About Lancashire (and North Lonsdale) Loominary

Reviving an old ‘Loominary’

Welcome to The Lancashire Loominary website, owned and managed by me – Paul Salveson. It’s quite new, although its origins are very old. James Taylor Staton edited a magazine in the 1850s and 1860s, at various times called ‘Th’Bowtun Loominary’ or ‘Lankishire Loominary’, often with added extras such as ‘Tumfowt Telegraph’.

Could this be Blackstock Junction?

It was an early example of radical, alternative journalism – and most of it was in dialect. Staton’s mantle was picked up by another Boltonian, Allen Clarke (pictured)  – better known as ‘Teddy Ashton’ who pioneered a form of Lancashire writing that was accessible, radical and entertaining. My updated and enlarged edition of his biography is now available.

The present-day Lancashire Loominary is about promoting a sense of Lancashire pride and identity which is radical and inclusive – pretty much what the likes of Staton and Allen Clarke were about in their day.

My occasional blog The Northern Weekly Salvo, can be read here, along with numerous other things:  http://lancashireloominary.co.uk/index.html/northern-weekly-salvo

I also have a website which includes my photographic work. ‘Paul Salveson Photography: Places, Trains and Factories’ is at www.paulsalveson.org.uk but is still at the ‘development’ stage. Here’s an image of NCB loco ‘Harry’ at Astley Green Colliery in 1969.

My latest book is ‘Lancastrians: mills, mines and minarets’ published by Hurst. You can get it at bookshops or directly from me at the retail price including postage (£25, hardback).

My collection of railway short stories, mostly set in the North-West, is  Last Train from Blackstock Junction. It’s published by Platform 5 and can be bought via their website: www.platform5.com