Towneley Arms

Name: The Townley Arms

Address: 56, Park Road, Chorley

Linked with the Towneley family of Cuerden & Astley Hall the listed landlords were Henry Croston (1861), Ralph Woodcock (1865), Henry Taylor (1871), Richard Riding (1872-76), John Haworth (1879), David Bamber (1882), Sarah Ann Nelson (1889), William Barton (1891), Adam Anderson (1901), William Ayrey (1911), John Sharples (1920-) and Thomas Birchall (1936).

The Towneley Arms is no longer open as a licensed establishment and following closure was converted to flats.

1861 Census

1871 Census

Preston Chronicle 19 August 1876

1881 Census

1891 Census

1901 Census

Townley Arms 2015

1911 Census

1921 Census John Sharples

Transcript - Fifty Years Cycling - from Chorley and Leyland Advertiser Oct 29 1932.

Reminiscences of Weird Machines and Doughty Riders.

The story of the bicycle was the subject of an address to the Chorley Rotary Club by Mr. W. M. Gillibrand, on Monday. The weekly meeting was held at the Royal Oak Hotel, and Mr W. G. Berry was in the chair.

CHURCHWARDEN TRICYCLISTS.

We usually had the opening run of the Club on Good Friday, starting from our then headquarters, the Cattle Market Hotel. Our destination was the Nag’s Head Longton, where we made up for the fasting of the earlier part of the day by a beef and ham tea, to which, quoting the local Press, ample justice was done. It will help you to realise how young I really was in those days when I tell you that I received quite a shock the first time I saw churchwardens eating meat on a Good Friday, for several members of the tricycles section were churchwardens.

We had a tricycle section, but we did not have many joint runs with it, as you will understand why, when I tell you that starting from the Cattle Market Hotel, where refreshment was first obtained, some of the members wanted to stop at the Towneley Arms on Park Road, and only consented to continue to the Parker’s Arms under strong protest.

Mounting the ordinary bicycle was the most difficult thing to learn. You put your toe on the step, your arms were stretched to the full to reach the handlebars, your body pressing against the backbone of the machine. Then you commenced to push yourself along with the right foot. If the road was level or slightly down hill you managed to mount the first time, if it wasn’t you did not. When the machine had sufficient momentum you raised yourself on your toe on the step, hooked your right knee round the saddle and worked yourself carefully into it. It may be imagined that care was necessary when it is realised that the head of the bicycle only had a backward rake of 1½ inches.

Townley Arms 2015