Rochdale area telephone directory, 1906 - page 3
In 1906 telephony was still in many ways in its infancy - the final takeover of the National Telephone Company by the Post Office was still a few years away and telephones were mostly for business, residential numbers being rare. This page (no 3) is dominated by local 'Rochdale' entries, most notably that of the County Borough Council. As well as the police and fire brigade, you even get the home number of the Borough's Chief Constable - as you those of the Gas Works manager and his electrical counterpart. Other local companies shown include the Rochdale & Manor Brewery, on Molesworth St, that was an early take over by Samuel Smiths of Tadcaster (explaining the one time commonalty of Sam's houses in the borough), the Rochdale Observer - and its opposition teh Rochdale Times. In the spirit of non-cooperation the home of the Co-op actually had two co-op societies! The Equitable Pioneers and the Providential. Amongst the name - that of W Scott, newspaper proprietor, rings a bell - I think Scott owned the Observer? A name that now stands infamous in the field of occupational disease is that of Turner Brothers, Asbestos manufacturers at Spotland - Turner's became the world's biggest asbestos producers and with it a legacy of claims against TBA that led to takeover and bankruptcy by the end of the 20th century. Interestingly, the three brothers are listed below - John, Robert and Samuel. All live in large houses, one of which, Chaseley on Falinge Rd was latterly a council boys home - the 'lads' used to terrorise the Sunday School at St Edmunds, Falinge, when I was a lad!
Rochdale area telephone directory, 1906 - page 3
In 1906 telephony was still in many ways in its infancy - the final takeover of the National Telephone Company by the Post Office was still a few years away and telephones were mostly for business, residential numbers being rare. This page (no 3) is dominated by local 'Rochdale' entries, most notably that of the County Borough Council. As well as the police and fire brigade, you even get the home number of the Borough's Chief Constable - as you those of the Gas Works manager and his electrical counterpart. Other local companies shown include the Rochdale & Manor Brewery, on Molesworth St, that was an early take over by Samuel Smiths of Tadcaster (explaining the one time commonalty of Sam's houses in the borough), the Rochdale Observer - and its opposition teh Rochdale Times. In the spirit of non-cooperation the home of the Co-op actually had two co-op societies! The Equitable Pioneers and the Providential. Amongst the name - that of W Scott, newspaper proprietor, rings a bell - I think Scott owned the Observer? A name that now stands infamous in the field of occupational disease is that of Turner Brothers, Asbestos manufacturers at Spotland - Turner's became the world's biggest asbestos producers and with it a legacy of claims against TBA that led to takeover and bankruptcy by the end of the 20th century. Interestingly, the three brothers are listed below - John, Robert and Samuel. All live in large houses, one of which, Chaseley on Falinge Rd was latterly a council boys home - the 'lads' used to terrorise the Sunday School at St Edmunds, Falinge, when I was a lad!