Sharing Salford`s fantastic story

Sharing Salford’s fantastic story
LifeTimesLink
Issue No 22 November 2007 - May 2008 FREE
Useful contacts Phone
John Sculley,
museums and heritage
services manager
0161 778 0816
Heather McAlpine,
lifetimes officer
0161 778 0885
Caroline Mean ,
heritage development officer
0161 778 0817
Ann Monaghan,
outreach officer
0161 778 0881
Peter Ogilvie,
collections manager
0161 778 0825
Sarah Hughes,
acting exhibitions officer
0161 778 0819
Dave Robinson,
acting exhibitions officer
0161 778 0829
Ceri Horrocks,
learning officer
0161 778 0820
Luisa Guccione,
learning support assistant
0161 778 0821
Bev Davies,
Embrace Project officer
0161 778 0837
Tim Ashworth,
librarian,
Local History Library
0161 778 0814
Salford Museum &
Art Gallery
0161 778 0800
Ordsall Hall Museum
0161 872 0251
Useful contacts Websites
www.salford.gov.uk/museums
- for all museum related topics
www.salford.gov.uk/whatson find out about concerts, walks,
talks and other events in Salford
www.wcml.org.uk
- website for the Working Class
Movement Library
www.canalarchive.org.uk
- all about Trafford Park,
the Bridgewater Canal and
Manchester Ship Canal
Welcome to LifeTimes Link 22. Once again our
thanks go to all Friends, contributors and readers
who continue to ensure lively interest and debate
in the city’s history and its unique stories.
Ordsall Hall Since our last issue, the
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) National
Panel, has met and agreed its support for
the Ordsall Hall development earmarking
a £4.3m contribution to the £6m+ project.
HLF support allows plans to progress to
stage 2. Architectural and operational
details are now being finalised with
conservation and other project
specialists. The programme remains on
schedule with works anticipated to begin
in 2008 and completion in 2011.
Conserving 800 years of history, while at
the same time making the property fit
for 21st century purposes, is an expensive
business. Even with the generous support
of Salford City Council and the HLF we
still need to raise £1,000,000. If you would
like to support the appeal by making
a donation, you can contact the hall
direct, or donate online by visiting the
Extraordinary Ordsall Campaign at:
www.salford.gov.uk/ordsallhall
A beautiful new centrepiece to Ordsall
Hall’s archaeological gallery is a Saxon
log boat. Conserved with financial
support from the Museums, Libraries
and Archives Council, this River Irwell
treasure is now on display alongside
other archaeological finds, including
animal bones and pottery from the hall’s
2007 dig.
Salford Museum & Art Gallery Salford’s
ambitions for its unique heritage has
also included a long-term vision for the
Museum and Art Gallery, as a national
centre for the appreciation, study and
advancement of industrial social history,
1750-2050.
These plans, informed by a series of
consultations across the city in 2006, have
been developed by world class museum
designers, Metaphor. They have proposed
a redevelopment of Salford Museum that
will guarantee the future of the museum,
and Salford’s position as a microcosm of
industrial history, for the next 150 years.
Metaphor have worked on major national
and international works including the
British Museum’s reading rooms for
China’s Terracotta Army exhibition.
Events and Exhibitions Don’t miss
‘Hidden Treasures’ – an exhibition of art
and design gems from Salford Museums’
collection. The National Purchase Grant
Fund was established by the government
in 1881 to assist local museums develop
their collections. Operated by the Victoria
and Albert Museum, Salford celebrates
over 125 years of financial support
with a display of acquisitions including
Chippendale furniture, Delftware, Ming
pottery, Jacob Epstein sculpture as well
as paintings by Geoffrey Key, Vanessa
Bell and Duncan Grant.
Other exhibition highlights include
David Dunnico’s photographic exhibition
‘Memento Mori’. The show examines the
romantic Victorian vision of loss and grief
and coincides with the 150th anniversary
of the opening of Weaste Cemetery.
As well as David’s photographs and a
display on the history and significance
of Weaste Cemetery, the show will also
feature mourning costume and funerary
artefacts from our collections.
Salford Local History Fair, Sunday 18
November 2007. Salford Museum and Art
Gallery’s annual local history celebration
sees 30 organisations and societies set
their stall to explore heritage and delight
visitors. From vintage buses, to Victorian
games, swing boats to bookstalls this is a
Museum Family Sunday not to be missed.
Christmas! For full listings of Salford
Museum’s events and activities, including
the festive season, pick up ‘Here and
Now’ – available from museums, libraries
and the Salford Tourist Information
Centre or visit www.salford.gov.uk/
museums. You can also follow the links
to the sixth most popular webcam in the
entire world, Ordsall Hall’s ‘Ghostcam’.
John Sculley
Museums and heritage services manager
Basic large print versions of this magazine are available - ring 0161 778 0885
This magazine, and all of our back issues can be read or downloaded from www.salford.gov.uk/lifetimes-links
2
Contents
Local history & family fun day
Sunday 18 November 11.00 am – 4.00 pm Salford Museum & Art Gallery Free admission
Now in its sixth year this event offers a great day out for everyone. Around 30 visiting
organisations and societies (some new this year!) will be attending, plus other attractions
throughout the day. If you missed the chance to ride on one of Salford’s vintage buses
why not step on board this year and take a trip from Salford Museum & Art Gallery to the
Transport Museum in Manchester.
The last working clog-maker in the Northwest will be demonstrating throughout the
day. There will be children’s craft activities in the afternoon 1.00-3.00 pm and a strolling
performer to keep the whole family entertained.
Salford Local History Library will be open on the day and staff will be happy to help with
your local and family history enquiries. Refreshments will be served in the museum’s Lark
Hill Tea Room. We hope you can join us and look forward to another great day!
FREE bus rides and FREE ADMISSION to Transport Museum
FREE parking across the road on Irwell Street
For more information contact Salford Museum & Art Gallery on 0161 778 0800
Join the Friends of
Salford Museums
The Friends remain at the heart of
support for Salford Museums including
Ordsall Hall. The Friends are always keen
to welcome new members. For further
information on joining The Friends of
Salford Museums Association, ask at
Salford Museum and Art Gallery or
telephone, 0161 778 0800.
Editorial Useful contacts Contributions Local history &
family fun day
2
2
3
Collections corner
Why Teapot Hall?
4
5
Take a spoonful 3 times daily
6-7
3
Discover the Working 8
Class Movement Library
Tracing family histories
at Salford Boys Club 9
Meet Jean Claude
10
Link Listings
Heritage Walks
Summer at the sites
Learning on loan
Music appeal
11-12
12
13
13
13
The Munich Air Crash 14
Footballers in
15
the family
You Write
16-20
including The Hip,
Shopping,
Lark Hill Place and
Friends of Roe Green
17
18-19
20
20
Mystery Pix
20-21
Salford Scouting
22
Local History
Round Up
Venue map &
opening details 23
24
Cover photo:
Father Christmas at
Thorn Court 1960s
(Fireman Wilf Brown
as Santa).
Contributions
Please send your letters, articles and photographs to:
The Editor: LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0885 Email: [email protected]
The deadline for Issue No 23 (May to November 2008 is 7 March 2008. Please note: we cannot accept any responsibility for the
loss or damage to contributor’s material in the post. We cannot guarantee publication of your material and we reserve the right
to edit any contributions we do use.
3
Collections Corner
The past few months have seen some interesting and unique donations to
Salford Museum from different areas of the city.
Quintessential Quilters, of Eccles.
donated a quilt that their members had
made in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium.
This ‘signature’ quilt was made in
memory of one of their members and
people were invited to sign it in exchange
for a donation. The quilt was shown at a
Millennium event at Buile Hill and also
later at Eccles. It was signed by quilt club
members, members of the public who
attended the event and the Mayor and
Mayoress of Salford.
An iron gate from Irlam Hall (which can
be seen to the right in the photograph
of the hall) along with other items
relating to Irlam has been passed to the
museum from Irlam Library. Irlam Hall
was demolished in 1952 having stood
for over 500 years. Its last owner was
George Thomas who left the estate to
Irlam Council in 1927. Accompanying this
donation was a watercolour painting of
Fiddlers Lane/Liverpool Road, Higher
Irlam in 1900 by Gordon Bate.
