news is that no expense was spared in the show’s production. The bad news was the show’s producers barely recovered their expenses. Subsequent productions, they decided, would be less flashy, but, recognizing the quality of Purcell’s music, they signed him on once again for their next extravaganza. Music Played in Today's Program Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) The Fairy Queen Le Concert des Nations; Jordi Savall, cond. Auvidis 8583 On This Day Births 1660 - Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, in Palermo; founder of the "Neopolitan School" of music and father of the composer, Dominico Scarlatti; 1752 - Baptismal date of German oboist and composer Ludwig August Lebrun, in Mannheim; 1810 - Danish conductor and composer Hans Christian Lumbye, in Copenhagen; 1843 - Austrian conductor and operetta composer Carl Michael Ziehrer, in Vienna; 1905 - English composer Alan Rawsthorne, in Haslingden; Deaths 1864 - German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer (Jakob Liebmann Beer), age 72,in Paris; 1990 - American composer William Levi Dawson, age 90, in Montgomery, Ala.; Premieres 1692 - Purcell: opera "The Fairy Queen," in London at the Queen's Theater, Dorset Garden; 1935 - Ibert: "Concertino da Camera" for saxophone and chamber orchestra, in Paris; 1936 - Prokofiev: "Peter and the Wolf" at a children's concert by the Moscow Philharmonic, conducted by the composer; 1947 - Copland: "In the Beginning" for mezzo-soprano and chorus, at Harvard University; 1947 - Schoenberg: String Trio, Op. 45, at Harvard University; 1951 - Cage: "Imaginary Landscape No. 4" for 12 radios, in New York; 1951 - Ulysses Kay: "Sinfonia" for orchestra, in Rochester, N.Y.; 1965 - Bolcom: "Oracle" for orchestra, in Seattle; 1965 - Grofé: "Trick or Treat: Halloween," by the Philadelphia Orchestra, André Kostelanetz conducting; 1981 - David Amram: Violin Concerto, by the St. Louis Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting, with Charles Castleman the soloist; 1984 - Ezra Laderman: String Quartet No. 7, in New York City, by the Colorado Quartet; 1984 - Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "Sunday in the Park with George"; 1990 - Elliott Carter: Violin Concerto, by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Herbert Blomstedt, with Ole Böhn as soloist; Others 1855 - American premiere of Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" (The Troubadour) at the Academy of Music in New York. 1872 - First documented American performance of Beethoven's "Missa solemnis" in D (Op. 123), at Steinway Hall in New York , by the Church Music Association, Dr. James Pech conducting; Subsequent regional premieres of this work occurred in Cincinnati (May 19, 1880) and Boston (Mar. 12, 1897). Links and Resources More on "The Fairy Queen" More on Purcell

On the evening of Tuesday, 12th July 1910, Margaret Taylor, proprietor of number 29 Back Bank Terrace, upon noticing a terrible smell coming from somewhere within her house, would make a shocking discovery. After wandering around from room-to-room to find the cause of the smell, Mrs. Taylor would eventually make her way down into the basement. In there she spotted an array of items, from clothing to furniture that had been left behind by a previous tenant. After rummaging around for a short time, she came across a small tin-box. The smell at this point had gotten much stronger and it seemed to be coming from within the box. Curious as to what was inside, she managed to break it open. Recoiling from the odious smell that instantly escaped from the box, Mrs. Taylor, cupping her nose and mouth with one hand, leant back over and peered inside. What she found inside the tin was a cardboard box, and inside that and wrapped in a dark blue coloured cloth and clothed in a white nightgown, were the feet of a young baby that peered through. Horrified at the discovery, Mrs. Taylor immediately left the basement and went into town to inform the police of her find. Quickly, Sergeant Walker made his way to number 29 and after investigating the basement, he took possession of the tin box, lifting it onto a table top. Opening it, Walker discovered the remains of a baby, but with decomposition in such an advanced state, he was unable to determine the sex. The following morning, on Wednesday, 13th July, Dr. Harrison performed a postmortem ready for the inquest that would take place that afternoon. Meanwhile, Sergeant Walker whom had spoken to Mrs. Taylor had made his way over to Loveclough, a