Growing up I was always told about how my great grandmother had been born in England. Despite her best efforts to exude wealth, we all knew she came from humble beginnings (especially prior to coming to Canada). After my grandmother passed last summer I inherited a some vital records - among them was my great grandmother's birth certificate. According to the birth certificate she was born at 20 Vickers Row in Farnworth, Lancashire England during 1909, and her father worked as a coal miner. Her father's occupation was already a sign that the family likely did not come from wealth, however I was curious about what their living conditions would have been like. Including my great grandmother, the family had three children (at the time) - all of which were under 5 years old. I knew soon after my great grandmothers birth that the family moved in with my 3x great grandmother's (Alice) parents. That house was the one that I spoke of in this post. I wanted to understand what it would have been like to live on Vickers Row at the time of her birth and why living in a 4 room house with 11 people may have seemed more appealing.
I started out by conducting a simple Google search for '"Vickers Row" Farnworth'. To my surprise a small remnant of the street still exists. It is merely a back alley of a pub and no longer contains houses. The only identifier is the metal street sign that is built into the side of the pub at (what would have been) the top of the street.
J Thomason's Bygone Days provided me with a detailed description of what the street was like during the 1920's. Historical message boards helped me fill in the approximately ten year gap between Thomason's account and my great grandmother's birth. By combining my sources, I was able to put together the following description of the street.
Vickers Row was a very narrow street (approximately 5ft in width) that ran between two pubs. A street this narrow would have faced many sanitation challenges, namely the removal of waste and sewage. To the left was Compton's Brewery and Pub (now the Grapes Inn), and to the right was the King's Arms Pub (often referred to as the Canary Pub). The street was paved with old duck stones and was comprised of small 7ft wide two up-two down terraced cottages (which were only on the right side of the street). The narrow entrance to the street was often partially obstructed by the piles of hops that Compton's pub would dispose of (out their backdoor) still steaming from being brewed.
Vickers Row ca. 1918
The homes were primarily inhabited by coal miners that worked in the local Ellesmere Mine (now the Brackley Pit). These miners are credited for giving the King's Arms Pub the nickname of the Canary Pub. Back in the day the miners would take the canaries into the mine to check for toxic gases. On their way home from shift, the miners would often stop at the King's Arms with their canaries in tow - thus creating the nickname.
1907/1908 ordnance survey overlaid on a modern map of the area. Vickers row has been identified by the red box.
After reviewing a historical map, its no surprise why the street was demolished. Aside from it's narrow width, it was situated in a very overcrowded area of Dixon's Green. When comparing the historical map to the underlaid modern map the congestion is evident. The homes were eventually demolished as part of 1930's slum clearances.
Related Posts:
Researching Addresses that no Longer Exist
Case Study: How to Locate Extinct Addresses
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