Lancashire Stories

by Rachel Teresa Crawshaw (Illustrator), Libby Ashworth, Yvonne Battle-Felton

When the people of Earth inevitably emigrate to Mars, what will happen to traditions like the Preston Guild? Are there secret coves underneath Blackpool seafront buildings? What was life like for Pakistani immigrants moving to Lancashire in the 1960s? How would people react if ghosts were walking the streets of Lancaster?

Lancashire Stories answers these questions and so many more in this celebration of the folklore, mythology, heritage, people and places that make up the 'Red Rose County'.

This Arts Council England Project Grant funded collection is a collaboration between the library services of Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

254 pages, Paperback

Published November 25, 2022

Reviews

[Stephen Dunstan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Like many collections of short stories by various authors I felt the tone was a bit uneven. There are some great pieces in here, with characters you can really empathise with. These include the contributions by Iqbal Hussain about arranged marriage and Antonia Charlesworth Stack's contribution about a Blackpool celebrity. I also really liked Sarah Schofield's somewhat whimsical piece about a breach of a canal and the unexpected consequences.

I didn't like the time travelling piece, which used all the tropes of that genre without anything to make it worth reading.

[lotte langs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swiped this from my brother’s bookshelf - the title alone is intriguing to a Lancashire lass who has exiled to Yorkshire for the past 15 years!

A collection of stories funded by the Arts Council in collaboration with UCLan and Lancashire libraries “for the people of Lancashire”. Like most short story collections, not every story is brilliant. There was one DNF. But for the most part I found these to be informative, entertaining and really diverse. My only criticism would be that this East Lancs girl would have liked to see a story set in Pendle - the bases for all these stories are either Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn or Blackpool - which although I know them, I’m not incredibly familiar and did have to do a lot of googling.

“Empire Day” by Naomi Krüger
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Based in Preston 1909, this is a boys account of his father’s PTSD from the Boer War and how it affects the whole community.

~

“The Long Journey Home” by Iqbal Hussai
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve never read a short story so moving and compelling yet spanning such a long period of time. Beautifully heartbreaking, it illustrates how a girl from Pakistan has her life arranged for her at 14, and is flown to live in Blackburn with her new husband, much older than her.

~

“New Preston 2152” by David Hartley
DNF. Life is too short to read stories you’re not into and I’m not into science fiction in any proportions.

~

“Breach” by Sarah Schofield
⭐️⭐️
A story about a breach in a canal in Rishton, Blackburn entwined with magic, love and community. This didn’t resonate with me as much as the other stories.

~

“Welcome Back to Lancaster” by Yvonne Battle-Felton
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A ghost story set in Lancaster told with a humorous twist. I loved the writing style but it could have done with being longer than a short story.


“The Club” by Nathan Parker
⭐️⭐️⭐️
A humorous and entertaining story set in 70s Blackpool. A couple of likely lads try to better their lives on Ribble Road with unfortunate if comic consequences.

~

“Belvedere” by Neil White
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Apart from the time travelling at the beginning, this one had a real aura of a D.H Lawrence story. A man travels back in time to find the meaning of a heirloom belonging to his wife and in turn encounters his wife’s grandmother.

~

“Last Tram to Fleetwood - A Fylde Coast Mystery” by Michael Davies
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved this - a really fast paced murder mystery. Set in modern times but something very Christie about it all.

~

“Letter to the Pope Pius VI” by Inés G. Labarta
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ezekiel, an abandoned child who we find out to be black is taken in by a Catholic priest only to later be sold to slave traders at the port of Lancaster. Made me clench my fists in anger even though it’s only a story, it illustrates a very ugly part of British colonial history.

~

“Want me Want me Want me Want me” by Pete Kalu
⭐️⭐️
This one didn’t really ring with me but I just guess I’m not of that generation. A young girl escapes her sometimes violent home life for a night out in Wigan Pier.

