WHERE COULD YOU DO YOUR SHOPPING IN CROW LANE ?

 Whilst it is not obvious from Crow Lane today, there have in fact been several shops in the street. Near the school was a  grocers and off-licence (17/19), with another grocer, which later became a pet shop (43/45), situated at the far end of the street. Both these shops were built as a house and shop combined. Howevere for some time during the 20^th century, there were others where the owner opened a shop in the fron room of the house. This was true of another grocer (20) on the opposite side of the lane, which at some point, also cooked hot dinners for the workers at the iron foundry. The little terrace of the houses next to the school also included a milliners shop at no 25 (since demolished) and for a short time there was also a green grocer at no 21.  Whilst the exact dates of these shops is not known, a trade directory shows that all five of them were open in 1924 and all but the greengrocer are still remembered by older residents of Ramsbottom

  SUMMARY OF THE SHOPS IN CROW LANE

    Shops on the school side of the street (odd numbers)

            17 / 19             Grocer and off-licence

            21                    Greengrocer (around 1924)

25                                        Milliners

43/45               Grocers & off-licence. 

                        This later became a pet shop & then  workshop or slipper factory

     Shops on the church side of the street (even numbers)

20                Grocer and at one time this shop also sold hot diners to take out