A short series featuring objects which tell a story of Chorlton in just a paragraph and a challenge for people to suggest some that are personal to their stories.
They are gone now but for almost all of the time I have lived in Chorlton, there were three concrete stumps on Wilbraham Road outside what is now the takeaway burger outlet. At some point when part of the building was the pottery studio they had been decorated with colourful tiles but I have to confess I thought little about them. Only once did I ponder on whether they had been the base for petrol pumps which of course was what they were for here was Wilbraham Garage. It wasn’t the first in Chorlton, that was probably Shaw’s on Barlow Moor Road but still it is an indication of how far the motor car had taken over. The three stumps supported four pumps which stood in front of the shop and garage and like Shaw’s were in a row of conventional shops and houses.
Picture; Wilbraham Road,, A E Landers, 1959, M18423, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
The garage was still there in the late 50's and possibly early 60's, when I was still living in Chorlton. It may have also belonged to Shaws, to catch traffic on a different route.
ReplyDeleteMy dad went to school with many of the local businessmen, who were of the same vintage.
God I remember them they were there for so long
ReplyDelete