Some years ago, November 2013, I had downloaded a photograph of Gibraltar from Facebook – I have forgotten who had posted it, but it has been re-posted recently.
This re-posting also reminded me that back in 2013 I had wandered around Manchester looking for any signs of Gibraltar. Being curious, I had wondered if any trace of Gibraltar could still be found in 21st century Manchester.
Two potentially useful pieces of information may be seen, in that 1877 photograph, firstly the road passes under an archway, and the hand / horse cart is sitting astride what appears to be a gully pointing towards the centre of the archway.
The houses are very dilapidated and appear ready for demolition, but what is not apparent from the photograph, although very clear on Godfrey's 1849 Map, is that these were back-to-backs with the other houses fronting Gibraltar Court.
The 1849 map shows Gibraltar ran between Mill Street / Walkers Yard through the fourth railway arch, counting from Scotland Bridge (Long Millgate – Red Bank), and Mill Hill.
A comparison with Laurent's 1793 map, shows Gibraltar mentioned as Mill Hill, which name had in all probability been changed to commemorate some military adventure.
Laurent, however, did not follow the common "North at the top" orientation in his map – North is towards the lower right of the map.
On the 1849 map the railway viaduct is seen to carry only two tracks, but as any visitor to Victoria Station will tell you, there are still six tracks heading towards Miles Platting, which means the viaduct had been widened on at least three, possibly four, occasions.
The first group of photographs are a montage of views of the railway viaduct taken from Scotland, on the Red Bank side.
The final photograph in the montage is a railway arch, which appears to be the fourth arch, that was mentioned earlier in reference to Godfrey’s 1849 map of the area.
The final photograph in the montage is a railway arch, which appears to be the fourth arch, that was mentioned earlier in reference to Godfrey’s 1849 map of the area.
This arch would mark the line of route for the road known as Gibraltar. It is difficult to be certain because of the style of construction for widening the railway viaduct necessitated by the course of the River Irk, and the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s requirement for a turntable (shown on Godfrey’s 1915 map).
The small arch, shown alongside this arch in the upper left photograph, seems to mark the location of the former mill race shown on the 1849 map.
These may be compared with the archive photograph of Scotland, taken in 1966, and showing the then new, but now-demolished, Victoria East power signal box on the railway viaduct.
Before leaving Scotland, a very informative photograph of Aspin Lane (formerly Long Millgate, previously Smithy Lane) was taken from the corner of Scotland and Red Bank looking across the River Irk towards Angel Meadow.
The most striking feature – apart from the anti-bridge-strike markings – is Scotland Bridge over the River Irk, marked by a very substantial beam crossing the unseen river high above the parapet wall.
Upstream, the River Irk later emerges from the railway viaduct, still on the Red Bank side, at the site of the former Union Bridge Iron Works.
Downstream, the Irk tumbles over the weir and disappears into a tunnel beneath Victoria Station only to re-emerge and be instantly swallowed up by the ravenous River Irwell.
The clean, red brick section of wall nearest the camera carries the Red Bank – Cheetham Hill Line, which formed part of the Monsall Loop avoiding Miles Platting. Beyond Scotland Bridge is a very dirty wall section, illuminated by a street lamp, and beyond that a further clean section of wall.
The underside of the bridge can be seen changing from light to dark to light again. This suggests at least three, possibly four, occasions on which the railway viaduct had been widened, and which would record the following expansions of facilities at Victoria Station:
• 1865: Additional bay platform tracks on the former Walkers Croft Cemetery with viaduct widening Angel Meadow side of River Irk;
• 1879: Construction of Victoria to Bury via Cheetham Hill and Heaton Park Railway and Monsall Loop Line with viaduct widening on Red Bank side of River Irk;
• 1884: Additional platforms on the site of the former Manchester Workhouse with viaduct widening on the Red Bank side of River Irk;
• 1904: Additional bay platforms above the River Irk with viaduct widening on the Angel Meadow side of River Irk.