On the theme of the current ‘Shop ‘till you
drop!’ exhibition in the LifeTimes Gallery,
Roy Bullock recently donated a plastic
carrier bag from Lieberman’s of Salford,
a shop that was on Regent Road until it
closed down in the late 1970s.
A Salford Education Committee permit
for the delivery of newspapers has been
donated by William Carr to whom it was
issued in 1955. He delivered morning and
evening papers for Sam Cropper of Woden
Street, off Ordsall Lane, and was paid
fifteen shillings a week.
The museum recently received an
interesting collection of glass drinks
bottles from Sue Richardson. These
include Codd bottles, Hamilton bottles
and spirit flasks, all marked with the
names of various drinking establishments
or makers in the Salford area.
At the time of the Silver Jubilee of George
V in 1935 handkerchiefs were given to
school children locally to commemorate
the event. Miss Crookell has donated two
of these - one for Worsley and one for
Swinton and Pendlebury.
4
Other donations include a collection of
nineteenth century lithographic prints
depicting scenes of old Salford and
Manchester, donated by Mrs. M. Skelton,
and a booklet entitled ‘A little Te Deum
of the commonplace’ by John Oxenham.
The latter was donated by Mr. and Mrs.
C. Andrew and was given to Mr. Andrew’s
aunt on leaving Trafford Road School,
Ordsall in 1931.
If readers have any comments
or further information on any of
the above objects please write to
LifeTimes Link - details on page 3.
I lived at Oakwood Cottage, in the
grounds of Teapot Hall, from 1940 until
1961. In those days it was the Nurses’
Home for Salford Royal Hospital. My
mother was the cook in the Nurses’
Home and my father looked after the
grounds, boilers etc. Oakwood Cottage
was originally the coach house for
Teapot Hall and there were still signs
on one outside wall of the wide doors to
allow coach access.
Salford Royal’s Nurses’ Home was
also known as ‘Oakwood’ and very
occasionally ‘Pilkington Nurses’ Home’
but what intrigued me was, why ‘Teapot
Hall’?
Tradition had it that the nickname came
about because the builder of the house
was involved in the tea trade.
I knew that there was an 1859 date
stone immediately to the right of
the main entrance, so I decided to
investigate further.
I discovered that in 1861 the house
was known as ‘Hillside House’. This
is not really surprising as it occupies
a commanding site which would have
appeared more so before it became
surrounded by 19th and 20th century
housing. The head of the household was
a Thomas Binyon whose occupation is
given as ‘tea merchant’. One neighbour
was Edward Heywood, a member of the
Manchester banking family, who lived
at Light Oaks House. The occupations
of other near neighbours in Swinton
Park are variously given as ‘banker’,
‘magistrate’ and ‘East India merchant’.
Hillside House was a prosperous
household. Thomas Binyon was born in
1795 and came from a Quaker family.
He married three times and in 1861 was
living at Hillside House with his third
wife, Martha Ann, née Spraggs, and
their family. The household supported a
governess, cook, nurse, housemaid and
a scullery maid. In addition there was
the coachman and his family living at the
coach house, a ‘gentleman gardener’
and family living at Hillside House
Lodge, and an agricultural labourer
and his wife living at Hillside Gardening
Lodge.
The Binyon era did not last very long
as Thomas Binyon died on the 18 May
1865 and the house passed into the
possession of a Radcliffe family who
apparently were in the textile trade and
owned a mill in Oldham.
Teapot Hall, Radcliffe Park Road, Irlams o’th’ Height
Why Teapot Hall?
Seeing the information about the Heritage Walk
‘Halls and Houses of the Height’ in Link Issue 21,
triggered some long dormant thoughts about
Teapot Hall in Radcliffe Park Road for Stan Andrews
During their tenure the name of the
house changed to ‘Oakwood’, the name
by which it is still known today.
So the folklore surrounding the name
‘Teapot Hall’ has proved to be correct,
but two new questions have arisen. Was
Radcliffe Park Road named after this
Radcliffe family and did it come into being
during their occupation of Teapot Hall?
And where was Hillside House Lodge
situated? Maybe around the junction of
what is now Swinton Park Road, Radcliffe
Park Road and Park Lane?
So far I have done my research via the
Internet but I suspect that the answers to
these questions will have to wait until my
next infrequent visit to the Local History
Library at Peel Park.
Stan Andrews
Winchester, Hampshire.
Ed: Can any readers help in answering Stan’s questions? If you can or if you
would like to share your own research with us or another contributor then
please do get in touch - details on page 3.
5
“Take a spoonful three times daily”
Ann Arnold remembers medicine, mustard plasters and
medical matters in 1930s Cadishead
At the age of 75 I seem to
spend most of my time at
the doctor’s or else in the
chemist’s shop collecting
prescriptions to keep me
going for a bit longer!
Aren’t we lucky today
as regards medical
treatment? It’s all very
different from the days
of my childhood here in
Cadishead. In those days
bad chests, sore throats
or earaches weren’t
thought important
enough to see the
doctor and your mum, or
grandma or auntie would
sort you out as regards
a cure.
So, I shall now tell you
what happened if you
were a sick child in the
1930s. Starting with a
cold – this could last up
to three weeks as we
didn’t have the penicillin
then, although I think
members of the armed
forces were treated with
it towards the end of
WW2.
I can see myself now, lying on
the sofa, propped up with pillows
and a rug over me, a huge coal
fire would be burning in the grate
thus helping my temperature to
rise even higher. A hot mustard
plaster would be placed on my
chest and one on my back and then
a spoonful of the chemist’s own
make of cough medicine, warmed
by holding the spoon near the fire,
would be poured down my throat.
So as the household got on without me,
nice and cosy under a travel rug, I would
read my ‘Chick’s Own’ comic or look at
pictures in the fire. No TV to watch, of
course, but we all listened to the wireless
as we called the radio then. I have a
vague memory of Dr. Drysdale calling and
listening to my chest. He would pat my
head, telling my mum to keep me in bed
for a week. A week! Nowadays you get an
antibiotic from the doctor’s and are back
at work or school in three days! And you
weren’t given antibiotics as the fighting
men and women of World War II needed
them more than us!
Little girls wore gaiters in those days
made of leather and wrapped round your
legs and then buttoned from top to bottom
(I have a button hook somewhere in the
house from those days). We wore a warm
coat, scarf and gloves which were stitched
at the ends of a long piece of ribbon and
tucked down the sleeves of your coat, so
that when you put your coat on the gloves
were dangling from each sleeve and you
didn’t lose them on the way home. And we
all wore a knitted ‘pixie’ hat. No-one left
home without a hat because it seems we
lose a tenth of our body heat out of our
heads.
When I was about 12 I was dosed daily
with a medicine known as ‘Parishes Food’
because it was full of iron and helped
little girls from becoming anaemic.
Young lads had boils on their necks, poor
souls, which must have been very painful.
You don’t hear of boils now, do you? Or
abscesses or carbuncles! Even the names
sound medieval.
6
Going to the doctor’s was interesting. The
local doctors worked from home and had
a waiting room for patients. Waiting was
a nightmare as you had to keep looking
round to see if anyone went into the
surgery before their turn. You could sit
waiting for quite some time , so nothing
has changed there!
But if you were seriously ill, of course,
the doctor came to visit you. No-one had
a phone so I can’t recall how we asked
for a visit, as I can’t remember any of our
neighbours having a telephone. I shall
have to think about that – maybe you can
remember?
When my husband, Gordon, first came
to Cadishead to carry out a contract at
Lancashire Tar Distillers in Cadishead
(now an eye-sore!) he had something
wrong with his eye and was directed to Dr.
Laing’s surgery in one of the large houses
next to the timber yard in Cadishead. So,
off he went, knocking at the front door
and walking in on the doctor and his
family having their tea! Apparently he
should have gone round the back to the
surgery’s waiting room.
