The brick works, the Ice Ring and a few silly stories on the History Walk today at 2.30

Out on a History Walk

Starting at 2.30 today from the Post Box Cafe we will be setting off to explore the history of Martledge in the late 19th century on another of those popular History Walks.*

Martledge was the area roughly from the Four Banks down to the Library and was so transformed from the 1880s that even its name was forgotten and locals referred to it as “New Chorlton” or the “new village.”

The walk will take us past some farms, the old Royal Oak pub, a very interesting block of houses dating from 1832 and by degree out across the Isles to gaze at the sight of the old Chorlton Ice Rink and finish off with the story of the Great Burial Scandal and the almost forgotten stories of Chorlton and the Blitz.

Along the way there will be tales of dark deeds, quite a bit about the people we might have encountered and more than one silly story.

Like the day the lady  from Beech Road lost her skates while visiting our skating ring on Oswald Road and went on to make a fascinating discovery.

Today the site takes in the two semidetached houses on Longford and another six running down Oswald but for a short while at the beginning of the 20th century it was an alternative to the frozen water meadows down by the Mersey.

It was painted by the artist J Montgomery in 1964 from a now lost photograph.**

Chorlton Skating Ring later the Picturedrome, circa 1914

It is not easy to get the scale of the building from Montgomery’s picture but we do seem to be dealing with a big site.

And something of the size  is possible to judge by walking along Oswald Road today.

It was bounded on the south by Hartley Road extended along Longford to its junction with Oswald Road and down Oswald to a point opposite where Oswald Lane starts.

If Montgomery’s painting is anything to go by it was quite impressive with a large painted gable end, stretching back some distance and would have been ideal as a theatre or cinema.  And here is a  mystery, because the title refers to “Chorlton Skating Ring later The Picturedrome.”

This would suggest it became a picture house but the earliest recorded cinema is the Pavilion on the corner of Wilbraham and Buckingham Roads which was opened as a variety hall around 1904 and was showing films by 1910 if not a little before.

Of course there was nothing stopping the Chorlton-cum-Hardy Ice Skating Company showing films, after all many of our early picture houses remained theatres.  The Pavilion or as it became known,  the Chorlton Theatre and Winter Gardens were booking variety acts in the summer of 1910 while also showing movies.

Posing before another History Walk

I can at present only hazard a guess for its short life.  The Great War may have pushed it over the brink, but there may have been other reasons.

Many especially those in the village might have preferred to venture for free onto the meadows when they iced over and there may equally have been stiff competition as a cinema not only from the Pavilion but after 1914 from the purpose built Palais de Luxe on Barlow Moor Road close to the tram terminus.

So there you have it lots to hear and see and no doubt lots of questions. to ask.

The event begins at 2.30 pm on February 23rd outside the Post Box Cafe on Wilbraham Road.***

For your £10 you will get a hot drink to fortify you as we head out to explore more of our history, finishing at 3.30 back at the Post Box for soup or cake.

Pictures; Out on a history walk from the collection of Andrew Simpson and “Chorlton Skating Ring later The Picturedrome.”, J Montgomery, 1964,m80132 courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council  


*Chorlton Walks, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Chorlton%20Walks


** J Montgomery an earlier post http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/who-was-j-montgomery.html


***The Post  Box Cafe, http://www.thepostboxchorlton.co.uk/