Groundsman Abel Hudson

[Bfc]

Being keen on the history of our Club, I want to share this story from a lady Ive just had the pleasure of meeting whose grandad was Abel (Old Abel) Hudson, the Burnley groundsman.
Abel had moved from his position as groundsman at St Andrews Bowling Club in 1911, to take on the role at Burnley. She recalled he had lived near the Turf on Eastham St and then moved to a newly built house on nearby Olympia St, which had then cost him £200.
Abel retired as the head groundsman when he was 83, after 35 years. He was a keen gardener and had allotment within the ground, where he specialised in growing roses and carnations. He was still attending matches upto his 90th year.

1912 was a busy year for Burnley FC, as the club had taken down the Old Star Stand and he then had to prepare the banking, for the crowd to stand on, which remained until proper terracing was later erected. In 1913 he stripped the turf and laid herring bone drainage and then 18" of ashes was laid over the drains, followed by top soil. The new turf was collected from all over Burnley for re laying the pitch. All the work was completed from the end season (probably April then) by mid July.
After 25 years service the clubs directors presented Abel with a 3 piece suite and on his retirement, the club gave him a pension and allowed him to keep his allotment at the back of the ground.
Another famous groundsman Tommy Danns worked with him and eventually succeeded him, following in footsteps as the groundsman at St Andrews. His successor then was quiet spoken John Jameson from Accrington, who I think had been a groundsman at Accrington Stanley.
I think the ashes came to the surface in the game the following day of 1968 Youth Cup Final, such was the condition of the pitch following some heavy rain.

[ClaretTony]

Tommy Danns was the groundsman when I first started watching Burnley. During the 1962/63 winter he had his own methods to try and defrost the pitch. He had a load of braziers burning away all night and he’d spend the entire night on the pitch with them.

Tommy lived in the groundsman’s house where the club shop is now. Maurice Catlow was the last groundsman to live there.

[Bfc]

Yes I remember those days well. Outside the house was a blue police telephone, which the calls would put you in touch with the police station. I remember Maurice well, he later was groundsman on the Towneley football pitches and had moved onto the Brunshaw estate. His son would be around your age Tony.
I maybe mentioned it before, but I've still got one of Tommy Danns smaller pitch forks, he spiked the pitch with. That is an unusual piece of Burnley memorabilia.

[Bullabill]

My first 'proper' ball (casey) came courtesy of Tommy Danns. My dad knew him well from St.Andrews, and Tommy managed to get me an old training ball from the club. -- Heaven !!!

[Wile E Coyote]

Yes I remember those days well. Outside the house was a blue police telephone, which the calls would put you in touch with the police station. I remember Maurice well, he later was groundsman on the Towneley football pitches and had moved onto the Brunshaw estate. His son would be around your age Tony.
I maybe mentioned it before, but I've still got one of Tommy Danns smaller pitch forks, he spiked the pitch with. That is an unusual piece of Burnley memorabilia.

did maurice have a daughter called patricia?

[Hipper]

Thanks for posting Bfc. I used to be a groundsman so have an interest in the subject.

The drainage ditches would have probably been dug by hand. The pipes (or 'tiles') would have been something like this:

http://www.malmesbury-reclamation.co.uk ... nage-pipe/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The ash you mentioned was known as clinker, perhaps from a coal fired power station. It would have looked something like this:

https://tari-stock.deviantart.com/art/L ... -135219248" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It was not really ideal for drainage as it was made up of big and small to tiny pieces which could block the gaps through which the water should pass, but it was cheap or even free.

These methods were still used even in to the 1970s.

It was not only hard work but also quite skilful as you needed to make sure that each run of pipes had a steady fall (water only runs downhill!).

[Bfc]

W.E.C, I can't recall Maurice having a daughter, as most of time I was in contact with him, was when we spoke while he was at work. I think his son was also called Maurice and was just like his dad in size and build. I remember he gave me his collection of programmes he had accumulated while working at the Turf.

Hipper, from memory land drains were laid together with a slight gap at the top to allow water to seep in and drain away. In my time small 1/2" stone was laid on top and then smaller stone on top of that, to stop soil getting into the drainage system. I don't think your photo of a pile of coke would look anything like that used, as it would soon block the drains.
My dad in the 1950s, put our central heating system in and used coke to heat the boiler. The gas works in Burnley also used coke as well as coal to make Town gas, (before natural gas) as did a lot of factories. There used to a big Coke Works at Altham, next to the Simonstone to Clayton Le Moors main Rd. in the early 60s I'd done some work on the site and (clinkers as they were called) were all over the site. My guess is the used coke came from the gas works, or the factories.

