MEMORIES of Westhoughton came flooding back to Mr Kenneth Lucas, of Park Road, Hindley, when he read Ken Beever's latest excellent book, in the "Images of England" series, about that town.

"I would like to tell you of what life was like, to the south of Westhoughton, in 1952-53," he writes.

"During this period and for some time after, Mark Edwards oversaw his huge Dobb Brow works, which stood between today's horse riding stables and Allenby Mill.

"The works manufactured asbestos garages, sheds, step ladders, 'rubbing boards', hen coops (which were delivered as far away as Cheshire), to busy farms. Edwards also sold guttering, garden gates, gravel, chimney pots, cement, felt, sand, slates, wire netting, and other things.

"I was about 16 at the times, and remember Cliff and Tom, the two drivers, Connie from the works' office, Dick Ashton, Bill Ainscough, Abel Kenwright, Raymond, and another Bill (who placed beautifully coloured tiles face downwards in a mould, strengthened by iron bars and screw supports then filled the mould with cement-concrete mixture. What splendid fireplaces this workman made.

"The workforce played cards and had their dinners in the boiler house. Around 1960 a huge elderly person's 'Meeting Room' opposite Hindley Bethel was constructed by Edwards.

"I recall cycling down Wearish Lane, through fine countryside in the summers, towards my Hindley home from the works. Sometimes I went a more direct route, past the Westhoughton Greyhound Track and saw Mrs Tony Eastaway loading up her show horse and her goat mascot. Horse and goat journeyed everywhere together in the days when 'Leigh Girl', 'Goodbye', and 'Shy' were local track stars at Tony Eastaway's track."