I suppose, we all know that piece of advice attributed to Mark Twain, about never letting the truth get in the way of a good story
And Peter has embraced the observation, like a drowning man embraces a log, and in turn it has informed his weekly or thereabouts newsletter, which is a slightly off beat interpretation of what is going on in Chorlton to accompany updates on the forthcoming Chorlton Arts Festival.
It’s not the first time the blog* has explored Peter’s devious approach to local currents affairs, but looking at his recent news bulletin I was inspired to go off and search my own story, and in the process bring out into the sunlight another of Mr. Twain’s comments …………. “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please".
So, the Chorlton Weaklie News story today features KPS Pharmacy on Wilbraham Road and brought to mind my own story of the shops along the parade that runs back from Adastral House towards Egerton Road South.
All of which brings me to "June" who in the 1930s advertised her business at the Broadwalk, 523 Wilbraham Road where she practiced Permanent Waxing by the Nestlé System which was the "Radione" system in which "the hair was wound dry and inserted into hollow cellophane tubes sealed at both ends, but contained moistened paper”**
The process dated back to Karl Nessler who perfected his Nestlé System, which was an alternative method of curling hair which was an improvement on the early method using a mixture of cow urine and water.
“June” charged 20/- for the process and also offered "Tinting, Manicure, Face Massage, [and] all kinds of hair work carried out by experts.”
I have often wondered whether her customers were aware that Mr. Nessler had arrived in Britain from Germany in 1901 and facing being interned when the Great War broke out fled, to America, or that during his first experiments on his wife he managed to burn her hair off, causing some scalp burns.
That advert for an early perm, circa 1905
All of which is a complete digression, but I offer up as a compliment to Mr. Topping’s outrageous stories.
Location; Chorlton
Pictures; advert from the dust cover of a book courtesy of Margaret Connelly, and Wilbraham Road circa 1920s/30s from the Lloyd Collection and in 2014 from the collection of Andy Robertson
*“Mysterious Container Found on Doorstep” ...... Chorlton Weaklie News ...... with a backward look at William Billy Curtis https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/02/mysterious-container-found-on-doorstep.html
**Perm (hairstyle), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perm_(hairstyle)
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| Chorlton Weaklie News, 2020 |
It’s not the first time the blog* has explored Peter’s devious approach to local currents affairs, but looking at his recent news bulletin I was inspired to go off and search my own story, and in the process bring out into the sunlight another of Mr. Twain’s comments …………. “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please".
So, the Chorlton Weaklie News story today features KPS Pharmacy on Wilbraham Road and brought to mind my own story of the shops along the parade that runs back from Adastral House towards Egerton Road South.
 |
| June does hair, circa 1930s |
The process dated back to Karl Nessler who perfected his Nestlé System, which was an alternative method of curling hair which was an improvement on the early method using a mixture of cow urine and water.
 |
| Wilbraham Road, circa, 1920s/30s |
I have often wondered whether her customers were aware that Mr. Nessler had arrived in Britain from Germany in 1901 and facing being interned when the Great War broke out fled, to America, or that during his first experiments on his wife he managed to burn her hair off, causing some scalp burns.
That advert for an early perm, circa 1905
All of which is a complete digression, but I offer up as a compliment to Mr. Topping’s outrageous stories.
Location; Chorlton
 |
| Wlbraham Road, 2014 |
Pictures; advert from the dust cover of a book courtesy of Margaret Connelly, and Wilbraham Road circa 1920s/30s from the Lloyd Collection and in 2014 from the collection of Andy Robertson
*“Mysterious Container Found on Doorstep” ...... Chorlton Weaklie News ...... with a backward look at William Billy Curtis https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2020/02/mysterious-container-found-on-doorstep.html
**Perm (hairstyle), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perm_(hairstyle)
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