Help us restore a bit of Chorlton’s lost story …...

Many of you will be familiar with the large “History Wall” which for over a year fronted the building site on what had been Chorlton Swimming Baths on Manchester Road.

It was a special commission and told the story of the Baths and the surrounding area, describing the transition from fields and farms to the rows of shops and houses we know today.

They were produced by the historian Andrew Simpson and artist Peter Topping.

There were three panels super imposed on to a painting of the Baths by Peter.

Each panel described part of the area’s history.  

So, panel one focused on the opening of the Baths in 1929 and its changing role from a place just to swim and enjoy the pleasures of a Turkish Bath to its years as a Leisure Centre offering a range of sporting activities.

The remaining two panels explored the wider story of this bit of Chorlton, and in particular described the field network, and the coming of that other municipal enterprise which was Chorlton Library.

My favourite of the three is the second with those wonderful field names of Horse Field, Hulme Marsh, Oswald Field and Gilbury Marsh.

And now with the redevelopment almost compete and the first residents preparing to move in, the History Wall is seeking a new home.

That home is close by on the wall of another block of apartments placed at right angles to Manchester Road commanding a prime location opposite Unicorn the food co-op. 

Sadly, one of the panels was damaged during its removal from the construction site.

And so, we are now seeking funding to replace the lost panel, enabling all three to go back on display and providing plenty more people the opportunity to read the “History Wall” and learn about a bit of our lost history.

It is estimated the cost of replacing the damaged including delivery and fitting will be £359.

For further information contact events@chorltonarts.org

Location; Manchester Road

Pictures; Three panels ... The History Wall, and the site of the History Wall

The Chorlton History Wall ........ looking for a new home

After two years the third Chorlton History Wall is on the move. 

It was the latest in our series where art meets history telling the story of a particular spot in Chorlton over the last three hundred years.

It  appeared on the builder’s boards at the site of the former Chorlton Swimming Baths and Leisure Centre and became a tourist attraction following the very popular 80-meter installation which told the story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy from 1500 to the 21st century.

It ran across 16 large panels along Albany Road and part of Brantingham Road, included Andrew’s stories, Peter’s original paintings.

You could walk from Chorlton Green just before Henry VIII walked up the aisle with Ann Boleyn and traverse the centuries discovering the changes to where we live, ending at the former Cosgrove Hall Productions, home of Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies and Count Duckula.

No less bold was the wall telling the story of Denbigh Villas on High Lane, which mixed the story of the two houses with accounts of the surrounding area.

And now the Manchester Road wall is on the move having done the business of recording the history of the former swimming baths and the surrounding area.

The three panels Stretching across seven meteres looked back to when this part of Chorlton was open fields with names like Gilbury Marsh and Horsefield, accompanied by tales of “dark doings” and culminating with our own Carnegie library and its links to the Titanic.

Suggestions for a new home have included Chorlton's Community Garden, a spell in Chorlton Library or perhaps ome of our local schools.

And in the spirit of community history all suggestions are welcome

Location; Manchester Road

Pictures; bits of the History Walk

There are always opportunities ……

 So, avoiding the controversy of the merits of the now closed Precinct along with the plans for its replacement, there is that much used observation that out of an ending comes opportunities.

And now that the builder’s boards have gone up in preparation for the demolition of the site Chorlton Traders have adopted some of the panels to advertise the presence of our local retailers.

It isn’t a new idea.  A decade and more ago Simpson and Topping used the panels around The MCarthy Stone development to tell the story of Chorlton from the early 16th century to the present day.  

It spanned 80 meters of the site and used 16 large panels and was designed as a walk stating at the village green and ending at the corner of Albany and Brantingham Roads.

And like all good ideas it quickly became a popular venue which became known as the History Wall.

Simpson and Topping replicated the project again on High Lane and currently have an installation at the former Chorlton Swimming Baths.

Back at the Precinct site the developers have given over space to Chorlton Arts Festival to display a range of material for later in the year.

Not bad really.

Location: Barlow Moor Road

Pictures; Opportunities, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

When history is fun …. free ….. and just a short trip away

We are entering that special time of year when along side all the festive preparations to come, there is chance to take a bit of time off and let someone else do the entertaining.

Chorlton Green in the snow, circa 1984

So, with that in mind Simpson and Topping are offering up a walk on the village green, a mention of their third History Wall and the launch of their new series of books on  "The History of Greater Manchester by Tram", all of which we commend you your diary.

Working backwards, on December 15th, at 12.30 meet us on the village green for “The secret of the Narnia Lamppost ……. the story of the string quartet and the history of four pubs”.

The plan is simple.  Andrew and Peter will explore tales of the odd, the scandalous and the bizarre taking in some local historic landmarks, more than a few interesting people, and of course our four local pubs.

