52 residents #17 EH Holden

Edmund Haworth Holden was appointed head of science at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School on its opening in 1913. He was a Manchester graduate and had previously taught in Wigan and Workington. He was also the head of the evening school and became headmaster in 1921 on the retirement of Mr Jackson - of whom more later in the year.

His first love was chemistry, which was compulsory to school certificate level. Eileen Taylor (a later Springhill resident) recalls her being called into his office to receive otherwise excellent school cert results only to be greeted with ‘you have FAILED in chemistry’. He had a reputation for hard work, high standards and not suffering fools, but was described as ‘not a caning man’.

He used to wear his glasses perched on his forehead giving him an appearance of ‘a cobra about to pounce’. He is said to have habitually dressed in black coat, striped trousers and wing collar.

He lived in Lawn House in the early 1920s just after the subdivision of Springhill House and is understood to have continued to live there until 1934 after which Lawn House was subdivided to the current Lawn House and Sunset View. Their billiard room is now The Bungalow but then was used to entertain select boys from the school in table tennis.

He retired in 1948 and died in February 1958 having spent his retirement in Wimbledon.

In 2001 his daughter Barbara returned to visit Lawn House, her childhood home, and kindly sent some
pictures of the house in the 1920s.


Edmund Haworth Holden b q1 1883 Bolton 8c 417 s of Robert Percy Pilkington Holden and Sarah Ann nee Haworth.
m Harriet Nora Ormrod q3 1911 Bolton 8c 0579
daughter Margaret Ormrod Holden bap 7 June 1916 Newchurch St Nicholas (Parish record via OPC)
daughter Barbara Haworth Holden bap 24 Dec 1920 Newchurch St Nicholas (Parish record via OPC)
d 1958 Wimlbledon

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