ANDY Billington’s account of life at Brownlow Fold School from 1966 to 1971 proved fascinating reading.

This week we continue his story as told from his home in the USA.

Andy’s father was the well known teacher and local historian Derek Billington known and loved by many in Bolton.

Andy ‘s memories included lunch time excursions to the pie shop in Eskrick Street where a barm cake buttie would be the meal of choice or may be some Coltsfoot rock, bonbons or Benson’s blackberry and licorice sweets would be bought from the sweet shop which was in the same street.

He said: “Sometimes my classmate Alan Taylor and I would cycle down to Len Tobutt’s sports’ shop to buy pellets for our air rifles.

“In those days it was down at the Higher Bridge Street or Lower Blackburn Road near the Ford dealers.”

He added: “Then to make cycling back to school easier we would get in the slip stream of the Atlantean bus that ran up Halliwell Road.
“I would cycle many times to school from home and the one mile and a bit journey would take less than 10 minutes.

“But on those frosty, wet or snowy days I would ride with dad in his Hillman Husky or Bedford Dormobile,” he says.

Remembering school days from the '60s

In the school yard he says the students would play “headers” with tennis balls during breaks and before school started.

There would be two students on each side and the ball would be headed backwards and forwards until it hit the floor.

“The competitions were usually played along the wall bordering Mort Street where Mr Hall, the headmaster, would park his Morris 1000 and John Brown his Reliant Robin.

“Also, and I don’t know if the school knew this, there was a shop in Raphael Street selling to us underage kids an individual cigarette.

“We’d smoke it on the way back to school following it with a strong mint, like Fisherman’s Friend to naively mask the smell of nicotine,” he recalls.

Andy recalls his dad’s talent in art helped the boys to create their own bound books.

“Derek was a naturally gifted artist and taught students many ways to express art with many different mediums,” he says.

Teachers Andy recalls include deputy head Mr Brian Smith who was a “firm teacher with a good sense of humour” as well as Mrs Eunice Smith who was the wife of Brian and she was the French teacher.

Alan Alsop was a serious teacher who taught English and Mr Tony Wilson was a maths teacher who taught in room seven.

“I remember his room had a hole in the top edge for the little ink pots and we would dip out plastic fountain pens in the ink to write with,” he says.

Alan Rigby (a particularly popular teacher but also well known to Looking Back readers as we have featured many of his memories and his books) was the woodwork teacher who Andy recalls fondly.

“Andy was a young guy and very much a sporty type.

“I recall him many a time on the football field refereeing a match. He had a calm persona and I never remember him slippering anyone.

“I enjoyed his classes and I recall, with fondness, the many expressions he had about how to master the art of working with wood.”

Ron Bleakley taught metalwork and Mr Dennis Oakes worked from “the hut” which was at the north end of the high school yard.

Andy clearly recalls the many meals he enjoyed in the dining hall, run by Kay White, and the fact teachers would dine with the boys.

He said the food “was great” and recalls mashed spuds, gravy, meat balls, custard and rice pudding “to name but a few”. Meals at Brownlow Fold were “certainly a belly filler I recall,” adds Andy. 

Send your school day memories to gayle.mcbain@nqnw.co.uk