LifeTimes Link 38

Sharing Salford’s fantastic story
Issue No 38 Winter 2015/16
£2.00
A Street full of Memories
JOIN US ON A JOURNEY INTO SALFORD’S PAST
A “new look” at the Local History Library... a Salford connection with Waterloo...
Salford’s Georgian prison... and much more inside!
Useful contacts
Sarah Spence
Head of Libraries and Heritage
O161 778 0840
Peter Turner
Collections Assistant
0161 778 0809
Editorial
WELCOME TO THE 2015 WINTER
EDITION OF LIFETIMES LINK
Amy Goodwin
Exhibitions Officer
0161 778 0883
Peter Ogilvie
Collections Manager
0161 778 0825
Ceri Horrocks
Heritage Development Officer (Learning)
0161 778 0820
Amy Whitehead
Learning Officer, Ordsall Hall
0161 686 7442
Luisa Neil
Learning Officer, Salford Museum
0161 778 0821
Naomi Lewis,
Outreach Officer
0161 778 0881
Liz McNabb
Ordsall Hall Manager
0161 686 7446
Caroline Storr
Heritage Development Manager (Ordsall Hall)
0161 686 7446
David Potts
Volunteer and Training Manager
0161 686 7445
Lindsay Berry
Head Gardener and Trainer
0161 872 0251
Amy Senogles
Retail and Catering Manager
0161 778 0818
Kellie Brown
Marketing Officer
0161 778 0819
Duncan McCormick
Salford Local History Librarian
0161 778 0814
TO CONTACT MUSEUM
SWITCHBOARDS:
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
0161 778 0800
Ordsall Hall
0161 872 0251
The History Man as many will remember him: Tony Frankland in the Local
History Library in 1987. (Image courtesy of Salford Local History Library)
LifeTimes Link magazine was introduced
around the turn of the Millennium to
complement the work being done in the
LifeTimes Department at Salford Museum
and Art Gallery. Over three dozen issues
have been produced since then, containing
a range of articles concerning Salford’s
heritage. Cuts in finance and staffing have
meant that plans for the Gallery have been
scaled back. The Link is now edited by the
Friends of the Salford Museums’ Association
(FSMA).
Philip and I hope that this edition will intrigue
and inform you, with its mix of reminiscences,
researched articles and information about
what is planned in the arts and local history
scene over coming months. FSMA will be
celebrating its Diamond Jubilee in 2016.
There will be an exhibition at Salford Museum
and Art Gallery starting in April. We hope to
use that and The Link as a means to increase
FSMA membership and subscriptions to the
Magazine.
We were saddened to hear of the death of
Tony Frankland at the end of June. Tony
had worked in the Local History Library for
25 years until his retirement in 1997. He
had helped hundreds of people with their
research, be it genealogy, material for school
projects or student theses, articles for local
newspapers or photographs for films and
documentaries. He had a huge knowledge of,
and love for, this city and its history and was
a founder member of Salford Local History
Society. His publications included “The Diary
of Abraham Driver – the story of a Broughton
Constable”, “Salford’s Prison, an account of
New Bailey Prison in 1836” and “Salford in
Print”. Issued in 1975, “In Print” has not been
out of print since!
Tony compiled dozens of fact sheets and led
countless history trails in the area. Known
far and wide, his popularity was reflected
in the size of the gathering at his funeral
at Agecroft Crematorium. He had been
married to Marjorie for almost fifty years.
Our condolences go to her and to his many
friends. Farewell, then, to “The History Man”.
LINK has always relied on and been
grateful for two things: - help from staff at
the Museum and Ordsall Hall in supplying
encouragement, information and background
material, and articles and letters from readers.
Whilst staff participation is still forthcoming,
input from The Link subscribers and friends
has become somewhat sparser of late. May
I urge readers, if you want this magazine to
continue as a means of connecting to our
City’s rich heritage, to consider contributing.
Reminiscences of schooldays, home life,
work, church, sport and hobbies are all of
interest, especially if there are accompanying
photographs.
Do get in touch if you have any ideas.
Philip Heyes
Don Rainger
Joint editors
Friends of Salford Museums:
[email protected]
Useful websites
salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/culture
For all museum and culture related topics
salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/culture/whats-on
Find out about concerts, walks, talks and other
events in Salford
www.wcml.org.uk
For Working Class Movement Library
www.visitsalford.info
What to do, where to stay and what to see in Salford
WHY NOT JOIN THE FRIENDS OF SALFORD MUSEUMS?
Tthe Friends were formed nearly 60 years ago and have since then been at the heart of supporting
both the Museum and Art Gallery and Ordsall Hall. New members are warmly welcomed.
To join the Friends, please complete the enclosed application form and send with stamped addressed
envelope to The Treasurer, F.S.M.A., Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, SALFORD M5
4WU. Annual Subscription is £10 per member.
To find more details about the Friends, and what they do, please go to: www.FriendsofSalfordMuseums.org
CHRISTMAS AT
SALFORD HERITAGE
Seasonal Activities for all ages
LifeTimes Link
subscriptions
Why not subscribe to LifeTimes
Link either for yourself or as a gift
for a loved one?
UK subscriptions cost £6 for one year and
include two editions posted direct to your door.
If you require further information please go
to www.salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/
culture or call 0161 778 0800 for more details.
AT SALFORD MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY
A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Saturday 5 December / 12:00 - 4:00pm
Sunday 6 December / 12:00 - 4:00pm
Free! £4.00 to meet Father Christmas in his grotto
Join us for a weekend of Christmas celebrations
as we begin the festivities including music, songs,
crafts and a chance to meet Father Christmas.
Musical entertainment by the ‘Golden Voices’, on
Saturday 5th December and by ‘The Monton Voices’
(Supported by Friends of Salford Museums) on
Sunday 6th December.
AT ORDSALL HALL
GHOST STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS
Friday 4 December 2015 / 7:30pm
£10.00, £8.00 concessions. Booking required
Ghost Stories for Christmas is a theatre show
featuring original spine-chillers in a vintage vein.
An evening of vengeful revenants, restless spirits
and malevolent ghouls is guaranteed for those
brave enough to join us!
See website for further information
SALFORD MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Sunday 6 December / 2:00 - 3:30pm
Free! No booking required
Listen to the festive sounds of talented Salford
school children as they perform yuletide classics
in the stunning Great Hall.
Enjoy a festive glass of mulled wine and a mince
pie afterwards.
CHRISTMAS GROTTO AT THE HALL
Sunday 13 December / 1:00 - 4:00pm
£4.00 per child. No booking required
Come and meet Father Christmas in his grotto and
receive a gift!
You can also meet Father Christmas / 1.00 - 4.00pm
Sunday 20 December and Monday 21 December
2016 HALF TERM AND EASTER HOLIDAYS AT
SALFORD HERITAGE
We always have fun during the holidays at Ordsall
Hall and Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
Basic large print versions of
this magazine are available
Ring 0161 778 0800
Contributions
Send your letters, articles and copies of
photographs to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link,
F.S.M.A., Salford Museum and Art Gallery,
Peel Park, Crescent, Salford, M5 4WU
Editor email: via Joint Editor, Philip Heyes,
email: [email protected]
The deadline for items for the next issue
(Summer Issue May 2016) is Friday 18th
March 2016
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.
FINDING US ON-LINE
And accessing BACK NUMBERS of
LifeTimes Link - Winter 2006 to Summer 2015
For both school holiday activities and workshops
and classes and to find out what we’ve got coming
up - visit our website:
www.salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/culture
Look in the ‘what’s on’ section
Page 4 - 5
Salford Companionship Circle
for the Elderly
Don Rainger
Page 6
Changing History – the new face of our
Local History Library
Duncan McCormick
Page 7
“Is Anything Alright? My Titanics Story”
by Stanley Hyman
Reviewed by Don Rainger
“You write”
Salford Then and Now: Chris Dillon on
the changing face of Broad Street
Page 8
Communities and Outreach
Connecting people with their history
Naomi Lewis
Page 9
“Recollections of Salford”
by members of S.L.H.S.