small village in nearby Rawtenstall and based on information given to him, he called at the home of Sarah Hannah Barnes. Informing Sarah of the tin-box being found and after asking if she owned such an item, Sarah asked him, "Do you think they will send me to prison?" Sergeant Walker, obviously could never answer her question and instead asked if she would accompany him back to Haslingden so she could attend the inquest that afternoon. In front of Mr. Robinson, the inquest into the body of the baby being found at number 29 Back Bank Terrace would take place in the Haslingden Town Hall. First up would be Sergeant Walker who would tell of when Mrs. Taylor first approached him about the finding of the tin-box in the basement and how he took possession of it. He would also mention his subsequent visit to Loveclough to speak with Sarah Barnes. Next up, Mrs Taylor would take to the stand. Along with detailing the events that took place the previous day, she would mention of how Sarah Barnes had been a neighbour living next door to her and her husband William from Christmas until around the end of February. When leaving, Sarah had asked Mrs. Taylor if she could leave behind some items of furniture which she would remove at a later date to which Mrs. Taylor had agreed too. She had known Sarah for around twelve-months and saw no reason to deny her request. A couple of months passed and Sarah then returned to number 29 on Saturday 9th July, to drop off some more items, such as a flock bed and some bed clothes as well as a tin box. Two days later and on Monday 11th July, Sarah returned, this time to pick up some items.

Accrington during the mid-to-late 1800's had managed to find itself immune from murder whilst all around them in places such as Haslingden, Blackburn and Burnley had for some strange reason found themselves to be hotbeds for crimes that many seemed beyond comprehension. And whilst a serious crime that had resulted in the murder of a little girl named Henrietta Leaver had occurred in 1881, Accrington had been a relatively quiet town in terms of murder. But this would come to a shuddering halt when, on Tuesday the 18th September 1894, a tragedy would rock the town and especially the residents living along Hyndburn Road. Elizabeth Greenwood, sister-in-law of Mrs. Alice Hannah Farrar of number 43 Hyndburn Road, after having passed by Mrs. Farrar's house at around 8.30am, had noticed that the blinds in the windows were still down, and knowing that the children's school was some distance away, it was out of character for the house to seem dormant at that time of morning. Elizabeth, curious as to why the house seemed so silent made her way to the front door but despite knocking several times, she got no answer. Having no joy, she made her way to a neighbours house, and upon acquiring a key from a lady by the name of Mary Elizabeth Jackson, she opened the front door and along with Mary, they made their way in. After looking and finding no-one around, both women then made their way upstairs and to the dreadful scenes from within the front bedroom. Shocked by what they had found, Elizabeth and Mary ran down the stairs and out into the street, with Elizabeth shouting, “She has killed her children!” James Fell, a labourer from number 47, alarmed by the loud screaming that was coming from outside, left his house and made his way down towards number 43. Nearby, a corporation workman who was making his way along the thoroughfare also heard the agonizing screams, and without having to enter the house, he had a horrible feeling something was seriously wrong. He quickly made his way towards Blackburn Road where he met police sergeant, Robert Bale. Bale hastily made his way to Hyndburn Road and to number 43 which was by this time surrounded by a large number of people. Upon entering the house and rushing up to the bedrooms, he was confronted with an unspeakably horrific sight. Lying on a bed, and at the nearest side to the bedroom door was eight year old, Esther Hannah Farrar. Her throat had been cut and it was obvious she was dead. Next to her lay two other girls, Elizabeth and Isabella, aged six and four respectively, also with their throats cut and with an open razor covered in blood lying next to Isabella. Luckily, both Elizabeth and Isabella, had survived the attack on them – just! At the foot of the bed, Alice Ann Farrar, mother to the girls, was found to be laying down. Her clothes covered in blood and she seemed to have a rope tied tightly around her neck.