Chemists’ shops were a delight, especially
Mr. Pincham’s opposite Cadishead
Park. It was very old-fashioned, all huge
containers with Latin names in gold and
beautiful mahogany shelves and counters.
My favourite shop was, of course, Mrs.
Bancroft’s sweet shop in a very old
property at the corner of Moss Lane in
Cadishead. When you entered the shop
the first thing that hit you was the smell
of chocolate. We even had a shop which
sold DRUGS (not the stuff on prescription
of course) in huge pots and bottles with
their contents shown in gold. It fascinated
me, looking so ancient and as a small
child I had no idea what was actually
sold. However, things have to change and
Cadishead is a completely different place
today, but I do hope I have jogged some
memories in a pleasant manner.
main photo: Child Welfare Clinic, Langworthy Road, 1951 (baby Gillian Mallin)
left: Lark Hill Place chemist shop, Salford Museum and Art Gallery
7
Discover the Working Class
Movement Library
Library manager Lynette Cawthra tells us more about a
unique collection and archive
The Working Class Movement
Library
WCML is a registered
charity, and we
are always keen to
receive donations - of
volunteer time as well
as money! Ring or
email us if you’d like
to find out more about
volunteering.
Further details at
www.wcml.org.uk
Contact us:
by email
[email protected]
by phone
0161 736 3601
8
The Working Class
Movement Library (WCML)
is a unique treasure house
of books, pamphlets,
newspapers, objects and
archival material. The
collection reflects the
rich history, experiences,
struggles, aspirations
and talents of the working
people of this country. It
shows the important part
played by the trade union
and labour movement in
shaping modern society.
The library is open to everyone, and we
are keen to ensure that as many people
as possible know of it as a valuable
resource on local history as well as labour
history.
Our collection spans politics of all
shades, social conditions, education and
agriculture; also local histories, reports of
trials, biographies and autobiographies,
novels on social themes and working class
plays, poetry and songs. WCML is rich in
material on topics such as Chartism, the
Peterloo Massacre and the 1926 General
Strike.
Edmund and Ruth Frow founded the
library in their house in Old Trafford in the
1950s; both were active in the trade union
movement. In 1987 the library moved
to its present home at 51 The Crescent,
Jubilee House, which was originally a
district nurses’ home.
In this 75th anniversary year of the Mass
Trespass over Kinder Scout, which paved
the way for ‘right to roam’ legislation, it’s
also worth highlighting that the library
holds the Benny Rothman Archive, which
includes fascinating material relating to
the Mass Trespass as well as to other
political and environmental campaigns in
the region.
The emphasis of the collection is on
British history and there is a great
deal of material directly relating
to the region, in tribute to the role
played by Salford, Manchester
and surrounding towns in the
shaping of industrial society
and the creation of the world’s
first industrial working class.
The earliest items date from the
1760s. The records of the various
Brushmaker societies, deposited at
the WCML by the GMB union,
include some of the earliest trade
union documents to have survived
– dating from the 1820s. WCML
now contains more than 30,000
books and 200,000 pamphlets plus
archives, journals, cartoons, posters,
photographs, banners and badges.
Our holdings include the cultural
alongside the political, such as material
from all aspects of Salford songwriter
and activist Ewan MacColl’s political and
artistic life. We are also very pleased
to house the archive of Jim Allen, the
Manchester-born socialist writer who
made a major contribution to British TV
drama in the 1960s and 1970s and to
British film in the 1980s and 1990s.
Our enquiry service is free of charge.
Access to the library reading room is also
free. Limited staff time means we are
not able to undertake detailed research
on behalf of family historians, but
anybody can come along to research for
themselves.
If you would like to visit you’ll be made
very welcome. We’re open Tuesday to
Friday, 10.00am to 5.00pm. Do please
contact us (see details on left) in advance
to make an appointment, however, as
almost all the material will need to
be fetched for you as it isn’t on public
display. We are very happy to offer group
tours to see the collection – again, please
contact us to arrange a time.
Leslie Holmes, project
manager of Salford Lads’ Club
explains ....
The picture on the right, shows four lads
waiting outside Salford Lads’ Club in
1904. In the background are the shops on
Regent Road and the corner of Coronation
Street. The lads are on Oxford Street,
renamed St Ignatius Walk in 1987. We
don’t know their names but they are part
of the remarkable archive of over 15,000
membership records that are held at the
club.
A recent Local Heritage Initiative
project (funded by the Heritage Lottery
Fund) supported by Salford Museums
and Heritage Service and the Greater
Manchester County Record Office has
helped us to preserve these records and
we would like to make more people aware
of their importance.
Also on the right, is the record card of
Frederick Ball who lived on Sussex Street
and was born in 1897. Frederick was the
grandfather of the present club secretary
Brian Ball.
The card gives a remarkable amount of
detail of the life of Frederick during his
short association with the club. We are
able to find out what classes he took part
in at the club and if he went on the annual
camp holiday. The record also details
which school he attended, if he moved
house, (as many people did) if he lived
with both or just a single parent and if he
attended church or mission. It also shows
the job Frederick took up when he left
school and records his death in World War
One at the age of 21. Frederick’s name
is also on the WW1 memorial in the club
entrance hall.
The club is interested in helping
people to trace their relatives
who may have been members of
Salford Lads’ Club. The oldest
records we have are of men born
around 1880 who became the
first members of the club when it
opened in August 1903.
Tracing family histories
at Salford Lads Club
To help to trace a relative we need the following details
from you:
• A full name of the person you wish to trace and your
relationship to them.
• A date of birth or, if you do not have the exact date, at least the year of birth.
• A street name where the family lived.
• Your contact details, either an email or postal address.
Please contact us at: [email protected]
or by post: Salford Lads’ Club, St Ignatius Walk,
Salford, M5 3RX
9
How did you hear about volunteering
and what interested you about it?
I have been volunteering now for
14 months. I had a friend who was
volunteering who told me about it; I
wanted to volunteer as I like helping
people and wanted to get some
experience in my current life.
What kind of things do you do when
volunteering at the museum?
I have done many different things: I
have assisted with exhibitions, hanging
artwork, painting the galleries and
conducting surveys with visitors.
Now I am making handling boxes, called
culture boxes, which involves collecting
different things from the Congo. For
example, I have included a large wooden
spoon which we use when cooking a big
family meal, and a shirt where the cloth
is mixed with raffia. I am still looking for
other things from the Congo to include.
What do you like about volunteering?
I like volunteering at Salford Museum
because I meet many different people
from different cultures and Salford
Museum is the best place to practice and
to improve my English.
How did you feel about being nominated
for the Heart of Salford Volunteer
Awards (Salford CVS)?
Meet Jean Claude
Find out more about the work of Embrace Project
volunteers at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
When not volunteering, how do you keep
yourself busy?
In Link Issue 20 we introduced you to one of our Embrace Project
volunteers, Bajram Paskali. The project at Salford Museum & Art
Gallery has continued to attract new volunteers. Jean Claude is
originally from The Democratic Republic of Congo and has lived
in England for almost 6 years.
I am currently studying for a catering
course at MANCAT College and continuing
with ESOL classes. I have a big family with
three children, so I spend a lot of time on
giving my children a good education.
top:Jean Claude and hat display; middle: Jean Claude and family;
bottom: volunteer trip in August to Colwyn Bay Mountain Zoo
For more information about the Embrace Project, our volunteer
project and the outreach we do, please contact Bev Davies,
Embrace Project officer on 0161 778 0837 or email
[email protected]
10
I was very delighted about it. It will still be
in my memory for a long time. We had a
lunch to celebrate at The Lowry, shared
with other staff at Salford Museum and
volunteers from other organisations.
What work did you do in the Congo?
In the Congo I worked for a commercial
company, a brewery. My job was visiting
customers and collecting orders. I was
going out meeting many different people.
At the museum it is similar as many
different people meet me and I meet
people from all over.
LinkListings
a taste of forthcoming Heritage events
A full programme of events and exhibitions can be found in our twice yearly
(approx January and July) publication Here & Now. Pick up a copy from our
museums, any Salford library or download a pdf version from
www.salford.gov.uk/museums
At Salford Museum & Art Gallery
EXHIBITIONS
Shop ‘till you drop!