Tales from the Horse and Jockey, 2024

In the course of which we will look for the missing plaque to a murdered policeman in the Bowling Green, wonder why the Methodists were cheated of their Sunday school on the site of the Beech Inn, and ask who was Trevor at the Trevor Arms?  

The Third History Wall, Manchester Road, 2024

And we will end inside the Horse and Jockey who will be our hosts as we round off with tales of suspected murder, the arrest of a prize fighter and the man who stole the village green.

For those who can’t wait for that event, there is the third Chorlton History Wall which fronts the development on the former swimming baths on Manchester Road.  Across three panels we tell the story of the baths and how the surrounding area went from being a small hamlet called Martledge into the busy urban area it is today.

Lastly, we invite you into the city for the launch of the "History of Greater Manchester By Tram", which will tell the story of all 99 stops along the eight routes of the Metrolink tram network.*

So far we have published two in the series, covering Trafford Bar to East Didsbury and Cornbrook to Exchange Square.  They cost jus £4.99 are available from Chorlton Bookshop, Waterstones, and Central Reference Library as well as us at www.pubbooks.co.uk

The launch will take place in the Central Reference Library in St Peter’s Square on November 23rd, starting at 1pm, and lasting till 4pm.

The Lord Mayor of Manchester will be present along with other civic dignitaries.

All of the above are free.

Location, Chorlton, Manchester

Pictures; snow on the village green courtesy of Tony Walker circa 1984, The Third History Wall Manchester, Road, 2024, from Peter Topping, and inside the Horse and Jockey, 2024, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*A new book on the History of Greater Manchester By Tram, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20new%20book%20on%20the%20History%20of%20Greater%20Manchester%20by%20Tram

Remembering the swimming baths …. Gilbury Marsh and Horsefield

The Chorlton History Wall is back.

Very soon the third of our projects where art meets history will appear on the builder’s boards at the site of the former Chorlton Swimming Baths and Leisure Centre.

Many will remember the 80-meter installation which told the story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy from 1500 to the 21st century.

It ran across 16 large panels along Albany Road and part of Brantingham Road, included Andrew’s stories, Peter’s original paintings, and became a tourist attraction.

You could walk from Chorlton Green just before Henry VIII walked up the aisle with Ann Boleyn and traverse the centuries discovering the changes to where we live, ending at the former Cosgrove Hall Productions, home of Danger Mouse, Chorlton and the Wheelies and Count Duckula.

No less bold was the wall telling the story of Denbigh Villas on High Lane, which mixed the story of the two houses with accounts of the surrounding area.

And now on Manchester Road at the invitation of the developers* and in conjunction with Chorlton Arts Festival which is part of  Chorlton Civic Society we have created three panels stretching 7.2 meters long. 

Together they describe the story of the former swimming baths with a look back to when this part of Chorlton was open fields with names like Gilbury Marsh and Horsefield, accompanied by tales of “dark doings” and culminating with our own Carnegie library and its links to the Titanic.

The panels will soon go up allowing the curious and the tourist another opportunity to walk Chorlton’s past.

Location; Manchester Road

Pictures; bits of the History Walk

*MSV HOUSING GROUP

The History Wall is back at its permanent home at Chorlton High School

The History Wall is back.

The Wall today

This was the 80 meter installation sponsored by McCarthy and Stone which told the story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy from a small rural community living around the green in the 17th century to the busy and lively place we know today.*

It was designed as a walk and consisted of 16 large panels with paintings by Peter Topping and stories by me and allowed the visitor to discover the stories and the people who lived here.

During the eight months that it stood along Albany and Brantingham Road it drew lots of local attention, featured in the media and even became a tourist attraction.

The Wall in 2012

As Lord Bradley of Withington said at the official opening “this was a unique collaboration between a local historian and an artist with a developer to enliven a building site and bring history alive.”

And befitting the event the opening and the story behind the project was the subject of the  short film GLAD TO BE IN CHORLTON - Opening of Exhibition of "Chorlton-Cum-Hardy The Story" by Hardy Productions, UK.**

But the installation was only a temporary exhibition and with the completion of the new development the wall came down ready for its permanent home at Chorlton High School.

This is a suitable final resting place.

Just behind the wall is the historic Hough End Hall while away to the north is Chorlton Brook and to the west the park all of which have been part of  the township’s history.

And for me and Peter it has a personal connection because between us seven of our children attended the high school and many of the original  photographs in the display came from the collection of John Lloyd who taught generations of young people on this site and the others that made up Chorlton High.

The start of the story

The wall was the culmination of a project which had aimed to place my stories and Peter’s paintings in selected venues across Chorlton in a history trail.

