The Lower Turk's Head on Shudehill

I

© 2013 Peter Topping

wish I had visited the Lower Turk's Head on Shudehill, if only to add it to that small group of pubs I drank in and which were enhanced by the striking glazed tiles added by the Manchester Brewery Company sometime in the early 20th century.

I would like to say more but that has already been covered in that excellent site,  the Pubs of Manchester.*

But the Turk’s Head has now become one of a new series of pubs which are featuring on the blog.**

All are in the City Centre, all have been painted by the local artist Peter Topping and almost all of them feature that unique tiled exterior.

And over the next few months I shall be including more, exploring their history, the people who ran them, drank in them and something of how they fit into the story of Manchester.

*Pubs of Manchester, http://pubs-of-manchester.blogspot.co.uk/

**Manchester Pubs and Hotels, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Manchester%20Pubs%20and%20Hotels

Paitning; Painting; The Lower Turk’s Head,  © 2013 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk

Facebook:  Paintings from Pictures

On Westmount Road with ST TIO PARADE in Janaury 2014

© Chrissie Rose

I wonder how long we will still have this parade of shops at numbers 92-98 Westmount Road.

According to Discover Eltham* this was the original station building for what was Shooters Hill and Eltham Park “having between the wars become a parade of shops; no 96 with its distinctive upper floor was the original entrance to the booking hall.”

The station’s name was changed to Eltham Park in 1927 and was closed in 1985.

And I just don’t remember it.

The station in happier times, © This is Eltham

But then my stop was Well Hall and in all the years I lived in Eltham I never travelled beyond it.

Now I rather wish I had, if only to be able to claim that I knew all the stations on the line from Charing Cross to Bexleyheath.

As it is there will be plenty of people who will have fond memories of using the station and for all those who never knew it in its hey day here amongst our modern pictures is one from the past.

The old Eltham Park station and its neighbouring shops have clearly seen better times.

© Chrissie Rose

The half hearted attempt to cover the glazed tiles with blue paint was clearly not a success, no one has replaced the missing letters in Station Parade, and  the faded Thresher signage is evidence that no one has bought anything at number 92 for a long time.

And if any more proof were needed that this once smart row of shops was sliding into oblivion it is that that in the second edition of Discover Eltham the parade fails even to get a mention.

So it is too the good that Chrissie was on hand to record them and it is another reminder of the need to snap away and capture what may soon no longer be with us.

Of course the parade may have a new lease of life after all there should be a demand for vacant shops along Westmount Road but as with so many properties there is every chance that they will be redeveloped as something new.

We shall see.

*Discover Eltham and its Environs, Darrell Spurgeon, 1992, revised edition 2000

Pictures; of the parade today courtesy of Chrissie Rose, January 2014 and at an earlier time, courtesy of Thisiseltham, http://www.thisiseltham.co.uk/index.php

At Candelmas in Well Hall

At Well Hall, December 2012, © Chrissie Rose

"If Candelmas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if it be dark with clouds and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.”*

Now I missed Candelmas which was February 2nd.

It marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox and it is a traditional Christian festival commemorating the ritual purification of Mary forty days after the birth of her son Jesus and when Jesus was presented in the Temple.

In pre Christian times, the day was the Feast of Lights and celebrated the increase in strength of the life giving sun as winter gave way to spring.**

So for our farmers here in Well Hall Candelmas was a significant moment in the farming year and as you would expect there were plenty of proverbs which had grown up around this mid point of winter.

Now Well Hall is no longer a rural community and our link with the land is pretty tenuous but I remain drawn to that period when most of us would have gained a living from farming.***

And while I suspect our farmers and market gardeners were realistic enough to know that proverbs were not always sound predictors of the coming weather many will have uttered them on the course of that day.

After all these rural proverbs were rooted in the experience of life of the countryside and will have stretched back centuries.

At Well Hall, May 2013, © Scott MacDonald

So for no other reason than I like them and because I have never lost my interest in the Well Hall of the past here are a few more Candelmas proverbs.

“As far as the sun shines in our Candelmas Day,
So far the snow will blow afore May.”

“Where the wind is on Candelmas Day
There it will stick till the end of May.”

And my own favourite which pretty much points up that we are still only midway through winter,

“Lock in the barn on Candelmas Day
Half your corn and half your hay.”

So given that Sunday was a bright sunny day with a spot of wind I am at a loss what to predict.

