When we still had a furniture shop and a free car park .... down by the Lloyds in 1990

Now I am on a roll again with pictures from our most recent past.

And so here is another of Andy Robertson’s taken I think in the early 1990s.

I will leave you to identify the shops which have gone, along with that little piece of history which was Chorlton’s lost car par, which I think was free, contained also a set of public lavatories, and once a very very long time ago had been a set of tennis courts beside the Lloyds.

Picture;  looking out towards Wilbraham Road, circa 1990, from the collection of Andy Robertson

A conversation …. the Saturday boy … and heaps of vegetables …. at Muriel and Richard’s on Beech Road

Now Muriel and Richard’s will always have be a special place for me.

Their fruit and veg was always the best, and at Christmas Muriel always did that Nativity scene where local kids were encouraged to make figures for the display.

But above that they were always very kind to me, and during a time when I was juggling work, bringing up three kids and only shopping on Beech Road they could be relied to help out.

In particular Muriel acted as my bank, advancing me cash and letting me run up a tab.

To the consternation of some I would choose the fruit and veg, Muriel would ask if I needed any money and I would leave with assorted apples, pears, potatoes and more, with cash in hand.  To which some muttered that this was not how it was done.

Shops were not supposed to hand out produce and money and wave goodbye to the customer.  But this was Muriel’s and every Saturday the tab was settled.

I shopped there regularly through the 1970s into the 1990s and beyond.

I will have to ask Muriel just when they took over the shop, because I know in 1969 it was a confectioner’s run by a F. Lyth and now it is a letting agency.

Back then at the end of the 60s their shop was flanked by Joan Newman’s hairdressers and Mr. Morgan’s off license.

And a couple of decades later, the cutting of hair would be replaced briefly by a shop selling pianos before it settled on its long and continuing relationship with serving food and alcohol, while after a time as a vacant premises Mr. Morgan’s place became the Italian deli.

And that is about it.

Location; Beech Road

Pictures; Muriel and Richard’s, 1979, & 2002, and Muriel, 2004, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

When plastic bowls and a picture of San Francisco were a must ........ back at “Kingy”

Now I make no apology at returning to Kingspot.

If you are of a certain age and that pretty much covers everyone in Chorlton, you will remember Kingspot.

And for those who moved in after the shop closed here are two more pictures of what was an institution.

I wrote about it yesterday reflecting that “it was just one of those places we took for granted and long before Pound Shops it was somewhere you could get a bargain.

Here could be found everything from washing pegs, to happy colourful toys and that fabulous print of the San Francisco Bridge at sunset.

Much of what was on offer was plastic and sometimes I wondered whether they had their own plastic factory somewhere east of Hong Kong.

So it was no surprise that Kingspot was always full and getting round the shop could be a challenge which often involved avoiding the buggies, and shopping trollies as you worked you way down the two isles looking for a washing up bowl and ending up instead with two plastic imitation Flying Ducks to hang above the plastic water fountain.

Our kids always seemed to be in their usually when the latest craze for BB guns hit Chorlton which I suspect followed a few days after a new consignment of cheap toys had arrived from China."

And no sooner had I posted the story than  Bernard sent over two of his own pictures adding that "here are a couple of photos of Kingspot I took, I think it was Marhch1998,from data on photo. Maybe you could add them to your Kingspot blog."

Which of course I could and did.

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; Kingspot, 1998, from the collection of Bernard Leach

How we shopped on Beech Road in 1969 and thirty years later

First the apology, which is simply I have lost the names of the authors of this shopping survey, but I hope they won’t mind me reproducing.

It was passed to me my Bernard Leech a few years ago, who I hope can supply their names.

But for now, here it is ……… how we shopped on Beech Road in 1969, and 1999.

And today of course a new survey would reveal the massive changes which have seen retailing outlets retreat to be replaced by a mix of bars, cafes, and restaurants with some gift shops and just the odd traditional shop.

Not rocket science, perhaps or even a remarkable set of observations, but still a bit of history.

