Wilmslow Road, a scene now lost to living memory

Wilmslow Road and wellington Road, 1910

This is another one of those pictures which has all but passed from living memory.

The photograph was taken in 1910 but the scene with the horse trough and the trees behind would be gone in just another seventeen years.

We are on Wilmslow Road in Withington looking up towards Fallowfield and Wellington Road is there on our left.

The water trough errected in 1876

The horse trough was moved in 1927 to a site opposite the White Lion before moving again to Copson Street and disappearing sometime in the late 70s or early 70s only to be discovered in Heald Green in 1985.

Behind those tall trees the large house which was still occupied as a private residence would become the post office and temporary library in December 1911.

It was demolished in 1925 to make way for the new purpose built Carnegie library.

This was to be the last of three built in Withington as part of the promise made when the four townships of Burnage, Chorlton, Didsbury and Withington voted to join the city in 1904.

Withington Library in 1959

It was opened in 1927 and has so dominated the corner of Wilmlsow Road and wellington Road that it is hard to imagine the scene captured by the photographer in 1910.

The new library had 11,000 books including a small techical section.  It was according to Councillor Davy the largest ofthe  three built in the old Withington Districy Council.

Looking towards the water trough circa 1914

Pictures;Wilmlsow Road, Chalmers, 1910, m41784, and the same spot in 1959, taken by J F Harris, m42554, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council and the horse trough today courtesy of JBS.

The horse trough today on Copson Street