REV RON GREENALL: Iron theme to my latest memories

Firstly a couple of new points for a new month. It was in this week in 1721 that Sir Robert Walpole became the first Prime Minister of Britain.
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In 1924 the first special broadcast for schools was made and transmitted by the BBC. No doubt many of us have memories of the use of radio programmes in school.

It was in this week in 1827 that matches were first sold in England by their inventor John Walker from his shop in Stockton on Tees.

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He sold them to a local solicitor at the price of one shilling for 100.

It was also in this week in 1838 that the steamship Great Western, designed by Isombard Kingdom Brunel, made its maiden voyage from Bristol to New York City and the start of a regular passenger service.

Hans Christian Anderson was born this week in 1805 and many of us still remember his wonderful stories.

The Princess and the Pea, and the Snow Queen and the Nightingale are two that stick in my memory.

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Sitting by a coal fire, reading a book, and occasionally glimpsing at the glowing embers allowed your mind to roam in a wonderful way we don’t often experience today with a DVD or the like.

No doubt many of you will remember the flat smoothing iron in my first picture.

Your mums and grandmas, if not you yourselves used such items, and often as vicar of Coppull St John I saw people using them for ironing.

This brings me to my second iconic picture, that of Chorley Flat Iron.

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This was the name many Lancastrians gave to Chorley Market and it attracted people from far and wide every Tuesday. Many of you readers will no doubt have memories of your trips there

Now what of The Big Lamp. Yes, it does have on it a direction sign to Coppull, but it was a major direction indicator people used not only for directions for somewhere in Chorley but far afield also.

Just reflect on the fourth picture, an original Flat iron building in New York.

The construction was unique, and a third meaning of Flat iron to the smoothing type or Chorley market.

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Back to Scouts for my fifth picture. Thank you for the picture of English Martyrs Scouts in Preston in the 1970s.

You may recognise someone here, or on the Preston North End supporters, on my last picture.

This is of some of the Garstang group who made the regular weekly bus trek to Deepdale in times past.

Now it is time for a milky coffee. It won’t stick to the pan thanks to the fact it is a Teflon finish, invented this week in 1938 by a US chemist, Roy J .Plunkett.