Viaduct widening on the Red Bank side had necessitated eventual demolition of the Town Mill and Corn Mill and the loss of Mill Hill. On the Angel Meadow side, the two widenings provided additional terminal platforms 1-10 (now mostly demolished to leave platforms 1, 2 and Metrolink) and had resulted in demolition of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Court and some other properties.
The cumulative effect of all the viaduct widenings are shown on Godfrey's 1915 Map. The course of the River Irk below the railway viaduct may be seen as a dashed line on the map.
Another item of interest shown beside Aspin Lane Bridge is an advance information sign for Millow Street Car Park. Walking through to Angel Meadow side of the railway, Millow Street can be found where Mill Street used to be (refer Godfrey's 1915 Map).
A photograph taken from the corner of Aspin Lane and Millow Street shows a cobbled street with embedded edge markers. Visible in the photograph are four railway arches, with the fourth bisected by a relatively old wall, which I have reason to believe follows the line of the gully seen in the old photograph of Gibraltar.
The dilapidated houses shown in the archive photograph would have been on the other side of the wall.
The railway viaduct looks different because it is different, what can be seen is the newer widened section, as shown in the photograph of the bridge over Aspin Lane.
The photographs and narrative suggest that the ghost of Gibraltar does indeed live on in what is now Millow Street car Park. But, I may yet be proved wrong by others who, like me, had their curiosity aroused and determined to look and research our common history.
John Anthony Hewitt © 2020
Photographs:
Gibraltar Back-to-Back Houses, James Mudd, 1877, m80003, m00003 & m16875, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass 1849 Map of Gibraltar, 1849, Sheet 23 Manchester Victoria, Alan Godfrey Maps, Consett;
1793 Map of Mill Hill (Gibraltar), Laurent's 1793 Map of Manchester, Old House Books, Oxford;
Scotland Montage, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection;
Scotland, T. Brooks, 1966, m16875, Manchester Libraries;
Aspin Lane Bridge, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection;
1915 Map of Gibraltar, 1915, Lancashire Sheet 104.06 Manchester (NW) & Central Salford 1915, Alan Godfrey Maps, Consett;
Millow Street Car Park, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection.
 |
| Gibraltar Back-to-Back Houses, 1877 |
Two potentially useful pieces of information may be seen, in that 1877 photograph, firstly the road passes under an archway, and the hand / horse cart is sitting astride what appears to be a gully pointing towards the centre of the archway.
The houses are very dilapidated and appear ready for demolition, but what is not apparent from the photograph, although very clear on Godfrey's 1849 Map, is that these were back-to-backs with the other houses fronting Gibraltar Court.
 |
| 1849 Map of Gibraltar |
The 1849 map shows Gibraltar ran between Mill Street / Walkers Yard through the fourth railway arch, counting from Scotland Bridge (Long Millgate – Red Bank), and Mill Hill.
A comparison with Laurent's 1793 map, shows Gibraltar mentioned as Mill Hill, which name had in all probability been changed to commemorate some military adventure.
Laurent, however, did not follow the common "North at the top" orientation in his map – North is towards the lower right of the map.
 |
| 1793 Map of Mill Hill (Gibralatar |
The first group of photographs are a montage of views of the railway viaduct taken from Scotland, on the Red Bank side.
The final photograph in the montage is a railway arch, which appears to be the fourth arch, that was mentioned earlier in reference to Godfrey’s 1849 map of the area.
The final photograph in the montage is a railway arch, which appears to be the fourth arch, that was mentioned earlier in reference to Godfrey’s 1849 map of the area.
The small arch, shown alongside this arch in the upper left photograph, seems to mark the location of the former mill race shown on the 1849 map.
 |
| Scotland, 1966 |
Before leaving Scotland, a very informative photograph of Aspin Lane (formerly Long Millgate, previously Smithy Lane) was taken from the corner of Scotland and Red Bank looking across the River Irk towards Angel Meadow.