Reviewed by David George
“A History of Weaste and Seedley”
by Roy Bullock
Reviewed by Don Rainger
Page 10 - 11
The Waterloo Trail – Salford’s connection
with the great battle
Paul Hassall
Page 12 - 13
Collections Corner
Peter Turner on recent Museum acquisitions
Pages 14 - 15
My Association with Ordsall Hall and
Agecroft Hall
John Finley
Page 16
Restoring Agecroft’s Cemetery Chapel
Pete Kilvert
Page 17
Lark Hill Place at War – plans for 2017
Ceri Horrocks
Go to Salford Museum’s Website:
www.salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/
culture/salford-museum-and-art-gallery
and follow the links to LifeTimes.
Pages 18 – 19
Industrialising Prison – Georgian Style
Unearthing New Bailey Prison’s past
Dr Michael Nevell
If the LifeTimes Link issue you require isn’t
available to download please email
Pages 20 – 21
Link Listings
[email protected] or call 0161 778 0813.
Page 22
Mystery Pix
On last Issue’s Pix – see p.16
Print copies of most back numbers are still in
stock – price £2 each.
2016 WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES
As well as activities for children we also have a
range of workshops and classes for adults – a
great chance to learn a new skill in a relaxed and
informal atmosphere.
Contents
Page 23
Local History Round Up
OUR FRONT COVER
In anticipation of the proposed “re-ordering” of Lark Hill Place to fit the war-time period of
1917 (see article by Ceri Horrocks in this issue) we make no apologies for including this fine
colour photo of “The Street” decked out in patriotic mode.
Photo by Nick Harrison © Harrison Phair Photography
The City of Salford Companionship
Circle for the Elderly
BY DON RAINGER
the Better Care of the Elderly in their
own Homes”, and Mrs Rothwell’s main
message was that “the elderly woman
wants to be wanted”. The big problem
when the war ended was housing.
Salford was faced with the fact that
many old people would have no
opportunity of getting a home of their
own if they waited for new building to
give them the typical one-bed flat or
bungalow they longed for.
A fundraising Fair under way at Immanuel Methodist Church. Image courtesy of Salford Local History Library, Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Introduction
The following is a brief history of the start of the process, gleaned from documents
in the Local History Library and articles in the Salford City Reporter. I have included
certain direct quotations. You may find some of the language used sixty and more
years ago would not be acceptable today.
“The problem of the care of old people is one with which we must all concern
ourselves. Since the age balance of the population shows an increasing tendency
to be weighted with older people, their welfare and care must occupy an increasing
amount of our time and labours, but … it must be a labour of love with none of the
rigours of officialdom and institutionalism with which some of the welfare work of the
past has sometimes been tainted.”
The sentiments contained in this paragraph may well have come from a press release
sent last week, so relevant are they to issues currently in the public domain. They
were in fact spoken on 17th November 1949 by the then Mayor of Salford, Cllr C.R.V.
Haynes, J.P. at an informal conference on the care of old people held at the Town Hall,
with an impressive list of speakers.
The way we were – A 1949 Perspective
The Mayor began with two statistics to make those assembled aware of Salford’s
task. At that date, there were 17,000 people aged over 65 years in the City, with a
further 18,000 approaching “official old age”, in a population of about 175,000.
The opening address was given by Sir William Douglas. KCE, KBE, Secretary at the
Ministry of Health. He pointed out that in 1947, two years prior to this meeting, 13.7%
of the population were already of pensionable age.
Sir William was followed by a Miss S Doherty, Domestic Help Organiser in Preston,
who spoke about the “Meals on Wheels” service, before Mrs D G Rothwell MBE, JP,
stood up to talk about elderly women in Salford. The conference was called “Towards
There followed talks on home visiting of
the old and infirm; home helps for the
elderly; and Salford’s Good Neighbours
Association which was in its fourth year
and had 29 willing volunteers. Mr S
H Worthington, Salford’s Director of
Civic Welfare, spoke about Domiciliary
Welfare and a Mrs Gaunt of New River
Street enthused about her Darby and
Joan Club. “An Old Man’s Point of
View”, by Mr Frank Langshaw, a chef,
of Falkland Avenue, contained the
following: “The conditions under which
some of the elderly men, many of them
veterans of the South African and 191418 Wars, live are appalling and it is very
necessary that something is done as
soon as possible.” He paid tribute to the
work being done by the WVS in running
the Darby and Joan Clubs. “They (the
WVS) are the Florence Nightingales of
today, carrying the lamp and taking the
light into old people’s hearts”.
The Manchester & Salford Family
Service Unit’s contribution was entitled
“Helping the Derelict Aged”, whilst Mr
F Douglas Weeks of the Manchester
& Salford Council of Social Services
maintained that “human sympathy and
an understanding of human nature will
help us to find the right way to do the
particular piece of work which lies on
our doorstep”.
The notes of this conference were typed up and issued in foolscap form. The final
word was left with David Lloyd George:
“How we treat our old people is a crucial test of our national quality. A nation that
lacks gratitude to those who have honestly worked for her in the past while they had
the strength to do so, does not deserve a future, for she has lost her sense of justice
and her instinct of mercy.”
The Report went on:
“This year in particular (1956-57) has
been fortunate in the profound interest
evinced by the President, the Mayor of
Salford, Ald. J. Openshaw, JP, himself
a “not so young” citizen of 82 years,
and also from the Mayoress, Mrs N.
Openshaw, their assistance given so
generously at all times without reserve,
being an inspiration to us all.”
It was known that around 4,000 elderly
persons lived alone in Salford in 1957.
Admirable duties were undertaken by
senior Pendleton High School pupils with
the Shaftesbury Society in the sphere of
home visitation, “their cheerful, youthful
exuberance” bringing “sunshine into the
somewhat monotonous existence of
elderly persons”.
Gilda Brook Home - The presentation of chairs in May 1976
L-R back: Val Scerri, C.A. Siddall (ARBA Director of Social. Servicess), Mrs B. Southern, Cllr H. Singleton, Rolph Haslam (20 yrs in the Home), Mrs Gladys Gregson (WRVS), William L Connor
(Supervisor), Mrs Mary Croft (WRVS), Mrs Elizabeth Connor. L-R seated: Frank Carlton, unknown, unknown.
Image courtesy of Salford Local History Library, Salford Museum & Art Gallery – taken from SalfordOnline website.
1955 – The Beginning of the Companionship Circle
It was against this background that the Companionship Circle for the Elderly was
inaugurated in June 1955 at a meeting convened by the Civic Welfare Committee.
Invitations were extended to 34 voluntary associations, religious, political and youth
groups, and Trade Unions to send representatives.
Among the aims and objectives in the constitution were:
•
The organisation is established with a voluntary aspect to use every effort for the purpose of furthering the welfare of elderly persons in Salford by assisting the work of the statutory authorities and voluntary organisations in relieving distress or sickness, developing physical improvement and physical and mental recreation.
• The organisation shall be absolutely non-political and non-sectarian.
• To arrange for forwarding to the proper authorities and organisations the relevant facts regarding cases of elderly needs and causes of distress, as are within the power of those authorities to investigate
The work of the Circle in 1957
The Circle’s second Annual Report dated 29th April 1957 stated:
“There is no doubt that the range of services envisaged at the inaugural meeting in
January 1955 has been far outstripped due to the enthusiasm, interest and practical
voluntary effort of the 40 or so organisations now co-ordinated in the Circle’s activities.”
So this was a better than envisaged beginning.
