Poems and Pictures ……… a special event ........ at the Royal Oak .........

I knew I would enjoy the launch of "Poems by Lindy and Pictures by Peter" at the Royal Oak today. 

They told me they had “invited Manchester’s top literary artists to come together for an afternoon of spoken word and poetry in celebration of their new book of poems and pictures but despite, working before on projects,  up till now, they have never collaborated on a book which has produced so much wow".

Adding "the idea of illustrating stories is not new and the very first illustrated books were published in 1461 by the cleric and printer, Albrecht Pfister, who was born around 1420 in Bamberg.

What’s unique to this book is the vivid imagination of Peter’s startling images set against the raw emotion created by Lindy’s poetry". 

And the event was a success with over 40 people attending with a host of poets who offered up a mix of the funny, the serious and the poignant.

Now I confess I never wrote down the names of all those who performed, but Peter and Lindy will put me straight and I hope will also come back with not only the names but the details of their books of verse.

Leaving me just to say looking around at the audience they like me had a good time and of course to say that "Poems by Lindy and Pictures by Peter"  is available  from www.pubbooks.co.uk  and Chorlton Bookshop.

And Lindy tells me "Thanks,  Andrew for attending our event and taking these great pictures. 

Other poets taking part were: Pauline Omoboye , Alice Spencer , Amanda Nicholson, Pinbadge, Melanie Neads, Steve Smythe , Lynn Walton - what a great mix of poets and poems and it was wonderful to see so many people there, including other local poets and members of our lively'. Chorlton Arts scene".

Location; The Royal Oak Function Room,

Pictures, the event, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

It’s what they do on Beech Road …. on a Tuesday in June

Nothing more exciting than a series of images of one day on a road in Chorlton.

Location; Beech Road

Pictures; what they do on Beech Road, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Dancing the light fandango ….. by a Spanish bandstand

And the title says the lot.

The purists will point that it is highly unlikely that anyone would be dancing a fandango by a bandstand.

After all as my Wikipedia tell me a “fandango is a lively partner dance originating in Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, tambourine or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced”.*

And that very likely would knock over a few of the chairs around the bandstand and upset Mrs. Trellis of Cleckheaton. 

But as the dance  originated in Portugal and Spain and today’s bandstand image is from Tenerife, there is a sort of logic to the title and Tony’s picture.

According to one source on public parks, the bandstand owed much to the 19th century’s fascination with the Orient.  The basic design may have been copied from “the raised –platform kiosks seen in Turkey and across the Ottoman empire” but was overlaid with influences from Indian palaces and temples.**

The French had shown one of these Turkish stands off at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1855 and what followed was a succession of developments over here with the first unveiled at the Royal Horticultural Show in South Kensington and later moved out to parks in Southwark and Peckham where I came across them as a young boy in the 1950s.

And almost 70 years after I encountered my first bandstand Tony Goulding came across this one in Tenerife, and knowing my fascination for them took time out from his holiday to snap front and back.

‘Nuff said

Pictures, 2024, from the collection of Tony Goulding

*Bandstands, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Bandstands

**A Walk in the Park, Travis Elborough 2016, pages 155-56

Poems and pictures ……… at the Royal Oak ......... tomorrow .... midday

I am looking forward to the launch of "Poems by Lindy and Pictures by Peter" which they tell me “will be a memorable afternoon”.

They have “invited Manchester’s top literary artists to come together for an afternoon of spoken word and poetry in celebration of their new book of poems and pictures but despite, working  before on projects,  up till now, they have never collaborated on a book which has produced so much wow.

The idea of illustrating stories is not new and the very first illustrated books were published in 1461 by the cleric and printer, Albrecht Pfister, who was born around 1420 in Bamberg.

What’s unique to this book is the vivid imagination of Peter’s startling images set against the raw emotion created by Lindy’s poetry. 

And so there you have it, a "Sunday Lunchtime of  Spoken Word, Poetry, and the Book Launch", in The Royal Oak Function Room, Chorlton, 12.00 - 2.00pm, Sunday 30th June.

