The church ...... and a water cart ....... in the summer of 1890 on Barlow Moor Road

 Now, there is a lot going on in this picture.

We are on Barlow Moor Road, and the caption says, “Macfadyan ‘School Church about 1890 before the Church proper was built.  The passing water cart is lettered Withington Local Board”.

All of which is consistent with the history, because the “Church proper” was opened on October 25th, 1894.

Added to which Chorlton-cum-Hardy, along with Burnage, Didsbury and Withington were part of Withington Urban District Council, and would remain so until the four townships elected to join the City of Manchester in 1904.

And the water cart is itself an interesting little bit of our past when they were used to water the roads to keep the dust down.  

And here I am at the edge of my knowledge of late 19th century roads, some of which were made of wooden blocks.  

I remember in the 1950s in very hot weather the tar would melt, allowing us kids to play with it using lolly sticks, so the experts in road technology my confirm my wild theory that the water carts could have been used to cool the highway, and perhaps in the age of the horse helped disperse the piles of horse poo. 

Leaving me just to point out the original frontage to the “church school”.

Location; Barlow Moor Road

Picture; Macfadyan ‘School Church and water cart, 1890, courtesy of C.E. Jones, from the Lloyd Collection