This second report of the Circle
contained a long list of other forms of
assistance. These included providing
walking sticks, dentures, spectacles,
and a grant towards the purchase of
writing pads for a prolific letter writer, hot
water bottles, 23 bottles of Mackeson
Stout, and repairs of self-propelling
chairs. Money was provided to allow
elderly people to visit Brooke Bond
films (does anyone remember these? –
Ed) at the Docks Hall and to watch the
Broughton Drama Group’s production
of Candida, Chaseley Fields Players
performance of “Hobson’s Choice”
and Salford Amateur Operatic Society
rendering of Trial by Jury and Pirates
of Penzance. The second Christmas
Appeal raised £339 – 9s - 9d. Thought
was being given to providing a Holiday
Home at a seaside resort.
The report concluded that it was
“gratifying to find that many MPs,
organisations and local authorities have
sought during the year information on
the constitution of the Circle, suggesting
that similar organisations will be
forthcoming.”
So, what Salford does today ….
[To be continued]
NOTE: These photographs clearly represent a period somewhat
later than that described in Don’s article. The author has
tried without success to find any photographs of “work with
the elderly” in the 1950s. However these photographs give a
“feel” of the type of work which was being done. If you have
photographs from the 1950s do please share these with us. - Ed
CHANGING HISTORY
BY DUNCAN MCCORMICK, SALFORD LOCAL HISTORY LIBRARIAN
The Local History Library has been through some interesting changes this summer.
For those regular to the service they will have noticed that we were closed for nine
weeks to allow for some much needed maintenance work. However, what they
may not know is how much more than just a lick of paint and a tidy up has taken
place whilst the doors were closed.
Library immediately before this year’s changes
(all photos courtesy of Salford Local History Library)
Before: The Library in 1988
The library closed at the end of June for re-plastering and painting work due to a water
damaged wall. As these works could not take place with the library open, we decided it
would be a good opportunity to do some much needed maintenance that was overdue
on how our users access our resources. The library has remained relatively untouched
for some thirty years, but the collection has grown and with it various indexes and card
catalogues – mainly from Eccles and Swinton. These have now all been consolidated
into separate information indexes for each area, with a single biography and author
index for the entire collection. This, along with some furniture moving and replacing,
has freed up a lot of space for use in holding talks and school tours. However, this
work also highlighted how harsh the past thirty years have been on our floor. As luck
would have it, some money was available to allow us to replace the carpet – which
was very good timing. We have also worked very hard to box all our pamphlets and
leaflets in one series, for ease of searching. Likewise, our books have been organised
so oversized books now follow the same Dewey shelf marks as those above them.
As with most redevelopments, these
improvements should be unnoticed
by many of our users – but will make
searching much simpler, without the
need to ask for assistance. Researching
in our library should be an adventure, and
our users are encouraged to discover
things on their own.
The improvements don’t end there,
though. In October we also launched
our Digital Salford photo archive (www.
salford.photos). This is a small part of
the collection of over 70,000 images and
photographs we hold in the library – and
our volunteers are still scanning more
images! With assistance from the Friends
of Salford Museums’ Association, we
now have better storage for our maps
and plans, to allow simpler access and
free up more much needed space.
These are just a part of our continued
commitments to try and improve services
in the library without tearing the heart
out of a much loved service. History
doesn’t change, but the way we access
it does and we are always looking to the
expectations of our users to assist in how
they find the information they require.
After: The Library as it is now
“IS ANYTHING ALRIGHT? - MY TITANICS STORY”
BY STANLEY HYMAN
Price £9.99 Stellar Books
Stellarbooks.co.uk, 216 pages.
REVIEWED FOR LIFETIMES LINK BY DON RAINGER
OK, I admit it immediately. This book is not Salford-based,
but because it is only just over the Irwell (in Strangeways and
Cheetham Hill), because it is by a well-known personality,
because it is funny, human, quirky and insightful, and because,
let’s face it, I’m joint editor of LifeTimes Link, here it is!
Stanley Hyman’s granddad, a Russian Jew, came to Glasgow, married a Manchester
lass, settled in Lord Street, Cheetham and eked out a living selling sour cream and
cream cheese. An American relative urged him to emigrate to Philadelphia. He
decided to do so and booked a passage on the maiden voyage of the Titanic in April
1912. The rest they say ….
Rescued by the Carpathia he eventually came back to Manchester, full of ideas
picked up in New York. He moved the family from Lord Street to Waterloo Road,
opened a delicatessen and the locals took little time in naming it “Titanics”. The shop
passed down the family and Stanley was guardian from the early 1970s until “2000
and something”.
He was actually involved for 50 years and this book of anecdotes, with him at the
hub of Jewish communal food sales, positively reeks of pickled cucumber, smoked
salmon and kosher chicken.
There are stories for all the main Jewish festivals – Passover, Rosh Hashanah (New
Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Channucah, and references to both the
Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities in Manchester. Some readers will recognize
the names of prominent local families and smile at the idiosyncrasies of the religious
authorities.
We go from the days when food was in barrels to today’s multi-wrapped purchases;
from when housewives koshered meat at home to nowadays when most is prepared
by the butcher. There are short chapters on ‘To Kvetch or Not to Kvetch’ (kvetching
was touching and squeezing fresh chickens) and a Fish Fressing competition,
“fressing” being “eating”.
The book rattles along at quite some pace, and is sometimes written in “broken
biscuits” , the Scottish English with a Russian accent language of Stanley’s grandfather.
But, fear not, as the ever-resourceful
author / deli-owner places a glossary at
the end of his writing, so every reference
can be translated and understood.
“Is Anything Alright?” provides an
insight into a world which may be
unknown to many Link readers but it
is a charming read – and who knows,
once you have consumed this, you
may wish to look for fictional accounts
of the same area, such as “Magnolia
Street” by Louis Golding and “Shabby
Tiger” and “Rachel Rosing” by Howard
Spring, “A Kid for Two Farthings” by
Wolf Mankowitz and the “Almonds and
Raisins” trilogy by Maisy Mosco.
YOU WRITE:
One of our readers, Chris Dillon, writing from New South Wales, comments on the
“Now” picture of Broad Street from the Article “Salford Then and Now” by Don
Rainger on page 15 of our last issue (Link no. 37).
“Thank you for your email and the very interesting copy of LifeTimes Link. Many of
the scenes were familiar to me including the block of flats near Broad Street, where
my parents moved to after the demolition of the slums in Joseph Street off Liverpool
Street. They were thrilled at the time to have hot water, bath and indoor toilet, but the
flats soon became modern slums, and I believe the building was demolished when the
tenants were intimidated by vandals, and felt threatened when leaving the building.”
Looking across Broad Street, Pendleton, from the junction
with Frederick Road. The “Now” picture - today’s Broad Street
with which we have become familiar.
© Swinton Photographic Society.
COMMUNITIES AND OUTREACH
BY NAOMI LEWIS, OUTREACH OFFICER, SALFORD MUSEUM
Museums and heritage sites play
a crucial role in connecting local
communities with the history of
their city and its people. Salford
Heritage Services’ communities
and outreach team works in a
collaborative and responsive
way with communities, groups,
societies and organisations from
across Salford to inspire them to
learn about, and engage with the
city’s rich heritage.
Community
and
outreach
work
often involves supporting groups in
developing and delivering projects,
such as activities currently being run
in the city to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of World War One. The
team also develops partnerships with
many different organisations and
audiences, including older people,
young groups, local history societies
and schools, to run projects around
heritage themes.
Recent examples
include marking the 250th anniversary
of the Bridgewater Canal in Salford,
and collecting oral histories from former
farming communities on Chat Moss to
Embroiderer at work © Salford Museum and Art Gallery
inspire younger generations. These
projects aim to offer community involvement and ownership at all levels, and help
local people gain an insight into the broad heritage of Salford in a variety of ways,
ranging from oral history collection to participatory art.
For more information on Communities
and Outreach, contact Naomi Lewis at
[email protected]
Throughout the year, the team also delivers local history talks, on topics ranging
from Women in War to the Victorian Workhouse, to local interest groups, as well as
organising talks and walks based at our sites, Salford Museum and Art Gallery and
Ordsall Hall.
