Grandad Mr W Atkins looks at spring flowers in the grounds of Towneley Hall with his grandchildren Julie (5) and Edward Whittle (3). It was a bumper Easter for Burnley sun-seekers. Thousands flocked to resorts in Britain and abroad, and those who stayed at home turned out in record numbers to local parks and beauty spots. Motoring conditions were good and Burnley police reported that, although there had been a few minor accidents, there were no serious ones in the area.
Mr Hector Thornton, curator of Towneley Hall said that there had been record numbers of visitors over Easter. “Over 11000 people have been to the Hall over the holiday. At one stage we had to split the parties up into separate parts of the Hall, something we have had to do on only one previous occasion. On Sunday, we had two thousand visitors in the first one and a half hours.”
The parks too were crowded and the boats on Thompson Park Lake were in constant demand. Travel agents reported that more people than ever were holidaying abroad at this time of year, particularly older folk who wanted a break after the long winter. Other favourite places were Chester Zoo, Blackpool, Morecambe and resorts on the Yorkshire coast. But many went further afield to London and North Wales, whilst hundreds travelled by coach to the Lake District.
The warmest day of the holiday was Monday, when the temperature was 65.8 degrees, and, for once, there wasn’t a drop of rain.