Location; Chorlton











Picture; shopping survey, Beech Road, 1969 & 1999

Pictures from Beech Road ……… Buonissimo, Muriel and Richard and the bar with lots of names

Now here's a vanished scene, well  almost.

They must date from before 2000, when I swapped smelly photography for digital.

And as you do the last old fashioned photographs were consigned to that very special box, on the equally special shelf, and promptly forgotten for decades.

In the intervening years, Bob and Del rented out the deli to Marcus who retained the name, but then moved on, which is how we now have that fine Spanish tapas bar, while next door Muriel and Richard retired and the last fruit and veg shop became a letting agency.

Nor was that all, because bit by bit Beech Road, slipped effortlessly into a strip of bars, cafés, restaurants and interesting shops.

All of which might well be summed up by the place on the corner with Acres Road, which I remember as a piano shop and and closed for better things.

And without ever wanting to sound like Methuselah I can claim to have eaten there from when it first opened as Café on the Green, and later when it was known variously as Blue Note, the Nose and Marmalade and the Parlour.

And since the Parlour a heap more

Location; Beech Road

Pictures; Beech Road; sometime before now, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Walking our forgotten railway line

I continue to be a fan of “near history” which many traditionalists would rubbish as not history at all.  

After all so the argument goes how can you call any event which is only 20 years old history?

The passage of time is too short to call up all the many ways that the event has impacted on us and so no true perspective is possible.  All of which is true, but I shall proceed anyway.

Here is a selection of pictures taken by Andy Robertson who took a stroll down our disused railway line in February 1993. 

Chorlton-cum-Hardy station closed in 1969* after serving the community for 89 years and while freight trains continued to use the line for another twenty years, finally in 1989 the tracks were lifted and that pretty much was that.

A little of what it had once been are still visible from the signalling lights to the old platform.

And this again is why these pictures of our near history are so fascinating because I have never realized that the platforms were so far down the track.

Ah I hear you mumble get a life, but it is that little bit of detail that I like.  After all few of us will have used the old station, and it is 44 years since the last train set off for the city centre which means that anyone who travelled the line will have to pull out memories which are over 50 years in the past.

All of which is an appropriate moment to mention Disused Stations Site Record by Paul Wright & Bevan Price http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/chorlton_cum_hardy/index.shtml It is a wonderful record of the stations and railway lines around Manchester which have long since vanished.

Some, like our own line have been pressed back into service and now provide a quick and comfortable way of getting into the heart of the city.

I have to confess that every time I travel on the tram I get a little sense of history which may be romantic tosh but still brings me just a tad closer to the past that I often write about.

And also neatly returns me to Andy’s pictures which nicely span the time between the closure of the station in 1969 and the opening of the Metro link in 2011.

* http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Chorlton%20railways

Pictures; from the collection of Andy Robertson

Remembering Beech Road ….. 34 years on

Now this little booklet I remember well, and it is a perfect example of how history books come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

It was found by Marjorie in her attic, and dates from 1990.

We must have a copy, but I have yet to locate it.

The style will be familiar to anyone who has kids or has been involved in a class project which gets students to look at where they live.

In this case, Brookburn’s class three were set the task of recording the shops on Beech Road, and what was once topical is now history.

Of the 21 shops listed, only two remain.

On one level that shouldn’t surprise anyone, given that 34 years have passed since the survey was undertaken.

But I must confess that I was still surprised.

I knew all 21, shopped in most and while some I remember, others, have slipped completely from my memory.

So, the fun will be to revisit the booklet over the next few weeks, which for some of us will be renewing old friendships, but for many others will be a revelation in what once traded on Beech Road before the bar culture arrived.

At which point I note that the booklet contains a © to the school, but given that all our kids went to Brookburn as did Marjorie’s I don’t think the school will mind.

So, I shall await Marjorie’s copy, secure in the knowledge that there are lots more stories to come and close with a thank you to Marjorie.

