KEEN history buff Damian Cummings admits to having become hooked by his research into a string of old cottages which stood in Parr at the the start of the 'fifties.

And now, he's wondering if knowledgable customers of this column can assist in his historical quest.

Damian, from Bradbury Close, Haydock, wrote to me some time ago (sorry about the delay in responding) saying: "I have recently unearthed a ream of historical facts about Fleet Lane, Parr, with particular emphasis upon the land formerly occupied by the cottages numbered 422, 424, 426 and 428". These were demolished in 1951-52.

Damian is now in possession of 436 Fleet Lane, which is being extensively renovated . . . "and the uncovered information has intrigued me, to say the least".

The former dwellings date, as far as Damian's search shows, to 1841 when they were owned by a Mrs Ambrose Winder who, five years later, sold them, together with land, to a James Boardman at a public auction in the Raven Inn, St Helens. He got the lot for £470.

The property then comprised a Boardman residence and shop, plus rented accommodation. Land at the rear, known as Moss Close, was mainly used for farming, and the property was handed down through generations of the Boardman family for many years.

Says Damian: "I'm riveted by this research and would welcome any information (especially pictorial) which might shed further light on the property and the general history of Fleet Lane".

And he signs off with an intriguing point. "I wonder if the Boardman family had any connection with Boardmans Lane, tying Blackbrook and Parr together?"

ANYONE able to assist Damian can write to Whalley's World at the Star.