Hollinwood's Hangman

[Diego_Sideburns]

ITV on Bank Holiday Monday is showing the film about the life of Albert Pierrepoint, staring Timothy Spall.

 

Pierrepoint was the most prolific British hangman of the twentieth century. Between 1932 and 1956, he is credited with having executed an estimated 433 men and 17 women, including six U.S. soldiers and 200 Nazi war criminals after World War II. The film claims that he conducted 608 executions

 

He was also the landlord of a pub on Manchester Road, Hollinwood, named Help the Poor Struggler,

[Hometownclub]

As usual Diego reading your posts is an education, I had no idea of the Hollinwood connection with Pierrepoint and will watch the program if I remember.

 

I lived for many years in the Hollinwood area and still drive past that pub regularly IIRC I think its now called The Spinners Arms or something like that, its opposite The Bowling Green Inn.

[boboafc]

there was a pub ,near to where i used to live in whitefild bury ,and the owners was the official hangmanin the uk to , found this about the pub etc

ONE of Whitefield's most famous pubs is to be sold.

 

The Junction Inn became well-known because for a time the publican was the country's official hangman.

 

And although for sale, the pub will not close.

 

The business, at Besses junction, Bury New Road, is just one of 69 pubs throughout the North West being sold by owners Allied Domeq Pub Company Ltd and is on the market as a working pub alone or with others.

 

A spokesman for Allied Domeq explained: "The Junction is for sale with others as part of an ongoing rationalisation of all our properties.

 

"It is being offered for sale as a going concern, a business still in operation."

 

The spokesman would not comment on reports in the financial press that the company had suffered massive losses nationally.

 

^ZThere has been a public house on the site now occupied by the Junction for at least 200 years.

 

Originally known as the Stone Pale Tavern - a converted farmhouse - the first mention in local documents was in 1780.

 

The pub became the Junction Hotel in 1881 and the present building was constructed in the 1950s - uniquely being built around the old building so that it could remain open.

 

The pub had its most famous period from July, 1948, to October, 1953, when the landlord was Mr Harry Bernard Allen, Britain's official hangman.

 

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

[help_shiny]

The Poor Struggler pub closed in the 70's and was knocked down in the 90's I read somewhere. I meant to get around to watching that film when if first came out, thanks for the tip off.

He ended up anti hanging in the end, apparently (as told in the film and I presume his autobiography as well) when he ended up hanging one of the Poor Strugglers regulars at Strangeways.

[outoftheblue]

As usual Diego reading your posts is an education, I had no idea of the Hollinwood connection with Pierrepoint and will watch the program if I remember.

 

I lived for many years in the Hollinwood area and still drive past that pub regularly IIRC I think its now called The Spinners Arms or something like that, its opposite The Bowling Green Inn.

The spinners is a totally different pub.

The HTPS was in the next block down from the Spinners, and served as a store for a local painter & decorator for quite a while during the 70s and 80s.

The only remaining evidence of it being a pub during its last 20 years or so was a 3 foot by 2 foot sandstone block set into the gable end of the building inscribed 'Help The Poor Struggler'.

On its demolition in the mid 90s I offered the contractors £500 for the stone block, but was told it had already been claimed - though its whereabouts are now unknown. (If anyone does know, the offer still stands).

Contrary to rumour, there was never a sign in the pub stating 'No hanging around the bar'.

There are many stories however of ghostly goings on in the buildings in the immediate vicinity - especially the antiques shop about 3 doors away where it is reported that a voice could be heard crying "I don't want to die" on a few occasions.

As someone who lived in a local pub, I always had an interest in Hollinwood's pubs. I still have an interest in pubs, but that's just an excuse to spend all night in one away from the Mrs!

[Diego_Sideburns]

Hanging ran in the Pierrepoint family:

 

Henry Albert Pierrepoint 1901–1910 (father)

Thomas Pierrepoint 1909–1946 (brother)

Albert Pierrepoint 1932–1956.

 

From the Advertiser:

http://www.oldhamadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/5...erts_every_word

Edited August 21, 2008 by Diego_Sideburns

[outoftheblue]

.

Edited August 21, 2008 by outoftheblue

[Hometownclub]

The spinners is a totally different pub.

The HTPS was in the next block down from the Spinners, and served as a store for a local painter & decorator for quite a while during the 70s and 80s.

The only remaining evidence of it being a pub during its last 20 years or so was a 3 foot by 2 foot sandstone block set into the gable end of the building inscribed 'Help The Poor Struggler'.

On its demolition in the mid 90s I offered the contractors £500 for the stone block, but was told it had already been claimed - though its whereabouts are now unknown. (If anyone does know, the offer still stands).

Contrary to rumour, there was never a sign in the pub stating 'No hanging around the bar'.

There are many stories however of ghostly goings on in the buildings in the immediate vicinity - especially the antiques shop about 3 doors away where it is reported that a voice could be heard crying "I don't want to die" on a few occasions.

As someone who lived in a local pub, I always had an interest in Hollinwood's pubs. I still have an interest in pubs, but that's just an excuse to spend all night in one away from the Mrs!

 

My memory of it is a bit hazy (obviously) I do remember the inscibed stone your talking about really well and for some reason thought it was in that block still remaining with The Spinners and the old Coop.

 

I used to deliver newspapers to all the shops and premises in that stretch of Manchester Road in the mid 70's while working for Hinde's newsagents which was a bit further down on the same side near the top of Hollinwood Avenue (Bower Lane) opposite what is now the Hollinwood Dental Practice (which has been my dentist for about 25 years).

[fleetwood Blue]

im sure he lived in fleetwood in his final years, i have heard many a story about the hangman living not too far from where my mum lived

[outoftheblue]

My memory of it is a bit hazy (obviously) I do remember the inscibed stone your talking about really well and for some reason thought it was in that block still remaining with The Spinners and the old Coop.

