Showing posts with label The Whitehurst family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Whitehurst family. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 March 2017

Lives revealed ...... another story from Colin

Here we are back with the Whitehurst family, coal merchants in Hulme, except now time has moved on from May Day 1905 to May Day 1930, and again a commercial photographer is in the area to capture the moment; possibly the same one as in 1905.*

Mr Whitehurst 1930 on Bangor Street
Here is William Whitehurst, now a third generation to hold that name, in his smart clogs.

He has just unhitched the horse, decorated for May Day, so that the photographer can get a good picture.

The coal wagon can just be seen in the background.

The photo was taken on Bangor Street just off the junction with Tamworth Street.

The Tamworth House pub, which stood on the corner, is just out of shot on the left but is visible in the next photo.

Although the Whitehursts were to use horses to deliver coal right up until 1952, William's father had surprisingly purchased a bullnose Morris Cowley (production 1919-1926) way back in the 1920s and was the first person in Tamworth Street to own one!

William and Doris in their Morris Crossley
So, in 1930, this motorcar was an inevitable subject for another photograph and as it was parked just round the corner from the previous shot, the young Mr Whitehurst and his wife, Doris, sat in his father's motorcar for the photographer!

Behind the proud couple is the Tamworth House pub, the name just visible on the windows and signage, and was also known locally at the time as the "Little Tamworth" to distinguish it from the "Big Tamworth", which was the local name given to the larger Tamworth Inn further along Tamworth Street.

Outside 59 Tamworth Street, beside the pub
The car is parked right outside the Whitehurst family's front door at 59 Tamworth St. No trouble finding a parking space in those days!

The coal business office was also run from this address and a gold-leafed wooden plaque dating from the late 1800s is visible to the left of the door and reads, "W Whitehurst Coal Merchant and Furniture Remover".

The plaque still survives and hangs on a wall today, but its original surroundings and streets in Hulme all disappeared in the 1960s. I wonder what happened to the motorcar?

Pictures from the collection of Colin

*Colin; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Whitehurst%20family

Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Lives revealed ...... a story from Colin ......... selling coal from Hyde Street in 1905

Now you never know where a story will go or what it will yield.

Back in October 2016 I wrote about Hyde Street after coming across an image in the Local History Collection and soon after Colin got in touch telling me his family lived there.*

And today he was back in touch with both a story and some photographs and the rest is down to Colin who writes

"We emailed at the end of November last year re my family of coal merchants on Hyde Street, Hulme.

Sorry for delay getting back but we were about to move house.

In a previous blog on Hyde St, "Life beyond the front door .. Hyde St .." (20/10/16), you listed a few residents which included a coal dealer.

The coal dealer was my great great grandfather, William Whitehurst.


It is May Day, 1905 and on this special day there happened to be a photographer travelling around the Chorlton Rd, Hulme area looking for business.

The first photograph shows the entrance to the "W Whitehurst Fuel Merchant" yard/stables which were on Hyde St at the point where it becomes Cornbrook Grove.

The photo actually shows William's son, also William, with "Polly" and a load of coal. Note the feedbag slung under the wagon and the handwheel 'handbrake' immediately behind the horse used to wind the brake blocks (also visible) down onto the iron rims of the rear wheels.

This ensured the wagon didn't 'wander' off when the driver was otherwise engaged! The large building in the background is the rear of The Luxor cinema which stood on the corner of Erskine St and Hyde St with its front on Erskine St.


As the photographer was there, a rarity in itself, Mr Whitehurst must have wanted another photo taken of the horse in its May Day finery in front of his parent's shop nearby on the corner of Bangor St and Mackworth St.

Most of the family lived very close to one another in these streets. For the second photograph, the photographer is stood in the Bangor St/Mackworth St junction, the horse by now unhitched, and William Whitehurst and his father, William senior, posed with the horse now dressed for May Day.

The White Lion pub is in the background which was directly opposite the Whitehurst's corner shop.


The photographer then spun his equipment around for the final photograph of William (Sr) and his wife Jane stood in the doorway of their corner shop.

All in all, quite a busy day back in May 1905 in Hulme, and for two of the individuals, these were the only photographs taken of them in their entire life!

Now that is a story, leaving me only to thank Colin and hope he will contribute more in the future once he has settled in to his new home

© Colin, 2017

Location; Manchester

Pictures; from the collection of Colin

*Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

**Colin; https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/The%20Whitehurst%20family

***"Life beyond the front door .. Hyde Street" https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=Hyde+Street