Dip in and out of the book as you wish and revisit the poems and pictures to discover new surprises every time.

Just remember, everything is not always what it seems”.

And with that promise .... clear the diary for that hour on that day, and remember the book is available  from  www.pubbooks.co.uk  and Chorlton Bookshop.

Location; The Royal Oak Function Room, Chorlton, 12.00 - 2.00pm, Sunday 30th June.

Illustration; Oligarch by Peter Topping, 2024

Standing in Tommy Ducks ……. the legend and its history ….... part 1

Now, Tommy Ducks remains a legendary place in the history of the city.

There will be those who remember the underwear pined on the ceiling, along with the coffin that once took pride of place in the bar, and of course the ongoing debates about its name, and just how it came to be demolished on a night in February 1993.

I don’t remember the coffin, because by the time I was roaming the city centre pubs it had been removed by its owner to the Nag’s Head on Jackson’s Row, although to be accurate the coffin resided in the room to the left of the Lloyd Street entrance.

My friend Elaine who worked at Tommy’s, offered up the story of what happened to the coffin along with a press clipping from the Manchester Evening News and the story of how Mr. Ken Riggs who had run the pub through the 1970s took it with him when he left for the Nags’ Head leaving the new landlord, Mr. Ormod to substitute a headstone in its memory because “customers missed the coffin”.

All of which means that Tommy Ducks on East Street  had always been more than just a place to visit for a quiet drink.

Looking through the wealth of material on the pubs including the speculation on its name and its origins I decided to go back to basics, and trawl the historic records.

Once, numbers 8 and 10 East Street were part of a long row of terraced houses, which were there by 1848 and were built sometime between then and 1819.

From the 1840s through to 1864 what became Tommy Ducks was just a residential  property, consisting of just four rooms, with a cellar.

The 1860s Rate Books show that both the house and cellar were rented out s dwelling places.*

But during 1864 a James Robinson moved in and opened up a beer house, at which point both the rent and the rates doubled, from a rent of £9 to £18 and a new rate of £15 from just £8.

The Robinson’s tenure was short and mid way through 1867 the place was taken over by Thomas and Charlotte Duckworth, who were granted a license for selling beer under the title of the Princess Tavern.

They had already run beer shops across the city.  In 1861 they were on St James Street, off Charlotte Street, dispensing cheer and beer, and four years later were doing the same on Hancock Street which was off Rochdale Road.

And while I haven’t yet made a link, there was an Ellen Duckworth running a beer house at 20-22 Hancock Street in 1863.

The Duckworth’s remained at East Street into the early 1880s, although the business is listed in the name of Charlotte in 1878.

And that pretty much is it,  for the rest of the 19th century and through the next it continued to operate as a beer house rather than a pub and is listed as such as late as 1950, and there are images of it with the old Princess Tavern name alongside that of Tommy Ducks.**

During those two centuries, it was surrounded by industrial units, saw most of the rest of the terrace disappear, including the intriguing court, called Faulkner’s Square.

Leaving me just to invite anyone with memories of the pub to participate in a “SHORT LOCAL FILM OPPORTUNITY”, the organiser of which have written, 

“We are looking for interviewees on a project about the legacy of the Tommy Ducks pub, which used to stand opposite of the Midlands Hotel on what is now lower Mosley St. 

This legendary pub is remembered in countless stories, including those of its peculiar decor and unfortunate demolition. 

We are hoping to explore the mythology and memory of the pub through personal testimony/interview. 

If you have stories and memories to share, either via Zoom or face to face (in the outdoors) in a COVID risk-assessed and friendly environment, please email tilliequattrone@gmail.com.”

