whalley

Whalley, Lancashire	Whalley viaduct
The tranquil River Calder at Whalley Abbey. A busy road runs over this bridge, but the high parapets block the sight and sound of the traffic,	The Calder River running over the weir before it reaches the road bridge. A sandy shingle beach close to the bridge was once a great spot for a picnic but now it is fenced off.
Whalley Infants and Junior School .My brother and I started school here in 1954, while my parents took over my grandparents' bakery (Booths) in Accrington Road.	After 37 years , this village seems not to have changed, except for traffic lights, signs and a mini-roundabout. The footpaths are much smaller, and some of the homes have been refaced.
The Abbey grounds - sunlight through the trees. We wandered through here along the river bank.	Parts of Whalley Abbey are still standing, and the outline of other buildings are marked by the foundations. The Abbey grounds are immaculately clean and well-kept.
Whalley Bridge marks the boundary between Billington and Whalley, so I think this house on the edge of River Calder is probably in Billington.
We found a traditional old sweetshop in the main street. Many of the sweets were in large glass jars and weighed out into paper bags on the old scoopscales. We bought sarsparilla drops and pear drops, but didn't find any dolly mixtures.	Whalley Abbey ruins
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Padiham, Lancashire	A gentle slope down the old main road through the town. The streets have been beautified with hanging baskets. I lived on the opposite side of the street many many years ago.
Burnley Road, Padiham. As a child I lived next door to the dental surgery. My parents ran a cafe and cake shop here in the mid 1950s. Down from the dentist was Crossley's wallpaper shop.	Padiham Infants and Junior School. I attended here for two years as an infant. I remember leaving in December 1956, with an origami paper folded swan - our Christmas craft activity. The school is still exactly the same on the outside, and the children still line up and boys' and girls' entrances. School was just going in after playtime.