~

“The Hands That Touched Cotton” by Libby Ashworth
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A moving tale which illustrates the importance that the Lancashire cotton mills had in the American Civil War. This was the only story to memory that included Lancashire dialect, or as it would have been spoken in 1800s.

~

“The Call of the Sea” by Antonia Charlesworth Stack
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Illustrates the life and times of a Blackpool based artistic swimmer. I loved this as it really had a touch of the golden age of Hollywood in it as well as a little bit of make believe.

[CHARLOTTE W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good short stories, I liked The Long Journey Home, Last Tram to Fleetwood and Belvedere, the Hands That Touched Cotton, Letter to the Pope and Want Me

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

After vowing never to pick things up off the work bookshelf (I really do have to much reading material!) I was looking for a pen and this beauty jumped out. The book is a collection of short stories focusing on the lives of ordinary people based on a different Lancashire town. That ticks MANY boxes for me, particularly as I am on a local history kick and have gone down a rabbit hole on a lot of fiction set in my home town recently. As well as focussing on a different Lancashire town for each story, the collection has a clear aim to celebrate the diversity of the county and it's history which it broadly succeeds at. All the authors have a connection to the county, with many of them still living in the area. The collection appears to have been funded, or produced in collaboration with the Arts Council, Lancashire County Council, Blackpool Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council and University of Central Lancashire Publishing.

Broadly speaking, with any collection like this, there are going to be some stories which land better than others, and the aim to target a large base means it's unlikely for every story to be liked by everyone but I did enjoy it, and the collection is greater than the sum of it's parts.

'Empire Day' by Naomi Krüger

A good opener to the collection, set in Preston in the early 20th century. It's a boyhood story about the trauma of war, working class life and the relationship to Empire through the eyes of a child. The last paragraph has some wonderful symbolism in it.

'The Long Journey Home' by Iqbal Hussain

The highlight of the collection for me. It's a beautiful, touching story about a girl moving to Blackburn following an arranged marriage and the life she lives finding herself. A story of struggle and fear but also about family and love. It's about leaving home, and finding a community. How I felt for her reading this story. Hussain is a beautiful writer, and I have earmarked his future novel, 'Northern Boy' as one to watch out for.

'New Preston, 2152' by David Hartley

This one didn't land so well for me. It's a story about radical youth bringing Preston Guild to be celebrated in New Preston, a colony on Mars. It's a lovely, quirky idea but somewhat lacking in execution. I did get a kick out of some of the names and how on the red dust planet 'New Preston' has some of it's areas named after areas in Preston today.

'Breach' by Sarah Schofield

A magical little story about memory, community and happiness stemming from a breach in a canal. I had some fond memories of being 'loved up' resurface reading this and was struck by the notion that when we pause to stop and watch what is really present we have a wonderful world around us. I half imagine the author writing this book interspersed with people watching in a cafe by a canal.

'Welcome Back To Lancaster' by Yvonne Battle-Felton

For some unexplained reason ghosts come back to Lancaster and live amongst the living. The story is a short whodunit as a woman is sent on a date by her ghost landlady, with, well, another ghost. The story ended somewhat abruptly as though it was part of a larger work. I don't know how I feel about it because I definitely wanted more, and it felt more like a chapter or a teaser for a longer piece of work.

'The Club' by Nathan Parker

This is a fun story about a pair of working class chancers working in a classy restaurant (read gambling den) in Blackpool in the 1970's. It hit those 70's notes perfectly and you kind of know the trope of nothing ever coming good for these two. Enjoyed it.

'Belvedere' by Neil White

This touched me. It's a time travelling story going back to 1842 and the murder of Preston's working class by the infantry following the mayor's order during a Chartist demonstration. I've read a few accounts of this recently in both fiction and non-fiction and I feel I know these old streets as well as I know them today. I loved reading about places I know very well described as marshes or squalor when they are car parks now. It's interesting because the location of the time travelling is a boarded up summer house on Avenham Park. When I was in my teens we called this structure the 'White House' and spent many an afternoon or evening smoking dope in there. I do recall seeing it sealed off now and it's a shame for this grand structure to be let go.

