YORK MOTORS - A CHORLTON-CUM-HARDY INSTITUTION ....another story from Tony Goulding

York Motors (Manchester) Ltd. was a family-run firm of coach operators which operated from its garage on the corner of High Lane and York Road for around half a century. 

Its date of incorporation was the 3rd October, 1933.

The company’s main business involved transporting Chorltonians and others to the local seaside resorts of the Fylde coast and North Wales both for their annual holidays and for day trips. Also popular were “Mystery Tours” to an unknown beauty spot or historic site.  

 I believe that my family utilised their service for at least one of our holidays, however it is a later journey made by myself on one of its coaches which has led me to want to pay homage to this local institution. 

From the late 1950’s and into the 1960’s travelling by sports fans to watch their team play away fixtures became more common-place and it is to one such instance I refer. 

My first “away trip” was something of a “rite of passage”; my journey to watch Manchester City playing Leicester City at their Filbert Street ground was the first occasion in which 

I travelled on a journey unaccompanied by my parents.

York motors coaches were a feature to be spotted at sporting events for a number of years, (1) and with the increased car ownership and the growth of foreign holidays such excursions would have become an increasingly important part of the business.

The offices of York Motors were located in this building “Hornsey Villas” at 68, High Lane. In 1911, this was the home of Henry Goodwin who owned a chain of boot repair shops. (2) Henry was born in Salford, Lancashire in 1877 and married Mary Parrott at the parish church of Knutsford, Cheshire on the 10th February, 1902. 

The couple went on to have seven children six sons and one daughter. It was with one of his sons, Edward, who was a diesel motor engineer that he developed the coach company, in the 1930’s. The family resided around the corner at 16, York Road according to the Kelly’s 1933 directory. 

 Another member of the family was Aircraftman (2nd Class) Victor Goodwin who died on 14th January, 1941 and is interred in a Commonwealth War Grave (T. 2584 C. o E. Section) in Manchester’s Southern Cemetery. He was stationed at Barrage Balloon Centre No. 10, Manchester based at the village of Bowlee, near Middleton, Lancashire.

Henry Goodwin died at 70, High Lane on the 26th August, 1963 and is buried in a family grave, I. 1735 in the Non-conformist section of Southern Cemetery, Manchester.

Just after finishing the first draft of this story I discovered from "History of Go-Goodwins", on the web, that it was founded by Alan Edward Goodwin whose father was a coach driver at York Motors the firm founded by his grandfather. Alan Edward, himself join his grandfather's company as a mechanic in 1976.

Pictures; Extract from “The Chorlton and Wilbrahampton News” of 16th July, 1937 courtesy of Andrew Simpson: York Motors, High Lane, A.E.Landers, m.17893 and m.17894 (extract) and Barrage Balloon, 1941 m. 09810 G.R.Hinks courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information, and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

Notes: -

1) I have a recollection of seeing one at the ground of Gloucestershire Cricket Club in Bristol during Lancashire’s Nat West Trophy, 2nd Round tie there on the 18th July, 1984.

2) Kelly’s directory of Lancashire, Manchester, Salford , and Suburbs of 1933 listed four outlets for Henry Goodwin’s boot repair business; 543, Wilbraham Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Seymour Grove, Old Trafford, 149, Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester, and 393, Bolton Road, Irlams o’ th’ Height.

Finally, I’d be interested to here if there is any connection between this company and the long-established taxi operators of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Goodwins (now Goodwins/Olympic based at 2a Keppell Road) or the private bus service operator Go-Goodwins (Coaches) Ltd. incorporated on the 15th January, 1999.