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No I don't think they are. We used to have them either on the front street or the back street. All the neighbours got together and made either potato pie or mushy peas for everyone.

It was a good way to get rid of all your old furniture and rubbish.

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Trish ...

I'm in my 30's and we used to do it when I was a kid, though I grew up in Staffordshire and not Lancashire. We used to have to guard the wood we collected to stop the gang in the next street from pinching it. A lot of the wood would be stored in our garden as we backed onto the fields and it meant we wouldn't have to carry it far.
Our mums all did a bit of something om the night. Soup, jacket spuds, hot dogs, cinder toffee and bovril are what I remember most.
The street where I grew up tried to have a bonfire a couple of years ago but the counil came around and took the wood away. We never had any problems in all the years we held one in exactly the same place - pc brigade going ott as usual.

Speaking of gangs - the word has a completely different meaning today doesn't it. It was quite harmless when I was little

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Mel

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I so remember the street gangs. Our rival gang was Hurtley Street the next street over.

Of course it was all in fun and the competition was intense when it came to who had the best bonfire. I remember the guards guarding the wood as well.

Remember the potatoes thrown into the fire embers. Ours were always black and raw. LOL !

My mum used to make plot toffee. I tried to make it when I grew up but it never set.

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Trish ...

What is plot toffee?

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Mel

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It was a treacle toffee and it was named Gunpowder plot toffee.

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Trish ...

We used to play "London bridge is falling down" "What time is it Mr wolf ?" and "The farmers in his den" and of course "Ring a ring a roses"

MY favourite was the top and whip but there were pea shooters, hop scotch, skipping, marbles, and fag packets. This was game where you collected all the fag packets and shoved them inside each other. Then it was played like marbles ... kind of !

Anyone remember if "you step on a nick you would marry a brick" ? Hence stepping between the nicks on the flags ( flag stones )

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Trish ...

Oh, my! Mr. Jack Sparrow.....you have opened up a myriad of memories now!!
I have been trying to remember the rhymes that went along with playing 'two-balls' up against a wall......from my dim and dusty past.
Have you tried to explain to kids today how we entertained ourselves in those days (pre-TV...let alone hand held electronic devices of any kind) by playing games out of doors? What an experience....they look at you askance....like you must have been dotty! Even the word PLAY seems foreign to my teenage grandkids!!

One of our members (may have been Gloria) has mentioned somewhere on this forum a book of such rhymes. Haven't managed to get my paws on one yet....but hope to. Thought it might be fun to try to teach them to a group of young uns.......!

Oh.....and I remember "Step on a crack, break your mother's back"....a rather darker version than yours, Jack!

Don't think it was me, but, I do remember this discussion before--
Nebuchanezzar, the King of the Jews, bought his wife a pair of shoes,
When the shoes began to wear, Nebuchanezzar began to swear,
When the swearing began to stop, Nebuchanezzar bought a shop,
When the shop began to sell, Nebuchanezzar bought a bell
When the bell began to ring, Nebuchanezzar began to sing

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Was that a skipping rhyme because I can remember it very well but can't place when we used to sing it.

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Trish ...

We used to paint paper doilies and play with cut out dolls when it was raining. Remember them. the cut out dolls ?

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Trish ...

Oh that plot toffee..... made of course with treacle form the Sabden mines.

Rex

We used to go for a day out to Sabden Fold ( I think that's what it was called ) I always thought the Sabden treacle mines was a joke ?

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Trish ...

It was sang to two ball played up against a wall. It was done underarm except for the last word on each line which was overarm, and then the spelling of the name nebuchanezzar at the end was all overarm.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Thanks, Gloria! I am heading out right now to buy 2 tennis balls! Wonder if I can still do it?
What a fun thing to do with my grandkids, who all think I am stark raving mad anyway!!