Burton Mail Remembers

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Mrs Williams, of Sunnyside, said: "I was born here and I remember when you could go down the street and be greeted by everyone you saw. Speaking at the meeting in 1959, Mr Twigg said: “I have been surprised to see that they have no real case for closing the line for it is obvious that they have not tried very hard in the past to keep it open”.

The two foes met at Burton Bridge where Queen Henrietta Maria's convoy was heading from Yorkshire with supplies destined for her husband King Charles I in Oxford. At a meeting in November 1959, George Dow, the British Transport Commission representative and division traffic manager at Birmingham said that British Railways were “under Government instruction” to pay their way and “sentiment cannot enter into it”. A group of pals who worked at Bass Brewery came up with the genius (and slightly crazy) idea of using a giant beer barrel, which was a former advertising prop, to cross the English Channel.While closure plans were rumoured as early as the mid- 1930s, the line did not see its final journey until June 11, 1960. Briggs: Briggs was one of the places to go in the town for some fancy footwear. The store was located in High Street, close to what is now Barclays Bank. Or it may have come from the old English "cricc" or "cryce", meaning a crutch or staff, or the French word "criquet", meaning a wooden post. Pricefighter and Discount Home Maker: The premises is now home to Argos. It sold all manner of goods including homewares.

In the first year of the new century and millennium, there were many things happening. Ken Livingstone, standing as an independent, became the first directly elected Mayor of London. The Millenium Dome was opened for the first time to mark the year. When I came here in 1926, it was a bit rough and ready, but if you went their way, the people were friendly. But if you hanker for the days when the high street was the only place to shop, we have taken a look at some of the shops we have loved and sadly lost over the years - see if you recognise any of them.At that time 30 staff were employed at the store by House of Fraser in the town. The other 35 were employed by concession and brand partners, such as Calvin Klein, and worked in Beatties among the many top high street names selling their wares in the store. Burton was the first town in the Midlands to use natural gas, instead of coal gas, which had been used in homes and businesses throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Abbey Music: Pictured here in 1977, the story behind Abbey Music began in the mid-1930s when an accordion club based in King Street, started in the town. At the end of the Second World War, a new headquarters was established in Uxbridge Street and it had a new feature - a small music shop. This continued until the time for expansion arrived a decade later and it was in the late 50s that Abbey Music came into being. The Pit Bank Colliery which was once an eyesore has been removed and turned over for housing. Every building has been taken."

Over the years it expanded and was remodelled until on Tuesday, October 26, 1982, the Burton Mail newspaper carried the bombshell headline: 'Ordishs to close after 168 years'. The new supermarket was the largest of more than 400 stores opened by the firm Allied Suppliers Ltd. The centre also had a restaurants and careers centre.An important firm in Burton industrial history is the Pirelli tyre factory. The Italian manufacturer opened its factory in Derby Road the town in 1928 and many have worked there. Subsidence problems in 1952 and 1955 had also resulted in the school being demolished with the new William Allitt School opening in 1959. The 1643 Battle of Burton Bridge was fought between Royalists and Parliamentarians during the first English Civil War. By the time of the battle the town was under Parliamentarian command. Mr Bailey said at the time: “The railways are to blame for driving people away from the trains. They cut and chop services to such an extent that they make them unattractive to the travelling public.” Read More Related Articles

The Royalists, led by Colonel Thomas Tyldesley, charged across the bridge and defeated the Parliamentarians. Burton battle anniversary plansWriting a comment piece for the Burton Mail in 1959, Alf Moss who wrote under the pseudonym “Burtonian”, said: “The arguments put forward by those in favour of retaining the service were strong but so were those broached by the transport commission which produced facts and figures that the average number of passengers on a week day was only 12.