Halton Memories: The street party's heyday

By Runcorn And Widnes Weekly News on Jul 17, 09 02:01 PM in 1900-1999

THIS Sunday, July 19, at least three quarters of a million people will be partying, in one form or another, throughout the length and breadth of the land.

Those who are avid perusers of the internet may have seen that the street parties revival is called the Big Lunch and the two men behind it are Tim Smit, founder of Cornwall's magnificent Eden project, and marketing guru Paul Twivy, best known for his efforts with Comic Relief.

They first came up with the idea in 2007 and, as the big day approaches, the Big Lunch website shows that 6,500 green dots mottle the map of Britain, each marking a street that has declared its intention to string up the bunting, shut down the traffic and party.
At a time in our lives when many people don't even know their next-door neighbours, Smit and Twivy wholeheartedly believe that the 'street party' is the best way of resuscitating the kind of community spirit which existed up until the late 1970s.

Will it catch on? Well, those who have signed up to the idea include parts of Merseyside and a bash for 5,000 is planned in Toxteth.

Street parties were last held in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee but the last really big wave of such celebrations was back in 1977 marking Her Majesty's silver jubilee.

There were parties all over Widnes and Runcorn and we had one in our neighbourhood in Cynthia Road.

Widnes, perhaps more so than Runcorn, has always seized upon the opportunity to have a party.

'Any excuse will do', many of them used to tell me when I covered the neighbourhood districts such as West Bank.

Maybe it is because their original Lancashire roots have stayed with them all these years!

Practically every street in the town's riverside community held a party to celebrate the opening of the Runcorn-Widnes Silver Jubilee Bridge in July 1961, that is if their street still happened to be standing.

Several disappeared when the approach road T-columns ripped a huge swathe through the community. That, perhaps more than anything, provided testimony to their stoicism in the face of such an enormous upheaval.

Tradition dies hard in places like West Bank and Dukesfield in Runcorn.

Scrubbing the front steps and even the pavements was a common sight in those neighbourhoods and several other communities as late as the 1940s and early 1950s.

Few people had bathrooms; tin baths were hooked up to walls in backyards; washing machines were few and far between.

The mangle was in the outhouse or shed and a 'dolly tub' with a long handle in the centre and a cross bar at the top was used to turn the clothes.

Always remember - if in future years you plan to hold a street party, you need to contact the council for permission to close the street.

Also check whether or not insurance is required.

The first picture shows West Bank's Davies Street residents celebrating the opening of the bridge in 1961.

The second shows the 'Mayor' of the old Runcorn Urban Council attending this party in Runcorn but where and when was it held?

If you have any more information please click here

Comments (0)