The postman's Staining nightmare in the 60s

It had taken 30 years, but 50 years ago this month postmen were celebrating after steps were being taken to end their nightmare on one Fylde street.
Cutting from the Gazette March 1968, about how Staining Road was a nightmare for the postman with strange house numbersCutting from the Gazette March 1968, about how Staining Road was a nightmare for the postman with strange house numbers
Cutting from the Gazette March 1968, about how Staining Road was a nightmare for the postman with strange house numbers

The Gazette reported that at long last, action was being taken to “bring sanity to the chaos of numbers and names” on Staining Road, Staining.

It had become a “hotch-potch” of house names and numbers over the last quarter century.

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There were six terraces of houses along the one-mile stretch of road– and each terrace started with No 1!

That meant there were six number ones, six numbers twos, and so on.

And two of the terraces did not even bear the name of the terrace.

The Gazette said: “A casual caller might be able to find Newton Cottages, Church View, Queens Terrace and Walton Terrace. But Willowbank and Tower Cottages would take the sleuthing powers of Sherlock Holmes to track down.”

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To add to the confusion, there was also a stretch of 24 houses on Staining Road which did not have numbers – only names.

Tradesmen were apparently driving round in circles and there was the serious problem of fire engines and ambulances being unable to find an address in the shortest time possible.

Mr Charles Joiner, who lived at 1 Tower Cottages, said he continually answered queries from strangers trying to find addresses in Staining Road and said if an ambulance was called, they had to stand in the road and wait until it arrived, to direct it to the right place.

Most of the residents in Staining had said they would give their support to any move to have the houses numbered consecutively along the length of the road.

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Coun Charles Eddieston, chairman of the parish council, said the question of proper numbering for Staining Road houses would be brought up at the council meeting. He agreed the situation was creating a lot of confusion and said once it had been discussed, it would be passed onto Fylde District Council.

A post office spokesman said it would be in the interest of everyone if the houses were numbered, as the current system made misdelivery and postal delays likely.