Aspin’s Bakery. 1950.
This brief film is part of a collection of digitised 16mm
family films donated to Blackburn Library by Janet Burke. Shot by Janet’s father and bakery owner Harry Aspin in 1950, the first scene shows the Aspin’s bakery girls dancing around a
makeshift maypole in the backyard of Aspin’s Audley Range bakery. Almost certainly filmed on Mayday, Harry’s
four year old daughter Patricia is the ‘Queen’, and there is brief glimpse of mum
Irene with Patricia’s new sibling Janet. The second scene switches to the
bakehouse, and the bakers are shown hard at work preparing supplies for the
firm’s three shops on Audley Range, Altom Street and Bank Top. The names we
have are: Peggy Holden, Stella (operating the pie block), Elsie Jemman, Irene
Jackson and, seen placing pies in the oven, Fred Farnworth and George Walker.
1 min 28 Seconds.
Additional music courtesy of zapsplat.com
DW 2018
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St Thomas’ ChurchWalking Days. 1950-1962.
This collection of digitised short 16mm films, here melded
into a single video, were filmed in Blackburn during the 1950s and early 1960s. The films were shot by Harry Aspin, owner of
Aspin’s bakery on Audley Range, and well-known to all living in the Audley area.
The moving images are a record of several St Thomas’ Church walking days,
usually held in June; and usually followed by a Field Day, held on the field
adjoining Wescoe Memorial Hall.
Donated to Blackburn Library by Harry’s
youngest daughter Janet, the video also includes footage of two Blackburn
Carnivals. As one might expect, Harry’s
daughters, Patricia and Janet, are given plenty of exposure during the various processions. Old cine footage can be difficult to date
with any accuracy, but fortunately the presence of young Janet and Patricia has
enabled reliable dating. The St Thomas’
processions are dated as 1950, 1951, 1954 and c. 1962. The first Blackburn Carnival (filmed in
b&w) is c. 1952. The second carnival, c.1954, appears to travel along
Audley, through the town centre, and then proceed along Bank Top. Not all
the streets shown in the St Thomas’ processions are identified, but the St.
Thomas’ Church Parish Magazine of June 1957 lists that year’s procession route
as follows: Addington Street, Audley Street, Pendle Street, Lambeth Street,
Copy Nook, Bottomgate, Ordnance Street, Woolwich Street, Harwood Street,
Furthergate, Cherry Street, Audley Range, St Thomas’ Street, Temple Drive,
Newton Street, Billinge Street and Lambeth Street. Only
a few faces have been named including the Misses Aspin, Harry Aspin, Irene Aspin,
Harry Aspin senior, Arthur Holden, Annie Ainsworth, Fred Farnworth (pipe band
leader), Joan Cronshaw (Guide Leader), the Vicar Eric Cheverton (incumbent
1949-52) and parading Rose Queen
Kathleen Green.
10 mins 36
seconds. Additional music courtesy of
zapsplat.com
DW 2018
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With grateful thanks to Kalynda Bradley who has kindly given www.cottontown.org the following link to the digitised cine film which her Uncle, Stanley Richardson, filmed in 1970s Blackburn: https://youtu.be/dVrfKe2dOxg