Put your shopping bags down, relax and
come and enjoy yourself instead – in our
fascinating exhibition which explores how
shopping habits have changed in Salford
over the past 150 years.
Until Spring 2008
Pilkington’s
Pilkington’s Tile and Pottery Company
Limited was established in 1891 and
began production of tiles in 1893. By 1904
the company had developed a stunning
and entirely fresh style of pottery using
natural glaze effects. The company was
one of the first to harness the newly
discovered periodic table and so became
famous as “scientific potters”.
Salford Museum and Art Gallery has an
excellent and representative collection of
pottery and tiles and has recently placed
the best of its pieces on exhibition.
Ongoing exhibition
Dreams
An Exhibition by Verd di Gris art & design,
‘Dreams’ is a cross-generational arts
project that works with young and older
people to explore aspects of identity,
aspiration, ambition and fantasy –
through discussion, reminiscence and
participation.
Monday 5 November 2007 to
Sunday 3 February 2008
some of the best objects and artwork
purchased through the grant scheme and
includes sculpture from Jacob Epstein
and Geoffrey Key, fine art paintings by
Vanessa Bell and William Roberts and
also examples of Chippendale furniture
and pottery such as Delftware and Ming.
Until 6 January 2008
Memento Mori
An exhibition of photography by
David Dunnico.
Memento Mori is a Latin phrase which
means ‘remember you must die’. This
exhibition looks at how people remember
those they have lost and the Victorian
romantic vision of grief and mourning.
The exhibition also features a display on
the history and significance of Weaste
Cemetery and will be complimented
by a display of mourning costume and
funerary artefacts from the Salford
Museum collection.
Until 13 January 2008
Re-Tracing Salford
Fragments, memories and fleeting
glimpses of our ever changing city are
captured by three artists, Maria Murphy,
Lawrence Cassidy and Tim Garner.
Each artist has a connection to the area
and presents a different characteristic of
the region.
Saturday 19 January to
Sunday 20 April 2008
SPECIAL EVENTS
Local History and
Family Fun Day
Step back in time and
delve into Salford’s
history! Over 30
visiting organisations
representing Salford and
Greater Manchester’s
local history. There
will be activities for all
the family including
children’s craft activities
and vintage bus tours to
Manchester’s Transport
Museum.
Sunday 18 November
11.00am - 4.00pm
Admission free
Carols at Christmas
– welcoming back
Monton Voices who will
be singing a selection of
Christmas music both
traditional and modern.
Performances at 1.30,
2.30, 3.30 pm
Also seasonal arts and
crafts for children. 2.004.00pm
Sunday 9 December
FREE Christmas Quiz
– test those brain cells by
completing our museum
quiz and trail.
Thursday 27 December
during opening hours
Hidden Treasures
Objects purchased with assistance from
the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund.
All objects, artworks and furniture
within this exhibition were bought by
Salford Museum & Art Gallery with the
aid of the Purchase Grant Fund, which
celebrated over 125 years of support for
the arts in 2006. The exhibition shows off
Making Models
– make a cut-out model
of Lark Hill Place then
compare it with the real
thing!
Friday 28 December
2.00 – 4.00pm
£1.00 per child
Memento Mori
11
At Ordsall Hall Museum
EXHIBITIONS
Shiver me timbers!
There’s pirates at play …
Giant Tudor Galleon for younger visitors
to enjoy. Fire the canons, hoist the sails,
steer the ship from the captains deck and
stash your bounty on board.
Ongoing exhibition
History Revealed
Archaeological finds from the Ordsall
site, including brand new finds from digs
that took place on the site in 2006.
Salford’s rarest artefact, a Saxon log boat,
discovered in the River Irwell also takes
pride of place in the exhibition – recently
conserved and preserved in a brand new
conservation case.
Ongoing exhibition
Heritage walks
Exercise your body and mind
and discover the hidden history of the city on our friendly
and informal Heritage Walks.
Details of other walks can be found at www.salford.gov.uk/heritagewalks
Walks are £2.00 for adults, children free. Please wear appropriate shoes or
boots. All distances given are approximate.
Contact - Ann Monaghan on 0161 778 0881, during office hours.
SPECIAL EVENTS
SEW GOOD!
A unique opportunity to see and
purchase beautiful handmade quilts and
wall hangings, all made by members
of Quintessential Quilters, a local
patchwork and quilting group. Watch
demonstrations and purchase Christmas
gifts. Free kids activities too.
All proceeds of sales to the
Extraordinary Campaign to raise
£1 million for the hall.
Sunday 25 November 10.00am – 4.00pm
A Christmas Celebration
Welcoming back Tapestry of Music who
will provide an afternoon of festive Tudor
music using traditional instruments. Clay
painting also available from £1.00 per
child.
Sunday 2 December 1.00 – 4.00pm
Deck the Halls
Get into the Christmas spirit and make
Christmas decorations at the hall.
Sunday 9 December 1.00 – 4.00pm
Christmas Crafts
Make pomanders and Christmas cards to
give to family and friends
Sunday 16th December 1.00 – 4.00pm
Tudor Games
Have a go with toys Tudor children would
have played with.
Thursday 27 & Friday 28 December
12
Friday 28 December
Salford Museum &
Art Gallery
Peel Park, Crescent,
Salford M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0800
Fax: 0161 745 9490
Email:
salford.museum@
salford.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am4.45pm and
Sat-Sun 1.00-5.00pm
Free parking, disabled
access, gift shop, café
Salford Local
History Library
at Salford Museum
& Art Gallery:
Open: Tues, Thurs and
Fri 10.00am-5.00pm and
Weds 10.00am-8.00pm
Closed weekends and
Mondays
Ordsall Hall
Museum
Ordsall Lane, Salford
M5 3AN
Tel: 0161 872 0251
Fax: 0161 872 4951
Email:salford.museum@
salford.gov.uk
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am4.00pm and Sunday
1.00-4.00pm
Closed Saturday
Free parking, gift shop,
limited disabled access
On the trail of Queen Victoria
In 1851 Queen Victoria was a guest of the
Earl of Ellesmere at Worsley New Hall
and during her stay she went for a walk
around Worsley. Work off your Christmas
indulgence by following in the royal
footsteps to the church, Aviary, Worsley
Woods, Kempnough Hall and Worsley Old
Hall. Stout shoes essential, crinolines
optional!
Walk leader Ann Monaghan
Meet outside Worsley Village Library,
Worsley Road, Worsley
Starts 10.15 am • Approx 3 miles
Sunday 27 April
Ordsall Hall and Salford Quays Circular
Featuring Ordsall Hall, the site of
Haworths Mill, Pomona Docks, Salford
Quays and Ordsall Park.
Return to the hall for refreshments and a
guided tour of this splendid Grade 1 listed
building.
Walk Leader Ann Monaghan
Meet at Ordsall Hall, Ordsall Lane,
Salford, M5 3AN
Starts 1.30pm • Approx 3 miles
Sunday 18 May
Roe Green Amble
A gentle stroll around Roe Green
looking at the historic buildings and
commemorative plaques of this most
picturesque village.
Walk Leader David George
Meet at Beesley Green Community
Centre, off Greenleach Lane, Worsley,
M28 2QW
Starts at 1.30pm • Approx 1 mile
Summer at the Sites
Ceri Horrocks, learning officer
The summer really started with the
launch of our fantastic Tudor galleon at
Ordsall Hall – affectionately known as
‘the pirate ship’. The ship recreates what
it might have been like to be a sailor
during the Elizabethan age of discovery,
and children can get stuck into swabbing
the decks, raising the sails, staffing
the canons and getting dressed up like
pirates. One of the great aspects of this
exhibition has been seeing the way it
sparks children’s imagination. It doesn’t
take long before they are bartering with
shells or setting up camp on their own
desert island.
We have had lots of workshops around
a pirate theme – making hooks and
eye patches, treasure maps, seascape
pictures and ships’ flags. Our programme
of archery and pottery at the hall has, as
ever, proved very popular and all of this
has helped make it our busiest summer
yet!