The most striking feature – apart from the anti-bridge-strike markings – is Scotland Bridge over the River Irk, marked by a very substantial beam crossing the unseen river high above the parapet wall.
Upstream, the River Irk later emerges from the railway viaduct, still on the Red Bank side, at the site of the former Union Bridge Iron Works.
Downstream, the Irk tumbles over the weir and disappears into a tunnel beneath Victoria Station only to re-emerge and be instantly swallowed up by the ravenous River Irwell.
 |
| Aspin Lane Bridge, 2013 |
The underside of the bridge can be seen changing from light to dark to light again. This suggests at least three, possibly four, occasions on which the railway viaduct had been widened, and which would record the following expansions of facilities at Victoria Station:
• 1865: Additional bay platform tracks on the former Walkers Croft Cemetery with viaduct widening Angel Meadow side of River Irk;
• 1879: Construction of Victoria to Bury via Cheetham Hill and Heaton Park Railway and Monsall Loop Line with viaduct widening on Red Bank side of River Irk;
• 1884: Additional platforms on the site of the former Manchester Workhouse with viaduct widening on the Red Bank side of River Irk;
• 1904: Additional bay platforms above the River Irk with viaduct widening on the Angel Meadow side of River Irk.
Viaduct widening on the Red Bank side had necessitated eventual demolition of the Town Mill and Corn Mill and the loss of Mill Hill. On the Angel Meadow side, the two widenings provided additional terminal platforms 1-10 (now mostly demolished to leave platforms 1, 2 and Metrolink) and had resulted in demolition of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Court and some other properties.
The cumulative effect of all the viaduct widenings are shown on Godfrey's 1915 Map. The course of the River Irk below the railway viaduct may be seen as a dashed line on the map.
 |
| 1915 Map of Gibraltar |
Another item of interest shown beside Aspin Lane Bridge is an advance information sign for Millow Street Car Park. Walking through to Angel Meadow side of the railway, Millow Street can be found where Mill Street used to be (refer Godfrey's 1915 Map).
A photograph taken from the corner of Aspin Lane and Millow Street shows a cobbled street with embedded edge markers. Visible in the photograph are four railway arches, with the fourth bisected by a relatively old wall, which I have reason to believe follows the line of the gully seen in the old photograph of Gibraltar.
 |
| Gibralatar - Millow Street Car Park, 2013 |
The railway viaduct looks different because it is different, what can be seen is the newer widened section, as shown in the photograph of the bridge over Aspin Lane.
The photographs and narrative suggest that the ghost of Gibraltar does indeed live on in what is now Millow Street car Park. But, I may yet be proved wrong by others who, like me, had their curiosity aroused and determined to look and research our common history.
John Anthony Hewitt © 2020
Photographs:
Gibraltar Back-to-Back Houses, James Mudd, 1877, m80003, m00003 & m16875, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass 1849 Map of Gibraltar, 1849, Sheet 23 Manchester Victoria, Alan Godfrey Maps, Consett;
1793 Map of Mill Hill (Gibraltar), Laurent's 1793 Map of Manchester, Old House Books, Oxford;
Scotland Montage, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection;
Scotland, T. Brooks, 1966, m16875, Manchester Libraries;
Aspin Lane Bridge, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection;
1915 Map of Gibraltar, 1915, Lancashire Sheet 104.06 Manchester (NW) & Central Salford 1915, Alan Godfrey Maps, Consett;
Millow Street Car Park, 2013, J. A. Hewitt, Personal Collection.
very fascinating
ReplyDeleteReally interesting as one of my ancesters had a joinery business and lived at 2 Mill Yard, Red Bank in 1855
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! An ancestor in 1841 was a corn miller and lived at Mill Yard. I wonder if he owned the Corn Mill next to the yard? His son had his address as Scotland Bridge in 1846 on his marriage certificate.
ReplyDelete