My name is Ann Leah Howarth (nee Brassey).  I always knew that my Dad’s family came from Thornton Hough in Cheshire and I remember when I was about 16 years old and learning to type my Dad gave me some of his handwritten notes and asked me to type them up.  I did so – very badly.  19 years after his death I was on holiday with my husband in the Cheshire area.  I suggested that we go to Thornton Hough and have a look.  I vaguely remember typing up the notes and remembered and few things but as it had been around 39 years since I had typed them my memories were sketchy to say the least.  We enjoyed the visit to this beautiful place and when we came home I decided to find the notes that my Dad had given me so many years before.  The following work is Dads own and so written through his eyes with his voice.  My Dad’s name was Eric Richard Brassey.    

I hope you enjoy it.

A Few Memories of Thornton Hough

by

Eric Richard Brassey

Harry Brassey 1907 – 1983

In 1907 Harry Brassey was born at number 4 Manor Road, Thornton Hough.  He was the youngest of three brothers – Tom, Dick and Harry.  Harry was my Father.

He was educated at the village school and later trained in Liverpool to be a heating engineer.  He travelled ten miles to work every day by bike – unless he was working away, which he did quite often.   That is how he met my Mother Elsie.  Her family had a small grocers shop in Dyson Street Blackburn, which was close to the Royal Infirmary where my Father was installing the heating.  He would pop into the shop to buy things but really to see my Mother.  They were married on the 3rd September 1929 at Park Road Congregational Church in Blackburn.  This has now been demolished, at the time of writing it is the site of the local Ice Rink.