*quoted by H. Rider Haggard, A Farmer’s Year, Being the Commonplace Book for 1898, 1909

**Project Britain, Folklore Calendar, http://projectbritain.com/year/candlemas.html

*** The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/A%20new%20book%20for%20Chorlton

Pictures; The Tudor Barn, in December 2012 from the collection of Chrissie Rose, and the Tudor Barn in May 2013 courtesy of Scott MacDonald

Candelmas in Chorlton, the year ahead

The meadows, December 2008

"If Candelmas Day be fair and bright,
Winter will have another flight;
But if it be dark with clouds and rain,
Winter is gone and will not come again.”*

Now I missed Candelmas which was February 2nd.

It marks the midpoint of winter, halfway between the shortest day and the spring equinox and it is a traditional Christian festival commemorating the ritual purification of Mary forty days after the birth of her son Jesus and when Jesus was presented in the Temple.

In pre Christian times, the day was the Feast of Lights and celebrated the increase in strength of the life giving sun as winter gave way to spring.**

So for our farmers here in Chorlton Candelmas was a significant moment in the farming year and as you would expect there were plenty of proverbs which had grown up around this mid point of winter.

Now Chorlton is no longer a rural community and our link with the land is pretty tenuous but I remain drawn to that period when most of us would have gained a living from farming.***

And while I suspect our farmers and market gardeners were realistic enough to know that proverbs were not always sound predictors of the coming weather many will have uttered them on the course of that day.

After all these rural proverbs were rooted in the experience of life of the countryside and will have stretched back centuries.

The meadows July 2009

So for no other reason than I like them and because I have never lost my interest in the Chorlton of the past here are a few more Candelmas proverbs.

“As far as the sun shines in our Candelmas Day, 
So far the snow will blow afore May.”

“Where the wind is on Candelmas Day
There it will stick till the end of May.”

And my own favourite which pretty much points up that we are still only midway through winter,

“Lock in the barn on Candelmas Day
Half your corn and half your hay.”

So given that Sunday was a bright sunny day with a spot of wind I am at a loss what to predict.

*quoted by H. Rider Haggard, A Farmer’s Year, Being the Commonplace Book for 1898, 1909

**Project Britain, Folklore Calendar, http://projectbritain.com/year/candlemas.html

*** The Story of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/A%20new%20book%20for%20Chorlton

Pictures; the meadows across the seasons, from the collection of David Bishop

You can never have enough books on Eltham

My copy of Eltham Through Time arrived a few days ago and of course I read it in one go.

There are 96 pages, and 180 images of Eltham, which mix the old and vanished Eltham with the same places today.

Now I do have to admit to a very personal interest in the book.  Like many people who read the blog I grew up in Eltham and look back with fond memories of Well Hall, the High Street and Crown Woods.

But like Ms Bedford I also write for Amberley Publishing who produced Eltham Through Time and so I have a very real professional interest in the book.

Like all those in the series the quality of the images and the juxtaposition of old and new pictures makes the book a fascinating read.

Leafing through the pages for a second time I have come across some old favourites along with some that are totally new to me. The added attraction of this edition is that over half are in colour and that makes for a nice contrast with the old black and white photographs.

Now just after it arrived my newsletter from the Eltham Society fell onto the door mat with a review of the book, but as you would expect I have left the review by Eltham historian Mr Kennett till the weekend.

So until then I shall just close with one outrageous piece of self promotion and mention Didsbury Through Time.

Like Ms Bedford’s book it contains 96 pages with a mix of old and new images but also some paintings by local artist Peter Topping and some stories of the people behind the doors of the houses, shops and grand mansions of this township a little over five miles from Manchester.

But that as they say is another book.

*Didsbury Through Time

Lets Make Hough End Hall Ours

The Hall today, © 2013 Peter Topping

I do have a fond spot for Hough End Hall and it is a place I have regularly written about.*

And now there are plans a foot to bring it into community use after many years as an office complex and restaurant.**

Built in 1596, it is a traditional Elizabethan brick house designed to imitate the letter E.

The design of these houses tended to follow the same pattern: on the ground floor there was the hall, which took up most of the building and had a long gallery directly above it which had windows on three sides and a fireplace on the fourth.

The Hall in 1900

The kitchen and living areas were contained in the two arms that jutted out from the main part of the building.

Now Hough End Hall which was just outside the township in Withington had been home to the Mosley’s while Barlow Hall on the southern edge of Chorlton had been owned by the Barlow family.

Both in their different ways fit into the conventional image of old landed families.

The Mosley’s had moved into commerce in the late sixteenth century, sided with the Royalist cause in the Civil War and suffered  from spendthrift  gambling members in the eighteenth, finally selling the Hall on to the Egerton’s around 1751.

By 1847 it was a farmhouse and was the home of Henry Jackson who farmed 220 acres beyond the eastern boundary of the township.