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; Beech Road, A piece of Chorlton, By the Children of Brookburn School, Brookburn School, 1990

Chorlton ..... Manchester ... and the artist Stephen Reding ..... one to read

 Now it is quite appropriate that during Chorlton Book Week I am reading a book from a local author which features Chorlton and Manchester in the plot.

The book is by James Walker, is called HIT: ONCE UPON A FIELD, and “is the story of Stephen Reding, an artist from Manchester whose life takes a dramatic turn following an unprovoked assault in 1995.

One week after the incident, he suffers his first epileptic seizure [and the book] explores the struggles of addiction and epilepsy. 

The book is enriched by 40 stunning paintings that frame each pivotal moment in Stephen’s life”.*

I have to say I am intrigued to follow the story as it unfolds across both Chorlton and Manchester and get a sense of how other people saw the places I have known for over half a century.

And that for now is that other than to say it is on sale through Amazon and can be ordered from Chorlton Bookshop.

To which James has added, "you can find it through the Amazon link, https://www.amazon.co.uk/HIT-Once-Field-James-Walker/dp/1739380304 and  it can also be ordered through Chorlton Bookshop for those who want to support local businesses.

Stephen's artwork was showcased at Next Door Gallery during Didsbury Arts Festival" 

*James Walker

Three years in the life of one of the last 2CVs .... part three

I can’t remember exactly when we bought it but it was one of the last to roll off the production line in Portugal and as the last were made in 1990 I guess it must have been around then.

You either loved them with their simple technology and charm or derided them as nothing more than a motor cycle with a body.

Me I liked them and derived great pleasure from telling people that when the weather got hot we could either roll the canvas roof back or pull a lever to open the vent at the front to let in the fresh air.

And ours also came with a wooden wedge and starter handle both of which were kept in the boot.

They also had a particular bounce and roll which was fine unless you were sitting in the back But it was a fun car and one that I had a sneaking affection for because it was really the technology of the 1930s.

Not a lot could go wrong and nothing did.  Unlike the smart car owned by Les and Di opposite us which when a light went out on the dashboard stopped the car dead and cost real money to replace.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Three years in the life of one of the last 2CVs ....... part two

I can’t remember exactly when we bought it but it was one of the last to roll off the production line in Portugal and as the last were made in 1990 I guess it must have been around then.

You either loved them with  their simple technology and charm or derided them as nothing more than a motor cycle with a body.

Me I liked them and derived great pleasure from telling people that when the weather got hot we could either pull the canvas roof back or pull a lever to open the vent at the front to let in the fresh air.  

And ours also came with a wooden wedge and starter handle both of which were kept in the boot.

They also had a particular bounce and roll which was fine unless you were sitting in the back But it was a fun car and one that I had a sneaking affection for because it was really the technology of the 1930s.

Not a lot could go wrong and nothing did.  Unlike the smart car owned by Les and Di opposite us which when a light went out on the dashboard stopped the car dead and cost real money to replace.

Now with the canvas top pulled back nothing could beat it on a warm summers day and it remained popular with our kids and their friends.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Three years in the life of one of the last 2CVs ...... part one

I can’t remember exactly when we bought it but it was one of the last to roll off the production line in Portugal and as the last were made in 1990 I guess it must have been around then.

 You either loved them with  their simple technology and charm or derided them as nothing more than a motor cycle with a body.

 Me I liked them and derived great pleasure from telling people that when the weather got hot we could either pull the canvas roof back or pull a lever to open the vent at the front to let in the fresh air.

And ours also came with a wooden wedge and starter handle both of which were kept in the boot.

They also had a particular bounce and roll which was fine unless you were sitting in the back

But it was a fun car and one that I had a sneaking affection for because it was really the technology of the 1930s.

Not a lot could go wrong and nothing did. Unlike the smart car owned by Les and Di opposite us which when a light went out on the dashboard stopped the car dead and cost real money to replace. It was the perfect car for a summer’s holiday, and it took us to Yorkshire and many a day out.

 Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson

On Barlow Moor Road in the summer of 1991

It is thirty years since this picture of that stretch of Barlow Moor Road was taken.

