From the Burnley Express Archive: 'Gaumless' lampposts stood in the middle of the street!

We are in the heart of Burnley, at the crossroads of St James’s Street, Manchester Road, to the right, and Bridge Street, to the left.

In the middle, a little off centre in terms of the highway, is one of the many versions of Burnley’s “gaumless” lamppost. People said that it was gaumless because it was always in the middle of the road! Here it appears to be supporting the tram company’s cables.

The image is taken from an undated, and unused, postcard which was given to me by a former colleague, and local solicitor, Paul Halstead. The date of the card must be either the very late years of the 19th Century or the very early years of the 20th.

The way to determine this is to see if the tram lines, from St James’s Street to Manchester Road, have been installed. They came in 1904 but I can’t make them out in this image. That is not to say that they are not there. The card is not as clear as I would like it to be as it is from a machine coloured block image rather than a proper photograph.

The tram appears to be an electric-powered open-topped double-decker vehicle which would mean that it must post date 1901, the year in which Burnley Corporation introduced electricity to the tram system. It is possible, therefore, that card dates from 1901 to 1904.

Another clue, as to when the photograph upon which the card is based was produced, can be seen in the clothing worn by several of the young boys. In the bottom right, there are two boys wearing large white collars. These were popular for a relatively short period of time and this coincides with the dates I give at the beginning of the article.

There are, of course, other potential clues as to the date of the card. One of the more productive is to examine the names over the shops. However, in this card, I can only make out one of the names. On the Old Red Lion, right in the image, the words “Motor Garage” appear, but without any name. This might not appear to be very helpful but I know that what had formerly been part of the stables, here, were used as a motor garage in the very early twentieth century.

The words “Fancy Draper” appear above the window of the shops at the top of Bridge Street. This may refer to James Collinge who was a draper at this address, 51 St James’s Street, in 1899.

The remaining clue constitutes the name of a Burnley trader. His name appears on the left of the card, just to the left of the tram. The name is Frank Ness who appears, in the 1899 Directory, as the owner of an iron monger’s shop at 1 Bridge Street.

Mr Ness moved to King’s Mill, also on Bridge Street, by 1914, and he lived at 60 Rectory Road, which at this time, was a good address. What I can’t understand is why Mr Ness should have such a large advert on St James’s Street. I have no record of him having a shop there.