On Monday, 11th March 1907, Thomas Dennison was brought before the magistrates at Haslingden after having been charged on suspicion of murdering his wife, Margaret Dennison at some point during the evening of Saturday, 9th March. Standing before the bench and facing Alderman Hamilton (Chairman) as well as Messrs. Holt, Law and O.W. Porritt, Thomas showed little agitation and when asked if he had anything to say, he simply replied, “She did it herself. I never touched woman.” Thomas, aged 49 and Margaret Dennison, aged 56 had only recently moved into the third floor of 10 Cob Castle, Hutch Bank the month before on the 2nd February having previously spent time at Hoyle's lodging house in Haslingden. Both had travelled over from the suburban area of Idle in Bradford, Yorkshire during August of 1906. On the afternoon of Saturday, 9th March, Thomas, whom had been employed as a stonemason by the Bury and District Joint Water Board to work on one of the reservoirs over Haslingden, Grane – after having arrived back home he gave his wife Margaret, 8 shillings to help buy groceries. He then went off to help some other men remove a hen-coop from an area known as Underbank and relocate it at Hutch Bank, both areas of which were close to where Thomas and Margaret lived. By 5pm that afternoon, and having done his chores for the day, Thomas made his way to his local pub which was situated at the end of Cob Castle Road. The Dyer's Arms (also known as “the Flip”) was a small pub that saw plenty of trade by the way of local workers as it was nicely situated within the middle of what was a heavily saturated area of textile and cotton mills. The landlord was also the ninth Mayor of Haslingden, Robert Taylor. Thomas spent the next three or so hours drinking and singing, with one of his favourite songs being, “In days of old, when Knights were bold” and it wasn't until just after 7.30pm that Margaret would come looking for him. “Is Thomas ‘ere?” she asked Taylor, landlord, to which he replied, “Yes.” Noticing how wet she was, as rain had been falling for pretty much the entirety of the day but had gotten much worse as the evening had worn on, he asked her if should would like to go into a room, presumably where there may have been a fire burning and she would have been able to keep warm. “Aye, I will stay a minute.” she told Taylor. Whilst the landlord went to fetch her husband, Margaret sat herself down and enjoyed a glass of stout which he had already poured for her. Entering the taproom, Taylor informed Thomas that his wife was waiting for him in the next room and Thomas replied, saying he would first drink up his beer and then go. Shortly after eight o'clock, Thomas and Margaret both left the Dyer's Arms and began to make their way up the relatively steep incline that led to their home on Cob Castle Road.

Think of Victorian England and images of cobbled streets, horse drawn carriages, mills and towering chimneys come to mind and of course, gas lamps flickering through the swirling fog that always seemed to linger much longer during the latter end of each year and into the New Year due to the wetter conditions and stillness of the air. The North West of England had encountered such thick fog during the second week of January 1888, causing four days of unprecedented havoc in places such as Liverpool as it practically brought the canals and other sea faring traffic to a standstill. In Yorkshire, many pits struggled as colliers had to walk long distances just to get into work, leaving many of them with fewer hands to do a day's work leading to great financial losses. In Accrington, a steam tramcar ran into a shillibeer on a road close to Haslingden, smashing it into bits and leaving one horse badly injured. Fortunately, no persons where on the carriage at the time of the collision. Meanwhile, over in Clitheroe, traffic was impeded to such an extent that delays on the railway lines where inevitable and in the streets, several accidents had occurred. But for this story, we are travelling into Hapton a relatively small village which is situated just three miles west of Burnley and to the events that occurred on Thursday, 12th October 1888. After arriving within the train station at Accrington, the Todmorden express, driven by James Johnson departed shortly around 6.37pm before making its way towards to Huncoat. Traversing through the dense fog, Johnson managed to sustain a relatively good speed and having arrived at Huncoat on time, he pulled up by a signal where he would wait for around two minutes before being signaled forwards to make his way over to Hapton which was situated around 2 miles away and in the direction of Burnley. His approach towards Hapton Station was a relatively normal one, albeit for the fog, and as he made his way closer to the station, he distinctly noticed all of the signals where lit up white, clearing the way through. Unaware of the impending danger in front of him, Johnson maintained his speed as the express train passed through Hapton. Ahead of him was a Miles Platting goods train that had passed through only minutes earlier and which was standing on the main line. The driver, Walter Haywood, had been told by George Goodwin, pointsman - who was in charge of the signal box, to pass through and move a few hundred yards further up the line until he arrived at the points that fed onto a siding where he could then reverse the goods train back and thus into a safe location as to allow the express train to pass by safely. However, it seems he missed the points and stopped slightly ahead of them. The guard of the train, James Thomas Hill, made his way out and began to walk down the line so he could direct Haywood into shunting the train backwards and onto the sideline. Unfortunately, and just like James Johnson, driver of the express train, he was also unaware of the danger that was quickly approaching.