Our first ‘Teddy Bears’ Picnic’ saw over a
hundred adults and children picnicking in
the grounds on one of the rare sunny days
this summer. All the bears had pirate hats
and eye patches made for them by their
owners and a series of competitions for
the bears brought out their competitive
side!
SMAG also saw its activities fully booked.
Artist Isobel Pickup ran arts workshops
each week inspired by a different painting
from the Victorian Gallery. Children made
their own costumes, puppets, ships in
bottles and mobiles to help recreate the
images. Continuing our celebrations for
Lark Hill Place’s 50th anniversary, Del
Bannister took sessions with a Victorian
theme. Children were able to sample a
Victorian classroom, try out domestic
tasks and have a go at traditional
Victorian crafts.
Both sites have had a great summer
despite the weather and are now in the
midst of school visits and preparation
for the coming months. A selection
Christmas themed activities can be found
under special events on p11 and p12.
Learning on loan at Salford
Heritage Services
Luisa Guccione,
learning support assistant
Hands on learning is key to what we do
and as well as offering a full schools’
programme at both sites, we can
also help teachers with their work in
the classroom through our loan box
service. Our boxes contain historical
objects, both real and replica, that help
pupils to better understand the topic
they are studying.
We have many themes available and all
are designed to support the teaching
of the National Curriculum. Boxes can
be borrowed for a maximum of two
weeks and must be picked up from the
museum.
What do teachers think?
“It was great for them to look at objects
rather than just seeing them in books.”
“Children really enjoyed looking at the
artefacts and being able to discuss
them.”
“Excellent resource.”
The themes available include:
• Victorian children
• Victorian domestic life
• Toys through time
• World War Two
• Air raid alert • The Tudors
• At the seaside • Ancient Greeks
• The Romans • Mystery objects
The service has grown in popularity
over the past three years and now we
recommend booking a term in advance
to avoid disappointment. We welcome
your feedback about our loan boxes
and love to hear your stories about how
you used the objects in your classroom.
To book out a box or to find out more
call 0161 778 0821.
The Silks pop group
Calling all music
fans, performers
and pundits ….
Can you help Salford
Museum & Art Gallery
with a new music
exhibition?
Manchester District Music
Archive, in conjunction
with Salford Museum &
Art Gallery, is planning an
exhibition in celebration of
Salford’s musical heritage
over the last 50 years (1950present). We would like
to hear from anyone who
would be willing to share
their memories and stories,
from pub sing-alongs, going
to gigs and memories of
different venues, playing
in bands, funky fashions
and dodgy hair! We want
to create a contemporary
record of how Salfordians
have created and continue
to create and enjoy music.
We’d also like to hear from
anyone who has artefacts
they would be happy to
loan to the museum for the
exhibition.
If you think you can help
please contact Heather
McAlpine on 0161 778 0885
or e-mail heather.
[email protected]
For further details please contact
Ceri Horrocks or Luisa Guccione on
0161 778 0820/0821
13
When the Munich air crash occurred on 6 February
1958 I was ten years old. Previously my uncle
had taken me to see the Busby Babes and I still
remember how thrilled I was at the experience. It
was a different kind of game then, but the wonderful
skills of those players will always stay in my mind.
The Munich Air Crash
Peter Bailey looks back on a dreadful event in
football history and remembers some great
United players of the 50s
I was at home alone when the news came
over the wireless. It was early evening
when my mother returned from work.
She was a bit of a drama queen, but when
I broke the news to her I know that her
response was one hundred percent from
the heart. It’s fifty years ago now, but I will
never forget the floods of tears running
down her face. It was even more moving
because she was completely motionless.
There were no actress poses or facial
expressions. All I witnessed were genuine
tears. Born and bred in Salford she grew
up in Greengate during the early part of
the last century and I know that she was
very proud of the Salford links to United.
Eddie Colman (centre)
as captain of
Ordsall Secondary
School Football
Team in 1952
Back row (left to right):
Mr A. Holland, D. Kirk,
J. Woodward, S. Fleet,
J. Lythgoe; middle row:
A. Fenlon, B. Brownsey,
E. Colman, C. Reed,
A. Wilson; front row:
T. Nuttall, N. Barnes
Prior to that terrible disaster the team
had won two straight league titles. On 5
February it had qualified for the semifinals of the European Cup, drawing 3-3
with Red Star Belgrade. On the return
home the aircraft stopped to refuel in
Munich during a blizzard. The crash
occurred on the third attempt at take-off.
Twenty-three people were killed in the
crash, including eight players: Geoff Bent,
Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan
Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg,
Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan. Geoff Bent
and Eddie Colman were Salford lads.
Eddie Colman’s nickname was “Coly” and
he had a certain understudy by the name of
Norbert (“Nobby”) Stiles. When we see the
modern player Thierry Henri (of whom I am
a great admirer) leave his marker with an
easy change of pace and motor forward with
great control, some of the younger readers
may not know that Coly was doing this about
fifty years ago. Not surprisingly, he played
for England.
Duncan Edwards fought for his life for
fifteen days. He finally died at the age of
22 from heart failure, and his funeral took
place in Worcestershire. He had the ability
of all world class players; he could turn the
game. When the match was under control
he played at centre half, and when the team
was not playing well instructions went out
to “give it to Duncan” (this strategy was to
be adopted again later with the late, great
George Best). He also received England
caps. Probably Wayne Rooney is the modern
day version of Duncan - that is, a player
who is strong and solid and who can shake
off opposing defenders. When debating
who was the greatest player ever to put on
a United shirt, Duncan Edwards is well up
there in the rankings.
One of the survivors, Bobby ‘Dazzler’
Charlton was my idol. A perfect gentleman
off and on the pitch, his trick of positioning
himself an extra yard away from the
opposing defender and then swerving out of
the way quickly when taking possession of
the ball was studied and used by someone
else who admires him – Ryan Giggs,
another Salford lad.
Sir Matt Busby’s right hand man, Jimmy
Murphy was not on the plane. He was a
dapper, ex-army man and his discipline and
management with an iron hand was to help
the club through the tragedy and the team
actually reached the F.A. Cup Final that year.
My father (Salford born and bred) served
in the Eighth Army. So did Sir Matt Busby
with Jimmy Murphy. After the disaster, the
incredible courage, faith and leadership of
Sir Matt was rewarded when he saw his
dream fulfilled in 1968. United won the
European Cup that year, ten years after the
heartbreak of Munich.
Peter Bailey, Salford
14
Ed: A tribute site can be found at
www.munich58.co.uk. Eddie Colman
is interred at Weaste Cemetery and
features on the heritage trail there see www.salford.gov.uk/
cemeteryheritagetrail.htm.
I was so pleased to see the photograph
of Norman Lambert (in Link 21) sitting
on Kersal Moor and especially with St.
Paul’s Church in the background as I was
married there on 2 October 1943 (coming
up to 64 years!).
I was born in Cook Street, Pendleton,
Salford in 1917 and went to Halton Bank
School. It was a good walk every day, over
Cock Robin Bridge and up Dorney’s Hill,
but it was worth it: it was a lovely school. I
left at 14 and went to work in the office of
R.A. Brand in Holland Street. Eventually
I met my future husband, Les Hayes,
there. He was called up in the first batch
of militia in 1939 and eventually spent 6
and a half years in the army. Long before
meeting him, we had moved to Lower
Kersal. Our house was only about two
minutes’ walk from where Agecroft Hall
used to be. I can vaguely remember it
when I was small, but I can remember
somebody telling me that every brick was
numbered as it was pulled down. I can’t
remember anybody with a car in those
days and we would walk a lot. Prestwich
Clough and Kersal Moor were very
popular.
Can you imagine a professional
footballer waiting for a bus
these days?
My father, Billy Lomas, was a professional
footballer, and I can remember going
with him when he was training, along
the footpath on the River Irwell. I was
only about 3 or 4 and I used to wait very
patiently whilst he ran up and down. He
was stationed in Scarborough during the
1914-18 war and if Manchester United
or City were short of a player they would
send for him. One week he played with
Billy Meredith at United and the next week
he played against him at City! It was called
‘guesting’.