And unlike those grainy black and white images taken in the first quarter of the last century it is at first difficult to see what has changed.

But look closely and just beyond Chorlton Park and to the north of the Brook, the Feathers is still a pub although I can’t quite remember whether this will be one of the periods when it was open or closed, the flats to the rear of McDonald’s have yet to be built and back along Mauldeth Road West there was still that expanse of green in the middle of the road dominated by the tall avenues of trees.

And that in turn meant that there was no Metro line so  a trip by public transport to Wythenshawe was a matter of choosing one of a number of different buses which seemed to take an age to get to Civic Centre.

I can’t quite make out the KFC beside the Brook and can’t remember if what was Blockbusters was still selling cycles.

So even in the thirty years there have been the odd change, and with a planning application in we may yet see the old Blockbusters disappear in the face of a combined bulldozer and crane.

Picture; courtesy of Andy Robertson

When there were still four banks on Bank Square

I can’t be exactly sure of the date of the picture, but I know it must be sometime around the late 1990s.

Now I can be pretty sure of that because what was the National Provincial Building Society with its distinctive yellow lettering on a green background became the Abbey Building Society in 1996 which in turn became part of the Santander Group thirteen years later.


Added to which the Midland Bank which had moved into its present building in 1978, adopted the HSBC logo in 1997, having been acquired by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1992.

Those who want will look carefully through the picture and identify other lost shops and offer up stories.

What I like about the image is that in some ways it looks more dated than one of those black and white photographs from the 1900s which we know show a very different Chorlton.

But this one is close enough to us today to look very familiar ……. But just not quite.

And for those about to mutter about the name, Four Banks, our building societies had begun to become banks in 1989, and so by the time this picture was taken there were indeed four banks on each corner, hence the accurate title, which harps back to references from the late 19th century on picture postcards when people referred to the spot as “Bank Square”.

That said, as many will know the corner of Barlow Moor Road and Wilbraham Road, now occupied by the HSBC was popularly known as “Kemps Corner”, after Harry Kemp’s chemist which stood there.

As so often happens, remained the accepted name for the corner well into the 1960s, long after it ceased being a chemist.

All of which points to that simple observation that names for locations arise from popular usage, which I suspect will mean that the official name for the junction which is Chorlton Cross, will never catch on.

Location; Chorlton







Picture; Barlow Moor and Wilbraham Roads, circa 1995, courtesy of Steve

Watching the Barbakan grow ……………

There is something in the idea that we tend to take the present for granted, which for me was that moment when I realized that the Barbakan on Manchester Road had had a makeover.

It happened I guess sometime in the 1990s or very early in the 2000s, and was after the time the kids had stopped going to the swimming baths and before I regularly went to Unicorn.

So, in my defence, I rarely ventured down past the Library and as a result missed the building work and the expansion of the deli.

These are another two of Andy Robertson’s pictures and show that even then he had embarked on his project to capture the changes to Chorlton, which soon spread right across Greater Manchester.

For some reason these do not have a date which is unusual for Andy, but I shall ask him when he thinks he took the photographs.

Alternatively I could ask the Barbakan or wait for someone to supply the answer.

And a correction from Victor who says, "This development appears to be from a time when Ward Brothers had left the property.The next owners began the improvements .You can see the ground floor was done first and the apartments were then constructed. This wasn’t a Barbakan initiative,as far as I can remember".

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; Manchester Road, circa 1990s, from the collection of Andy Robertson

Barlow Moor Road ……… just before now .... but perhaps a bit more

Now, the fun in looking at old pictures of Chorlton is just how many differences you can spot.

And it doesn’t just extend to those very old photographs taken around the beginning of the last century.

So here we are with another of Andy Robertson’s vintage images.

Andy is a great source of pictures from our more recent past, and regularly sends over photographs of places he has visited on his adventures.

But for the last few weeks he has been sharing his “back catalogue” and as you do I have wandered over the collection and picked some of my favourites.

So here we are on Barlow Moor Road sometime in the 1990s.

