Accrington on Rails - The Tramways: A Complete History - Robert Kenyon

ADDENDA

The Gordon Shelter November 1919 At a Town Council meeting a letter was received from Mr Thomas Gordon, retired JP of Blackpool ( formerly from Accrington ), offering a gift of £150 towards the erection of a tramway shelter and/or waiting room on or near the Market Grounds. It was resolved to offer the Council’s cordial thanks to Mr Gordon for this generous donation. ( See end-note .) May 1920 The Town Council met when the Mayor announced they were in receipt of a further cheque for £400 from Mr Thomas Gordon JP, which was the balance of the cost of erecting the tramway shelter on the Market Grounds. It was resolved to convey their hearty thanks to Mr Gordon for his generosity. The Town Hall & Markets Committee met and the Borough Surveyor submitted a plan showing the position of the proposed Gordon tramway shelter on the Peel Street side of the Market Grounds. It was resolved to approve this plan and to serve notice on the tenants whose stalls would be displaced. The Markets Superintendent was authorised to do his best to find these stall-holders alternative accommodation. February 1925 It was then resolved the Gordon Shelter’s floor should be floated over with cement with the correct slope, to prevent water from lodging within as was currently the case. The Gordon Shelter Born in Burnley, Thomas Gordon worked for a time at the Howard & Bullough factory in Accrington before becoming a Director of Lang Bridge’s Engineers, he was also a devoted Baptist and was a Lay Preacher of that faith. Amongst his other works he was a benefactor of Accrington Victoria Hospital. Even since the advent of public transport in Accrington the focal point for boarding and alighting steam trams, electric cars and buses had been on Peel Street. Soon after the opening of the Town Hall, on Christmas Eve, 1858, work began on the development of the Market Hall. This was the first purpose built Market Hall in Lancashire and it was opened on October 23 rd , 1869. This building had an attendant ‘outside or open’ market, which occupied not only an area in front of it, but also down along the Peel Street side. The market stalls were in use on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with just the odd exception such as when the ‘Pot Fair’ came to town. With no shelters provided for intending passengers, they used to congregate during bad weather under the canvass canopies of the metal-framed stalls until their services arrived. This was not a problem on the non-market days of Mondays, Wednesdays (which was also half-day closing), Thursdays and of course Sundays. But it gave great annoyance to market traders and stall holders, when potential customers could not get to the stalls for sheltering passengers, who often crowded into the side entrance of the Market Hall itself, when asked to move on! This problem had obviously come to the attention of Thomas Gordon JP, who was in business in his beloved Accrington and lived at Mount Cottage on Whalley Road at its lower junction with Greengates. On retiring to the Fylde Coast and wishing to leave the town a legacy which would be of some lasting use, he generously donated the sum of £230 in two instalments of £150 and £80 to the town, not an inconsiderable amount of money then, for the construction of a shelter for the benefit of people travelling on trams. For this the Glasgow firm of Walter McFarland & Co. were asked to construct a building with a cast iron frame at their Saracen Foundry. This structure would be erected directly in line with the central doors of the Market Hall, on that side of Peel Street. It opened to the public during the autumn of 1920 and was always known as the Gordon Shelter after its benefactor. The structure itself was divided into two equal parts by a through central passage, each of which was equipped with seats made up of wooden slats. Not long after opening four destination boards were put up, two each side of the exit, to encourage the formation of orderly queues. The finishing touch came in the form of a clock, which was suspended from the ceiling. The Gordon Shelter was much appreciated by passengers, but after withdrawal of the trams in 1932 and the subsequent dispersal of bus stops, the shelter began to lose its importance.

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