Walking Chorlton's Past Sunday February 23rd at 2.30

On hot days

Now I think it is time for another History Walk.

These have been a popular event ever since the first one way back in 2009.*

On hot summer days, wet spring evenings and decidedly cold winter afternoons me and a  band of the interested have wandered across Chorlton in pursuit of its past.

We have strolled down Chorlton Row** in the June of 1847 picking out the farm houses, wattle and daub cottages and the homes of the posh with an acknowledgement of who we would have to be polite to.

On bright but cold days

And we have walked from the four banks to the library in what had once been called Martledge.

This coming Sunday we will be back at Martledge exploring what this bit of Chorlton was like in the late 19th century.

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.

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.

And for those who can’t wait or just want to think of a question to ask we shall be stopping by the brick works.

Now not a lot of people know about the Chorlton brick works.

After all it had a short life less than 40 years.

And cool but wet evenings

It was concentrated around the Oswald Road and Longford Road axis and was a continuation of the practice of extracting marl for farming and clay for brick making which went back to at least the early 17th century.

At the turn of the 19th century The Chorlton Land & Building Company Ltd was given permission to use the land.

No doubt a reflection of the need for bricks for the new housing boom here in Chorlton which had been in full swing since the 1880s.

But that is enough for now.



Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

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

**Chorlton Row was the name for Beech Road

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