Another key area of work for the communities and outreach team is around
reminiscence, supporting older people to participate in stimulating and enjoyable
memory-based activity, and training care staff to facilitate it effectively. The Memories
Matter reminiscence resource loans service offers free access to museum objects,
photographs and exhibitions for anyone working with older people in Salford.
Alongside this, the new ArtBox service
has been launched to provide creative
activities for people living with dementia,
allowing them to use their imagination
through visual art, drama, creative
writing and movement-based activities.
In this region, these services in heritage
provision for older audiences lead the
field, and are very popular with local
care providers and charities.
Conversation piece © Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Cadishead tapestry © Salford Museum and Art Gallery
RECOLLECTIONS OF SALFORD
by Members and Friends of Salford Local History Society: originally printed in 1992 with a foreword by
Don Rainger (Chairman) 117 pages - £5.95.
REVIEWED FOR LIFETIMES LINK BY DAVID GEORGE
It was a pleasant surprise to find this reprint at The Lowry Bookshop. It is a very unusual
publication in that no fewer than 50 or so members of the Society were persuaded to
record their memories or to write a poem. Subjects range from childhood upbringings
to Hanky Park, Trams, Holidays, Schools, Police, Fire and Home Guard, Cinemas and
Theatres and the Whit Walks.
Your reviewer particularly enjoyed the account of Fairhope, a large house on the
“millionaire’s mile” in Pendleton belonging to the Prestwich Family of Protector Lamp
fame (which later became the site of a motor garage business) and the account of
working in the Peel Building of 1945 – 65.
Also, very relevant to today’s efforts to revive interest in the past of Salford Quays, is
the article: “Working in the Dock Office”.
The black and white photos accompanying these chapters are clear and were selected
by the then staff at the Local History Library. There is indeed something for everyone
here. The book nicely complements the more academic and professional publications
such as “Salford and its Past” .
Most Local History Societies are content
to turn out once a month and listen
to expert speakers; here a group has
written its own history and deserves
retrospective congratulations.
NOTE: A word of thanks to David George for this timely
contribution. The Editors of LIfeTimes Link wish to
congratulate David on his recently being made a Life Member
of The Eccles & District History Society for his services to the
Society and to the study of local history.
“A HISTORY OF WEASTE AND SEEDLEY”
by Roy Bullock, published by Neil Richardson, 76 pages, price £6.00.
REVIEWED BY DON RAINGER
Roy Bullock has, for many years, been producing books under the Neil Richardson
imprint. Extensive research in local newspapers, keen attention to detail, an ear
attuned to the Salford psyche and an abundant selection of photographs has meant
that his works have always been popular. That recipe has been used again in his latest
book on Weaste and Seedley and it has brought him the reward of the Frank Mullineux
Local History Award given by the Eccles & District History Society. The award, unique
among local history societies in the City, is offered for work in local history.
In 76 pages, packed with maps, drawings, extracts from trade directories, photographs,
sketches, the story of this area of Salford , [not easily geographically defined,] is told
in concise fashion from its days in rural times up to [the most recent developments in]
2014. The improvement of the road system, the coming of the railway, the building of
houses and factories, as well as schools, churches and parks – all of the infrastructure
we know today is recorded. Woven into the narrative are human, and sometimes
animal, stories taken from newspapers. Often these tales are from locals enjoying
or enduring their “fifteen minutes” through wedding anniversaries, employment
landmarks or appearances in court. Those whose names were more widely known
also receive a mention: Elkanah Armitage, Rev Hugh Stowell, Sir Charles Halle, Sir
Thomas Potter and Frances Hodgson Burnett (writer of “Little Lord Fauntleroy” and
“The Secret Garden”) were all resident in the area.
Emmeline Goulden, who married Richard Pankhurst at St Luke’s church, had lived
in the Seedley area from the age of nine. In the early 1900s, when in her forties, she
was present at many suffrage meetings there, with her daughters Christabel, Sylvia
and Adele.
A Jewish wedding at the Royal Hotel, later the Flat Iron on Church Street, in 1891
aroused a huge local interest. There was a large Jewish population in Pendleton at
the time and the ceremony was given coverage in “The Reporter”.
Barmy Mick, John Wallwork, the barber, and Francis Ainsworth (wallpaper specialist)
rub shoulders in this most readable volume with Isaac Daniels (porter and later
stationmaster, with one month under
fifty years’ service at Weaste Station)
and Mr J E C Lord, (tar distiller,
philanthropist,
magistrate,
Mason
and, until his death in 1926, President
of Weaste Cricket Club). The station
closed over 60 years ago and the
Cricket Club has recently become a
housing estate.
That pre-Victorian rural area that Roy
Bullock begins his account with is
now a heavily populated, multi-ethnic,
bustling place that one can speed
through on the M602 or by the newlyelectrified railway from Manchester
to Liverpool. This volume detailing
these enormous changes is a valuable
addition to Salford’s written history.
THE WATERLOO TRAIL
BY PAUL HASSALL
In the last issue of LifeTimes Link I mentioned the tree planted
in Parr Fold, Walkden to commemorate the victory at Waterloo.
As this year is the 200th anniversary of the battle I wondered at
other Salford links to Waterloo and the Duke of Wellington.
My first search took me to one of the heroes of the battle: Charles Ewart.
Many of us will be aware of the famous picture by Richard Ansdell of The Fight for
the Standard, which depicts one of the many heroic incidents which occurred on
the field at Waterloo. However, it is less well known that the hero depicted, Charles
Ewart, spent his later years living in Salford.
The first of Peter’s discoveries was the
medal shown here:
Ewart, born in 1769 near Kilmarnock, was a sergeant in the Royal Scots Greys.
The picture shows him capturing one of the two imperial eagles.
Ewart described the feat:
“It was in the first charge that I took the Eagle from the enemy. The Frenchman
and I had a hard contest for it. He thrust for my groin; I parried it off and cut him
through the head; after which I was attacked by one of their Lancers who threw his
lance at me, but missed the mark by my throwing it off with my sword by my right
side; then I cut him from the chin upwards, which cut went through his teeth. Next I
was attacked by a foot soldier, who, after firing at me, charged me with his bayonet;
but he very soon lost the combat, for I parried it, and cut him down through the
head; so that finished the contest for the Eagle. After which I presumed to follow
my comrades, Eagle and all, but was stopped by the General saying to me, ‘You
brave fellow, take that to the rear; you have done enough till you get quit of it,’ which
I was obliged to do. ... I took the Eagle into Brussels, amidst the acclamation of
thousands of the spectators who saw it.”
Waterloo Medal – face (with the Prince Regent)
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Military campaigns were different in those days and families often accompanied
their men to the battle, although this exposed them to the horrors of war. After the
battle, Ewart’s wife, Maggie, spent the day seeking among the dead for the body
of her husband, as she had had no news from him. She witnessed many people
plundering the bodies, who were even killing those seriously wounded so they could
rifle their pockets. After an ineffectual search she found a bed for the night in the
home of a blacksmith. Later in the evening a number of grimy soldiers entered, with
their horses, which they had brought to be shod. Suddenly Mrs Ewart shot up “I’m
sure that’s Ewart’s voice”. Ewart saw her as she advanced and calling out “Maggie!
Maggie!” rushed to embrace her.
Ewart was rewarded with a commission, and to this day there is a pub named after
him on Edinbugh’s Royal Mile. Ewart served for another twenty-four years and
on leaving the army resided in Tranmere, Ulverston and then Salford. He lived on
Hampson Street, near Oldfield Road. He used his military experience to teach
sword fighting. His final days, with his faithful wife, Maggie were spent in a cottage
in Davyhulme. He died on 23rd March, 1846, aged 77 years, and was buried in the
graveyard of the New Jerusalem Temple in Bolton Street, Salford. Sadly, his grave
was paved over and forgotten for many years, being uncovered in the 1930s, and he
was reburied by the Royal Scots Greys on the esplanade of Edinbugh castle in 1938.