Footballers in the family
Marie Hayes shares memories of her footballing father
It occurred to me that perhaps Norman
Lambert and his friends were part of one
of the teams. I think they would just about
be the right age.
Dad told Mum to get him very well
insured. He said “Footballers don’t live
very long.” He lived until he was 92!
It was only a few years before that he gave
up bowling at the Griffin Hotel on Lower
Broughton Road.
Another well-known United footballer,
Stan Pearson, was from the Littleton Road
area. He used to be waiting for the bus I
was travelling on to go to work. Can you
imagine a professional footballer waiting
for a bus these days?
Thanks for sending me LifeTimes Link –
I love it!
Marie Hayes (née Lomas), Wirral
My cousin’s son was very keen on football
and from being three years of age he
used to love coming to our house and Dad
used to play football with him in the back
garden. He was very keen and eventually
became one of the Busby Babes, Eddie
Colman. Unfortunately he was one of the
players who lost his life at Munich. He
was an only child and his parents never
got over it.
After Dad retired he got together a team
of youngsters from around Littleton Road
and trained them; he was in his element.
15
Independent Order of Rechabites
Regarding the ‘Salford Connection’
on page 20 of LifeTimes Link issue no
20, it was interesting to read about the
Independent Order of Rechabites. My
grandfather, Joseph David Parrott, who
lived in Hampden Street, off Trafford Road,
with my grandmother, Mary (he died in
1970) was a member of this order.
Old friends
I was born in 1920 at no
21 Pimlot Street. I started
school at Primrose Hill and
then went to St. James’. I
left Pendleton and joined
the RAF in 1938 and never
returned, only to visit my
family. I have often
wondered if any of the
friends I grew up with are
still around though. We may
not be able to remember
what happened yesterday,
but can nearly always
remember what happened
when we were children.
I remember many of my
friends’ names and here are
just a few - Arthur Davies,
Charley Gore, Mickey
O’Shay, Ginger Brennen,
Duck Adams, Robert
Lomas, Wilf Ward, Mont
Downey. I wonder if any of
them remember me, Joe
Guinney. If so I would really
like to hear from them!
Joe Guinney, Fleetwood
If you would like to make
contact with one of our Link
contributors then please
write to the editor and we
will endeavour to put you in
touch.
Charley Rigby
I work in Eccles Library and regularly
read LifeTimes Link. I pass it on to an
elderly friend. He was thrilled to see an
old friend in issue 21, Sammy the pony
and scrap dealer. The scrap dealer was
called Charley Rigby and my friend went
to school with him. He was disappointed
that Charley was not named and
wonders whether he could have a little
mention in the next issue?
Julie Rochford
Ed: Sorry we forgot to mention Charley
– Sammy the pony stole the show!
Thank you for getting in touch with this
information Julie.
Gardners Brass Band 1930-1950
- appeal for photos
My father, Joe Ashburner, played in
Gardners Brass Band from 1930-1950,
at Barton Hall, Peel Green, Patricroft.
I wonder if any reader has photos of the
band 1930-1950? I would be grateful for
any information. Thank you.
Roy Ashburner, Manchester
Ed: If you have any photos or
information for Roy please get in touch
with us and we will be happy to pass on
your details.
You Write ...
If you’d like to tell a story, ask ‘where are they now?’ or share your
memories - send your letters in to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link,
Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU.
email: [email protected] Tel: 0161 778 0885
Due to space limitations we reserve the right to edit any letters
that we do include.
16
It is not very often, if ever, you hear or read
anything about the I.O.R. so it was really
good to see this short article – thank you.
Jean Dean, Oldham
Salford people: salt of the earth
My father was born in Mary Street,
Salford, my mother in Germany, Berlin.
They met when my father was stationed
in Berlin with the King’s Regiment.
In 1947 they were both in the Woolpack
Pub on Broad Street. They had nowhere
to stay and very little money. A couple
they met in the pub, hearing their plight,
offered them a bed in their home. Not
only that, but as they had to leave their
house early for work the next morning,
they gave my parents the keys of their
home, told them to have breakfast and to
leave the key under the mat for them on
their return.
My mother, now aged 84, would love to
have contact with these two, very kind
people who she has never forgotten, but
cannot remember their names.
I traded on Salford Market for 15 years,
as did my father before me. In the winter
months I had behind my stall a collection
of gloves, socks, flasks of soup, cake
and even a dinner given to me by some
of my customers. They felt sorry for
me standing all day in the cold winter
months.
Salford people are the salt of the earth,
always were, always will be. Maybe the
two lovely people who helped my parents
will read this and get in touch.
Thank you for sending the LifeTimes Link
to me here in Spain.
Maria Smith, Spain
Five minutes of fame on stage at the Hip
We asked you in LifeTimes Link
21 whether you had memories
of appearing on stage at
the Hip in Salford. Well, the
memories came flooding back
for some of you who got to
enjoy your 5 minutes of fame!
On stage in my wellies
I lived in Clay Street (next to Strawberry Hill) and
attended St. Barnabus Sunday school. When
I was six or seven we had our yearly Sunday
school outing to Salford Hippodrome to see
Frank Randle in Aladdin.
We were all excited as we walked in the rain
down the canal, eventually coming out at
Windsor Bridge. We crossed the road and filed
into the Hippodrome. We had great fun and
enjoyed the singing. The words of the songs were
displayed on a huge screen which was lowered
from somewhere up above - magic!
The first song was ‘Why does a red cow give
white milk when it always eats green grass?’ I
still know all the words even though I sang along
with everyone else some sixty years ago. People
were then asked to go on the stage and sing. In
a flash me and my friend Vernice Robinson were
there. We sang ‘I want some red roses for a blue
lady’ - we got rapturous applause as we knew all
the words.
Still waiting for my prize!
I remember my old school having a
speech and prize giving day at the Hip.
About a week before we had to go there
and practice being presented with our
prizes on the stage.
When the big day came I was told my
prize book hadn’t arrived so Mr. E.G.
Simms passed a book to the Mayor who
passed it to me with a handshake, and
then I had to hand the book back as I left
the stage.
I was told I would be given my prize book
as soon as it arrived. I am now 70 years
old and still waiting for it!
Mr John P.T. Williams,
Stretford, Manchester
Frank Randle, who I remember had no teeth
in, presented us with a sixpence and a rubber
ball with the words ‘Aladdin’ on. My Mum and
Dad were pleased and surprised when I got
home and told them of my fame and I showed
them my prize. What an exciting night I’d had,
a little dampened by my Mum shouting “I can’t
believe you’ve been on the stage at the Hip in
your wellies! What will people think?”.
Why does a red cow give white milk when it
always eats green grass?
That’s the burning question.
Let’s have your suggestion.
You don’t know, I don’t know
Don’t be such an ass.
Why does a red cow give white milk when it
always eats green grass?
Dorothy Watson (née Wallace), Bolton
Finding your Salford friends
If you want to make contact with old friends, reminisce
about your old schools or favourite places in Salford or
find the answers to your local history queries then log on
to our Heritage Discussion Forum on Salford City Council’s
website at http://services.salford.gov.uk/forum/
17
Our current
LifeTimes
exhibition,
‘Shop ‘till you
drop!’, inspired
a number of you
to write in with
your memories
of shops and
shopping in
Salford. Some
of you also have
memories of
growing up in
shop-keeping
families. If you
have not visited
the exhibition
yet, there is still
a chance to see
it – it runs until
Spring 2008
at Salford
Museum & Art
Gallery.
Here are the
memories of two
Link readers.
We apologise
that we don’t have
enough space to
publish others
here, but thank
you to everyone
who wrote in.
18
Shopping on Lower Broughton Road
Margaret Corkin looks back at shops and shopkeepers
I was born in Derby Street, off Earl Street,
in the 1930s and I have fond memories of
the Broughton Road when I was growing
up. ‘The Road’, with its great variety
of shops, was the place to go for most
things. Mr Black’s draper’s shop stocked
everything from hairnets, stockings and
vests, to union shirts, ties, socks and
overalls. There was Spink’s cake shop
and Toohey’s outdoor greengrocers
and another greengrocer further up –
McEvilley’s, which I think is still going on
Mocha Parade.
