Now you never know where a story will go or what it will yield.
Back in October 2016 I wrote about Hyde Street after coming across an image in the Local History Collection and soon after Colin got in touch telling me his family lived there.*
And today he was back in touch with both a story and some photographs and the rest is down to Colin who writes
"We emailed at the end of November last year re my family of coal merchants on Hyde Street, Hulme.
Sorry for delay getting back but we were about to move house.
In a previous blog on Hyde St, "Life beyond the front door .. Hyde St .." (20/10/16), you listed a few residents which included a coal dealer.
The coal dealer was my great great grandfather, William Whitehurst.
It is May Day, 1905 and on this special day there happened to be a photographer travelling around the Chorlton Rd, Hulme area looking for business.
The first photograph shows the entrance to the "W Whitehurst Fuel Merchant" yard/stables which were on Hyde St at the point where it becomes Cornbrook Grove.
The photo actually shows William's son, also William, with "Polly" and a load of coal. Note the feedbag slung under the wagon and the handwheel 'handbrake' immediately behind the horse used to wind the brake blocks (also visible) down onto the iron rims of the rear wheels.
This ensured the wagon didn't 'wander' off when the driver was otherwise engaged! The large building in the background is the rear of The Luxor cinema which stood on the corner of Erskine St and Hyde St with its front on Erskine St.
As the photographer was there, a rarity in itself, Mr Whitehurst must have wanted another photo taken of the horse in its May Day finery in front of his parent's shop nearby on the corner of Bangor St and Mackworth St.
Most of the family lived very close to one another in these streets. For the second photograph, the photographer is stood in the Bangor St/Mackworth St junction, the horse by now unhitched, and William Whitehurst and his father, William senior, posed with the horse now dressed for May Day.
The White Lion pub is in the background which was directly opposite the Whitehurst's corner shop.
The photographer then spun his equipment around for the final photograph of William (Sr) and his wife Jane stood in the doorway of their corner shop.
All in all, quite a busy day back in May 1905 in Hulme, and for two of the individuals, these were the only photographs taken of them in their entire life!
Now that is a story, leaving me only to thank Colin and hope he will contribute more in the future once he has settled in to his new home
© Colin, 2017
Location; Manchester
Pictures; from the collection of Colin
*Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
**Colin; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Whitehurst%20family
***"Life beyond the front door .. Hyde Street" https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Hyde+Street
And today he was back in touch with both a story and some photographs and the rest is down to Colin who writes
"We emailed at the end of November last year re my family of coal merchants on Hyde Street, Hulme.
Sorry for delay getting back but we were about to move house.
In a previous blog on Hyde St, "Life beyond the front door .. Hyde St .." (20/10/16), you listed a few residents which included a coal dealer.
It is May Day, 1905 and on this special day there happened to be a photographer travelling around the Chorlton Rd, Hulme area looking for business.
The first photograph shows the entrance to the "W Whitehurst Fuel Merchant" yard/stables which were on Hyde St at the point where it becomes Cornbrook Grove.
The photo actually shows William's son, also William, with "Polly" and a load of coal. Note the feedbag slung under the wagon and the handwheel 'handbrake' immediately behind the horse used to wind the brake blocks (also visible) down onto the iron rims of the rear wheels.
This ensured the wagon didn't 'wander' off when the driver was otherwise engaged! The large building in the background is the rear of The Luxor cinema which stood on the corner of Erskine St and Hyde St with its front on Erskine St.
Most of the family lived very close to one another in these streets. For the second photograph, the photographer is stood in the Bangor St/Mackworth St junction, the horse by now unhitched, and William Whitehurst and his father, William senior, posed with the horse now dressed for May Day.
The White Lion pub is in the background which was directly opposite the Whitehurst's corner shop.
The photographer then spun his equipment around for the final photograph of William (Sr) and his wife Jane stood in the doorway of their corner shop.
All in all, quite a busy day back in May 1905 in Hulme, and for two of the individuals, these were the only photographs taken of them in their entire life!
Now that is a story, leaving me only to thank Colin and hope he will contribute more in the future once he has settled in to his new home
© Colin, 2017
Location; Manchester
Pictures; from the collection of Colin
*Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
**Colin; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Whitehurst%20family
***"Life beyond the front door .. Hyde Street" https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Hyde+Street
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