'Last Tram to Fleetwood' by Neil White

I think Neil White is quite a well known crime fiction writer. This story appears to be an established character from another setting, and as a consequence didn't really land for me. The main character solves a murder in Fleetwood. I couldn't really get into this one on either a story or character level. Everything slotted into place way to easily.

'Letter to the Pope Pius VI' by Inès G. Labrata

An 18th century story about a child raised by a priest and his desire to join the Church. A touching, and at times challenging story that addresses Lancaster's role in the slave trade, child labour roles and the power dynamics of 'parent and child' and who and what we place our trust in. There's a twist mid-story where you realise the priest isn't a particularly good person and my heart broke a little for the boy. The ending is a little convenient but I wished well for those brought together by the end.

'Want Me Want Me Want Me Want Me' by Pete Kalu

A teenage girl has her problems at home but by night she's off to Wigan Casino. Loved this expression of teenage hope and affection and remembering just how full of life teenagers are. Sometimes writers capture what it means to be a teenager so well! I could smell the sweat, perfume and aftershave in this one. It made me smile seeing a Danish parent too as I've been trying to learn Danish basics recently and I could read the language in the story lol.

'The Hands That Touched Cotton' by Libby Ashworth

A touching, if somewhat simplistic short story casting a light on the slave trade, the war of Independence in America and the impact on working class Lancastrians dependent on the cotton trade. It intersects the desperate poverty of the working class, the slave trade, faith and solidarity. It all felt a little to neat to me, even though I agreed with the sentiment

'The Call of the Sea' by Antonia Charlesworth Stack

A fun story about a 20th century synchronised swimmer and local Blackpool socialite. 1950's Blackpool is so glamourous compared to now. I could see where the twist was a mile off but it was nice and a rather fantastical ending to the collection (in a good way).

[Elsa Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories are good, well-written with interesting storyline. I don’t like all the genres, so I’m sorry to say I have skipped one. I think someone who have lived in North Lancashire would appreciate the stories more. I can’t picture many of the places in the stories. I have learned something though, so I’m glad I have read it.

[Miss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great set of short stories set in Lancashire, mostly in and around Preston. Some are stronger than others. The Long Journey Home and Breach were my favourites. In the ebook edition there are 17 stories. It has a fixed layout which means the font size cannot be increased making it difficult to read on a phone, so I would recommend reading on a book sized device or getting a physical copy.

[Poppy Unsworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars for the gems that made this worth reading in particular Peter Kalu, Iqbal Hussain and Yvonne Battle-Felton. There was a few pieces of filler and also some SHOCKINGLY bad ones. No exaggeration they could’ve been GCSE pieces by not particularly talented teenagers.

[abi · Rating 2 out of 5]

anthologies always tend to be mixed but I genuinely only liked 2/3 out of the 17 stories in this 💀

[Cerys · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 62% - rubbish!

[su lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. Thought it would be more folklore and traditional stories. But an enjoyable read nonetheless.

[Kayleigh Parrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really nice short stories, good variety!

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag of stories, funded by Arts Council England, each one set in a town or city of the county covered by the Lancashire Library services.

My favourite was "Breach," by Sarah Schofield, a lovely little fantasy about the unexpected results of a crack in a canal that runs through a village near Blackburn. Schofield grounds the fantasy in real local colour and character studies.

"Last Tram to Fleetwood" was good fun -- it reminded me of the Johnny Vegas/Sian Gibson spoofs of Agatha Christie that have recently featured on the BBC. Sadly, the Murder Most Foul investigation of Roxanne and Bel is a bit rushed, and the unmasking of the villain too "convenient" to make it truly satisfying, but I'd be happy to see more of these two.

"The Long Journey Home" by Iqbal Hussain is the touching story of how a child-bride from Pakistan came to make a life for herself in Lancashire.

Many of the other stories rely too much on a gimmick of a theme (Preston Guild in Space! Ghosts in Lancaster!!) and the novelty of the setting, without much character development.