John Weir’s Pawn Shop - Mr Weir’s
grandson visited the Salford Local History
Fair in 2005 and we had quite a chat about
Lower Broughton Road in the ‘old days’,
recalling The Milk Bar, Timpson’s, George
Glass, Tom Witt the Tailor, The Meadow,
Maypole, Broadbridge’s Opticians and Mr
Griffith’s Shoe Shop, which was not as
modern as Timpson’s, but was stacked
from floor to ceiling with shoe boxes
containing ‘mum type’ shoes and school
footwear and pumps etc.
The Bazaar, with its sloping floor, sold
toys and always smelled of balloons.
There were butchers’ shops, two
chemists, a milliner’s and a dress shop,
Lower Broughton Road had everything
in those days. The Regent Cake Shop
was very popular, where the gentle white
haired lady behind the counter was known
to everyone as ‘Auntie’.
On the other side of the road was
Bruckshaw’s, the tobacconist, where I
would get ten Will’s Whiffs for my dad at
Christmas and the Union Press printers,
Law’s Barbers and the drapers run by a
Russian lady (I think!), known to one and
all as ‘Happy Fanny’ because she was
never seen to smile.
In those days most mothers with children
didn’t go out to work, or worked part
time and so without fridges they would
go shopping most days to get fresh food,
stopping to chat with neighbours they met
on the way. Hats and decent shoes were
always worn - trainers were unheard of
and trousers were only seen on men!
I suppose for some it was their main
contact with the world outside the home,
except for visits to the Tower or Victoria
cinemas or maybe Saturday evenings in
the many pubs in the area of which the
‘Road’ had its fair share - The Original,
Unicorn, Beehive, Poets Corner, Royal
Archer and the Alexandra, known as
Stevie’s.
There was McMahan’s Dairy, a Chinese
laundry, Birtwell’s electrical shop,
Leonard Nield’s butchers and Gouldings
confectioners, whose meat and potato
pies were ‘to die for’. My mum bought our
groceries from John O’Connor’s with its
rolls of bacon in the window so you could
choose the one you wanted and see it
sliced on the new slicer. That shop always
had clean sawdust on the floor and with
its large biscuit tins with glass lids, huge
blocks of butter, big round cheeses, sugar
in blue bags and well stocked shelves,
was a veritable Aladdin’s Cave of food. Mr
O’Connor was a gentleman in every sense
of the word and all his customers were
treated like royalty.
The shops that I remember so well
were of a different age from today and
they carried on during the war years
only to have the flood in 1946, which
was devastating for us all in the area.
But it was business as usual very soon
afterwards, although the smell of the
Irwell lingered in our nostrils for ages.
I understand that Lower Broughton is
to be transformed again and I sincerely
hope that at last it may lose the negative
image it has had for a number of years.
My memories are of a hard working,
law abiding community, where everyone
knew their neighbours and families were
close-knit and supported one another
and, despite the privations in those ‘2 up
2 down’ streets with outside loos in the
yard and tin baths in the kitchen, we all
survived with spirit and good humour!
Margaret Corkin
We are looking for any readers who lived in any of these areas of Higher Broughton - Earl
Street, Kempster Street, Lucy Street, Hampshire Street, Wiltshire Street or Hanover Court.
These areas have changed radically and we would like to hear what you remember about
living there - what did you like about your street, what do you make of the changes in recent
years? Contact Sarah Hughes: email [email protected]
Lower Broughton Road,1961
(Salford Local History Library)
Our Shop
Krys Hill shares the view from the other side of the counter
From about 1949-1956 my mum and dad
had a grocer’s shop in Salford 6 at the
corner of Fitzwarren Street and Liverpool
Street. It was known as ‘Roscoe’s’, my
mum’s maiden name, as my dad was
Polish and they thought customers might
be suspicious of a foreign name. The
shop was open from 7 am to 7 pm, with
an hour closed for lunch and a half day
on Tuesdays (when we often used to go
to the matinee of the variety show at the
local Hippodrome). Directly opposite,
on Liverpool Street, was Ted Dunnett’s
butchers shop and there was a sweet
shop on the opposite corner of Fitzwarren
Street with a 1d chewing gum machine
outside which gave two packets for every
fourth penny. There was a newsagents,
McNultie’s, at the end of the block up
Fitzwarren Street where I bought comics
travelling there on my scooter.
The bread man from ‘Moore’s Luxury
Loaf’ used to deliver before the shop
opened every day. My mum used to precut and weigh butter into greaseproof
packets from a huge slab and bacon and
ham were sliced as required. Biscuits
came loose in large square tins and
dried fruit, lentils, dried beans etc. were
weighed out as required. They cut cheese
from a large round with a wire and
weighed out sugar into blue paper bags.
We also sold potatoes from a hessian
sack and – very modern at the time – tins
of Heinz spaghetti and sachets of Chico
coffee. Rationing and points were still
continuing.
Behind the shop was our living room
with a small, curtained window looking
on to the money drawer. Behind the
living room was a stock room with lots
of shelving and our dog’s basket. She
had her puppies in there – hygiene rules
were not as strict then! I used to play in
the stock room using hundreds of full
boxes of ‘Pack’ matches as building
bricks, apparently fire safety wasn’t a
consideration either.
Some customers were allowed their
groceries on tick. My mum kept a big
sheet of paper pinned up by the doorway
into the living room with a column of
names with their debts to be totted up
at the end of the week. Occasionally
someone would do a moonlight flit and
disappear without paying.
My mum not only kept shop, but was
looked on as a general advisor and
information dispenser. She helped fill
in official forms and even wrote letters
on occasion for customers who asked
her. On at least three occasions she
accompanied minor accident victims to
hospital casualty. I remember a woman
called Mildred cutting
her hand and running
to our shop for help.
Mum watched her being
stitched up and then
fainted herself!
We had an assistant
called Jessie who cooked
up a batch of scones in
the kitchen one afternoon
when the shop wasn’t
busy. These sold so well
and were so popular that
Jessie made a variety of
cakes daily after that. She
was married to George
Crook the local barber.
I was sad to leave my
bedroom with rosebud
wallpaper when we
moved, but I know my
parents were glad to give
up shop-keeping as it was
really hard work for little
profit and they were often
worried and weary.
Krys Hill
19
Memories of the creation of Lark Hill Place
I have special memories of the making of ‘the street’. As a member of
the Saturday Morning Museum Club we were very interested in what was
going on in the museum when all of the ground floor was being closed.
Most of the things were to be exchanged from other museums so we
could have a Victorian Street. We were asked to try to bring in anything
from around that period that we could find. I lived with my grandma and
grandfather and I turned our house upside down looking for things. The
local schools were also asked and children began to visit grandmas to
see if they had anything. Many people, like my grandma, thought it was a
silly idea and people would get fed up with seeing the same things. But
this is not what happened and our Salford street is famous all over the
Northwest.
Wendi Robinson (née Archer), Swinton
Friends of Roe Green
The name Roe Green has appeared on a map as early as 1590 and the
green has long been registered as common land.
We are a newly formed group and have a growing membership and will
become a registered charity. We will be active in promoting and raising
funds to conserve the local area, hold community events, hold twice yearly
open meetings and publish a newsletter. We want our young people to be
proud of their village and visitors to be able to find out the history.
We would be very interested in receiving anecdotes, memories or
photographs of growing up and living in Roe Green. These will be
acknowledged and photographs returned.
Email: [email protected]
or phone: Jean Barnes 0161 790 4635
20
Mystery Pix
Salford Local History Library has over 50,000 photos in their collection - unfortunately we can’t identify
some of the donations. Drop us a line or pop into the Local History Library if you can help (open Tuesday
to Friday 10.00am-5.00pm with a late night closing on Wednesday 8.00pm).
