An Illustrated History of Old Sutton in St.Helens
Part 24 (of 58) - Leisure & Entertainment in Sutton
a) Early Closing and 'Moral & Social Improvement' | b) Rise of the Excursionistc) Enjoying the Parks of Sutton | d) Sutton's 'Show Field' or 'Show Back'
e) Sutton 'Bug' - Sutton's Picture Palace | f) Wireless, Television & Rediffusion
g) Blinkhorn Rooms | h) Sutton Social Clubs | i) St.Helens / Sherdley Show
a) Early Closing And 'Moral And Social Improvement'
Historically, leisure and entertainment in Sutton, like most of the rest of the country, was centred around feast days and holy days, the latter, of course, being the derivation of 'holiday'. There were between twenty and thirty such days per year and they were enthusiastically embraced by all. Long working hours meant that there was not much time for fun and many spent what little leisure time they had down the pub. Many workers were even paid in their local, as opposed to their place of work, and by 1871, the year Bank Holidays were introduced, Sutton had 20 public houses and 19 beerhouses.
A public meeting was held in the Town Hall on November 21st, in which reference was made to other movements to improve the "social, moral, intellectual, and religious well-being" of St.Helens people. Rev. Carr chaired the meeting and proposed the closing of shops at 7 or 8pm on weekdays, with 10pm the limit on Saturday night, saying that incessant labour made men "bilious and ill-tempered". Countering criticism that closing early would give young men more time to drink and gamble, Rev. Carr argued that they would instead indulge in healthy pursuits:
However, the 1855 Town Hall meeting which didn't itself end until 11:30pm, set the tone for the rest of the century and beyond. There was now a consensus that more had to be done by the church and the St.Helens community to reduce working hours, combat excessive drinking and create meeting places for young men. Presumably gentile women were expected to take care of themselves! The powers-that-be in the town wanted to stimulate leisure activities and more edifying pursuits like listening to music and lectures; or as one speaker put it at the meeting, create "moral and social improvement".

Sutton Church Lads Brigade 1911 - behind the drum is Rev. Colegrove (contributed by Sutton Historic Society)
Most community activities in the latter part of the nineteenth century, within the newly created St.Helens borough, centred around the church or the pub. The growth in alcohol sales had mirrored the remarkable expansion of the town's population and gave rise to increased drunkenness as well as a temperance movement. The aforementioned Rev. Carr was a prime mover in the latter and in 1855 he called for St.Helens to become "remarkable for its hatred of all intoxicating liquors" (see Old Sutton Pubs).
Church youth activities were strongly encouraged with groups such as the Church Life Brigade, Catholic Lads Brigade, Jewish Lads Brigade and the Band of Hope. Their ethos was to instil "obedience, reverence, discipline, self-respect and all that lends towards a true Christian manliness". The photograph above shows the Sutton Church Lads Brigade founded in 1891 as the Anglican version of the Boys Brigade.

Sutton National School Girl Guides at camp in 1932 (contributed by Sutton Historic Society)
However, the community organisations largely ignored females during the Victorian years. It took the founding of the Scouting movement, in the early years of the 20th century, before girls' needs were met. Sutton National School had its own Girl Guides troop with what became the 33rd St Helens Guides beginning at St Nicholas Church in 1955.
b) Rise Of The Sutton Excursionist
As well as promoting wholesome leisure activities within Sutton and St.Helens, the church, community organisations and the works' bosses, also organised day-trips with travellers referred to as 'excursionists'. The advent and expansion of the railway during the nineteenth century led to a big increase in day-tripping with the annual visit to Newton Race Week the highlight for many. Race Friday was particularly popular with a special train put on from St.Helens that stopped to collect Sutton passengers at Peasley Cross, Sutton Oak and St.Helens Junction stations. Rev. Thomas Pigot, the vicar of St.Helens Church (then St.Mary's), warned against the "sad excesses" of Newton Races in a letter to the Liverpool Mercury (13/2/1835):that they commenced their wicked career at Newton Races.


