Now I am perfectly aware that this picture predates the Four Banks, or as we now know, them, the Three Banks and maybe a Bar.
In fact it predates the moment when Mr Harry Kemp opened his chemist shop on the corner of Barlow Moor Road and Wilbraham Road and ushered in that earlier name for the spot.
This was Kemp’s Corner and as such, from the early 20th century through to the 1960s, the present site of the HSBC was a popular meeting place which became known as Kemp’s Corner.
A meeting place made all the more convenient, by the big clock above the shop door allowing people to check how late their friends were.
And I suppose remembering it was Kemp’s Corner marks you out as an old resident of Chorlton in much the same way that people of Beech Road refer to the “Rec” not the Park.
I don’t have an exact date for the photograph, but the detail yields some fascinating things, starting with the former RBS building which was called Sunwick and was a private residence, along with the observation that in front of the shops on Wilbraham Road there were gardens.
These and many more interesting snippets of our past will be part of the history walk, this Sunday, when we will stroll trough Chorlton’s past and discover dark deeds, silly stories and just what this area was alike when the newcomers called it New Chorlton and everyone else remembered it had once been called Martledge.
The walk which is part of Chorlton Book Festival, will recreate that lost place, and along the way we will encounter some Chorlton individuals from the past, uncover an awful murder and learn about the first Sedge Lynn, the place called the Isles, and our own Ice Rink.*
The walk will start from the Library on Sunday November 18 at 2 pm and take about an hour, after which we will relax in The Edge Theatre, Manchester Road
Beverley at the library informs me that “tickets are £7.50 including soup and a roll at the Dressing Room café, The Edge Theatre, Manchester Road, M21 9JG after the walk. Booking is essential for this popular event.
Please visit Chorlton Library or call 0161227 3700.
Sunday 18 November 2 - 4pm “
Location; Chorlton
Picture, Wilbraham Road, date unknown, from the Lloyd Collection
*Chorlton Book Festival, November 16-24, https://www.chorltonbookfestival.co.uk/
This was Kemp’s Corner and as such, from the early 20th century through to the 1960s, the present site of the HSBC was a popular meeting place which became known as Kemp’s Corner.
A meeting place made all the more convenient, by the big clock above the shop door allowing people to check how late their friends were.
And I suppose remembering it was Kemp’s Corner marks you out as an old resident of Chorlton in much the same way that people of Beech Road refer to the “Rec” not the Park.
These and many more interesting snippets of our past will be part of the history walk, this Sunday, when we will stroll trough Chorlton’s past and discover dark deeds, silly stories and just what this area was alike when the newcomers called it New Chorlton and everyone else remembered it had once been called Martledge.
The walk which is part of Chorlton Book Festival, will recreate that lost place, and along the way we will encounter some Chorlton individuals from the past, uncover an awful murder and learn about the first Sedge Lynn, the place called the Isles, and our own Ice Rink.*
Beverley at the library informs me that “tickets are £7.50 including soup and a roll at the Dressing Room café, The Edge Theatre, Manchester Road, M21 9JG after the walk. Booking is essential for this popular event.
Sunday 18 November 2 - 4pm “
Location; Chorlton
Picture, Wilbraham Road, date unknown, from the Lloyd Collection
*Chorlton Book Festival, November 16-24, https://www.chorltonbookfestival.co.uk/
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