 

I used to deliver newspapers to all the shops and premises in that stretch of Manchester Road in the mid 70's while working for Hinde's newsagents which was a bit further down on the same side near the top of Hollinwood Avenue (Bower Lane) opposite what is now the Hollinwood Dental Practice (which has been my dentist for about 25 years).

It's hard to imagine all the shops that were there along that stretch back then.

Motorbike shop, Glass shop, two Antique shops, another three pubs (Old Post, Hat & Feather and Kings), Furniture shop, Jeweller, Taxi office, Sewing shop amongst others.

HTPS was just lower than Baxter St.

[outoftheblue]

im sure he lived in fleetwood in his final years, i have heard many a story about the hangman living not too far from where my mum lived

Pretty sure it was Southport he moved to.

[Diego_Sideburns]

Pretty sure it was Southport he moved to.

 

Correct. Albert and hi wife Anne retired to Southport. He died on 10 July 1992 in a nursing home where he had lived for the last four years of his life.

[Hometownclub]

It's hard to imagine all the shops that were there along that stretch back then.

Motorbike shop, Glass shop, two Antique shops, another three pubs (Old Post, Hat & Feather and Kings), Furniture shop, Jeweller, Taxi office, Sewing shop amongst others.

HTPS was just lower than Baxter St.

Yeh, I remember it now.

 

Baxter St has now become the entrance to the new unit that is there.

 

All those pubs that have now gone as well, the ones you mentioned and then also the White Swan across the road from the Old Post which was on the corner of Hollins Road and Manchester Road opposite the Roxy, also The Filho which was further up past the Bowling Green on the same side.

[Guest oa_exile]

Dont want to take anything away from Albert , after all he is a local legend but he was not the last hangman , hanging continued into the early sixties.

Albert does however hold the record for the quickest hanging of seven seconds he must have been in a hurry that day

[Guest oa_exile]

im sure he lived in fleetwood in his final years, i have heard many a story about the hangman living not too far from where my mum lived

 

retired to Southport

 

Feel like I have got one up on Fleetwood Blue

Edited August 21, 2008 by oa_exile

[outoftheblue]

Albert does however hold the record for the quickest hanging of seven seconds he must have been in a hurry that day

Yeah! Latics were at home to the Trannies and he wanted to get there for a glimpse of his most likely next jobs!

Edited August 21, 2008 by outoftheblue

[Diego_Sideburns]

Dont want to take anything away from Albert , after all he is a local legend but he was not the last hangman , hanging continued into the early sixties.

 

I don't recall anyone saying he was the last hangman.

[Guest oa_exile]

I don't recall anyone saying he was the last hangman.

 

Well i'm just letting you know

[Diego_Sideburns]

Well i'm just letting you know

 

There's no hanging around for you - you stick your neck right out!

Edited August 21, 2008 by Diego_Sideburns

[oafc_ok]

Well i'm just letting you know

 

Thanks for that exile - It was certainly noose to me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Noose.....news - see what I did there????

 

Oh, forget it!

[fleetwood Blue]

Feel like I have got one up on Fleetwood Blue

You have mate, he definately lived in fleetwood at somepoint, he had to or has my old dear been making :censored: lyes up

[help_shiny]

I was trawling around yesterday reading about Pierrepoint and saw that after he left Hollinwood he had a pub near Preston - could fit in with being around Fleetwood I suppose.

The 7 second execution - I just read that the bloke committed the murder on Feb1st and they hung him on May8th - that's fast track justice all the way!

[bigfatjoe1]

The spinners is a totally different pub.

The HTPS was in the next block down from the Spinners, and served as a store for a local painter & decorator for quite a while during the 70s and 80s.

The only remaining evidence of it being a pub during its last 20 years or so was a 3 foot by 2 foot sandstone block set into the gable end of the building inscribed 'Help The Poor Struggler'.

On its demolition in the mid 90s I offered the contractors £500 for the stone block, but was told it had already been claimed - though its whereabouts are now unknown. (If anyone does know, the offer still stands).

Contrary to rumour, there was never a sign in the pub stating 'No hanging around the bar'.

There are many stories however of ghostly goings on in the buildings in the immediate vicinity - especially the antiques shop about 3 doors away where it is reported that a voice could be heard crying "I don't want to die" on a few occasions.

As someone who lived in a local pub, I always had an interest in Hollinwood's pubs. I still have an interest in pubs, but that's just an excuse to spend all night in one away from the Mrs!

 

 

Somebody told me, many years ago, that he had a rope hanging over the bar. Surely not? Aslo, didn't he do the executions at Nuremburg?

[Diego_Sideburns]

...didn't he do the executions at Nuremburg?

 

Yes.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Yes.

 

He did some of the executions at (well, not 'at', that was where the trials were held) Nuremberg. Notably the ones in the Belsen trial. The Americans had their own executioner too. In all Albert Pierrepoint took care of around 200 executions of Nazi criminals.

 

The Last Hangman thing? Well, the film being shown on Monday night was actually called The Last Hangman in the Stateside release of the film. But yes, he wasn't the last hangman, I think the last people (it was a double execution held on the same day in two prisons in Liverpool and Manchester) were hung about 6 or 7 years after Pierrepoint resigned. Contrary to belief, he didn't resign because he was 'anti-hanging', it was simply because of a disagreement over his fees. The anti-hanging stance possibly came over the years after when he had time to reflect when writing his memoirs.

 

A decent book to read, which offers an alternate view is A Hangman's Tale by Syd Dernley, who was assistant executioner (tasked with pinioning the feet of the, errr, executees) to Pierrepoint and many others.