New Wakefield Street is one of those little streets which most of us will never go down unless you have business there.
It runs down from Oxford Road, to Great Marlborough Street and is dominated by the tall and sweeping brick viaduct that carries the line from Oxford Road Railway Station to Piccadilly.
A sniffy visitor might comment that there is nothing of note amongst the buildings, save the tiled entrance to what was once J & J Shaw.*
But that is to ignore the fascinating mix of different properties, some newer than others and pretty much all of them have a chequred history of different owners and different uses.
I have always liked walking down the street, which I first discovered when visiting the site of Little Ireland, that notorious slum, which Dr. Kay and Mr. Frederick Engels described in their accounts of housing conditions in the 1830s and 1840s.**
And Andy Robertson shares my interest in the place, having also wandered down it over the decades, recording the changes.
Back in 2017 his pictures show that the developers had yet to become interested in New Wakefield Street, but within just two years the red brick building and the one next to it have gone.
The red brick one was Sound Control and the one next had been H & J Quick, motor agents and dealers in 1969.
And at one end of the street and surrounding it new buildings have gone up which are in direct contrast to the old ones in both style and height.
So, while the existing ones had pretty much conformed to the century’s old height, the new ones reach up to the sky.
All of which was a perfect opportunity to delve back into the history of the street.
It is there in 1851 but was known as Railway Street, and petered out before reaching Great Marlborough Street, while its near neighbour on the other side of the viaduct didn’t exist, and access to the three streets beside what is now the Salisbury was just a patch of open ground.
That said judging by the OS map of Manchester and Salford dated 1844, nor did Railway Street. It too was open ground with a road which is now lost running parallel to Oxford Road and Great Marlborough Street.
This was Bakehouse Street, which was home to Oxford Road Rectifying Distillery on one side and a Machine and Tool Manufactory on the other.
And that is about it.
Location; Manchester
Pictures; New Wakefield Street, 2017 & 2019, from the collection of Andy Robertson, and detail from the OS map of Manchester & Salford, 1844, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/
*Doors I have known .............. now that’s a zippy title,
https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/doors-i-have-known-now-thats-zippy-title.html
**New Wakefield Street, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=wakefield+street
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| New Wakefield Street, 2017 |
A sniffy visitor might comment that there is nothing of note amongst the buildings, save the tiled entrance to what was once J & J Shaw.*
But that is to ignore the fascinating mix of different properties, some newer than others and pretty much all of them have a chequred history of different owners and different uses.
 |
| New Wakefield Street, 2019 |
And Andy Robertson shares my interest in the place, having also wandered down it over the decades, recording the changes.
Back in 2017 his pictures show that the developers had yet to become interested in New Wakefield Street, but within just two years the red brick building and the one next to it have gone.
 |
| The lost buildings, New Wakefield Street, 2017 |
And at one end of the street and surrounding it new buildings have gone up which are in direct contrast to the old ones in both style and height.
So, while the existing ones had pretty much conformed to the century’s old height, the new ones reach up to the sky.
 |
| Bakehouse Street, 1844 |
It is there in 1851 but was known as Railway Street, and petered out before reaching Great Marlborough Street, while its near neighbour on the other side of the viaduct didn’t exist, and access to the three streets beside what is now the Salisbury was just a patch of open ground.
That said judging by the OS map of Manchester and Salford dated 1844, nor did Railway Street. It too was open ground with a road which is now lost running parallel to Oxford Road and Great Marlborough Street.
This was Bakehouse Street, which was home to Oxford Road Rectifying Distillery on one side and a Machine and Tool Manufactory on the other.
 |
| Whitworth Street West, 2020 |
Location; Manchester
Pictures; New Wakefield Street, 2017 & 2019, from the collection of Andy Robertson, and detail from the OS map of Manchester & Salford, 1844, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/
*Doors I have known .............. now that’s a zippy title,
https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2017/08/doors-i-have-known-now-thats-zippy-title.html
**New Wakefield Street, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search?q=wakefield+street
There’s a Space Invader mosaic in New Wakefield Street about half way down on the viaduct side (or, at least, there was last time I was there). In 2004, French street artist, Invader, invaded Manchester leaving 47 mosaics on various streets across the city. Many have been stolen or lost but some still remain.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a Space Invader mosaic on New Wakefield Street about half way down on the viaduct side (or at least there was last time I was there). In 2004 the French street artist, Invader, invaded Manchester leaving 47 mosaics on various streets in the city centre. Many have been stolen or lost but some still remain.
ReplyDeleteMy late father worked as a mechanic in a garage on this street 1950-60-70ish which i only found out about much later.That very garage i believe was eventually turned into a bar with multiple floors where i met my future wife in the late 2000's...a weird thought to meet your wife in your late dads old workplace..surreal
ReplyDelete