The date is a guess, because usually Andy adds the date when the picture was taken, but this one slipped through the net.

Later he will be popping round to deliver some more golden oldies and so I shall ask him when it was taken.

That said he may well spot it on the blog and respond before then beating the interested and knowledgeable of Chorlton who may also offer up a suggestion of a time.

And Andy did beat the Chorlton knowledgeable, suggesting "I think this would have been either 1997 or 2002".

Location; Chorlton

Picture; Barlow Moor Road, sometime before now from the collection of Andy Robertson

A short cut, a lost house and buildings soon to vanish

For years it was just one of those short cuts you took if you wanted to leave Beech Road and get on to Crossland Road. 

I must have done it countless times. The gap between what had been J.Johnny’s and the two shops led across this bit of open and neglected bit of land to the back alley of the houses where there was a choice of passages onto Crossland.

I often idly wondered if it had always been an open space but never took my curiosity any further. It was I now know the site of Joel House which stood to the rear of a long garden fronting Beech Road.

Now I wrote about Joel House  and its demolition back in 1978 and the event is now far enough away for most people to have forgotten it was ever there.*

Since the building of the gated community which occupies most of this land I had quite forgotten just how much space was here or just how many properties have gone since Lawrence took the picture.

The white building is the back of J.Johnny’s which was demolished as part of the redevelopment of the plot and facing it was one of those lovely old houses which dated back to the early 19th century and vanished almost overnight to leave an ugly open space which has only recently been built on.

Joel House may have gone in 1978 but one of the trees that stood in the garden was left, and was still there when Lawrence took his picture.

It has gone now and might even have been cut down earlier if the plan to build a car park on the site had gone ahead.

 It would have certainly reduced the congestion on this stretch of Beech Road but I rather remember that the Corporation and the traders could not agree on how to fund it. So the open space remained along with the tree.

It is still possible to take that short cut but it is now less a short cut more a wander along a narrow passage way which takes you from Beech Road between the former pet shop and Hurricane, round the garden of the gated community and on to the back alley and into the passage which leads on to Crossland Road.

Somehow it is not quite the same.

Pictures; from the collection of Lawrence Beedle, and N.Fife in the Lloyd collection

*http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/dont-it-always-seem-to-go-that-you-dont.html

Chorlton’s own snooker club ………..

This is how I remember the old Temperance Billiard Hall which opened in 1907 and was part of an influential movement.*

1990s

The hall was one of a number opened across Greater Manchester, which pretty much conformed to a uniform design.

Most have gone, with a few being adapted to industrial or retail use.

Ours survived, continuing to offer up billiards and at some point, morphed in to the Chorlton Snooker Club.

I can’t be exactly sure when the picture was taken but it will be in the mid to late 1990s, by which time the exterior had been much mucked about, and part of the hall was rented out to a taxi firm.

1958

All very different from the beginning of the 20th century when the power of the movement was such that plans for the rebuilding of two Chorlton pubs. 

The Bowling Green after initial objections went a head in 1908, but The Royal Oak had to wait till the 1930s.

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; Chorlton Snooker Club, circa 1990s, courtesy of Steve, and the Temperance Billiard Hall, Chorlton, November 1958,  A.H. Downes, m18044, Courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

*"Away, away with rum by gum," signing the pledge to forgo the demon drink
https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/Temperance

One hundred and 45 years of one shop on High Lane

Sometime in the 1990s

Now this is 38 High Lane and it will be a shop many will remember.

For a long time it was a cycle shop and then had various attempts at being a grocers but never quite managed it and at the end it seemed there was little on the shelves and what there was you didn’t want.

But go back just a few decades and it was a thriving grocery and provision store, which given that it was the only one on High Lane gave it a prime position.

1959

Back in 1959 if you wanted a packet of tea, a bottle of milk or a tin of peas I doubt many would set off down on to Beech Road or into new Chorlton.

And in the days before fridges when everyone shopped daily and not all wanted the stuff delivered it made sense to walk a few doors to the local.