Children appearing in youth or crown courts in Wales and England cannot be named if they are under the age of 18, apart from exceptional circumstances as the European Convention on Human Rights says that all children have a right to privacy and a family life – which basically means that once they have served their sentence they then have a right to move on with their life. But this was certainly not the case back in 1902 when, on Friday, 17th January – news broke of a boy who was charged with the willful murder of another boy going by the name of James Edward Rostron, aged 12, who had been missing since Wednesday, 15th January. Frank Kershaw, aged 13 and who lived with his parents at Higher Lane, Haslingden in the North West of England, had known James for some time as both families lived nearby to each other, with the Rostron's living at nearby Church Lane. And despite both boys being employed within different mills, Kershaw working at Hutch Bank Mill and Rostron working at nearby Plantation Mill, they would both see each other on a daily basis once work and schools had closed for the day. They would also attend different schools. Frank Kershaw spent his afternoons at the Parish Church School whereas James Rostron would be educated at the Wesleyan School just off Manchester Road and it was from here that both children would meet up on a regular basis before making their way to their homes at the top end of Haslingden. On the day of James's disappearance on the Wednesday, both boys had been into work and as had been a regular occurrence in the past, Kershaw had called at the home of James at around 6am that morning before they both made their way into town and to their respected places of work. Both boys would spend their mornings in the mills and then, after visiting their home's for lunch, they would make their way into their respective schools. Normally, both of the boys would leave school sometime around four o'clock in the afternoon but on this day in particular, Kershaw had said to Charles Henry Heathcote, head master of the Parish Church School, that he was wanted back at the mill he worked at and could he leave school a little earlier, to which he was allowed to leave at around 3.40pm. Kershaw would then make his way over to the Wesleyan School and after speaking to a teacher named Sarah Swire, she allowed Rostron to also leave school early that day – at around 3.45pm. Rostron and Kershaw would both make their way along Manchester Road in the direction of Deardengate before turning right onto what is now known as Higher-Deardengate. It's at this point that a discussion about a watch that was sent to James Rostron from his Uncle who was then in South Africa, may have been brought up and perhaps Kershaw didn't believe that his friend had such a valuable item in his possession, but one thing that is certain is that James Rostron went into his house shortly after four o'clock and was last heard rummaging around in a drawer. His mother, Elizabeth was in the back room and heard the drawer being opened. Upon shouting from the back room and asking what he was doing, James shouted back that he was “going out to play”.