Location; Manchester

Picture; Elaine at Tommy Duck's courtesy of Elaine Archer, the pub in 1978/9, from the collection of Andy Robertson and East Street circa 1903 from Gould's Fire Insurance Maps, 1880-1903, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk/   EasStreet in 1950, from the OS map of Manchester & Salord 1950

Painting; Tommy Ducks © 2011 Peter Topping

Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

Next; more on the Duckworth family

Manchester Rate Books, 1860-1900, Census records, 1841-1911 and Directories, 1841-1911

**Tommy Ducks, 1972, m50660, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

Always look down …….. travels across Tenerife encountering the interesting

Over the years I have inducted into the Street Furniture Hall of Fame, the historic, the bizarre and the nondescript and today it is the turn of a humble access plate for Alumbrado Publico Funca.

Now not speaking Spanish I assumed Alumbrado was a place, but it turns out to be the word for lighting, leading me just to   offer up the full translation ….. Funca Public Lighting.

And that is almost that, other than to thank Tony Goulding who wins this weeks commendation for recording the plate while on holiday in Tenerife and sharing his puzzlement at his second image of a circular plate arising from the bare earth on top of a concrete lump.

Happily his final offering was both easy to discern and an amusing mix of Spanish and English …….. “Loro Parque  El must de Canarias” “Parrot Park, The must of the Canary Islands”

So I await the holiday snaps of green parrot's grey lizards and offerings from the souvenir shop along with the menu of suitably themed meals from the the restaurant at the end of the Park, which judging from their site is more extensive and exciting than the poster would suggest.

For here they tell me "Modern zoos are embassies for animals and the ideal showcase for bringing the natural world closer to people.

We have been conceived as a place for animal care, scientific study, and awareness of the global environmental crisis, we are one of the most active links in the current animal and environmental protection not only in the Canary Islands, but throughout the world".*

And for those who might want to take the adventure, tickets in J

Location Tenerife tickets in June and July run from €42 for adults to €30 for children.

Pictures; the Spanish additions to the Street Furniture Hall of Fame, 2024, from the collection of Tony Goulding

*Lor Parque https://www.loroparque.com/en/

Well Hall House that fine 18th century pile which went in 1930

Well Hall House date unknown

Now I am fascinated by Well Hall House.

It was built in 1733, replacing the Tudor manor house and was demolished in 1930 and it is a place I have written about and will do so again later next month.

But in the meantime I could not resist posting this picture, which comes from the Edith Nesbit Society.

I don’t have a date but it is clearly late 19th century and may date from when Edith Nesbit lived there.

She is of course known for her children’s books some of which feature Eltham in their stories, but there is one in particular which describes in detail the house and its gardens.

This is the Red House which was written in 1902 just three years after she moved in to Well Hall House,

Which just leaves me to  finish with the picture again.

We are looking at the front of house from the large garden which separated the building from Well Hall Lane.

To our left was the ornamental garden and at the rear more gardens, the moat and three ponds.

The orginal estate had consisted of 33 acres but Edith and her husband took a lease on just 7.

Picture; courtesy of the Edith Nesbit Society, http://www.edithnesbit.co.uk/

A scurry of squirrels …. two restaurants ……. and the story from my friend Tony .... part 1

Now, this was a fine story in the making and one that challenges that simple observation that there is always a place for originality.

Arno's restaurants, undated

So, in April 2023, the restaurant Street Urchin opened at 72 Gt Ancoats Street, and one of its specials was “English Grey Squirrel”.

At the time I thought that was novel, but then I suspect that squirrels turn up on menus across the country and but Tony may just have come up with a squirrel restaurant that predates Street Urchin by 94 years and just a mile away on Brazennose Street. 

Brazennose Street, 1961

At which point as Tony did the research based on some family memories, I will just hand over to him.

“Hi Andrew, whilst reading the book, ‘Manchester Memories’ the author mentioned that he recalls a squirrel restaurant in Manchester, run by Arno Rolls, have you heard of it at all?  I looked on your site and there is no mention.  

The reason I was so interested was that after my dad left the army, where he qualified as a chef, he worked at the Roll’s Restaurant in Manchester, on Brazennose Street, until it closed around 1962/3. 

He then went into partnership with my uncle (my mum’s brother) and they bought a café in Rusholme on Wilmslow Road, called the Rusholme Snack Bar.  It seemed too much of a coincidence for it not to have been the same place, but my dad never mentioned cooking squirrels.  

