Walking the paths of the remembered …..... the new book from Michael Billington

 Mr. Billington’s new book The Churchyards & Cemeteries of Urmston, Flixton & Davyhulme, is more than just a record of gravestone, memorials and churchyards.

It combines fine scholarship, a fascinating collection of period and contemporary photographs, and is easy to read, all of which marks it out as a book to visit.

St Catherine's Church

And not just if you live or lived in Urmston, Flixton or Davyhulme, because the depth of detail about funeral practices the culture of the dead and the stories behind the gravestones make it a book that many will both enjoy and lean from.

For me it is the little additions that make it more than just a list of who died and when.

So included is a fascinating description of how in the 21st century “the use of hammer and chisel to engrave by hand has been substituted by computerisation”, while peppered through the book are short verses drawn from a collection of writers and more than a few which stretch back in time and are anonymous.

Philip Weisberg

Added to which Mr. Billington has written extensively about Urmston Jewish Cemetery, drawing on his own deep research and assisted by the Jewish Historian and Genealogist Dr Rosalyn Livishin and Dr Sharman Kadish.

As ever it is the stories he draws out that make for riveting reading, so here is a description of the war memorial commemorating the twenty-eight Jewish servicemen who died in the two world wars and is a salutary reminder in a period of rising antisemitism of the contribution they made to the protection of our country.

The window of three Worthington Wright children 

Talking to Michael about the book just before its publication he told me just how moved he was by so many of the inscriptions he encountered in all the graveyards, and particularly the awful record of child mortality.

So included in the memorials is "the stained glass window in the church of three Worthington Wright children who all died during the month of November 1858. The first two died of scarlet fever and measles and the last one just of scarlet fever".

Along with this was his determination to tell all the stories not just of the “great and the good”, but those who history has forgotten and in some cases  who history didn’t even both to notice.  Which is a nice lead into the epitaph of Robert Phillip of Kingsbridge , Devon which Michael includes 

“Here lie I at the chancel door

Here I lie because I’m poor

The farther in more you’ll pay

Here lie I as warm and they”

Leaving me just to include the publisher’s notes 

“The townships of Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme have a rich and diverse historical heritage. This richness and diversity are reflected in how the townships honour their dead from the burial grounds themselves to the cenotaphs and stained glass windows, and plaques in the churches.

Cenotaph with poppy wreaths, St Mary's Church Davyhulme

This book looks at not only the grand statement tombs of the wealthy but also the final resting places of vicars, churchwardens, sextons, choirmasters, church organists, journalists, actors, teachers, pub landlords, architects, policemen, servants and paupers”.

It costs £16.99 and is available from the author at epona publishing, www.eponarecords,com, J Parkers Garden Centre, Urmston Books, Trafford Local Studies, and Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Location; Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme

Isaac and Leah Samuels

Pictures; from the collection of Michael Billington, 2025

*Billington, Michael, The Churchyards & Cemeteries of Urmston, Flixton & Davyhulme, 2025

**ibid, page 276

Tomorrow in Urmston ........ Mr Billington presents ........

 Now long before text messages Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, there was the picture postcard.

For a small price our great grandparents, could write home to family and friends reporting on a holiday, passing on birthday wishes or just arranging to meet up.

And because they included a picture on the front the cards have become the stock of local historians to illustrate “how we lived”

All of which brings me to the new book, “Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Postcard Heritage”, by Michael Billington.

The press release says“The Golden Age of postcard collecting, known as deltiology, was between the years 1902 and 1914, an era when collecting became hugely popular.

With regular and efficient collections and deliveries it was common to see messages such as “See you at 2pm this afternoon”; the text message of yesteryear? 

Also “Here's another for your collection” and “one more for your album”.

This book looks at the development of the publication of postcards in the Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme area. E. Mather of Flixton Post Office and J. Wride, who had a stationer's in Urmston, photographed the streets of the area as well as landmarks such as the pubs, churches, grand houses, parks, hospitals, railways, cenotaphs, canals and bridges.

"A Byeway, Flixton", date unknown

All are here in this book contrasted with more recent photographs taken by the author.

Michael Billington is an Urmstonian and this is his third book about the area”.

The official launch will be on Thursday October 27th at  7.30pm in Urmston Library and will be il-lustrated by a powerpoint presentation by Mike featuring highlights of the book.

Mike adds, “the guest of honour, who will say a few words, will be Joanne Harding, Labour councillor with responsibility for culture, leisure and strategic partnerships in the Urmston Ward. She also has responsibility for Trafford Poverty Strategy and Domestic Abuse.”

"You may expect me tomorrow", 1910

Free glass of wine and admission free but booking required at the Eventbrite link below.

Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Postcard Heritage Tickets, Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

And that is it.

Location; Urmston, Flixton, Davyhulme

Pictures; from the collection of Michael Billington

“See you at 2pm this afternoon” …. stories from postcards

Now long before test messages Face book, WhatsApp and Twitter, there was the picture postcard.

For a small price our great grandparents, could write home to family and friends reporting on a holiday, passing on birthday wishes or just arranging to meet up.

And because they included a picture on the front the cards have become the stock of local historians to illustrate “how we lived”

All of which brings me to the new book, “Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Postcard Heritage”, by Michael Billington.

The press release says“The Golden Age of postcard collecting, known as deltiology, was between the years 1902 and 1914, an era when collecting became hugely popular.

With regular and efficient collections and deliveries it was common to see messages such as “See you at 2pm this afternoon”; the text message of yesteryear? 

Also “Here's another for your collection” and “one more for your album”.

This book looks at the development of the publication of postcards in the Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme area. E. Mather of Flixton Post Office and J. Wride, who had a stationer's in Urmston, photographed the streets of the area as well as landmarks such as the pubs, churches, grand houses, parks, hospitals, railways, cenotaphs, canals and bridges.

"A Byeway, Flixton", date unknown

All are here in this book contrasted with more recent photographs taken by the author.

Michael Billington is an Urmstonian and this is his third book about the area”.

The official launch will be on Thursday October 27th at  7.30pm in Urmston Library and will be il-lustrated by a powerpoint presentation by Mike featuring highlights of the book.

Mike adds, “the guest of honour, who will say a few words, will be Joanne Harding, Labour councillor with responsibility for culture, leisure and strategic partnerships in the Urmston Ward. She also has responsibility for Trafford Poverty Strategy and Domestic Abuse.”

"You may expect me tomorrow", 1910

Free glass of wine and admission free but booking required at the Eventbrite link below.

Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Postcard Heritage Tickets, Thu, Oct 27, 2022 at 7:30 PM | Eventbrite

And that is it.

Location; Urmston, Flixton, Davyhulme

Pictures; from the collection of Michael Billington

"Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Collection of Antiques and Curios" ...... the story of the book ..... today at Central Ref

So for anyone who has ever wondered how a history book is written or how two authors with a love of the same place and with heaps of local knowledge to share, worked together,  ..........this is the talk to attend.

My old friend and co author, Michael Billington says, 

"Just a last reminder that I shall be giving my powerpoint talk at Manchester Centrel Reference Library just opposite the Metrolink stop in St Peter's square tomorrow, Wednesday, at 10.30am. 

The subject will be "Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme: A Collection of Antiques and Curios", the book that I co-wrote with my late friend Bob Potts.

Do come along, it would be lovely to see old friends and some new ones".

Now you can't say fairer than that.

Location, Central Ref, today at 10.30 am

Pictures; courtesy of Michael Billington, 2022

Bob Potts ……. the generous historian

Now there will be many who are better placed than me to write about Bob Potts.

Bob with his Reminiscences of a Flixton Boyhood

I only really got to know him about a decade ago, but during those ten years his visits on a Sunday were most welcome, as were our chance meetings in Morrisons, where over a basket of shopping we would exchange news of each other’s projects.

Bob was one of those generous historians, who was most happy when he could offer up pictures and information from his vast collection of material.

Added to which he was equally keen to proffer advice and the occasional correction which I always accepted from a man whose local historical knowledge was boundless.

So, when I was writing a book on Manchester and the Great War, Bob provided me with some fine picture postcards of Red Cross nurses, and even more generously lent me his records relating to the history of Manchester pubs.

These pub records consisted of the dates when the pubs were first granted a license, included the names of breweries as well as the date when the houses closed.

Bob's pub book on the pubs of Hulme and Chorlton-on-Medlock

And they were collected the old fashioned, way from the records held at the Greater Manchester County Office as well as the Archive and Local History Library in Central Ref,  involving long hours with huge musty volumes, which few had ever used.

Anyone who has trawled such documents will know that mix of excitement and tedium, as the day rolls on broken by the odd coffee break, in lonely seclusion punctuated by some fascinating discoveries.

Bob sharing happily his knowledge

Added to which when Bob undertook this bit of research it was done pre computer, so the records were handwritten and the process of ordering them was done without the aid of an electronic database to sort, edit and represent the information.

These records were invaluable to me, and of course were the basis for three books he wrote on Manchester pubs, written in the early 1980s and published by Neil Richardson.

But his historical interests and writing extended way beyond public houses.  

According to Michael Billington, who was his friend and co author he “started writing in 1970 when he wrote an article about the Roman road from Manchester to Ribchester for The Ribchester Archaeology Group’s magazine” and going on to write for other publications about his passion for digging up old Victorian and Edwardian bottles which had been discarded in ash pits.**

This in turn led to that interest in pub history and marked him out as a historian rather than just a collector.