On Whit Monday, 1896, engine driver John Smith from St.Helens Junction was knocked down by Robert Cutler from Blackburn whilst crossing Southport promenade and later died from his injuries. Cutler was riding a hired tricycle for the first time and said that it had a defective bell. At Smith's inquest held on June 1st at Sutton's Wheatsheaf Hotel, which was then in Lionel Street, the coroner Sam Brighouse declared that:

Rev. Colegrove with parishioners in the 1930s on a church excursion (contributed by James Lamb)
Organised outings were initiated by church groups, social clubs and political parties as well as employers. Whit was a popular time for an excursion and the Liverpool Mercury of June 4th, 1895 reported that on the Saturday of the Whitsuntide holiday weekend, "large numbers of persons" had left St.Helens for Liverpool, Manchester, Southport and "other places of interest".

For those who remained at home, a number of festivals and field days took place, including one in a field at Mill Brow, Sutton. This was held by St.Joseph's school of Peasley Cross where "prizes were awarded for old English sports". A Flower Queen was also crowned and Maypole dancing took place.
During the twentieth century, more organised excursions took place in motor-driven charabancs and coaches. In St.Helens these were nicknamed 'Highfields', because passengers were high up on the seats and could see fields as they journeyed through the countryside.
Over the years, Sutton's fields and parks were venues for all kinds of leisure activities as clerics and educators continued their mission to create healthy minds and bodies and moral and social improvement.
c) Enjoying The Parks Of Sutton
Sherdley Park has for many years been the venue for all types of gatherings, especially organised sporting and entertainment events. These activities were often combined, such as the well-attended annual summer gala or field day organised by Sutton Parish Church.

As well as annual parish and school events, Sherdley Park also hosted special events, such as the Sutton Coronation Bazaar Fête on July 8th 1911 and a Red Cross Fête and Gala on 5th, 6th, 7th & 9th September 1918. The former was to commemorate King George V's coronation at Westminster Abbey a fortnight earlier. A field in the park known as 'The Annexe' was often used for events.

"Long Wall" in 1950 in Marshalls Cross Road - Sutton Academy now occupies the field - Contributed by Jim Lamb
Before it came into municipal ownership after the Second World War, the public were only allowed to walk around Sherdley Park using the 'Score' footpath and, on occasion, visit it during the day. It was privately owned by the Hughes family with an extensive perimeter wall. Frank Bamber, who was born at 64 Edgeworth Street in 1910, described the leisure walks on Sundays around 'long wall' in his 1987 memoirs (also see Joan Heyes & Brenda MacDonald's recollections in the Memories of Sutton Part 1 page):

The Friends of Sutton Park organised veterans' outings such as this party in 1950 - Click here for a larger view
From 1903 the public were also able to enjoy themselves in Sutton Park after Michael Hughes sold some of his land to St.Helens Corporation. A campaign for a public park in Sutton had begun six years earlier when a ratepayers' meeting was held. This was called to protest against the lack of municipal 'privileges', that were available elsewhere in St.Helens. Rev. Binney chaired the meeting and said that parks, baths and music had been provided for the opposite ends of the town but Sutton and Parr only had two branch libraries, an infectious diseases hospital and a "graceful sewage destructor".
Various activities were held in Sutton Park including regular Sunday band concerts and a 'friends' group organised annual veterans' outings. Concerts were even held on weekday nights as in this news article in the St.Helens Reporter of 22nd July 1930:

