It is easy to take our recent past for granted and that I think is a big mistake.
All too often what was familiar becomes the stuff of history and trying to rediscover it becomes difficult and in some cases almost impossible as memories fade and the few photographs are lost.
So here with just such a bit of our most recent past is a story from Tony who is a regular contributor to the blog.
“More than a quarter of a century has passed since Chorlton's McDonald's Restaurant first opened its doors. In that time it has woven itself into the fabric of the community. As an ex-employee of 22 years standing I am perhaps ideally qualified to assess its impact.
Many hundreds of local people will have gained their first taste of paid employment there whilst the number of children who have attended birthday parties or the annual Halloween fancy dress party must be several thousand.
It is interesting to reflect both how we each of us contribute to our society and how quickly this becomes part of our communal history.
Other businesses located between St Anne’s Road and the Park Gates also have had their part to play in our history.
The petrol station turned car wash the "Feathers “pub now Tesco and the various manifestations of the dance hall /cabaret club/discotheque that occupied the site of McDonald's must wait for another day .
My interest today are the shops /businesses between the Barlow Moor Road/Nell Lane passageway and the entrance to McDonald's
My childhood memories are of there being a large patch of derelict land at the rear of these shops, and of using it as an unauthorised playground and as a cut through to the park from the Sandy Lane area.
For the local boys (mainly) it was like an Aladdin’s cave sometimes with the added bonus of an abandoned cart.
At the passageway entrance to this open ground was a small engineering firm I remember as Baskerville (easy to recall for a Sherlock Holmes fan.
Recent research has revealed this business b as "Baskerville and Lyndsay (engineering) Ltd” who carried out contracts for some of a sensitive nature for H M Government and others from 1930 and were still operating in some form when I started working at McDonald's in 1989
WYGMACIITY? (Will you give me a cigarette if I tell you?)
I remember my mother taking me to a barber's shop nearby on Barlow Moor Road and being fascinated by the motorcycles on sale next door.
The barber William Jackson had a side line in repairing umbrellas and had the above intriguing sign next to his mirrors.
He later re-located to Beech Road into premises (I think) subsequently occupied by an excellent second hand bookshop.
The 1968 street directory indicates that the motorcycle shop was owned by Reg Dearden.
I am sure there are lots more stories around this locality but I’m afraid they will have to wait for another day."
© Tony Goulding, 2015
Pictures; Birthday party October 3 1995 at Chorlton McDonald's featured in Manchester Evening News, November 22 1995 from the collection of Tony Goulding
All too often what was familiar becomes the stuff of history and trying to rediscover it becomes difficult and in some cases almost impossible as memories fade and the few photographs are lost.
So here with just such a bit of our most recent past is a story from Tony who is a regular contributor to the blog.
 |
| Birthday party October 3 1995 |
Many hundreds of local people will have gained their first taste of paid employment there whilst the number of children who have attended birthday parties or the annual Halloween fancy dress party must be several thousand.
It is interesting to reflect both how we each of us contribute to our society and how quickly this becomes part of our communal history.
Other businesses located between St Anne’s Road and the Park Gates also have had their part to play in our history.
The petrol station turned car wash the "Feathers “pub now Tesco and the various manifestations of the dance hall /cabaret club/discotheque that occupied the site of McDonald's must wait for another day .
My interest today are the shops /businesses between the Barlow Moor Road/Nell Lane passageway and the entrance to McDonald's
My childhood memories are of there being a large patch of derelict land at the rear of these shops, and of using it as an unauthorised playground and as a cut through to the park from the Sandy Lane area.
At the passageway entrance to this open ground was a small engineering firm I remember as Baskerville (easy to recall for a Sherlock Holmes fan.
Recent research has revealed this business b as "Baskerville and Lyndsay (engineering) Ltd” who carried out contracts for some of a sensitive nature for H M Government and others from 1930 and were still operating in some form when I started working at McDonald's in 1989
WYGMACIITY? (Will you give me a cigarette if I tell you?)
I remember my mother taking me to a barber's shop nearby on Barlow Moor Road and being fascinated by the motorcycles on sale next door.
The barber William Jackson had a side line in repairing umbrellas and had the above intriguing sign next to his mirrors.
He later re-located to Beech Road into premises (I think) subsequently occupied by an excellent second hand bookshop.
The 1968 street directory indicates that the motorcycle shop was owned by Reg Dearden.
I am sure there are lots more stories around this locality but I’m afraid they will have to wait for another day."
© Tony Goulding, 2015
Pictures; Birthday party October 3 1995 at Chorlton McDonald's featured in Manchester Evening News, November 22 1995 from the collection of Tony Goulding
The Mcdonalds was built on the site of a nightclub and cabaret club which I recall from ca 1970 as the Pricess club. My elder brother Gary tells me it was called something else in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteIt was notorious for strippers night thursdays. Malcom Thompson from our street dartmouth road claimed to have sneaked in the side entrance one thursday and seen all.
Reg Dearden motorbikes had norton commando 850's outside in the early 70's.
My brother and me used to be sent to Bill Jackson's for a short back and sides down beech road in the late 60's. Tough on him as he was a teenager and long hair was in.
Bill Jackson's was full of smoke and similar to the barber in Penny Lane - portait of the queen coronation etc. He was a nice friendly man.
greg mcnulty
Remeber the derelict land behind Mcdonalds well, good for some minor vandalism.
Remeber Baskervilles well, their large door was open on the entry in the summer and I used to look at the machinery.
Princess club was called the Ponderosa at some point
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