I did some investigating and all I could find on Google was an advertising poster for "Roll’s Squirrel Restaurants" (no date) which had two eateries, one on Oxford Street and the other on Brazennose Street, so it was the same place.  

A quick thumb through my directories and I found that in 1929, the restaurant at 29-31 Oxford Street was listed as ‘Roll’s Squirrel Restaurant’, but the one on 46 Brazennose Street was just listed as ‘A Roll, Restaurant’.  

So presumably, by this time he certainly limited his squirrel dishes just at Oxford Street.  By 1954 (when my dad was employed there) he had no restaurant listed on Oxford Street and the Brazennose Street eatery had moved to 44, where it remained until closure, around 1962.  

I have one photo, taken from the Manchester Council image site, that shows the Roll’s in 1961.  

Chorlton squirrels, 2022

I don’t know too much about his time there, other than when it closed, they sold off a lot of catering equipment and dad brought home cutlery, and various kitchenware, some of it, quite fancy such as a silver-plated soup urn.  

He once took my sister to Manchester centre and called into the restaurant and from what she remembered, it was quite up market, catering for Town Hall staff.  

Would you be interested in adding this tale to your site?  I have attached the image site picture, the advert from Google and the cuttings from my directories.  

I also have about six photos from the inside of the restaurant with my dad and a few of the staff”.  

And of course I leapt at the opportunity to tell the story and am looking forward to those pictures. 

Leaving me just to thank Tony for the idea and the research and reiterate no squirrels ended up in a pie or a casserole in this story

Location; Brazennose Street and Oxford Road,

Pictures; advert courtesy of Tony, Brazenose Street south side, H. Milligan, 1961, 00455, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass and two squirrels not in a restaurant, 2022, from the collection of Balzano

The mystery of the lost Chorlton Observatory …. revealed today at 2pm

 As mysteries go it is small beer when compared to the strange disappearances in the Bermuda Triangle or why Wagon Wheels seem smaller than in the past, but the Chorlton Observatory is our mystery.

The Observatory, Brookfield House, and a bit more, 1853

At which point I should say that the Bermuda Triangle much loved of conspiracy theorists and any one with nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon is largely the invention of cynical writers and TV producers, while I suspect Wagon Wheels haven’t got smaller, it’s that those of us of a certain age have just got bigger.

But the Chorlton Observatory is a puzzle.

Brookfield House, 2023

It shows up on the OS map of Chorlton in 1853 and was at the end of the garden belonging to Brookfield House, which is now the office connected with Chorlton Park.

It stood just to the east of a twisty set of ornamental paths, close to what was the processional drive from Barlow Moor Road up to Hough End Hall.

And while it is clearly marked on the 1853 OS, it is missing from the tithe map of 1839 and is not recorded on the later Ordnance Survey map dated 1894.

At present I don’t know what it was like, who constructed it or whether it actually belonged to Brookfield House.  

All the evidence is that it was in the garden of the house, which in the 1850s was rented by a James Partington who was a doctor and lived there with his wife, Frances, two grown up children and two servants.

It makes sense to have sited the observatory at this point given that according to our own historian the land round about was on a gentle mound.*

That said there is no reference to an observatory in the rate books for either James Partington or his successor.

And some might just point out that given that low rise we may just be dealing with an observation by the map makers that here was a place to have an observatory.

But I rather think given the preciseness of those said map makers the note will refer to a proper observatory.

Leaving me just to say that you can debate the point today at 2pm when in the company of Peter Topping, the “Friends”, and heaps of interested people we will be walking the story of Chorlton’s past.

Location; Chorlton Park

Pictures; the observatory in 1853, from the 1853 OS for Lancashire, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://www.digitalarchives.co.uk  and Brookfield House, 2023 from the collection of Andrew Simpson.

*Badger and Bear Baiting, Chapter 7, December 19th 1885, History of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, South Manchester Gazette

In a street in Manchester ………… 1964

It is a sobering thought that when some parts of the country were immersed in “the swinging 60s”, many of us were getting on with things in a landscape little changed in decades.

