The holiday weeks of the industrial towns of the North West of England, and possibly of
the West Riding, were known as Wakes Weeks. From family connections, I know that
Bolton had a June week and a September week. The mills would shut down and most of
the population would migrate to the seaside: Blackpool, Bridlington, Filey,
Morecambe, Scarborough, Southport. I know the following applied in Morecambe and
Blackpool, and I'm supposing that it applied in the other places as well.
At the start of the Bolton week, Bolton corporation would hire its buses to
Ribble to operate on extras to take the folk on holiday, as the previous town was
hiring its buses to Ribble to bring its folk home again. At the end of the Bolton
holiday, Bolton would hire its buses to Ribble to bring them home, as the next town
was hiring to Ribble to take people away for their break. Next comes the reason for
asking the question.
I have a OO scale model tramway, based on a Lancashire seaside resort in the
mid to late 1960's. No, it isn't Blackpool! As well as the Ribble buses and coaches,
and the local Corporation buses, I have buses and coaches from different parts of
the UK, and they appear on the layout in a nine-week cycle. The question is, what
would be the correct sequence for the Lancashire element of these, to tie in with
these Wakes Weeks? Who was before Bolton? Who came next?
Pete Davies
30/10/12 - 08:07
Not a clarification, but more like mud in the pot. Memories are vague, since I have just retired from full time teaching, but schools tended to have eccentric summer holidays because of Wakes Weeks. I did my post-graduate teacher training in the Wigan and Bolton areas between September 1975 and June 1976. Instead of six weeks, I recollect four weeks, back to school for a fortnight and then the WW - and something similar in June. Never had anything like that as a boy in Sheffield - but we were a City/County Borough and not strictly part of West Riding CC.
David Oldfield
30/10/12 - 08:09
There was a rolling programme of Wakes Weeks throughout the mill towns of
Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire starting from around the religious
festival of Trinity Sunday at the end of May/beginning of June through to mid
August. This was a two week shut down in general. There were other similar
holidays in other places - for instance Manchester had a two week Engineering
Holiday in July.
Many towns had another week from late August, the season finishing in
late September.
With so many areas involved and the idea having slowly been dropped by
places over the last 30 years it would be difficult a this juncture to give
accurate information from memory.
You might try contacting the Manchester Evening News which used to
produce an annual list of Cotton Town Wakes Holidays and I believe the
Yorkshire Evening Post produced a similar list for the Woollen Towns.
Those lists were vital for planning for sales forces, delivery companies
and, of course, anyone in the leisure/hotel/transport industries so there is
bound to be a wealth of information around.
Phil Blinkhorn
30/10/12 - 16:11
Like David Oldfield, I was a boy in Sheffield. In contrast with David, I do
remember that everything industrial closed down for two weeks at the old
August Bank Holiday (Works Weeks rather than Wake Weeks) which came on the
first Monday of August. Two whole weeks with no Steam hammers or Drop Forges
rocking the entire city. SUT would have their entire fleet at the bottom of
Pond Street, together with hirings from Mexborough & Swinton, Tracky and
several local independents.
Some would be away to Devon & Cornwall, IOW etc, some heading for
Blackpool & Rhyl, but most were going to Skegness and other resorts on the
east coast of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. On the convoy run to Skeggie we
would see Peter Sheffield, of Cleethorpes and Lincolnshire RC bearing "on
hire to SUT" travelling in the opposite direction. I think Grayscroft
Mablethorpe were also party to this but much time has passed. Sorry that this
doesn't help the original question though.
Les Dickinson
31/10/12 - 06:54
Les. It's old age creeping on. Of course I remember Works Weeks - but only when you nudged me! I was friendly with Walter Martin, Cyril Littlewood and Wilf Anderson and spent time at Harmer Lane seeing off the Newquay, Torquay and Weymouth overnighters on the Friday evening. Joint Littlewood/SUT services, only Newquay ever saw SUT coaches - the other services saw just about every indi "On Hire to C G Littlewood". Up to 6 for Newquay, 4 for Weymouth and between 20 and 24 for Torquay. This included one for crew duties taking drivers to Bath for a changeover - these drivers swapping again at Bath on the return journey.
David Oldfield
31/10/12 - 06:56
The Wakes have a long and complex history, but at the time we are talking about
they had developed into the pattern about which you are talking. I can give a
bit of detail on Oldham Wakes, and you will realise that a full answer to your
question would be a very complex piece!
Until 1948 Oldham's Wakes Week had been at the end of August (and do
remember that the bank holiday was at the beginning of August then, as already
alluded to by Les). In 1948 it was moved to the end of June, unpopular at the
time and not something that sat easily with school exams.
From 1952 the Wakes was extended to become a two-week event, still at
the end of June. In both cases it had been combined with a long weekend in
September which in due course became a full week. Due to the September week
Oldham didn't take the August Bank Holiday when it was moved to the end of the
month and I remember going to Crich with Oldham 368 on the bank holiday and,
before we set off, photographing all the peak hour buses coming back into the
garage.
Educational pressure and changing employment patterns meant the gradual
run-down of the Oldham Wakes as less and less people took it. They were
finally abolished in 1992.
When I worked at Seddon Atkinson from 1977-79 the factory shut down for
the wakes holidays. I resented it at the time and did whatever I could to have
the holidays at some other time. Ironic really, as the June fortnight became
my preferred time for a break due to the long days and lack of holiday crowds
until I had to fall in line with the rest of the country as the children
reached school age.
David Beilby
31/10/12 - 14:41
Thank you for your comments, chaps. I'll contact the Manchester newspaper, as suggested.
Pete Davies
01/11/12 - 06:42
Not really an answer to the original question, but in the early and mid 50's, my parents used to take me on the famous Yelloway services from Lower Mosley Street in Manchester for our week at a B&B in Torquay. One year, I can't remember which, we were unable to go as my father had changed his job to a company in Ashton-under-Lyne whilst my mother continued in her job in Hyde. Wakes Weeks in the two adjacent towns were different dates, and so we couldn't go anywhere that year !! I think the increasing number of working women in the late 50's and early 60's together with unaligned dates for Wakes Weeks in adjacent towns also contributed to their eventual demise.
Stuart C
02/12/12 - 16:41
Stalybridge was the third week in July. Ashton Under Lyne Mid August and Hyde early September
Mr Anon
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