Illustration of Sutton Park gates (courtesy Sutton Historic Society / St.Helens Local History & Archives Library)
Youngsters, of course, didn't require an actual park to play in. Anywhere would do, especially if there was open space. The Ellen Street field was a popular venue for kids who enjoyed playing cricket, football, rugby, piggy, 'chucky', 'duck off' and hop, skip & jump. These days the site is occupied by East Sutton Labour Club and Ellen Gardens. Another popular playing field was on the corner of Monastery Lane and Robins Lane and was given the nickname of "Joe Doff's". It was an extension of land adjoining the monastery and St.Anne's Convent gardens, although the origins of the name has not been established.
Joan Heyes lived in Ellen Street from 1919 and recalls her childhood fun in Joe Doff's. Writing to this website through daughter Brenda, 94-years-old Joan says:
d) Sutton's Show Field & 'Injun Village
'The 'Show Field' or 'Show Back' was a rectangular piece of grassless ground, 100 yards long by 50 yards wide, sandwiched between the rears of Edgeworth Street, Peckershill Road and Robins Lane and, at its opposite end, by Fisher Street and Taylor Street. At various times of the year, the Show Field was inhabited by travelling show folk of all kinds, who put on circuses, animal shows, fairgrounds and boxing bouts. However, the animal or 'wild beast' shows led to complaints from Robins Lane residents who didn't like the noisy lions and tigers disturbing their sleep! So from around 1920 these were stopped.In Frank Bamber's 'Clog Clatters in Old Sutton' and in his contribution to a 'Whalley's World' article in the St.Helens Star (5/11/1998), he describes the children's wide-eyed excitement when the merry-go-rounds, swinging boats, Wild West shows and coconut shies were crammed onto the Show Field.


There tents were erected for the minders to watch over the grazing horses, which led to Sutton folk giving it the nickname of "th' Injun Village".
The Show Field was a magnet for Sutton village folk and even those living farther afield in Parr, Burtonwood, Clock Face and Sutton Manor. However its entertainment was irregular and noisy, unlike the silent films in Sutton's picture palace, the Sutton Empire or 'Bug'.
e) Sutton Bug - Sutton's Picture Palace

Fireman Tommy Waring surrounded by the Sutton Bug Saturday matinee gang
In 1913 a new form of entertainment came to Sutton, the picture palace or cinema. However, most of Sutton's citizens would already have been familiar with moving pictures, having seen them at fairs on Sutton's 'Showfield'. Alternatively, many will have ventured into St.Helens and visited the Hippodrome in Corporation Street, which began exhibiting from 1903. Films were also shown on the top floor of the Co-op building in Baldwin Street from 1907 and there was also the Town Hall and YMCA which both regularly screened the 'flicks' from around 1910. The first purpose-built cinema in St.Helens was the Electric Theatre (or Scala as it became) in Ormskirk Street which began its life in September 1911.

Behind the two members of staff of this shop at 8 Junction Lane in Sutton is a poster for the Scala cinema in St.Helens.
On the right is a Sutton Empire poster for a film called 'Thunder God' which was released in 1928

The owner of this website interviewed a number of former Sutton Bug cinema-goers and film operators (a.k.a. projectionists) in 1993 for a documentary video and here are some choice extracts from the interviewees' reminiscences:
Vera Bryant lived in Sutton during her childhood and regularly visited the Sutton 'Bug' picture house:
It was so easy going and such a happy place in Sutton Empire. Mr Bates {the manager} was a very pleasant man but he liked going in the Prince of Wales for a drink. We didn't see much of him only when we were coming in and going out. But we had a fireman and his name was Mr. Waring and he used to have the uniform of a fireman and a big belt and in it he used to have an axe hanging down, presumably to chip a door down if we had to get out in a hurry. Now and again he'd come round with disinfectant and spray it over everywhere which smelt very pleasant. It was a nice, very nice place. All the seats were red but there was about three rows at the back which were blue. They were twopence, you see, at the back and a penny at the front. If you felt you could spare twopence instead of a penny you went in the front door and the seats had arms on and you thought that you were somebody because you went in first. I had a sister, older than me and she wanted to go in the Sutton Empire pictures at night and there was a lady who lived in the next street. And in those days everybody was friendly with one another and you could trust everybody. And so she said "Mrs. Malkin can I come in with you because Mr. Bates won't let me in" as it was an A Certificate. And so she lifted up her very full black skirt of her frock, put it over my sister's head and they both walked in and our Edna was underneath the skirt walking in front of her! ![]()

