Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

entirely within the jurisdiction of the L & Y and the North Western Railway Company to the exclusion of all others. They wanted Accrington Corporation to join with them in their opposition to this Bill. It was unanimously resolved to insert a petition against this Bill, objecting to the L & Y’s proposals, providing that their Parliamentary Agents advised they had the right to oppose it! March The Legal & Parliamentary Committee met and resolved that the Town Clerk should ask the L & Y to introduce cheap half-day bookings to Manchester by the 11:55 train from Accrington on Wednesdays only. The Legal & Parliamentary Committee met again when the Town Clerk reported on the correspondence he had received from the L & Y since their last meeting. This had resulted in the Railway Company being allowed to widen Scaitcliffe Street Bridge by 19 feet, to allow an additional line of rails and a side walkway to be put in. In return the Company would widen the street underneath the bridge to 36 feet, subject to the Corporation contributing £500 towards the cost. The Railway Company would also drop their proposal to take a strip off the cemetery land. After discussions it was resolved to offer the following terms - a) They could widen Scaitcliffe Street Bridge as suggested, subject to the street underneath the bridge being widened to 36 feet at the entire expense of the Railway Company. b) The Corporation would then withdraw their opposition to the Railway Company obtaining powers of purchase on a strip of cemetery land. April At a meeting of the Town Council, a letter was received from the L & Y confirming they had issued instructions that half-day excursion tickets would be available on the 11:55 train from Accrington to Manchester on both Wednesdays and Saturdays, also on the 13:10 on Saturdays only in addition to the Wednesday and Saturday arrangements previously quoted. An application was received from the L & Y asking the Corporation’s permission to divert a watercourse near to Lonsdale Street. The Committee resolved to reply that this was a question which should be put to the landowners as the Corporation had no responsibility in this matter. May A letter ( dated April 27 th ) was received form Mr W. B. Warburton of the L & Y, with respect to the diversion of a watercourse on Charter Street. It was resolved to inform the Railway Company that the Corporation did not have the powers to grant the permission they sought. June The Health Committee met, when it was resolved to write to the L & Y to complain about the poor condition of their Eagle Street Bridge caused because water was seeping through. July The Watch Committee met when the Lighting Superintendent was instructed to report to the Town Clerk on the position of a light belonging to the L & Y, which stood at the bottom of Crossland Street at the top of the steps leading down into the subway under the lines, requesting them to move this standard to a position which would afford more light to the street. The Health Inspector reported to his Committee that the railway arches between King Street and Blackburn Road had water from five waste pipes running down the walls, causing the back street to be dirty and insanitary. He also recommended that this back street from the side of The Crown public house adjoining the railway arches should be paved on this section. It was resolved to inform the L & Y of this problem, and to inform the owners of the adjacent properties that it was the Corporation’s intention to lay a sewer and to pave this back alley. August The Watch Committee received a reply from the L & Y with regard to the resiting of the Crossland Street light. It was resolved to make another appeal to the Railway Company and to inform them that the Corporation was prepared to fund the cost of the moving, and offered to have a meeting between them and the Lighting Superintendent in order to discuss the details. The Health Committee met on when the Heath Inspector reported that surface water from the L & Y’s land adjoining Lonsdale Street was causing flooding in the adjoining houses. It was resolved the Town Clerk would write to the Railway Company to inform them of this problem. In September it was resolved by the Health Committee to write once again to the L & Y to complain about the state of their Eagle Street Bridge. November The Town Clerk informed the Council a deputation headed by the Mayor and including several influential residents from the Scaitcliffe district, had made representation to the L & Y, on the subject of the erection of a footbridge linking Scaitcliffe Street with the Railway Station. They were to have a meeting with the Directors of the Railway Company to further this end. December The Town Clerk reported to a meeting of the Town Council that the Mayor had recently received representation from a group of ‘influential’ people from the Scaitcliffe district of the town, with c) In default of these terms a petition against this would be continued.

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