Interestingly, the Manchester Literary Club papers of 1878, which detail his life, also
mention that his sword was in the possession of a man in Lytham, but his watch
had been donated to Peel Park Museum (donated by Mayor R.P. Livingstone). This
led to the next phase of the trail. I asked Peter Ogilvie, Collections Manager, if he
could find the watch in the museum collection. He was unable to do so, but was very
helpful in unearthing two other items connected to Waterloo:
Waterloo Medal – obverse (with Eagle)
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
The name Waterloo also brings up
the name Peterloo. In 1819, the 15th
King’s Hussars, alongside the part-time
Manchester and Salford Yeomanry,
mobilised to disperse up to 80,000
protestors who had gathered in St
Peter’s Field, Manchester, to demand
political reform. The resulting sabre
charge left approximately 15 dead and
up to 700 injured. The Hussars were
responsible for charging in to break up
the crowd. The event was popularly
dubbed the Peterloo Massacre in
reference to the 1815 battle of Waterloo.
I couldn’t find out if Charles Ewart was
present at Peterloo.
Further research into the battle of
Waterloo led me to the following
information from Salford Online. St
Thomas’ Church, Pendleton, was one
of a number of new churches financed
and built throughout the country after
an Act of Parliament in 1818 granted £1
million. These churches were known
as Waterloo Churches, the Nation’s
thanksgiving to God for the victory over
Napoleon “lest a Godless people might
also be a revolutionary people”.
Richard Ansdell: The Fight for the Standard (depicting Salfordian Charles Ewart) Original painting in the care of Historic Scotland at
Edinburgh Castle. This image courtesy of Eric Gaba – Wikimedia Commons user: Sting. File licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
The second Museum discovery was this faded commemorative handkerchief
donated from Manchester Museum. We inspected the various tableau, before,
with excitement, we discovered Sergeant Ewart’s name and an image of a solider
carrying an Eagle!
Whilst reading about the history of
Clifton, I also read that there was
“rejoicing in commemoration of the
battle of Waterloo. The Fletchers made
lavish gifts to the poor of Clifton.” Were
there celebrations in other local areas?
In the previous issue of LifeTimes Link
I asked if anyone had any other Salford
Waterloo connections. Evelyn Vigeon
contacted us by email to say that there
is a Waterloo Medal awarded to William
Bridges at Eccles Parish Church.
There are a number of
Waterloo Roads, Wellington
Pubs etc. in Salford, so
next time you visit one, try
and think about the battle
of Waterloo and the Salford
hero: Charles Ewart.
Waterloo Commemorative Handkerchief – front
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Waterloo Commemorative Handkerchief – back
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
References:
www.manchestergazette.co.uk/19720/peterloo-massacre-cavalry-barracks
http://archive.salfordonline.com/salfordvideos_page/33496-video:_st_thomas’s_church,_pendleton_-_part_1:_foundations.html
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ewart
Manchester Literary Club papers. Vol 5 – 1878 – 7
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Ansdell_%E2%80%94_The_Fight_For_The_Standard.jpg
Cornwell, B. Waterloo: The history of four days, three armies and three battles (William Collins 2014)
Gaskell, A. The History and Traditions of Clifton (1960s)
All images of Salford Museum artefacts are copyright of Salford Museum
Collections Corner
By Peter Turner, Collections Assistant
Recent months have seen the donation of objects to Salford’s collections which relate to different
places and aspects of Salford’s social history as well as artistic representations of the city.
Ceramic poppy from The Tower of London, November 2014.
Two items relating to the First World War have
been donated recently, both of which have
been on display in the LifeTimes Gallery’s
“100 Years Ago: Salford at War” exhibition.
Marking 100 years since the first day of
Britain’s full involvement in the First World
War and created by artists Paul Cummings
and Tom Piper, 888,246 ceramic poppies
progressively filled the moat at the Tower of
London between 17 July and 11 November
2014, each one representing a British or
colonial military fatality during the war.
Following the closure of this installation
the hand painted ceramic poppies were
available for purchase and one was acquired
by Tindall Street Allotment Group in
Eccles who generously donated it to Salford
Museum and Art Gallery.
A doll found in the Star Chamber at Ordsall
Hall by Rev. Nelson of St. Cyprian’s Church
has been donated by Shelagh Rushbrook,
who was given the doll around 1955. This
bisque doll was made by Armand Marseille,
a German manufacturer who produced dolls
from 1885 until about 1930. The donor
attended St. Cyprian’s church and helped
the reverend’s wife with the ironing which
was done in the room adjacent to the Star
Chamber and from which there was a door
into the Star Chamber where the doll was
discovered. The donor’s father also owned
the off-licence on the corner of Markendale
Street and Gledhill Street.
The first tram from Winton to Deansgate, Manchester.
Salford Corporation Tramway’s first electric
trams ran in 1901 with electrification of
outlying areas complete by 1903. Salford’s
collection now includes two wonderful
postcards showing trams in Winton
which, according to hand written notes on
the back by the donor’s mother, show the
first trams from Winton to Salford and from
Winton to Deansgate, Manchester. These
were donated by Jack Middlehurst from
Staffordshire.
Transparencies of the archaeological dig at
Ordsall Hall prior to the construction of modern
houses on the west side of the hall have been
donated by Nick Higham. The archaeologists
who worked on this dig were funded through
the Manpower Services Commission using
local young unemployed people.
Sergeant De-Vere’s WWI whistle.
John Tetlow has donated a First World War
whistle that was owned by William Grant DeVere who was probably a sergeant during the
war, although his regiment is unknown. He
lived in Weaste Lane and Church Avenue,
Weaste.
A smart turnout for the first tram from Winton to Salford.
A recent donation, once discovered in the Star Chamber at
Ordsall: German bisque doll, ca. 1885 - 1930.
Tickets from the Victoria’s ‘last night’.
An oil painting entitled ‘Swinton’ by Enid
Williams has been donated by Salford Art
Club. Enid was a long standing member
of the art club who joined in the 1970s and
when she passed away in 2014 her daughter
donated the painting to Salford Art Club who
subsequently donated it to the museum.
Neville Jones from Weymouth has donated
an acrylic print of ‘Lord Duncan Street
Salford 5’. The donor painted the original
which is now in the hands of a private
collector. The view of the street, in which
the artist was born in 1929, features the
public wash house chimney on Hodge Lane,
the Spiritualist Church and Duncan Terrace
at the end.
Leaflet for the ‘Final Attraction’ at Broughton’s Victoria Theatre, 1972.
A scrapbook containing programmes and other items from the Victoria Theatre, Great
Clowes Street, Broughton has been donated by Jean Turner. These are mainly from the late
1960s and early 1970s, a period when the building was once again a theatre after a period
of different use. The scrapbook also contains two tickets from its last night of opening as
a theatre. The theatre, which was opened by Sir Henry Irving in 1899, was designed by the
renowned theatre architect Bertie Crewe and throughout its history has been used variously as
a theatre and cinema as well as a bingo hall from 1973 to 2007 (with some periods of closure
in the 1980s). There is now a campaign to save and restore this unique and architecturally
important theatre.
If readers have any comments or further information on any of the
above objects please write to LifeTimes Link. Details on page 3.
Other recent donations include an
Independent Order of the Rechabites
Certificate of Merit with Australian
decorative detail donated by Wendy
Sheridan, which illustrates the global extent
of the order; a collection of Pilkington’s
ceramics donated by Pam Edge whose
grandparents worked at the company and
acquired most of the pieces; and assorted
keys from the engineering works of Sir
James Farmer Norton’s Adelphi Works,
Salford donated by Roy Bullock who
acquired them on the works closing day sale
of artefacts.
‘Lord Duncan Street, Salford 5’, print from original painting by
Neville Jones, b. 1929.