Children queuing outside the Sutton 'Bug' Empire in Junction Lane, Sutton
Eric Coffey worked at St.Helens Junction station during WW11 and often was often given the responsibility of delivering films to Sutton Empire on his push bike:

Relating their Sutton Bug anecdotes in interview in 1993-4, Jim Brunskill, Eric Coffey and Vera Bryant
Jim Brunskill joined Sutton Empire in 1940 only to discover that all the other operators (or projectionists) had left and he was on his own with a packed house:
Trekking from the Manor for the Sutton Bug Tuppenny Rush by George Houghton
St.Anne's, Neil's & Blood Curdling Monsters at Sutton Bug! by Alan McDermott
f) The Wireless, Television and Rediffusion

Offenders could be taken to court, such as James Ward of 10 Baxters Lane, Sutton. In an article entitled 'Wireless Pirates Beware', the St.Helens Reporter of February 27th, 1934 described how James had been charged with "unlawfully working a wireless without a licence", which led to a £1 fine by the magistrates.
Due to the high price of mains receivers, and in some places lack of electricity, many wireless enthusiasts used heavy accumulators to power their wireless sets. These needed regular charging and so many local cycle shops diversified. Initially they acted as battery-charging depots and later they began selling radio receivers and accessories. Sutton shops that sold both wireless sets and cycles include The Red Rose at 72 Peckershill Road, which was owned by Tom Williams, and E. & R. A. Davies of 47 Junction Lane. Within the town of St.Helens there was Rothery Radio and Frank Waring but the heavy and dangerous lead-acid accumulators gave an early advantage to the local Sutton stores in developing their business.

If you walk down Robins Lane, near to its junction with Ellen Street, and look down, you'll see a remnant of Sutton's past in a redundant Rediffusion man-hole cover (above). Rediffusion set up their wired networks in many towns during the 1940s and '50s, carrying interference-free services to subscribers. In 1995, Cable North West (now Virgin Media) dug up the streets of St.Helens to install cable television and radio channels in many homes, but Rediffusion had pioneered it years before.
g) The Blinkhorn / Parish Rooms in Waterdale Crescent

Inside the church there is a beautiful 'Faith Hope & Charity' stained glass window that was designed by glass artist Henry Holliday. However, few are likely to notice the dedication to William Blinkhorn, by Sara his second wife, at the base of the window.
A century ago there was a road called Blinkhorn Street in Sutton Oak that was named after the industrialist family, as well as the Blinkhorn Rooms at 74 Waterdale Crescent. These rooms were a part of a row of terraced houses that included the Crystal Palace pub which were donated to the parish in the late nineteenth century by Wm. Blinkhorn.
The rooms - which officially were known as the Parish Rooms - had many uses and were a venue for a variety of leisure and entertainment activities over the decades. Initially they were utilised as additional school rooms, then during the early years of the twentieth century the Blinkhorm Rooms were where the Women’s Fellowship met. Later they served as a gymnasium for local boys, then reading rooms and as a café and youth club.
One correspondent to 'Whalley's World' in the St.Helens Star said that in his day, there was a squad of dinner ladies who served up "plenty of porridge, toast, hot cocoa and lob-scouse". Frank Ashton also described in his letter to the Star how:
Quite a number a couples first met at the Blinkhorn Rooms, including Bill and Olwen Hawley who described in Whalley's World how the Blinkhorn Rooms were home to the so-called '8.15pm Club'.
h) Sutton Social Clubs

Although a working class district, the Conservative Party was quite popular in Sutton and a Conservative Club was first created in Edgeworth Street during the 1880s. By 1891 Thomas Woods was its secretary and an annual tea party and concert was held. However through limits on the numbers that the club could accommodate, the event had to take place at Sutton National Schools. So a larger club was built in 1900 at the end of Edgeworth Street, near the Victoria Vaults pub, which was officially opened on May 2nd by Henry Seton-Karr, M.P. for St.Helens. He was presented with a special gold-mounted key by Colonel McTear in which to open its doors.

