Skelmersdale Artifacts – by George Orr

Skelmersdale, as shown through my Postcard Collection in the previous issue, is far from a New Town. Over the years, many products have been produced bearing the name Skelmersdale.

Some are truly baffling, like this small porcelain New Zealand Hat that displays a colourful crest featuring a shield with a coal trolley, a coal mine, a crossed shovel and pickaxe, two Clogs, a male miner on the left-hand side and a female coal worker on the right, and the word ‘Skelmersdale’ underneath.

These crests reflect the town’s mining history, which dates as far back as 1710 until the 1930s, not long after the Tawd Vale Colliery Disaster in 1897. Until then, Skelmersdale was considered a busy mining town, with many people coming from Wales to work in the mines. The first mines to appear on record were located in Sixpenny Lane, now Mill Lane, and Anna’s Wood, where the Town Centre now stands.

The image of the clogs on the hat also points to another industry that developed in the town, clog making. Clogs were widely worn by townspeople and continued to be made until 2004, when Turton Clogs ceased to trade.

Another item I found is a very unusual tea cup and saucer with gold wording saying, ‘A Present from Skelmersdale’, dating from around 1910.

A further artefact I have which is in the shape of an Urn, also features the same crest. These small souvenirs were made in Stoke on Trent by BR E in Bone China, and date from around 1915.

Lemonade and cordial played a role in the manufacturing of glass and stoneware to hold the contents, and the leading manufacturer of these items was Charles Mason, who started on the High Street in 1892 before moving to larger premises based on Barnes Road in the early 20th Century. The glass marble was too tempting for the local children, who would smash the bottles to get at the marble to play with.

I have several items of this nature in my collection; these are just a few select ones. If you’d like more information on these or anything else, email me at george.blueblood@googlemail.com