Days Gone By - A history of the parish and its people
This section highlights events in the more recent past of Hill Chapel but mainly featuring the people of the parish. If you have any information to add to the pictures featured or if you can provide further photographs, particularly older ones, please do get in touch.
We are also interested in pictures showing how the church and gardens have changed over the years.
We will try to update this page as you give us more pictures or information so do revisit.
Send any information or photographs to admin@stfrancisgoosnargh.org.uk or you can pass loan materials on me, George Ashton, Maria Peel or to any member of the parish council. Do make sure they are clearly labelled with your details for their return and information about the photos. We can scan any picture and most slides or negatives but a digital image is easier.
Our earliest contribution - a school photo from 1922 with Fr Polding.
Elizabeth Beesley is to the left of Fr Polding with her head tilted to the left. Her sister Isabella is next but one row directly behind her.
And the wedding of John Haslem and Phyllis Smithson in 1952, the young girl is the bride's sister Janet
A school photo from 1939, Dorothy Clement is present, can anyone fill any more names in?
And another picture featuring Dorothy with her father Henry on the occasion of her marriage at Hill in 1956
Now a more recent school photo of St Francis school children in 1970. How many can you name of these?
Outside Hill Chapel following a 1978 Christening
Our May procession in 1981 outside the school
Hill Chapel is always represented in the Goosnargh & Whittingham Festival, here is our 1981 entry
Fr Pat used to present a Christmas child as part of the celebration to remind us of the heart of the Christmas message. This picture is from 1986, note the long gone altar rails in the picture.
Blessed George Beesley, born in the Hill Chapel presbytery, died a martyr in 1591 at the Tower of London. A group of parishoners visited the tower in 1991 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his execution.
Did you go on this visit? Do you have any photographs you can lend us to add to our collection?
Visit of Cardinal Hume on the Parish tercentenary, July 1987
A first communion group, again do you know when and who? The people at the ends are of course Fr Pat and Mrs Pennington, it is the young people we are interested in.
A may procession on a lovely sunny day taken through the window on the balcony, again when and who?
Your website administrator admits to being present as evidenced near the lower left corner, anyone else like to own up?
Three aerial views of the church and school taken in 1994. Can you spot what has changed over the years?
For starters, did you notice the trees in the graveyard (removed for safety reasons) and the car park (removed to expand the car parking) that have now gone?
This is an even earlier aerial view, anyone like to guess when it was taken?
Another First communion group, this time from 1995
And from 1997 - can we go for a full set of these, one per year? Can you help...
And a 1997 May procession
The confirmation group from 1999, this time featuring Mrs Barron and Fr Pat flanking the group, can you name the youngsters?
In 2000 as part of our millenium celebrations we held a mass in Goosnargh Village hall which was very well attended. Here we have a picture of the altar servers with Fr Pat, can you name them? Do you have any more pictures of the event we can use?