MY ASSOCIATION WITH ORDSALL HALL
AND AGECROFT HALL BY JOHN FINLEY
Not many people can say that they have associations
with TWO of Salford’s Tudor historic manor houses
My first association with Ordsall
Hall began in 1959, when Salford
Corporation first acquired Ordsall Hall.
I was then 14 years old. My dad was
appointed visiting caretaker, becoming
resident caretaker in 1963. We moved
into a purpose-built flat. The bathroom
was downstairs, next to the front door,
you went up the staircase to the flat.
My dad made some brief notes of the
dimensions and the layout of the fitted
kitchen (9ft x 8ft) with electric cooker,
washing machine etc. Across the
corridor, was our living room, then my
bedroom, mum and dad’s bedroom,
all similarly compact and finally a box
room, which became dad’s studio.
Agecroft in Pendlebury
Salford historians will know that, at the end of the 19th century, industrialisation
and coal mining swept through the Irwell Valley. Coal mines were built all
around Agecroft Hall and railway tracks were laid. By 1925 Agecroft Hall was
dilapidated and in a very poor state of repair and was sold at auction to Mr
& Mrs Thomas C. Williams. He was a very wealthy entrepreneur with railroad
interests. Having had all sections carefully labelled and crated, he then shipped
Agecroft Hall to Windsor Farm, Richmond, Virginia, USA where it was re-built
on the banks of the James River.
There, from the suburb of Manchester, Virginia, you can cross the James River by
the Manchester Bridge, on the way to Agecroft Hall. The architect, Mr Morse was
appointed, not to replicate Agecroft Hall as it was in Lancashire, but to create a
comfortable, functional house reminiscent of how it was. Agecroft Hall’s gardens
reflect English gardens with Elizabethan aromatics and herbals; they were designed
by Charles Gillette. Reconstruction work took until Spring 1928, costing $250,000.
Then the owners moved in to their new home.
Over the past 7 years, my wife, Martha and I have visited Agecroft Hall several times.
On 21st.January 2015, four members of the Friends of Salford Museums, Philip Heyes
and his wife Susan, Martha and I, paid their latest visit to Agecroft Hall.
One thing that is very noticeable, when you enter, is how straight, flat and at right
angles everything is at Agecroft, where things were done to “modern” standards, in
comparison with Ordsall Hall, where things were built, literally, by rule of thumb.
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14
Ted Finley
My dad’s artistic skills had been
recognised when he was posted to
Ruabon, North Wales as a cartographer,
during World War II. By trade he was a
furrier, but because the fur trade was a
luxury after the war he had to find what
work he could.
Agecroft in Pendlebury
However, one day he was seen sketching in a note book by Mr Frape, the Gallery
curator, who offered him a job as attendant at The Art Gallery, Peel Park, alternating
with work at the (then) Natural History Museum, Buile Hill Park.
Along with Roy Mewha, another long-standing member of the Friends of Salford
Museums, dad became a founder member of Salford Art Club in 1948. Meetings
were first held at various locations, including Chairman Ernest Goodman‘s house in
Worsley. Goodman was a teacher at Salford Grammar School. Another venue for
meetings was the Chaseley Field Centre.
A word now about my early days at Ordsall. A firm from Alderley Edge was
commissioned to take charge of restoration work at Ordsall. When the work was
finished, their Mr Jock McAtee informed us that the Hall held 48 tons of grit stone on
the roof. He said that repairs were obviously needed in many areas but, basically, the
building was sound. There was very little woodworm, the roof beams in the great hall
were trimmed on the surface, and only one was replaced by a rolled steel joist.
It was whilst the Robin Hood gas boiler, and pipes for the central heating, were
being installed, evidence of a hole in the ground was uncovered. Various theories
were given, e.g. a well, but the consensus, then, was that it was a cess-pit.
I well remember shovelling snow in January and February 1963 during the very cold
winter. In October of that year, as soon as I was 18 years’ old, I had to go on night
work, month-on month-off, at Scientific Instruments, Barton Dock Road, working on
electron microscopes and mass spectrometers.
I celebrated my twenty first birthday on 1st October 1966 with a midnight ghost
hunt at Ordsall Hall. No luck! Didn’t see a thing - we must have frightened them all
away. It’s strange to me that no one believes me when I say I did not see the White
Lady or any other ghosts, when dad and I did our security rounds at night. In 1968
my dad took early retirement due to his emphysema. The Council helped mum and
dad to find the flat at Pendleton which is now my home.
It was during August 2006 whilst I was Chairman of the Friends and we were first
approached by SMAG to help in raising funds for Ordsall Hall’s restoration, that I first
became acquainted with my wife, Martha. And so began my second association
with Ordsall Hall.
I had sent an “open” e-mail regarding the Friends’ attempts to obtain a Lottery
Fund Grant for the Hall, which Martha saw, when she was Curator of the Kinsale
Museum in North-East Virginia. She was planning a courtesy visit to Kinsale, near
Cork, in Ireland, before coming on to England to research her family history, and so
began a long correspondence between
us. We exchanged emails - and other
items of information by post - about
our various organisations. Finally she
flew from Cork to Manchester Airport
on Friday 13th October 2006, which
was when we first met, and I was able
to introduce her to Salford. At that time
Ordsall Hall was hosting a hog roast as
part of Manchester Food and Drink
Festival.
Later, at Martha’s instigation, I was
invited to attend the Virginia Association
of Museums Annual Conference at
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, in
March 2007. This was, primarily, a
celebration of the 400th anniversary
of the founding of the first thirteen
American Colonies - see Link no. 21
pages 8 – 9. As a thank you for their
invitation, I bought a copy of a print of
Bargoed, by L. S. Lowry (The Friends
had been involved in raising funds
to help the purchase of the original
painting) and posted it to Martha. She
then had it framed and I presented it to
the Virginia Association. The Bargoed
print was warmly received and put on
display by the conference reception
desk.
Martha and I were married in St. Paul’s
Church in Salford on 13th July 2008
and appropriately held our reception
in the Great Hall at Ordsall. Since our
marriage, Martha has become keenly
interested in Salford, and its rich and
varied history.‘far by a substantial amount
of voluntary work. Much more is needed
however in order for it to be saved.
To help support the project, e.g. by
‘looking after a brick’, please get in touch:
15
THE PROPOSED RESTORATION OF
AGECROFT CEMETERY CHAPEL
BY PETE KILVERT
Secretary, Agecroft Cemetery Chapel Restoration Group
A new project team has come together to restore Agecroft Cemetery Chapel.
The team comprises members of the Greater Manchester Building Preservation
Trust, the Victorian Society, the original Lantern Project and Friends of Salford
Cemeteries Trust as well as Salford Council Officers and a Councillor.
The first job is to seek funding for a Feasibility Study to assess if a restored chapel
is viable as a community asset. First thoughts appear to look at the possibility of
an educational and mourning facility, and commercial possibilities include a cafe,
refreshment facility, florist or monumental mason. The group has already applied for
funding. If successful, the next steps would be to consult with the local community,
apply for grant funding, carry out the restoration work, develop commercial
partnerships and run the building for the benefit of the community.
The chapel was the original Church of England Chapel, opened with the Cemetery
in 1903. (The non-conformist chapel is now the crematorium and a Roman Catholic
chapel has been demolished.) The chapel and the cemetery were designed by
Manchester Architects Sharp and Foster in a free Gothic style with Arts and Crafts
influence. It is constructed from red sandstone and has a decorative wooden lantern
that tops the tower. The layout of the cemetery and the construction of the chapels
were undertaken by Gerrards of Swinton. The building is now in a sorry state, but its
solid construction gives hope for restoring this icon of the Irwell valley.
Agecroft Cemetery Chapel in springtime
Photo supplied by Pete Kilvert
If you would like further information
about this project, or wish to offer help,
please contact Pete via emai:
[email protected].