[Wile E Coyote]

Thanks Bfc.

[TheMule]

Hi BFC, Abel Hudson was my Great Grandad and the house on Olympia Street was where my late Mother (his Granddaughter) was born. Remember hearing stories about him as a kid and how he used to look after the pitch.

[Bfc]

T M, I'm seeing his granddaughter tomorrow re another matter and intend telling her of your family connection. Hopefully you will know the lady I'm talking about and she of you. If you don't, please allow me to pass on a message, with a view to her getting in contact somehow.

[TheMule]

Hi Bfc, It sounds like the lady you've met could be my Mum's sister. Does the lady you mention's name begin with D? I only know of my Grandmother's name as she had passed away 10 years before I was born. She was called Mabel (imaginitive I know). Her married name was Ashton. I don't know if she had any other brothers or sisters however.

[JustJanety]

Hi, if the lady mentioned her name began with D, her sister passed away in 2010.
Abel Hudson was my Great Grandfather.
He had one surviving daughter (Mabel) who married Herbert Ashton, they too lived in Olympia Street.
Mabel had 3 surviving children. One boy who went to Australia and two girls R and D.
R had five children (my mother) D had four (all girls) so good old Abel has surviving Gt Grandchildren and many Great Great Grandchildren.
He is buried at Wheatley Lane Inghamite Cemetery as are many of his relatives. He was quite a character and sadly succumbed to the Spanish flu after WW1.

[Passing Clouds]

I have really fond memories of Maurice Catlow. Spent many a freezing cold morning in his hut at Towneley whilst my dad was refereeing for St Teds. I’d help him make the post match tea for all the kids. Never forget the heaps of nets, footballs, the pile of coal he’d use to fuel his stove and smell of linseed oil. Aahhh good memories. Went to his funeral I think…

[IanMcL]

W.E.C, I can't recall Maurice having a daughter, as most of time I was in contact with him, was when we spoke while he was at work. I think his son was also called Maurice and was just like his dad in size and build. I remember he gave me his collection of programmes he had accumulated while working at the club.

Coincidently, as a young lad, I worked with a Post Ofgice Telephones Sales Rep named Maurice Catlow. He was in his 50s whil I was about 19/20.

I organised a not so friendly works football match against a rival department. Maurice wanted to play and played right back.

We are talking early 70s.

He came off after about half an hour, as he did his knee.
He died if cancer a year or two later.

Not a name I have heard since. Any connection, I wonder, or just coincidence?

[Bfc]

Not the same person Ian. Young Maurice would be/ been in his sixties now. The one you've mentioned would be over 100 now.

[Mayoclaret]

From LCC Red Rose Collection (great site in my opinion) - Photo of Abel Hudson dated 1936

https://redrosecollections.lancashire.g ... 7085819201

[ClaretTony]

The club used to provide a house for the groundsman which was where the club shop is now. The Catlows were the last to live there.

[mikeS]

Lovely story, thanks for sharing.

[JustJanety]

Also have this from old Burnley Express regarding Great Grandad Abel Hudson for those interested. My mother uses to go on The Turf with him and met many of the players when she was a teenager.

IMG-20230215-WA0009.jpg (362.4 KiB) Viewed 869 times

Enjoy

[FCBurnley]

Anybody on here remember Big Alan at Gawthorpe ? I know bfc will. Great character

[Hipper]

Uncle Tim's writing on the toad was interesting.

[Bfc]

I do remember Alan, who I knew very well. His surname was Greaves and he'd 2 sons. One called Jimmy, who I worked with at B Gas. Jim was a gentle giant of a man and was in one of the Guard regiments. He left his role as groundsman at Gawthorpe and became the groundsman at Bacup Golf Club. Tradgedy struck Alan one day, when he tied a chain around the base of a tree, which had been cut down and he attempted to pull the tree and its roots out of the ground with his tractor. He was looking back from his tractor, checking if it was moving, when the chain snapped and whiplashed, hitting him in the face, breaking his jaw and permanently blinding him.
He moved into a bungalow on Adamson St Padiham, where I often visited him. He seemed to know I was there, before I spoke saying "is that you ----- " . He joined a class doing pottery and he made me a money box, in the shape of a case ball, with Burnley fc inscribed on it. Im proud to say I still have it and it means a lot to me.

[Bfc]

It was Alan not Jim in the guards.