Year when even pants were hot!

WE MOVE forward into recollections of the 1970s to 1971, which got off to a 'heated' start, when, in January, another fierce blaze caused £120,000 worth of damage at Heasandford Mill.

Also that month rats could be seen 'strolling' along Junction Street, down Whittlefield much to the annoyance of the residents there.

The area's newest radio station, Radio Blackburn, now Radio Lancashire, went on air, and the Whittlefield Gospel Mission announced that it would be closing through lack of support.

On TV we might have been watching 'The Last of the Mohicans' 'All Our Yesterdays' 'Catweazle' and 'Dixon of Dock Green'.

How many I wonder remember from this time the 'Magic Eye' shop on St James' Street that opened in 1969, or 'Wallpaper Supplies' next to the Post Office on Hargreaves Street?

In February 1971, hot pants became the fashion. Remember hot pants? Those who can, won't easily forget them, and will definitely say a cold February wasn't a good choice of timing to bring them out.

Ladies, we were told later in the year, would only be allowed to enter the Royal Enclosure at Ascot in hot pants only if the 'general effect' was satisfactory.

On February 15 1971, after centuries of dealing in pounds, shillings and pence, Britain went onto decimal currency.

Some 30 years on many still say that they were 'robbed' on this day - after all 240 pennies to the pound suddenly changed to one hundred to the pound!

The villagers at Worsthorne however, made the most of the change and made a grand total of £130 by making a line of the old pennies, which went towards the restoration fund at St John's Church in the village.

The old 1d and 3d (threepenny bit) ceased to be legal tender on September 1.

In March 1971, it was announced that Bank Hall Colliery would be closing after over 100 years of mining.

The closure was brought about by frequent ignitions of the coal face, however, the pit also lost over £1million the same year.

Around 800 jobs were lost through this announcement, although a few men did go to other collieries, mainly in the Midlands, such as the Bevercotes Colliery near Nottingham.

The site of this former busy hive of industry is now the pleasant Bank Hall Park.

In early March one and a half million workers staged a one day strike in protest at the Industrial Relations Bill, with a second strike on March 18.

A long postal strike also ended on March 8 - it was going to be a bitter year for industrial relations.

The unemployment figures for April 1971 showed that 814, 819 people were out of work, the highest total since May 1940.

But nearer home, the American firm of Tenneco-Walker announced that it was to take over the former Butterworth and Dickinson foundry on Liverpool Road.

They hoped to be in production by August, and would probably be employing some 200 local people by the end of the year.

The first car stack in Burnley was opened in April, on Curzon Street thus ending free parking in the town - from now on it was pay to park.

Many people boycotted the new car park, and later in the year it was claimed that car park charges were forcing shoppers to go elsewhere.

Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Lord Rhodes, opened the Burnley Boy's Club on Colne Road in April.

In May 1971, the local Labour Party had a landslide victory in the local elections. A campaign was launched to save the Palace Theatre, on St James' Street, as there was a 'Need for a Civic Theatre' in the town.

A project was under way to make the Pendle (Fence) transmitter capable of receiving all colour television signals, in addition to black and white.

George Smith of Burnley became 'Sportsman of the Year' at the grand old age of 80.

At the Odeon in May 1971, one might have seen 'Murphy's War' and at the Studio Two, 'Paint Your Wagon' with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood.

Sister Maude Waggott, the heroine who modestly played down her part in rescue at the Hapton Valley Colliery Disaster retired.

On May 25 1971 the local media reported on an explosion at Healey Wood, which occurred while demolition work was in progress at the Healey Wood Mill. Workers on the contract were using explosives to destroy a tank at the mill used as part of its fire fighting apparatus. Residents had been warned of the blast, but this was bigger than expected.

In June UK viewing figures show that 'Opportunity Knocks' was Britain's most popular TV show with 6.6 million viewers, and there were protests at Maggie Thatcher's plans to abolish free school milk.

Burnley Football Club decided to have a clean sweep, with four free transfers, including that of former captain Dave Merrington.

Also in June 1971, the Padiham Whit Walks took place, and the Mill Hill Reservoir at Hapton, which was in danger of overflowing its banks during heavy rains was filled in at a cost of £8,000.

In July 1971, a runaway diesel train driven by Edward Shackleton ploughed through the buffers at Padiham railway sidings - happily no one was hurt.

Work begun on the new and long awaited Thompson Centre near the Central Library to be built from a sum bequest by the late William Thompson, a cotton manufacturer.

In August 1971, a 'dancing bear' was attracting the youngsters on Oxford Road.

Plans were afoot to make Jib Hill to the right of the Black Bull at Lane Head into Burnley's first Conservation Area, and which later came into fruition.

In September 1971, a 500-name petition was handed in at the Town Hall demanding that free milk, abolished by Maggie Thatcher should be retained for the under-sevens. In October, the town 'faced crisis' over car parking arrangements. 'The new multi-million pound central area may become a deserted wasteland', it was claimed, unless something was done about the towns' car parking problems.

Nothing new there, they say history repeats itself - 30 years on and still there are complaints over car parking in Burnley.

In November 1971, Bass-Charrington announced its brand new bitter, named 'Brew Ten'. It didn't prove to be popular among drinkers, and soon acquired the name 'Spew Ten'.

A familiar landmark for decades disappeared as the headgear at the former Bank Hall Colliery was finally demolished.

Holden and Hartley opened their £300,000 brand new garage on Accrington Road, with among other things, 20p car washes, and 10p off four gallons of petrol or more.

It was also announced that coal mining would not stop at Hapton Valley Colliery under the Parklands Estate in spite of subsidence, and residents vowed to fight on at a packed meeting at the Coal Clough Infant School. Thus came a heated end to a heated year.