Returning And Remembering, 4 September 2014

We checked out of the Accommodations Centre, and headed to Dad's old mission stomping grounds of 50 years ago.  With the tom-tom programmed and map in hand, we took off and managed for the most part to get where we wanted to be.

The first stop was the chapel in Burnley.  Dad was excited to return and see how it looked.  He found it is now a swimming club, complete with an indoor pool.  The location and outside was not familiar to him at all!  We parked and went in.  The young man at the counter greeted us and Dad began asking questions and sure enough, this was the church 50 years ago.  It still was not coming to mind for Dad.

Dad was still trying to figure it out, that when we got outside, he called Margaret Gregson.  She has been a member of the Burnley ward since before Dad and he has been in contact with her on remembering some of these things.  She assured him this is the building and yes, it did have a baptismal font in front of the stand just as he remembered.

Our next stop was 2 Faraday St, one of Dad's digs.  He was there from 12 Jun 1964 to 6 Nov 1964 and does remember it as it is now.  The second photo shows the row of flats, with #2 being at the top of the hill.  We entered the gate on the left side of the house and knocked on the door.  The housekeeper answered.  Dad explained while we were there.  She was very pleasant and said the lady of the house was still in bed and would be unable to speak with us.  Dad says the view across the street is now grown over with lots of trees and one cannot see out over the area.

Companion, Elder Hall in our digs, at 2 Faraday.  Note the window in the roof.  We liked to take photos out of it and it provided a natural night light.

I found a small space and barely squeezed in a photo.  You can see what kind of hazy day we had.

From here, we drove over to the new church house in Burnley and Margaret met us there. She gave us a tour of the building and showed where it had been added on to, two different times since its original construction.  They have been in this building for 30 years.

Margaret led the way and we followed her to a carvery where we enjoyed lunch and more visiting.  Dad really enjoyed the time to remember people and places from those many years ago.

Our next stop was Ashton-under-Lyne, where Dad first served when he arrived in England, in December 1963.  He was there until March 1964.  He did remember this chapel as it was under construction when he was there.  Check out the two photos 50 years apart.

 Ashton-under-Lyne, September 2014

Ashton-under-Lyne, January 1964, under construction

The next stop was Manchester.  Dad was at the stake center two or three times when the missionaries came in and boarded buses going to the London temple.

We were getting pretty good with the tom-tom and the map.  I just needed to keep my mouth shut!  It can get scary riding in the left seat and see the cars and hedges and trees fly by just inches away.  One time we were going down a hill and I was trying very hard to not say anything when all of a sudden a parked motorcycle was looming ahead of us.  It seemed as though we were going to hit it smack on and as we got almost on it, I yelled:  "Motorcycle!"  Dad calmly replied:  "I see it," as he drove on past.

Note the Crawley Stake Center is the same design as the Manchester.  They are sister buildings, having being built about the same time.  This is where we go each Sunday.

We went to Hyde and made a stop at 60 Joel Lane, the home of Mrs. Brocklebank, one of Dad's favorite landladies.  He has many fond memories while living there.

He remembers having snowball fights in the street and he and his companion riding their bikes UP and down the hill to the house.  He knocked on the door but there was no answer.

The day was coming to a close so we headed on east, looking for a bed and breakfast for the night.  We arrived at the town of Glossop, the gateway to the Peak District.  After a couple of attempts to figure out where we were going, we came upon a bed and breakfast.  We stopped and inquired but they were full.  She did suggest the Peakdale Lodge and gave directions.  Off we went again, and found it within a reasonable amount of time.  Jill was very helpful and showed us a room which we gladly accepted.  She gave us the key, a few instructions, and when breakfast would be served.  That was all there was to it, no name, credit card, or other such information.

We got our things in and parked in their car park and headed down the street for dinner.  We found a Chinese place and had something to eat.  Back in the room, we had TV.  Haven't had that regular for almost four months now.  We found a show similar to Funniest Home Videos and we zoned out watching it for two hours!  We laughed and smiled and really enjoyed watching family antics that remind us of ours!