I won’t be alone in remembering an older Burton Road, but even by 1969 the place was changing and soon those traditional shops selling everything from bananas, elastic garters, and paraffin would be gone.
Peter’s painting perfectly captures that new busy Burton Road and since he painted it the big green off license has gone, which makes the picture as much a piece of history as the earlier one which dates from around 1900.
Then as a year ago there was a grocers shop on the corner with Nell Lane and the row of shops beyond were varied and interesting.
Of course what they sell has now changed reflecting the way we shop.
So in 1911 Miss Ettie, the tobacconist along with Harry Cayton the butcher occupied the parade with a cycle shop, hair dressers along with a ladies outfitter, a dyers and cleaners and Madame De Korti artists’ material dealer.
Today there is more of uniformity about the stretch which has more than its share of fast food outlets and restaurants.
And on the opposite side the school has become a set of offices, and the West Didsbury Public Hall a supermarket. All of which hides more than a little history, for it was in that public hall in 1902 that the Amalgamation League was formed.
There were those who judged that Didsbury along with Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Withington and Burnage would be best served by joining the city of Manchester instead of going alone.
Despite the League small membership the attractions of such a merger we not lost on the ratepayers of four townships who voted to join in the January of 1904.
And now it has changed all over again as I discovered yesterday.
Having just spent a bit of time in the walk in centre on Nell Lane and opting to catch the tram home I passed
what was Mr Walker Clavert’s grocery shop in 1903, an off license in 2014 now a restaurant.
Paintings; corner of Burton Road and Nell Lane © 2014 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Facebook: Paintings from Pictures
Pictures; Burton Road, October 2015, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the same spot circa 1900 courtesy of Paul O’Sullivan
Then as a year ago there was a grocers shop on the corner with Nell Lane and the row of shops beyond were varied and interesting.
Of course what they sell has now changed reflecting the way we shop.
Today there is more of uniformity about the stretch which has more than its share of fast food outlets and restaurants.
And on the opposite side the school has become a set of offices, and the West Didsbury Public Hall a supermarket. All of which hides more than a little history, for it was in that public hall in 1902 that the Amalgamation League was formed.
Despite the League small membership the attractions of such a merger we not lost on the ratepayers of four townships who voted to join in the January of 1904.
And now it has changed all over again as I discovered yesterday.
what was Mr Walker Clavert’s grocery shop in 1903, an off license in 2014 now a restaurant.
Paintings; corner of Burton Road and Nell Lane © 2014 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk
Facebook: Paintings from Pictures
Pictures; Burton Road, October 2015, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the same spot circa 1900 courtesy of Paul O’Sullivan
We lived
ReplyDeletenear by in Northern Grove and Burton Rd was our shopping centre in the 50s I can remember some sort of game machines in the corner shop on Burton and Nell lane.