YOU WRITE
Readers’ comments on the “Mystery Pix” in our last issue (no.37):
Link 37 – Mystery Pic no. 2
I think the picture is taken from the bottom of Oldfield Rd. looking up Franklin St., the
building on the right being Mt Carmel church and the wall on the left enclosing the
“reservoir”, used for Worrals Dye Works. The industrial premises in the background
has got me puzzled – e mail from Jim Bottomley
Link 37 – Mystery Pic no. 3
Image from p 22 Issue no. 37 – May 2015
The building was on Oldfield Road, opposite the main gates of St Bartholomew’s
Church. I think the post which can be seen on the far right is part of the wall marking
the perimeter of the church grounds. I have confirmed this by referring to a wonderful
painting of the church by Ken Holt who now lives near Melton Mowbray. No one
seemed to know what the building was for, and it appears to me that the windows had
been bricked up sometime after construction. The radius of the circle of the brickwork
is reminiscent of the former chapel and railway station on Liverpool Road, Manchester
– e mail from Eric Youd
Image from p 22 Issue no. 37 – May 2015
If you’d like to tell a story, share memories or ask “Where are they now?” send your letters to the Editor – full details on Page 3.
16
LARK HILL PLACE AT WAR
BY CERI HORROCKS
Heritage Development Officer, Salford Museum & Art Gallery
– perhaps some of these publications
could replace the Victorian books in the
toyshop.
One area where we found lots of
potential to tell stories was the pub!
Whilst the look of pubs would have been
very similar, the war brought real social
change in their use. The Defence of The
Realm act brought in more licensing
regulations to control opening hours,
beer was watered down, more taxes
were put on alcohol, spirits could not
be sold on Saturdays and lastly, a ‘No
Treating Order’ was created. This last
order meant that you could not buy
a round in, again to control alcohol
consumption. Breaking the ‘No Treating
Order’ could result in up to 6 months’
imprisonment!
Lark Hill Place – The Pub
Over the summer we have been fortunate to have a Masters degree placement
student working with us on what we think is a very exciting project. Jaclyn
Bradley came to us, as part of her MA in Museums Studies, for 2 months to help
research an exciting re-display at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.
In an exclusive for LifeTimes Link we would like to share our thoughts to undertake
a temporary re-display of Lark Hill Place (our Victorian Street display) in late 2017, to
reflect how the street might have looked in 1917 following 3 years of war. Of course,
the Victorian Street is so well loved we will definitely be returning it to how it is now in
late 2018, but we thought this would be an interesting way to tell some of the stories
of Salford in 1917/18.
Jaclyn started her research by looking into what High Streets were like in 1917 – how
the attacks on the Atlantic convoys had restricted what was for sale in the shops, what
propaganda posters would have been
found on the streets, what community
drives were going on to raise funds for
tanks or to knit for the troops. Once
she had an outline of this she started
the laborious job of sorting through our
collections!
She had to look at what is on display
now and decide what items might still
have been in a Salford street only 20
years on from when it is set now, what
items would definitely have to go, and
what we had in our collections that could
be added. We were surprised to find
how many of our well loved childhood
stories had been published in this era
Women also started frequenting the
establishments in much larger numbers
than before the war. Some women now
found themselves with more disposable
income and freed from many domestic
restraints. There was concern that these
women might be working in armament
factories – what disasters could happen
if they arrived at work with a hangover,
or still drunk from the night before! One
way women’s behaviour in pubs was
sought to be brought in line was by
changing the secretive snugs in pubs to
more open dining rooms. Importantly
these could now be seen from the
street, so that passers-by would know
which women were frequenting the pub
and how they were behaving!
We will be busy
continuing to research
the project and aim to
make these changes
in November 2017, for
display until November
2018. We hope that
people will enjoy seeing
some fresh objects and
stories in the street,
and that it will prove
an interesting way for
us to mark the end of
the World War One
Commemorations.
Lark Hill Place – Mr Tomlinson’s Shop
17
Industrialising Prison, Georgian Style:
Excavating New Bailey Prison
BY DR MICHAEL NEVELL Head of Archaeology, School of Environment & Life Sciences, University of Salford
area covered the south-eastern part of
the old county, which was one of the
centres of the Industrial Revolution. It
contained the booming manufacturing
town of Manchester, whose population
grew from 23,000 in 1773 to 74,000
in 1801. The prison acted as both a
holding cell before trial and as a place
of incarceration afterwards, should
the defendant be unlucky enough to
be found guilty of a misdemeanour or
felony.
View looking down on the prison site excavation, February 2015
For several years now the University of Salford has been exploring the site of
New Bailey Prison in the centre of Salford, ahead of regeneration led by Muse
Developments. The site is spread across several redevelopment packages
and this is the third excavation since 2013. The scale and impact of the prison
are now very visible.
New Bailey was constructed between 1787 and 1790 and was the first prison in
England to be built entirely in accordance with the reformist principles of John
Howard, as set out in his landmark work The State of Prisons, published in 1777.
His proposition was that prisoners could be reformed and morally improved through
hard work, prayer, being categorised according to their level of offence and separated
by sex, and from other inmates
in individual cells.
With Georgian
England rapidly industrialising and
urban populations booming, his ideas
found a ready ear in Government.
Although philanthropic in outlook,
these new prisons, as implemented
over the next 50 years, amounted
to the industrialisation of prison life
through the mass-concentration and
control of felons in purpose-built and
designed structures.
Lancashire was an early pioneer, with
the Sheriff Thomas Butterworth Bayley
(after whom the site was named)
approving in 1787 the construction
of a new prison to cope with the
offenders in the Hundred of Salford,
an ancient administrative district. This
Ground level view of the excavation in progress, 2015
In its first phase the prison comprised
a rectangular enclosure surrounded by
a boundary wall, within which were the
prison gardens, a radial-plan Gaolers
Building and a Gate Keeper’s Lodge.
It was expanded in the 1810s with the
clearance of Bolton and Faulkner Street,
making way for the western extension
of the New Bailey Prison. Within this
extension four structures were erected
housing the Male Felon Workshops
and Yards (excavated in 2013), Male
Felon Wards, a Cook House and a
Hospital. A third phase of expansion
up to the 1840s included the addition
in the western half of the complex of
a Turn Keys’ Office, Clerks’ Office and
a new Chapel. In the eastern part of
the site the original prison building was
partially demolished to make way for
Plan of the New Bailey Prison from the 1848 O S Map
the construction of a Tread Wheel (excavated in 2014), Stables and Mill House, a
block of Male Misdemeanant Workshops and Yards, a block of Male Misdemeanant
Wards and a block of Female Felon Workshops and Wards.
The prison was used for minor offences, rather than for capital crimes: several
members of the crowd from the Peterloo Massacre were briefly held there in
1819. However, the Manchester Martyrs, three members of the Irish Republican
Brotherhood, were hanged there in 1867.
By the 1860s the prison had become outmoded, and unfit for an urban conurbation
of more than half a million people. It was replaced by Strangeways Prison, which
opened in 1868. The site was sold to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway who
demolished it in 1871 and built railway sidings over the site.
The current excavations are looking at part of the mid- to late 1810s extension. This
was erected at the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the timing might be significant.
This part of the site, and the northern section excavated in 2013, have both been
shown to have massive brick foundations built on the bedrock, in some areas over
2m deep, with relieving arches supporting the cell and workshop walls. Although
the prisons were of two stories the site seems over engineered. Was it a case of
job-creation to try to help off-set the unemployment in Manchester and Salford at
the end of the wars?
The most striking feature of the current site is its curving plan, the excavations
revealing a 90 degree arc of buildings. Though the extension might be thought
to be an admission of the failure of the underlying principles of the original prison,
these were nevertheless carried into the new design with rows of cells, each divided
by day rooms along the inner part of the radius and larger workshops (used for
rope unwinding and bobbin winding), separated by a wide passageway, along the
outside of the radius. Exercise was an important part of the regime and each block
of cells had access to a walled outdoor yard, with a sentry box in one corner.