Many times we hear of serious crimes taking place in areas which are never close to home and we always think to ourselves it would never happen where you live, and yet crimes, and especially murders may well have happened closer than you realize – sometimes you just have to do a little digging. Haslingden is a small town that resides within the district of Rossendale. Surrounded by moorland, it is situated roughly 16 miles North of Manchester, with neighboring towns and villages such as Rawtenstall, Helmshore, Rising Bridge, Acre and Hud Hey all within close proximity. By the late 1800's, the population was around 19,000 with many residents working within the factories and mills that had prospered during Industrial Revolution due to the mechanization of the wool, cotton and spinning industries. And it is in this setting that we travel back to the 20th August 1880 and to the home of Mary and Dennis Molloy, mop maker, that was situated on Wilkinson Street, or as it was known then, New Club Houses – just off Marsden Square at the top of the town. As you can probably gather, the surname – Molloy – is of Irish origin and it was in this part of town that a large gathering of Irish families had settled, with one name in particular that some of you may have already heard of; Michael Davitt – the founder of the ‘Land League‘ back in 1879 which was responsible for liberating the Irish peasantry from the injustices of the land rental scheme; but this is a story for another time! It was close to around 2.00pm when James, aged 20 and the third eldest of nine children, arrived back at home eagerly looking forwards to having his lunch after spending much of the day transporting goods around town as a carter. Being of a somewhat poor neighborhood, the house was in a terrible state and witness accounts that spoke of Mary and Dennis seem to indicate they spent most of their time in a drunken stupor, with Dennis perhaps being the more guilty of the two when it came to worse-for-wear with drink. Not having much in the way of food, Mary went out to a local shop nearby to purchase some ham, eggs and coffee and when she arrived back home some short time later, James sat down at the kitchen table and tucked into the food she had brought back. Meanwhile, his father, Dennis Molloy, who had been sleeping upstairs, was awoken by the sound of his wife and James talking downstairs. Making his way down and into the kitchen, he ordered his son to leave the house saying; “he should have no dinner here.” Winifred Molloy, nine years of age who was in the house at the time had made her way into the kitchen by the time her mother came back and heard her father shouting at James.

It's been a while and we've been up to loads! - Heart Of Gaming in Acton, 4 Quarters Arcade Bar in Peckham, Arcade Club in Haslingden, 8 Bit Flip, Pixel Lust II, Chassis Arcade in Copenhagen as well as playing Time Pilot!  Phew! Also, interviews with Mark @ HOG, Alpha1 and recorded walkarounds. Podcast Highlights Intro's and what we've been up to including - Interview with Mark at the HOG - 5m 5s Shaun walks around the 8 Bit Flip - 41m 20s Samich Advertisment - 50m 30s Arcade News – 53m 28s Pickups – 1h 15m Competition - 1h 17m 16s Feedback – 1h 19m Shoutouts! – 1h 36m 41s Games That Should've Been In The Arcade – 1h 39m 5s Musical Interlude – 1h 44m 17s Featured Game Review – 1h 46m 17s Art Of Sideart – 2h 27m 43s Releases From This Month In History – 2h 29m 54s Next Show's Game – 2h 38m 38s Interview with Alpha1 (Oliver Moazzezi) - 2h 40m 45s Out takes - 4h 43m Time Pilot on Starcade Time PIlot Centuri Flyer Time Pilot Atari Flyer Time Pilot on Starcade Time Pilot at John's Arcade The HOG (Heart of Gaming) The 4 Quarters Bar Arcade 8 Bit Flip The Batcave PIxel Lust II Atari Suck! Skycurser Daily V-Log Berzerk French Voice Synthesis Street Fighter Retrospective Paper Arcade Killer Queen 10 Player Cab @ Logan Arcade (Chicago) Videoarcade in Nottingham Game Content Evolution Gameroom Junkies #50 Billy Mitchell Pinball Infographic Whoa Nelly! - Big Juicy Melons Pinball Pac a Pong 1990 Tokyo Game Centre Walkabout Lighty Up T Molding Midwest Classic Gaming Expo (Wisconsin) Heiankyo Alien to Space Panic Evolution (GreatBitBlog) Monroe Joystick at QuarterArcade Oids (ST) Wario Ware (Wii) Impossible Mission (C64) Stunt Car Racer (C64) Splat! (Spectrum) Silver Coin Arcade Tapper SMRaedis - 536000 Shaun Holley - 464100 Philv85 - 399000 Lesoleil70 - 371800 ChalieFar - 302800 Tronads - 286000 Otto TM AND E - 242900 Victor - 202000 Madstedotcom - 180000 Ben76 - 152000 Vipp - 86000 Victor's Fantasy Cabinets List (FULL UP!) – Donkey Kong, Dig Dug, Bosconian, Asteroids Deluxe, Death Race, Food Fight, Tazz Mania, Q*Bert, Space Zap!, SkyCurser Shaun's Fantasy Cabinet's List (FULL UP) – 1942, Galaxian, Wonderboy, Dodonpachi Daioujou, Rygar, Vulgus, Star Force, Eyes, Berzerk, Q*Bert