Bob in his 20s

He was also active in local history groups and was a welcome guest speaker, especially when he gave talks on the Red Cross.

He had been born in Flixton in 1936 but spent most of his life in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, where along with his wife Joyce he raised a family of two sons and two daughters and was blessed with two grandchildren.

During the time I knew him, he was still working, and often would divert from his delivery rounds to drop off some “interesting thing” from his collection, and the presence of Bob on the doorstep, bicycle clips in hand often on a Sunday morning was always a welcome surprise.

The visit was never a short one as Bob described the object in detail, offered up a context to the piece and then slid off on several fascinating anecdotes, before suddenly closing the conversation and disappearing on his bike.

And that more than anything is how I will remember him …… a historian who was keen to share his knowledge and passion.

Sadly Bob died in February 2021, just before the publication of the book he co wrote with Michael Billlington.

Pictures; Bob, courtesy of Michael Billington 

* The Old Pubs of Hulme 1983, The Old Pubs of Chorlton On Medlock, 1984, The Old Pubs of Rochdale Road, 1985, & Reminiscences of a Flixton Boyhood, 1986, are available from Neil and Sue Richardson publishers, 01204 578138, wattywalton@btconnect.com  

**Urmston, Flixton and Davyhulme, A Collection of Antiques and Curios, Michael BIllington and Bob Potts, Epona Publishing, 2021, www.eponarerecords.com and is also available from Urmston Book shop, https://www.urmston-bookshop.co.uk/ 0161 747 7442

Fun in the garden centre ……………

It was the week that garden centres reopened with of course suitable social distancing, masks, and the expectation that we were turning another corner.

The place was full, and while the restaurant remained closed, no one seemed to bother.

Instead, there was lots of interest in the plants on offer, and more than a few people walked away with heaps of green things, from small bedding specimens to tall and stately climbing ones along with baby bushes which had the promise of taking over the garden.

And while we wandered the aisles, I was attracted to a series of animal figures lurking in the undergrowth, which I instantly took to.

There were lots of them.

They came in different shapes and sizes, and all were brightly coloured.

If I could I would have bought the lot, transporting them home and creating  a menagerie of metal animals spread out across the garden with some tucked away in half hidden places and others proudly standing as centre pieces.

But then, we only have a pocket of a garden, which is already dominated by four fruit trees, a large overgrown patch of grass which was to be joined by Tina’s purchases.

So reluctantly with more than a few backward stares I left them amongst the foliage, confident in the knowledge that some of them would eventually adorn back gardens across south Manchester.

And since that visit the plants have come along, joining those we bought online.

All of which leaves just to reveal that the very first time I bought online from Parkers the said plants didn’t arrive by return of order.  

I toyed with sending a stern email, but was saved by the realization that being plants they would be dispatched at the appropriate time for planting, confirming my total ignorance of gardening, and why I suppose I was attracted to the metal animals and not the flowers.

Location; J Parkers, Flixton

Pictures; having fun in the garden centre, 2021, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*J Parkers, https://www.jparkers.co.uk/about Flixton Garden Centre, Carrington Road, Flixton,, Manchester, M41 6HT.

Wearing Hospital Blues in Flixton Red Cross Hospital sometime during the Great War

Now I am back again with another of those Red Cross Hospitals from the Great War.

They are a tiny bit of the history of that conflict which I knew nothing about until quite recently.

I first came across them when I discovered the existence of one in Chorlton on Edge Lane which was quickly followed by another on Manchester Road.

Both were located in the large Sunday School buildings beside local churches and the Manchester Road one is still there today now home to the Edge Theatre Company.

Others were in private homes donated for the duration of the War by their owners, and here is Wibbersley Red Cross Hospital in Flixton.

At present I have no idea if the house still exists or even exactly where it was, but I know someone will.

In the meantime I shall close with the comment written on the back.  It is undated and unsigned but offers up a little about the house.

“This is the matron standing in front of the House.

This photo was taken soon after it was opened.  You will see the soldiers are in Hospital Dress, but of course they have to wear Hospital Clothes now.”

The distinctive blue uniform was made up of a blue single-breasted jacket with a white lining, blue trousers, a white shirt and a red tie.

They were often known as Hospital blues or ‘Convalescent Blues‘ and were made of a flannel and flannelette combination.

I doubt that they were that popular given that most were ill fitting because they came in just three standard sizes.

But they would have been a familiar sight in the streets of all our towns, cities and villages.

Picture; Flixton Red Croass Hospita, from the collection of David Harrop