SALFORD'S Mayor Bernard Pennington celebrated 150 years of Worsley Court house by reliving his own memorable date at the Victorian building.

"I was married here to Jean in 1956. I remember it was a day of showers and sunshine. I was a little more nervous giving the speech on that day, than today," said Cllr Pennington.

"I remember the building as a boy because there used to be a popular walk from Walkden around the Court House. I'm glad it's still here today providing a super venue for a wide-range of social events," he added.

More than 70 people watched yesterday as the Mayor unveiled a plaque to mark the building's historic anniversary. And last night more than 100 guests were given an illustrated talk on its history.

Celebration

It marked the start of a two-week celebration at the Court House which included a school painting contest today and a performance of The Importance of Being Earnest by the Worsley Intimate Theatre tomorrow night.

Future events include a craft fair, a cake contest and a soul night.

The Court House is a Grade Two listed building, built in 1849 by the first Earl of Ellesmere, Francis Egerton, on the site of Worsley's old village stocks.

The lion of the main front finial is based on the red lion within the Egerton coat of arms.

Egerton came to Worsley Old Hall in 1837, described the village as "a God-forgotten place, much addicted to drink and rude sports, the manners being deplorably low. The whole place was in a state of religious and educational destitution, there was no-one to see to the spiritual wants and the teaching was all but nullity."

He decided he needed a building for official meetings and a dignified setting for local magistrates to hold the Petty Sessions.

The Earl himself sat as one of the magistrates for the first hearing which involved summonses on 13 house owners from Union Street in Pendlebury under the Nuisance Removal and Prevention of Diseases Act relating to a sewer that had been allowed to become stagnant.

The Court House was also described as Worsley Police Court and dealt with petty crime such as trespass, poaching and drunkeness.

The building has been used in may ways over the years. It served as a Town Hall until the Urban District of Worsley was created in 1894.

Distribution

The annual distribution of blankets and food was done from there, as were the vicar's tea parties.

The last police court was held in 1908 and in 1923 the building was sold by the fourth Earl of Ellesmere. It was used intermittently for private functions until it was sold to Worsley Urban District Council in 1966 for £6,500.

"I wouldn't like to think how much a building of this nature would cost today," said the Mayor.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.