The Accrington Herald — Mo’s Donkey Stone

MO’S DONKEY STONE — A CLEAN STEP SAYS A LOT ABOUT A HOME

There was a time when you could walk down almost any Lancashire street and know exactly which houses had been done that morning.

The flags were swept. The doorstep was scrubbed. The hearth was clean.

And somewhere nearby there would probably be a Donkey Stone.

For generations, Donkey Stone was used across Lancashire and the industrial North to clean and colour stone steps, hearths and doorsteps. Rubbed onto the stone and scrubbed down, it became part of the weekly household routine — particularly in the mill towns where keeping a respectable front step mattered.

Now Mo has decided hers is better than everybody else’s.

Introducing Mo’s Donkey Stone — suitable for steps, flags, hearths, yard edges and paths.

Mo assures The Accrington Herald that extensive scientific testing has taken place.

When questioned further, it appears this consisted of Mo scrubbing her own doorstep, walking across the road, looking back at it and announcing:

“Aye. That’s better.”

Available in traditional off-white, each stone bears the unmistakable Mo’s Donkey Stone mark — because apparently even a lump of Donkey Stone needs branding these days.

Jimmy enquired whether it could remove whisky stains.

Jerry asked whether it was edible.

Neither enquiry was welcomed.

For anyone wondering what Donkey Stone was used for, this little household stone represents something much bigger: the pride once taken in the doorstep, hearth and pavement outside an ordinary northern home.

A small piece of Lancashire social history…

although Mo would probably just call it:

“Keeping your bloody step clean.”

From the archives of The Accrington Herald.

Mind Those Trams. Ding Ding.

Donkey Stone | Lancashire history | Lancashire mill towns | Accrington history | Northern nostalgia | 1930s Lancashire | Mind The Trams