A share certificate for Sutton Conservative Club owned by Henry Baker Bates. Note the signatures of Col. J.W. McTear
and Samuel Royle who had a grocer's shop at 9 Taylor Street in Sutton - Contributed by Merrick Baker-Bates
A limited company was created to pay for its funding and shares in the Sutton Conservative Club Company Limited were purchased by its supporters. In the Liverpool Mercury's report of the opening ceremony, they described how the ground floor of the building served as an assembly room and the upper floor included a "large billiard saloon". There was also a lounge and bar and a room for playing cards and dominoes. A well-kept bowling green was at the rear of the premises and the caretaker of the new club was "Sandy" McKinnon, whose house was next door (pictured right). As well as Colonel McTear, Conservative councillor Dr. Baker Bates was also heavily involved in getting the new club built.
Many weddings and birthday parties were held on the ground floor of the Conservative Club, which was licensed both for dancing and music. A Junior Conservative meeting was held on Friday nights, known as Sutton Junior Imps, which included music and dancing. This was very popular and it's said that many courtships began on these nights. As well as billiard and games rooms, the upper floor provided access to a steel constructed balcony that overlooked the bowling green. A steel staircase led down to the green and to a bowls house. The club was finally demolished in 1987.
The small enclave of Sutton between Edgeworth Street, Fisher Street and Ellen Street used to host a number of clubs. A Discharged Soldiers and Sailors Club was in Fisher Street until April 1923 when the club caught fire. The roof fell in and the building was gutted with damage estimated at £250, the equivalent of about £7,000 in today's money. The club had no insurance and so was unable to rise phoenix-like from its ashes. However, in 1936 the Sutton British Legion Club opened its doors for the first time on the old Showfield between Edgeworth Street and Peckers Hill Road.
The East Sutton Labour Club in Ellen Street is the only club that still remains within this part of Sutton. A relatively recent construction, although it did exist as a smaller, wooden building as far back as the 1920s, if not earlier. Of the industrial sports and social clubs in the Sutton district, SIDAC's off Applecorn Close by Leach Lane is noteworthy. Built in 1961 by British Sidac, the Sutton Leach club was taken over by its former employees after the cellophane maker left Sutton. Their football section dates back to 1936 and is the oldest member of the St.Helens Football Combination League. The club, which was recently refurbished, is thriving and boasts two function rooms with many activities regularly held.
i) The St.Helens / Sherdley Show (1968-2006)

The St.Helens Show was initially a one-off Centenary Show to celebrate 100 years of the St.Helens borough. Its success led to it being held on an annual basis and at its peak attracted half a million visitors over three days.
Billed as the largest free show in Europe, the event consisted of air and field displays, demonstrations and shows, arena entertainment, mother & baby and Miss St.Helens competitions, music performances and Silcock's Fair. It was always brought to a close by an impressive fireworks display on the final day.
In 1993 it was estimated that 550,000 people attended the 'Sherdley Show', as locals often called it. However, with increasing competition from other forms of entertainment plus, as some people claimed, a tired, repetitive format, the numbers of attendees considerably decreased and the St.Helens Show ended in 2006. The following year it was replaced by the two day St.Helens Festival which is held earlier in July and attracts about twenty thousand visitors in total.

The cover of the St.Helens Show programme of 1977 including the Mother and Baby competition
Top right: St.Helens Reporter front page article from 1993 reporting attendance of 550,000 over 3 days

Sutton Beauty & Heritage strives for factual accuracy at all times. Please do also get in touch if you believe that there are any errors, with details of any corrections contained within the site's update history page, which also details the regular updates. Many individuals from all over the world have kindly contributed Sutton information and photographs. If you would like to participate in this project, I would be delighted to hear from you and this website always credits any assistance given. Do also consider contributing any recollections of old Sutton that you might have for the Sutton Memories pages, which are proving very popular. I respond quickly to emails and if you haven't received a response within 12 hours, do check your junk mail folder or send your message again. Thank you! SRW




