On our walk along Hare Hill Road we looked mainly at the commercial premises and how they have changed since being recorded in a 1916 commercial directory.
Number 1 (currently Knickerish Allsorts Lingerie) was a piano dealer in 1916, and Number 3 a Milliners shop.(Mellodews Jewellers at present)
Number 5 is now Coffee on the Corner, but has previous uses as Rebecca’s, So’N’Sews Lincoln Jackson’s emporium, Parry’s electrical, and the Victoria Inn, but in 1916 it was a lodging house for working men. The photo (right) shows the Victoria Inn on the far left .
Number 7 was Neils butchers in the 1970’s but in 1916 it was Hallett’s boot and shoe business, previously owned by Albert Standeven and becoming Taylor’s butchers in the 50’s. Halletts is left of centre on the photo.
There was another music business, at Number 9 was R&M Holt, piano and music dealers offering professional tunings and music lessons. Having previously been Thomas Ashworth’s musical instrument dealers. This is now Littleborough Deli.
Other shops on that side of the road were a stationers (Village Bakery), newsagent and tobacconist (Hare Hill Carpet and Flooring), a fruiterers and florist (Just Gents Barbers), a drapers (now Thimbles), a confectioners (Hit the Beach travel), a clothier (Fentons Wealth Management) and the well remembered Eddisons ironmongers shop, now RSPCA charity shop.
Higher up there were numerous terraces of houses available for rent at 5 to 6 shillings a week and ending at Craven Cottage where Tile Manufacturer J T Rodgers lived.
On the opposite side we had the Dog and Partridge Hotel later called the Caldermoor pub and now a hairdressers, more houses for rent down to the park which contained the Urban District Council Offices, Fire Station, Technical school and the library.
Lower down was the Co-operative Wholesale Society’s Hare Hill Mill which manufactured flannels and blankets, more rented properties and a grocers and confectioners shop (now a domestic premises). Then there was the Littleborough Co-operative Society of Industry offices and central premises, which was then a 2 story structure with a cafe upstairs and its own footwear department. (pictured left which was roughly where the current entrance to Sainsbury's store is now)
There are now two single story premises which don't appear on the 1916 list one of which is Lockets coal merchants.
At 26/24 (now Yorkshire Building Society and Springhill Hospice charity shop) was J Howarth's General Dealers and Mitchell's Hairdressers. Sometime later it appears to have become Chadwick's Tailors shop. (see photo right)
At 22 was James Alletson's confectioners (Village News), number 20 housed J Kirkham's stationers (now Cards) and 18 (Nails By...) was Eastwoods wholesale and retail pork butchers.
Numbers 16 and 14 (Littleborough Discount store and Fingerprint) were run by James Holt and Sons as a Grocers. The corner shop number 10 was W Clough's Butchers.
Lower down still, at number 8 was GH Cockroft CHemist and Druggist. This premises has been a Chemist's shop for over 100 years,
The Seed Hill block built in 1903 (Photo) housed Hurst's Butchers, Haigh's boot Dealers, Walsh's Hosiery manufacture and Draper, and Hollindrake's Hairdressers and Umbrella dealers, with Hewitt and Isherwood artificial teeth manufacturers upstairs. They are now (2024) home to Absolute Bliss, Second Time Around and Platinum Beauty