Monday, 18 December 2023

A lost sweet shop from Beech Road revisiting a popular story


I won’t be the only one who has memories of buying sweets at the shop which was on  the corner of Beech Road and Claude Road, and there may be others like me who bought things when it sold a mix of almost antique stuff back in the late 1980s.

Not that it was always a shop; back in 1911 soon after it had been built it was the home of Robert and Janet Connell.  They were from Scotland, had been married for 38 years and had two children one of whom was still registered as living at home despite being a ships steward.

It was then an impressive seven roomed house.  If I wanted I could no doubt discover when the property was converted into a shop.  It was certainly selling sweets in the November of 1958 when R.E. Stanley photographed it.

Nor had it changed much when Tom McGrath took his picture almost thirty years later.  And I think the old bill boards were still there in the 1980s advertising the current films showing at the cinema around the corner.

Today it has reverted to a home as have other commercial conversions along Beech Road.

Pictures; Number 1 Beech Road by R.E. Stanley, November 1958, Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, m17659, and from the collection of Tom McGrath

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12 comments:

  1. Fiona mason30 May 2017 at 00:44

    I used to live above the off license then called mackies at 46 beech rd in 1977 and used to go to sweet shop for my comics whizzer and chips and whoops and sweets with my spends lol

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  2. Les Davis4 February 2022 at 19:30

    My late , bro in law had this place for about 6 months in 1985

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  3. Unknown5 February 2022 at 06:00

    When i lived in Chorlton in 1978-82, it was owned by a guy called Stan and his family. My friends lived 3 doors up from it too.

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  4. David R6 February 2022 at 10:48

    I remember the shop even when sweet rationing was still in place after the2nd WW. you ration allowed you two pieces fudge so I used to buy dolly mixtures because you got more

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  5. Anonymous1 September 2022 at 16:00

    I remember this sweet shop, especially the Beech Nut chewing gum machine where you got two packets every fourth purchase. Pretty good value at 1d a go!

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  6. Anonymous1 September 2022 at 17:52

    I used to call there after school on way home from St John 👍🏻

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  7. Anonymous19 February 2023 at 22:15

    I remember that Beech Nut machine, and the half penny tray inside. We used to take our pocket money to spend there on Saturdays. A Sixpence! We used to call it 'the shop next to Mr Edmunds, which I'm sure was a butcher's shop. There was a farmhouse further along Beech Road which sold Weetabix, and the window display, from memory, was just a box of Weetabix! Going back to the late 60's now. Later on there was a second hand book shop on the other side of the road. Tiny. Lined from floor to ceiling with books. The owner sat in a huge, knackered leather armchair smoking a pipe. You could barely see across that tiny room through the smoke haze

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  8. Shirley Davies12 April 2023 at 08:03

    I lived on Claude Road and remember it well, used to go for cigarettes for my mum and dad and a 10p mix

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  9. Anonymous12 April 2023 at 21:50

    You used to be able to buy.
    1 cigarette & 1 match, in a small white paper bag for 10p

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  10. Anonymous13 April 2023 at 15:12

    I remember it I sent pocket money in there every week as use to live on high lane

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