Now in time there will be someone who can name the shop back in 1959 and with a bit of a push take it back into the war years.

What surprised me was just how far back we could go.  In 1911 Mr George England sold sweets from the shop, five years earlier it had been Renauld and Co Photographers and from at least 1901 Miles Ashworth also dispensed confectionery at number 38 and given that one of his daughters described herself as a “Confection baker” it is reasonable to suppose that they made as well as sold sweets.

And once you on a roll the years just fall away and so it was possible to trace the premises back to 1870 when it was owned by Thomas Wall who was a chemist and druggist and maintained the business there for 21 years before an Edwin Foden took over.

2015

Mr Foden did well enough for himself to eventually leave number 38 which he rented from the trustees of Thomas Wall and set up in business on Barlow Moor Road.

There are gaps in who we know lived there but I am confident that these will be come to light with a bit of help from people who shopped there and that usual bit of research which involves crawling over the street directories.

In the meantime I will leave you with the latest picture of the property which is fully residential.

And already the memories are flooding in with stories of the Cavana's who ran it and of bikes bought and repaired.

Now that's how I like my history.

Pictures; that shop sometime in the 1990s courtesy of Andy Robertson, back when it was a “grocers and provision shop”, 19158, A E Landers, m17885, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass and June 2015 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Another story from Tony Goulding ........ Reflections on 25 years of McDonald's Restaurant, Barlow Moor Road and memories of the area before its arrival

It is easy to take our recent past for granted and that I think is a big mistake.

All too often what was familiar becomes the stuff of history and trying to rediscover it becomes difficult and in some cases almost impossible as memories fade and the few photographs are lost.

So here with just such a bit of our most recent past is a story from Tony who is a regular contributor to the blog.

Birthday party October  3 1995  

“More than a quarter of a century has passed since Chorlton's McDonald's Restaurant first opened its doors. In that time it has woven itself into the fabric of the community. As an ex-employee of 22 years standing I am perhaps ideally qualified to assess its impact.

Many hundreds of local people will have gained their first taste of paid employment there whilst the number of children who have attended birthday parties or the annual Halloween fancy dress party must be several thousand. 

It is interesting to reflect both how we each of us contribute to our society and how quickly this becomes part of our communal history.

Other businesses located between St Anne’s Road and the Park Gates also have had their part to play in our history. 

The petrol station turned car wash the "Feathers “pub now Tesco and the various manifestations of the dance hall /cabaret club/discotheque that occupied the site of McDonald's must wait for another day .

My interest today are the shops /businesses between the Barlow Moor Road/Nell Lane passageway and the entrance to McDonald's

My childhood memories are of there being a large patch of derelict land at the rear of these shops, and of using it as an unauthorised playground and as a cut through to the park from the Sandy Lane area. 

For the local boys (mainly) it was like an Aladdin’s cave sometimes with the added bonus of an abandoned cart.

At the passageway entrance to this open ground was a small engineering firm I remember as Baskerville (easy to recall for a Sherlock Holmes fan.

Recent research has revealed this business b as "Baskerville and Lyndsay (engineering) Ltd” who carried out contracts for some of a sensitive nature for H M Government and others from 1930 and were still operating in some form when I started working at McDonald's in 1989

WYGMACIITY? (Will you give me a cigarette if I tell you?)
      
I remember my mother taking me to a barber's shop nearby on Barlow Moor Road and being fascinated by the motorcycles on sale next door. 

The barber William Jackson had a side line in repairing umbrellas and had the above intriguing sign next to his mirrors. 

He later re-located to Beech Road into premises (I think) subsequently occupied by an excellent second hand bookshop.

The 1968 street directory indicates that  the motorcycle shop was owned by Reg Dearden.

I am sure there are lots more stories around this locality but I’m afraid they will have to wait for another day."

© Tony Goulding, 2015

Pictures; Birthday party October 3 1995 at Chorlton McDonald's featured in Manchester Evening News, November 22 1995 from the collection of Tony Goulding