Each small exhibition placed the spot in its historical context and included something which was special to the venue, whether it be an historic event or a tale of the people who lived behind the door.

And the collaboration has gone on with a book about Didsbury, a series of walks and talks and plans for new ventures based on Manchester.***

And each of us continue with our own projects.

Peter has an exhibition of his work including some of the paintings which feature on the wall along with others of Chorlton, Manchester and beyond  which can be seen at CHORLTON-CUM-HARDY... A MOMENT IN TIME EXHIBITION. 

The Exhibition is on till May 25th 2014 at Arison Gallery, 512 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, M21 9AW. Telephone: 0161 881 6734, email: arison.gallery@ntlworld.com web: www.gladtobe.in

I am deep in writing a book on Manchester and the Great War  along with a series of talks and walks, while continuing to write for the blog and preparing  a second book on the history of Chorlton.****

But I digress the History Wall can be seen  at Chorlton High School on Nell Lane

All of which  just leaves me to to thank the school for giving the exhibition its permanent home and McCarthy and Stone who sponsored it.

Pictures; the Wall at McCarthy and Stone's development by Tom McGrath and at Chorlton High School by Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures, www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk 

*Chorlton the History Wall, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Chorlton%20the%20history%20wall

**GLAD TO BE IN CHORLTON -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-EAGuWaNs by Hardy Productions UK, https://sites.google.com/site/hardyprodsuk/

***Didsbury Through Time, Peter Topping & Andrew Simpson, Amberley 2013

****The Story of Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Andrew Simpson, 2012, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/the-story-of-chorlton-cum-hardy.html

Last chance to walk the History Wall down on Albany Road

It was as Lord Bradley said a “unique partnership which had brought the history wall to Chorlton.” 

I don’t think there is anywhere in the city where a developer a local artist and a historian had come together to tell the story of a place.*

And that was what McCarthy and Stone, Peter Topping and I set out to do.**

McCarthy and Stone build “later life” properties and Peter paints the pictures and I tell the stories.

The project was simple enough and was about bringing the story of Chorlton from its rural past to the present day touching as we went on the major developments in between.

And because we were on a building site it seemed sensible to design it as a walk.  So along the 80 meter stretch from Albany Road round on to Brantingham you could walk our history.

It started on the green in the 16th century, moved on to Wilbraham and Barlow Moor Roads taking in many of the late 19th century buildings and finished with the next phase in the history of Chorlton.

Peter called it a “history wall” and that aptly summed it up.

Here were stories of the old parish church, the Horse and Jockey and life in the village and on Beech Road.

There were also tales of how New Chorlton developed in the 19th century and references to our first cinema, Cosgrove Hall and the coming of the tram.

All of this was superimposed on Peter’s paintings of contemporary Chorlton.

The wall was officially opened in September by Lord Bradley and the ceremony was attended by school parties, our City Councillors, the MP, and a host of other people including the Civic Society and Chorlton History Group.

Not to be out done the film company Hardy Productions UK offered their services and filmed the day and since then it has remained a bit of a talking point and even became a tourist attraction.

But there would come a time when the display came down, and sadly by Easter that will be the case.

Not that this is the end.  It will resurface in Chorlton High School and perhaps even for a while feature inside the new housing development.

In the meantime there are still plenty of opportunities to walk the walk, starting at  Albany Road in the 16th century with the Horse and Jockey on the village green round to Brantingham Road with the coming of the railway, our first cinema and now the new tram line.

Pictures; courtesy of Peter Topping, McCarty & Stone and Tom McGrath

*http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Chorlton%20the%20history%20wall

**See the film of the exhibition at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh-EAGuWaNs

The Manchester Evening News visits the History Wall

Today the Manchester Evening News visited the History Wall.

Yesterday the Wall attracted its first tourists all the way from North Carolina  and today our regional paper paid it a visit.

And read the story behind the History Wall at http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Glad%20to%20be%20in%20Chorlton

Picture; MEN September 19th 2012

Chorlton's first tourist attraction?

Now I am about to make the sort of claim which is  slightly flippant but has an element of truth.

The History Wall which opened on September 7th tells the story of Chorlton-Cum-Hardy.  It's a collaboration between local artist Peter Topping, myself, and the developers McCarthy & Stone who are building retirement homes on the old Cosgrove Hall site on Albany Road.

The project spans the 80 meters of the site and has attracted a lot of interest, and now has become a tourist attraction.  Well how else could it be when Cathy Santos Gonzalez and family from North Carolina chose to have their picture taken by the wall?  So is this the birth of Chorlton’s first tourist attraction?

Read the full story at http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Glad%20to%20be%20in%20Chorlton

Picture; from the collection of Tom McGrath

A unique artistic and historical development on Albany Road in the heart of Chorlton opened yesterday

It is as Lord Bradley said a “unique partnership which has brought the history wall to Chorlton.”