Location, Manchester

Picture; “Swinging 60s, 1964,  "Courtesy of Manchester Archives+ Town Hall Photographers' Collection", https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/albums/72157684413651581?fbclid=IwAR0t6qAJ0-XOmfUDDqk9DJlgkcNbMlxN38CZUlHeYY4Uc45EsSMmy9C1YCk 

Down in Shudehill in the 1960s when it was all "crumbly and interesting"

Now I always look forward to a new picture from my friend Ann.

She lives in France but grew up in Chorlton during the 1960s.

“My uncle used to have a business in the market, selling fruit and vegetables. 

When I was at college in the early 60's I went into his 'cabin' and drew all the boxes. It was a wholesale market so mostly in boxes.

This was one of our College 'sketching' days, and we often used to go to Shudehill, as it was all crumbly and interesting, from an artistic point of view.

My uncle, ,Ernest Jones had been a friend of my parents since they were young, and they were at each others' weddings. ”

And that is all I want to say.

Picture; market scene, circa 1960s, from Ann Love

When horses raced on Middle Park Meadows

Middle Park Meadows circa 1900

Well I had no idea that we had a race course and the hunt is on to found out more.

And of course as ever the starting point has to be Mr Gregory’s book on Eltham published in 1909.

“The Eltham Races were also notbable events of the sixties [1860s].

The course was in the ‘Harrow Meadows,’ which lie between Eltham Green and Kidbrook-lane.

The meet was usually attended by prominent patrons of sport, amongst them on one occasion being his Majesty King Edward, who was then Prince of Wales.”

And no sooner had I posted this than Christine wrote "that I've just been reading on Wikipedia. 

The Middle Park Stakes was founded by William Blenkiron and named after his Stud at Eltham. Established in 1866 and originally called The Middle Park Plate. 

He sounds a very interesting man, well worth reading about him. He died at Middle Park on 25 Sept 1871 aged 64 and was buried on 30th in Eltham Churchyard."

There is even a picture but I will leave you to find that.

Location, Eltham, London

Picture; Middle Park Meadows from Bridge Lane,  from The story of Royal Eltham, R.R.C. Gregory, 1909 and published on The story of Royal Eltham, by Roy Ayers, http://www.gregory.elthamhistory.org.uk/bookpages/i001.htm 

* The story of Royal Eltham, R.R.C. Gregory, 1909, page 294

Visions of a better world .......... nu 3 the political poster

Labour 1945

Now I have been thinking of election posters.

And it is easy to stick with those issued by the Party of preference.

But that would be to ignore a great chunk of history.

In 1945 the war in Europe had ended in May and the wartime Government announced a General Election for July 5th.

It was the first in ten years and given the popularity of Winston Churchill many assumed the Conservative Party he led would be victorious.

Conservative 1929

But while the war time leader was popular there was a mood for change and one that the Conservatives were not seen to be able to deliver. For many they were associated with the grim years of the 1930s dominated by mass unemployment, the Means Test and appeasement.

Some with longer memories reflected on the failure of the 1918 Conservative dominated government of Lloyd George and succeeding Tory governments to make Britain a land fit for heroes after the Great War.

This was in direct contrast to the policies of the Labour Party who were committed to social reform, ranging from a national health service, a new housing policy and an expansion of state funding for education.

Their slogan And Now Win the Peace offered a bright new future which reflected the aspirations of those who had fought in the Peoples’ War.

Liberal Party early 20th century

And for those who want to follow up on the remaining two posters with their visions of a better Britain the stories can also be read on the blog.*

Picture; Labour Party Campaign poster 1945, Labour Party, and reaming posters from Politics: Exploring the Political Poster in Britain which was on display at the People's History Museum, Manchester, in 2012, http://www.phm.org.uk/whatson/picturing-politics-exploring-the-political-poster-in-britain/

* Posters of the 20th century, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Posters%20from%20the%2020th%20century

Wherever you leave your rubbish .............somewhere in Manchester .... 1966

I have no idea where we are, and whether this was one of those clearance areas, which during the 1950s through to the 70s transformed big chunks of the city.