Unfortunately we did not receive
any answers to our Mystery Pix in
Issue 21, so please take another
look at the photos on the left,
and give us a call or e-mail us
to let us know if you think you
know where they are. One of our
readers did think Mystery Pix
no 1 (top) might be an open air
school in Salford so if you can
identify it then please contact us.
1. We think this is a classroom in
Cromwell Road Girls School in 1965.
Can anyone confirm this or perhaps
even recognise themselves?
1
2. Can you identify where this is?
It was taken in 1984.
3. Pets win prizes! The full array
of domestic pets from the 1950s guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs and
monkeys! Perhaps you are one of
the proud pet owners?
2
Contact Heather on
0161 778 0885 or email
heather.mcalpine@
salford.gov.uk
3
21
11th Salford Scouts (St Stephens) c 1924
2nd Salford Scout Troop 1917
Salford
Scouting
2007 marks the 100th anniversary
of Scouting. Robert Baden-Powell
founded the movement in 1907, with
an experimental camp for 20 boys
on Brownsea Island, Dorset. The
Scouting movement has grown to
become a mass movement worldwide.
There are now more than 28 million
young Scouts in 216 countries.
As the movement enters its second century
we celebrate with a look back at Scouting
in Salford. Here are a few photos from
Salford Local History Library showing
Scouting through the decades.
Were you a Cub, Scout, Brownie or Guide?
If you were we would be interested to hear
your stories and if you have any photos of
your troop please contact us. Please note
we cannot guarantee the safety of any
photos you send to us but we will return
any photos we do receive.
43rd Salford Cubs c 1971
Below, left to right: 29th Salford Scouts on scout camp in Sherwood Forest, 1934
Local History Round Up
Boothstown & District Local History
Group Our informal meetings are
held in the main hall of Boothstown
Community Centre, Stansfield Drive,
on the third Wednesday of the month.
Contact - Ann Monaghan
0161 778 0881 during office hours or
0161 799 6091 evenings.
• Wednesday 21 November
Selection from the Collection Volume 2
Ann Monaghan
• Wednesday 19 December
North Country Folklore Peter Watson.
This talk postponed from last season.
Seasonal refreshments will be served.
Talks start at 7.45pm • Price £1.50
Broughton District Local History
Group Meet at Broughton Library
Contact Mrs P Dimond 0161 798 6382
Talks start at 7.30pm
Visitors welcome - £1.00
Eccles Heritage Meet at The Links
Centre, Chadwick Road
For details contact Ann Humpage
0161 789 2820
Website: www.ecclesheritage.colsal.
org.uk
• Thursday 6 December
Policing in Salford 1840-1860
Mr D Broady
• Thursday 7 February
Yet Another Old Salford Slide Show
Tony Frankland
• Thursday 6 March Every Picture Tells a
Story Margaret Curry
• Thursday 3 April Peterloo
Mrs Gilbertson
Talks start at 2.00pm • Price: £1.50
Eccles & District History Society
Meet at Alexandra House, Peel Green
on the second Wednesday of the
month. Contact Andrew Cross
0161 788 7263
Website: www.edhs.colsal.org.uk
• Wednesday 14 November
Agecroft Hall Chris Whitefoot
• Wednesday 12 December
Christmas buffet and seasonal
entertainment. To be held in the
Bridgewater Room at Eccles Parish
Church.
• Wednesday 9 January
Eccles theatres and cinemas Tony Flynn
• Wednesday 13 February
Halls of Little Hulton and their ghosts
Ann Monaghan
• Wednesday 12 March
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal
Paul Hindle
• Wednesday 9 April
James Nasmyth John Aldred
• Wednesday 14 May
Annual General Meeting followed by a
local history slideshow.
Talks start at 7.30pm
Irlam, Cadishead & District Local
History Society Meet at St. Paul’s
Church, Liverpool Road, Irlam
Contact Deborah Yates
0161 775 8708
Website: www.icdlhs.colsal.org.uk
• Wednesday 21 November
Theatres and Music Halls of the North
West Part II Mr Leslie Willis
• December - No meeting
• Wednesday 16 January
Who wrote Shakespeare’s Sonnets?
Mr Ben Alexander
• Wednesday 20 February
Curiosities of Lancashire Mr P Robinson
• Wednesday 19 March
Sweet Memories Mrs J Bradshaw
• Wednesday 16 April
Houses and Garden’s of Cheshire and
Derbyshire Mrs Barbara Lovegrove
• Wednesday 21 May
Horace the Elk Dr Brian Barnes
Talks start at 7.30 pm
Visitors welcome: £1.00
Salford Local History Society
Meet at Salford Museum & Art
Gallery. Contact Roy Bullock
0161 736 7306
www.salfordlocalhistorysociety.
colsal.org.uk
• Wednesday 28 November
100 Years of Aviation Around Manchester
David George
• December 2007 no meeting
• Wednesday 30 January
The Halls of Little Hulton Ann Monaghan
• Wednesday 27 February
The Story of Worsley Green John Aldred.
• Wednesday 26 March
Salford’s Scheduled Ancient Monuments
& the Historic Halls of Salford Joe Martin
Talks start at 7.30pm
Visitors welcome: £1.00
Swinton & Pendlebury Local
History Society Meet at Pendlebury
Methodist Church, Bolton Road
Contact John Cook 0161 736 6191
Website: www.splhs.colsal.org.uk
• Monday 26 November
Reminiscence session
• Monday 10 December
An Australian Christmas A musical talk
by Brian Tipler
• Monday 7 January
Origins of Marriage Traditions Ian Tootell
• Monday 21 January
Christmas Luncheon
• Monday 4 February
Manchester Railway Stations
David George
• Monday 18 February
Reminiscence session
• Monday 3 March
Selection from the Collection
Ann Monaghan
• Monday 17 March
Reminiscence session
• Monday 31 March
History of the Birtwistle Family
Ray Ashton
• Monday 14 April
Coach Trip - details to be advised
• Monday 28 April
The History of Recording
• Monday 12 May
Reminiscence Session
Talks start at 10am
Price: £1.00
Walkden Local History Group
Meet in the Guild Hall, Guild Avenue
on the second Wednesday of the
month. Contact Ann Monaghan
0161 778 0881 during office hours
• Wednesday 14 November
A Walk Round Central Manchester
Margaret Curry
• Wednesday 12 December
Another Salford Slide Show
Tony Frankland
• Wednesday 9 January
Swinton Industrial Schools
John Cook
• Wednesday 13 February
Textile Villages David George
• Wednesday 12 March
Halls of Worsley and Little Hulton
Ann Monaghan
• Wednesday 9 April
History of Eccles and Patricroft
Chris Carson
• Wednesday 14 May
Roe Green Amble
Meet Beesley Green 2pm
Talks start at 2pm
Price: £1.50
Worsley Methodist Church &
Community Association Meet at
Worsley Methodist Church, Barton
Road. Contact Frank Brittain
0161 789 7885
Talks start 7.30pm Cost £3.00
including tea and biscuits (proceeds
in aid of the church)
This calendar of local history/heritage
activities is based on information supplied
by the individual organisations and is
believed to be correct at the time of going
to press. It may be advisable to confirm
details in advance of attending an event.
Note to programme secretaries. For your
group’s talks to be included in this listing please
send your programme to us before the deadline
as shown on p2.
Some societies have their own websites
and details of all talks supplied to us are
also listed on our web page at
www.salford.gov.uk/museum-talks
23
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Salford Museum
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Ordsall
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Museum
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0800 • Fax: 0161 745 9490
Email: [email protected]
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am-4.45pm and
Sat-Sun 1.00-5.00pm
Free parking, disabled access, gift shop,
café .
Salford Local History Library
at Salford Museum & Art Gallery:
Open: Tues, Thurs and Fri 10.00am-5.00pm
and Weds 10.00am-8.00pm
Closed weekends and Mondays
Ordsall Hall Museum
Ordsall Lane, Salford M5 3AN
Tel: 0161 872 0251 • Fax: 0161 872 4951
Email:[email protected]
Open: Mon-Fri 10.00am-4.00pm and
Sunday 1.00-4.00pm
Closed Saturday
Free parking, gift shop,
limited disabled access
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