I don’t think there is anywhere in the city where a developer a local artist and a historian have come together to tell the story of a place.*  And that is what McCarthy and Stone, Peter Topping and I have done.

McCarthy and Stone build “later life” properties and Peter  paints the pictures and I tell the stories.

So some months ago we decided to bring the story of Chorlton from its rural past to the present day touching as we went on the major developments in between.

And because we were on a building site it seemed sensible to design it as a walk.  So along the 80 meter stretch from Albany Road round on to Brantingham you can walk our history.

It starts on the green in the 16th century, moves on to Wilbraham and Barlow Moor Roads taking in many of the late 19th century buildings and finishes with the next phase in the history of Chorlton.

Peter called it a “history wall” and that aptly sums it up.  Here are stories of the old parish church, the Horse and Jockey and life in the village and on Beech Road.  There are also tales of the New Chorlton developed in the 19th century and references to our first cinema, Cosgrove Hall and the coming of the tram.

All of this is superimposed on Peter’s paintings of contemporary Chorlton, who began the project of recoding what the township looked liked “because it is changing so quickly”

And yesterday when the history wall was opened by Lord Bradley there were lots of people who came down to enjoy the fun, look at Peter’s paintings and read the stories.

Well there you have it, 80 meters of history pictures and paintings along Albany and Brantingham Roads and it’s free and will be up for 18 months.

Now that can’t be a bad deal.

Pictures; by Tom McGrath

* http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Chorlton%20the%20history%20wall

The biggest Chorlton exhibition yet

Now here’s a story.

Just suppose you were given permission to mount an exhibition about the history of Chorlton combining old photographs and contemporary paintings of the place.

And that the finished exhibition would be mounted on a site stretching 50 meters by 30, in a prominent postion in the heart of where you lived.

I think that would be pretty good, and that’s just what Peter and  I have gone and done with the help of McCarthy and Stone who are developing the site we have chosen to stage the story.

As many of you know Peter paints the pictures and I tell the stories.  We launched the partnership at the Big Green Festival in March, created a history trail across six venues which featured pictures,  paintings and stories of Chorlton’s past and on the way staged exhibitions in the Library.  So the idea of the history wall was a natural next step.

And now it’s here, on the old Cosgrove Hall site on Albany Road. It stretches the full 80 meters round onto Brantingham Road and will take you from our rural past, through the 19th and 20th centuries into the 21st.

Not only will you be able to follow that history but we have designed it so you can walk it in 80 meters.  On the History Wall you start at Chorlton Green in the 16th century you can travel along Wilbraham Road and Barlow Moor Road during the 19th century taking in the changes featured in the buildings along the route and end close to the modern tram station and the proposed new developments on the old Cosgrove Hall site.

It has already excited a lot of interest from people who saw it going up and all day yesterday there were lots stopping to look and read the story we have told.

And the event has been captured by another blog  http://loiselden.com/2012/09/06/presenting-the-history-of-one-small-town/. and the twitter chatter is out there passing on what there is to see down at Albany Road.

So come and join us at 12 as we open the "story on the wall".

Picture; from the collection of Peter Topping

Chorlton-cum-Hardy The Story at Albany Road, tomorrow

It’s the story of where we live, from the 16th century to now, spread over an exhibition site on the old Cosgrave Hall site on Albany Road.

Sponsored by the site developer McCarthy and Stone, the exhibition by Peter and I will be opened by Lord Bradley of Withington at mid day.  We have called it the History Wall.

Not only will you be able to follow that story but we have designed it so you can walk it in 80 meters.  You start at Chorlton Green in 1512, travel along Wilbraham Road and Barlow Moor Road during the 19th century taking in the changes featured in the buildings along the route and end close to the modern tram station and the proposed new developments on the old Cosgrove Hall site.

Picture; a preview of one of the 16 panels telling our story, by Peter Topping and Andrew Simpson

The biggest yet a new exhibition on the story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy

I suppose it was only a matter of time before Peter and I were offered a building site wall to tell the story of Chorlton.  

Now as you know I tell the stories and Peter paints the pictures and between us we have staged exhibitions at the Big Green Festival, the library and across six venues in Chorlton.

And this is the biggest to date.  We are working with the firm McCarthey and Stone to tell the story of Chorlton which will be displayed on the panels surrounding their building site on Albany and Buckingham Roads.

Above; panel 1 of the 16 across the 80 by 30 metre site

It is the old Cosgrove Hall site and the panels stretch for 50 metres along Albany and around Buckingham for another 30.  So no small project.

And with the artwork finished and the final site visit completed this new Glad to be in Chorlton  Exhibition should be up within the next few weeks.

Picture; Peter Topping