Stuart Whittle explains how fate played a hand in the arrival of the Loco Works in Horwich and ultimately in the formation of Horwich Heritage.
It is remarkable to think that I wouldn’t be writing this article but for two major twists of fate that completely changed the fortunes of the town of Horwich.
First of all, Horwich wasn’t even on the list of possible sites for a new Loco Works when the Directors of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company met on 21st May 1884.
However, with those sites on offer not looking promising, the Company’s Surveyor & Land Agent, Elias Dorning, mentioned an announcement in that morning’s paper that 650 acres of land was for sale in the village of Horwich.
The land was to be auctioned at the Mitre Hotel in Manchester in 6 days time so time was of the essence to decide whether it was suitable. John Ramsbottom & William Barton-Wright, the two men charged with reviewing the whole of the L&YR’s railway system, together with Dorning, visited the area and reported back favourably.
Although the area of land on offer far exceeded their requirements, the Directors authorised Dorning to attend the auction and purchase the site for not more than £65,000.
In the event, Dorning was able to acquire this major part of the village of Horwich for only £36,000 and that Tuesday afternoon, 27th May 1884 marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation for the ‘sleepy village’.
Within four months site drawings had been approved and in December detailed plans for the buildings were submitted by Ramsbottom.
The land allocated for the Works south of Chorley Old Road was relatively flat and presented few problems with the exception of the hill on Old Harts Farm.
Site works commenced in January 1885 and by the end of July the erecting shop foundations were nearing completion.
On 15th November 1886 Horwich Loco Works was officially opened and work began immediately.
The existing Horwich population of less than 4000 , most of whom lived in the ‘sleepy village’ on the ‘Top Side’ (Church Street), were both intrigued and appalled by the prospect of a major influx of new residents and they were right to be concerned.
The population more than tripled in 10 years as ‘navvies’ and new employees came from all over the country to work on and at the new Works. Such an increase put an incredible strain both on the town’s physical and social infrastructure as the Local Board, Railway Company & local builders struggled to build enough houses, shops, schools, churches & other social facilities.
This strain was bound to tell and there was increasing tension both on the Works site and in the town, particularly amongst the navvies.
The local police presence was increased but this did not prevent a major incident breaking out in 1886 when ill-feeling between English and Irish navvies (allegedly provoked because of different rates of pay) erupted into fighting which extended over a wide area of the town and lasted on and off for a week!
Weapons used in the violent incidents included bricks, pokers, blocks of wood, belts and a scythe. Within the Works itself industrial relations were generally good in the early years but, with so many trades represented by newly-established Unions, strikes and lock-outs did occur.
The worst being a 12 week strike in 1906 which resulted in real hardship for workers’ families and soup kitchens being provided by local shopkeepers followed by a bitter 9 week dispute in 1911 which involved a full scale riot and the drafting in of hundreds of extra police to deal with the local unrest.
Despite this turbulent start, the Works quickly got into its stride. Initially it catered for locomotive repairs but on 20th February 1889, the first designed and built loco, No.1008, steamed out of the erecting shop.
The locomotive production age at Horwich had begun. At its peak the Works employed c.5000 men and would go on to build 1,830 steam locos, 169 diesels & five 18 inch gauge locos. Some 50,000 locos were repaired.
The Loco Works effectively built the town of Horwich we know today and many Horwich families have ancestors who arrived from all over the country to work there.
The Works became the educational, social & recreational centre of the town through the building of the Railway Mechanics Institute and even today, many local clubs & societies still bear the famous RMI initials.
The second twist of fate occurred on 23rd December 1983 when the unthinkable happened – the Works closed down almost 100 years after that fateful day in 1884 when the decision to buy the site was taken and 97 years after the first locomotives were taken in for repair. The community was devastated.
A hard campaign had been fought to save the Works but to no avail, it had lost its main employer, the industry that was synonymous with the town.
What would the future hold?
It was in the midst of this devastation that Horwich Heritage was formed to raise the spirits of the townsfolk and help them believe that they still had a wonderful town to be proud of.
Remarkably, without the closure of the Works, there may not have been such an urgent need to recognise the town’s history, particularly its great railway legacy and Horwich Heritage may not have happened!
So in a perverse way, we have the closure of the Works to thank for everything we have achieved and enjoyed over the past 30 years.
Quite a thought!
Stuart Whittle