Alternatively, it may just have been an open spot of land which was never developed.

Either way it offered up an opportunity to leave all sorts of rubbish, including the abandoned car.

I doubt that those responsible will have given much thought to the Litter Act, passed in 1958, which provided for a fine of £10 for anyone caught littering, or that the Act had been in part of a wider public concern about discarded rubbish.

A concern which found a voice four years earlier when the National Federation of Women’s Institutes passed a resolution to start a national anti-litter campaign, which was followed  in 1960 by the establishment of Keep Britain Tidy, and its adoption nine years later of the logo.*

All of which just leaves me to go back to the picture.

There is a fair amount of dumped stuff, which led me to wonder if the quality, the nature, and even the quality of rubbish left is any diffrent from ours today, and what clues might there be to how we lived back then in the "swinging sixties".

The first observation is that there isn't that much, but what there is seems fascinating.

I doubt many people today will have seen a tea chest, while metal bed frames complete with springs are almost confined to museums.

That said there is plenty of cardboard and plastic sheeting, some empty food tins and a solitary glass bottle.

But what dates the rubbish is the abandoned Christmas tree, which fits the moment to sometime in January.

And if I wanted to be very nerdy I could look up the weather reports for January 1966, for reports of snow falling across Manchester, the evidence of which is still there in patches on the ground.

Sadly the detail on the newspapers and magazines left by the gutter are too unclear.

So, that is it, and while I would love to offer a prize for the first person to identify the location, or the make of the car, I rather think that is not in the spirit of the free exchange of historical knowledge.

Location; somewhere in Manchester

Picture; Wherever you dump your rubbish, 1966 ,Courtesy of Manchester Archives+ Town Hall Photographers' Collection, https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/albums/72157684413651581?fbclid=IwAR35NR9v6lzJfkiSsHgHdQyL2CCuQUHuCuVr8xnd403q534MNgY5g1nAZfY

*Keep Britain Tidy, https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/

A castle ..... heaps of horseshoes ...... and a museum ...... down in Oakham

I like other people’s pictures especially when they come from the family, and so I was especially pleased to receive a heap of holiday photographs from our Elizabeth.

She and Colin were in Oakham which my Wikipedia tells me is a “market town and civil parish in 25 miles east of Leicester, [with] a population of 12,149*.

And because we all like all things old and quant their accommodation was just a few minutes’ walk  from Oakham Castle.

Its not one I knew and to be strictly accurate was less a castle and more a "fortified manor house [with] many of the traditional features of a castle such as a curtain wall, a gatehouse and a drawbridge with iron chains.

There is also historical and archaeological evidence to suggest that Oakham Castle possessed towers at strategic points along the walls as well as a moat”.   

Today all that has survived is the Great Hall and the gateway into the marketplace.

But that was enough for our Elizabeth who recorded bits of the place along with exhibits from the museum including lots of horseshoes which the castle is famous for.

And for those that like the history, “the castle was built between 1180 and 1190 by Walkelin de Ferrers, lord of the manor of Oakham, and a great nephew of Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby.

The Great Hall comprises a nave and two arcaded aisles, each with three large stone columns. 

There are a number of 12th-century sculptures decorating the hall including six musicians that are supported by the columns. 

The sculptures are carved from local stone quarried at Clipsham and are believed to have been made by masons who had also worked at Canterbury Cathedral”.**

And I have to say I did like the information panels which are crisp in design and very  informative.

At which point I could loop off into a detailed description, but where would be the point in that given that the pictures do the place credit and there are always the guide books and online information, for a castle which is free to visit.

Leaving me just to thank Elizabeth and Colin for the images.

And conclude that their accommodation looked excellent and was indeed just a step away from the property.

Location; Oakham

Pictures, the castle and much more 2024, from the collection of Elizabeth Fitzpatrick

*Oakham, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakham 

** Oakham Castle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakham_Castle