This made it one of the largest farms in the area, and Jackson employed 13 labourers, nine of whom lived in the hall.  It was still an impressive sight, leading one observer to write that its
‘ivy-covered walls, its clustered chimneys and its gabled roof, present a picturesque and pleasing appearance."***

The Hall in 1933

With its transition to a farmhouse the large communal areas were partitioned off into smaller rooms and the census of 1911 describes Hough End Hall with eleven rooms.

In the 20th century its fate seemed uncertain despite calls for its restoration.

At various times the Corporation entertained plans to take it over but these came to nought and in the 1920s it was nearly demolished when Mauldeth Road West was being extended.

And it has been subject to horrendous acts of vandalism including the decision by the Egerton’s to strip out some of its period features.

Finally in 1965 a property company undertook to save the hall, restore it while building two office blocks on either side.

Not everyone was pleased with the restoration which the secretary of the Ancient Monuments Society described as “botched.”****

The Hall, a community asset for Chorlton

Since then it has undergone a number of different uses but all have eventually foundered, so it is exciting that there are moves to bring the hall into community use.

And it is on the market now for less than £300,000.

For those interested in this project I suggest you visit Hough End Hall Lets Make it Ours, https://www.facebook.com/groups/houghendhall/

*Hough End Hall,  http://chorltonhistory.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Hough%20End%20Hall

** Hough End Hall Lets Make it Ours, https://www.facebook.com/groups/houghendhall/ And if you follow the link through.in http://www.gladtobe.in/ you can fill in the survey and have your say as to what it can be used for now.

***Brooker, Rev John, A History of the Chapels of Didsbury and Chorlton, Chetham Society, Manchester, 1857,

****Hall or Nothing, Robert Waterhouse, the Manchester Guardian, 1973

Painting, Hough End Hall © 2013 Peter Topping, Paintings from Pictures,
Web: www.paintinsfrompictures.www.paintingsfrompictures.co.uk 

Pictures; Hough End Hall circa 1900 from the collection of Philip Lloyd  and the Hall in 1933, by F. Blyth, from A Short history of Chorlton-cum-Hardy by J.D. Blyth, 1933

The Stockport by-election 1920 by Graham Gill

One of the nice things about the blog is when someone offers to write a story and today I have the pleasure in posting one on the Stockport by-election of 1920 by Graham Gill

Graham has a wonderful collection of memorabilia some of which he has kindly allowed me to use, and so I jumped at his offer to tell the story of this 1920 Parliamentary election along with some of material which was published at the time.

On Friday 27 February 1920 the Stockport Advertiser reported the death of the Liberal Stockport Coalition MP ''Its with deep regret we announce the death of Spencer Leigh Huges MP age 40 ''

To understand the 1920 Stockport By-election we need to know that there was a coalition government and that the Labour Party withdrew from the coalition in 1918.

The key question for the Unionist, Liberals, Labour and Co-operative Parties was how do you split one seat between two candidates?

The Labour Party unveiled Sir Leo Cheozza Money and was given full support by the Labour and Co-operatives.

We should recall the Unionist stood down in 1918 General Election in favour of Huges (Liberal) and Wardle (Labour) who were coalition candidates. Wardle decision to remain in government evoked a great deal of hostility.

The Liberal Party, it was their MP who died so they expected to have the candidate for the coalition.

Stockport Liberals recommended T.B. Leigh as a coalition candidate.

The Unionist had a problem do they support T.B. Leigh or nominate their candidate but they were determined to fight for the seat and put forward Mr A.A.G. Kindle. The two parties were on a collision course.

The newspapers headlines proclaimed ''Deadlock in Stockport'' followed by ''Deadlock, coalition divided against itself''

Then a significant development happened on 8 March Sir George Younger Chairman of the Conservatives and Unionist Whip a central figure in Government visited Stockport.

Event moved quickly, first T.B. Leigh resigned his nomination then the sitting MP Wardle resigned his seat claiming ill health. Was Wardle persuaded to go by Lloyd George government?

The Co-operatives were in no doubt two hours after Sir George Younger returns Wardle resigns.

After the events of Wednesday Mr William Greenwood was adopted as a Unionist/coalition candidate, Mr Henry Flides as a Liberal candidate.

The Co-operative Party turned to S.P. Perry secretary of the National Co-operative with the full support of Sir Leo Chiazza Money.

Stockport voters had two votes and the result was declared on 11 April with William Greenwood and Mr Henry Flides voted to Parliament,

By 1922 the coalition had collapsed and in the General Election H. Flidles and William Greenwood were re-elected as Liberal and Unionist MPs. W Greenwood died in 1925 and in a subsequent by-election A.E. Townend won the seat for Labour winning 36.5% of the vote.


Labour had now arrived in Stockport.

© Graham Gill

Pictures; the candidates in the 1920 election  from the collection of Graham Gill, graph by Andrew Simpson