By the mid-19th century the site had become over-crowded with around 1000
prisoners. Two surprising aspects of the site are the lack of artefacts and the lack
of rubble. Both are probably the result of careful demolition and the recycling of
the building materials after the prison closed. Yet we do have two artefacts: the
ceremonial trowel and mallet used at the laying of the first foundations in 1787.
These were recently rediscovered in a
private store and are currently available
for members of the public to see on the
regular tours of the excavations.
It is easy to be horrified, from an
early-21st-century perspective, at the
nature of the harsh regime and lack
of personal space within the prison:
indeed the inner cells were smaller than
those towards the rim of the radius so
that tall prisoners would not have been
able to lie down. Yet disease was not
common, partly because the prisoners
had access to a doctor, but also due
to regular meals, washing facilities
and clean clothing. They also had
individual sleeping rooms.
As Frederick Engels recorded in his
classic social commentary published
in 1845, The Condition of the Working
Class in England, the circumstances
of thousands of urban working
class people in central Salford and
Manchester were much worse. Strict
and regimented punishment might
have been delivered on an industrial
scale at New Bailey Prison, but perhaps
the real horrors of the industrial city
were to be found in the disease-ridden,
poorly built and overcrowded slums
of Ancoats, Little Ireland and New
Islington.
Link Listings
A taste of
forthcoming
heritage events
Exhibitions
A full programme of events
and exhibitions can be found
in our twice yearly (approx
January and July) Events
and Activities publication.
Pick up a copy from our
museum or any Salford
library, or check www.
salfordcommunityleisure.
co.uk/culture
for full events listings.
Culture, Barricades and Badges
Paintings (1980 - 2015) by John Sculley
14 November 2015 to 21 February 2016
You can also find much more
to see and do (as well as find
out the most up to date venue or
event details) at
www.visitsalford.info
Salford Museum & Art Gallery
Langworthy Gallery
This is the first retrospective exhibition by
the prize-winning painter, John Sculley. The
exhibition includes works illustrating the
social and political unrest of the 1980s, the
humour of family life, the passion of football,
as well as the artist’s on-going admiration for
the performing arts - music, dance, drama
and circus.
North Gallery
The Lightfoot Letters
Maria Walker and Angela Topping
12 September 2015 to 17 January 2016
Inspired by a chance meeting and an amazing
coincidence surrounding a bundle of letters
from the 1920s, visual artist Maria Walker and
poet Angela Topping have formed an artistic
collaboration that tells the story written in these
letters through a combination of textile art,
installations and poetry.
Accompanying the exhibition is a collection
of emblems and badges which, as well as
complementing the paintings, offer a unique
insight into the social and political history of
the last 40 years.
Remember - internet access
is free at all Salford libraries
and help is always available.
Salford Art Club Annual Exhibition 2016
23 January to 17 April 2016
A popular event for visitors, the annual Salford
Art Club exhibition will present the very best
works produced by members. A mixture of
landscape, portrait and still life are shown in a
variety of media.
Heart & Sold
5 March to 5 June 2016
A unique visual arts exhibition that will touch
your heart and mind: experience the latest
collection from established and developing
artists that happen to have Down syndrome.
With an eclectic mix of artwork from painting
to photography to line drawing, witness
how this condition can showcase unique
perspectives and original insights.
My Life Through My Lens:
Graham Nash
23 April to 3 July 2016
Graham Nash is an internationally
renowned photographer and digital
imaging pioneer whose revealing
work captures brilliant, unexpected
surrealism of everyday life. The images
beautifully illustrate Nash’s celebrated
talent as a compelling storyteller.
Included in the exhibition are artfully
crafted photographs of friends such
as David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, Jerry
Garcia and Johnny Cash.
Nash, of British pop group The Hollies
and folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills,
Nash and Young fame, was brought
up in Salford. He recently received
an honorary doctorate from Salford
University and an OBE from the Queen.
Swinton Photographic Society
30 April to 10 July 2016
Members of Swinton and District
Amateur Photographic Society present
works from their annual exhibition.
Showing a range of subject matter, the
photographs include natural history,
pictorial, human life, record, still life
studies and portraiture in both colour
and monochrome.
Now & Then: 60th Anniversary of the
Embroiderers’ Guild
14 February to 22 May 2016
The Manchester Branch of the
Embroiderers’ Guild, now Megastitchers,
was formed in 1956. There are currently
about sixty members of all ages, and
with a variety of interests – traditional and
contemporary embroidery and also many
related crafts, including patchwork and
quilting, felt making, lace and beadwork.
Now & Then shows some of the more
recent work, both group and individual,
as well as pieces from the past. Members’
school and childhood embroidery is
included, some dating back to the 1950s.
Old and modern threads and magazines
are also on display. Some of the work is
from kits and patterns but most pieces
are the stitcher’s own designs.
Bluestairs Gallery
Turn Sideways in the Wind:
Ciara Leeming
12 December 2015 to 7 February 2016
Over the past decade, Britain has
become home to sizeable communities
of Romani people from central and
Eastern Europe. Turn Sideways in the
Wind tells the stories of young Roma
adults who have made their lives in
Salford and Manchester, in their own
words. With documentary photography
by Ciara Leeming.
Ordsall Hall
Egerton Gallery
Coloured Interval: Liz West
27 September 2015 to 31 January 2016
Creative lighting installation artist Liz West
responds to the unique spaces of Ordsall
Hall’s attic in this unforgettable exhibition.
West uses her in-depth knowledge
of colour theory to create immersive
sensory encounters for visitors to
experience. The installation will be shown
with West’s preparatory works on paper;
these studies lead to the development of
spatial and site-specific works.
FAMILY EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Salford Museum & Art Gallery and Ordsall Hall run
a programme of activities for children & families.
Please visit our website to find out
what is coming up!
salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/culture
Look in the ‘what’s on’ section for holiday
activities and weekend craft sessions.
Alternatively e-mail [email protected]
with your contact details if you would like to join
our mailing list and receive a copy of our twiceyearly events and activities brochure.
Mystery Pix
Salford Local History Library has over 70,000 photos in its collections.
Unfortunately, we can’t identify all of them. Drop us a line or give us a ring if you can help!
Mystery Pix No. 1
MYSTERY PIX NO. 1
A Charabanc outing! Any ideas where this could be? Is it
in Salford? Is it a group of Salfordians – if so which group
could it be? A pub outing? A church men’s group? Do
let us know.
MYSTERY PIX NO. 2
You may have seen this one before? But we still do not
know where it is. These are bay-windowed terraced
houses, with cellars. The lamp post rather suggests a
main road. Looked at closely you can just make out an
old style “school” sign. The suggestion is that it may be
in the Oldfield Road area. From the Alan Godfrey 1894 O
S Map there were schools in Hope Street and Liverpool
Street, both off Oldfield Road – any ideas?
Mystery Pix No. 2
MYSTERY PIX NO. 3
This looks like a photograph of the staff at a school,
possibly from the numbers, a secondary school. I would
hazard a guess that this was taken about 1960. The
building would appear to be of a similar age. Do you
recognize any of these people?
Photographs © Salford Local History Library
Please send your information or comments to
LifeTimes Link, Salford Museum and Art Gallery,
Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WU or e-mail
Editor – [email protected].
Mystery Pix No. 3
LOCAL HISTORY ROUND UP
This calendar of local history and 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 with the organisation in advance of
attending an event. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to include contact details in every case.
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 page 3. Please note that some societies have their own websites.
ECCLES AND DISTRICT HISTORY SOCIETY
Meet at Alexandra House, 395 Liverpool Road, Peel
Green, Eccles, at 7.30pm on the second Wednesday
of the month.
Membership subscription £15.00. Visitor’s fee £3.00
Contact Andrew Cross 0161 788 7263
email; [email protected]
www.edhs.btck.co.uk
WINTER - SPRING 2015 /2016 PROGRAMME
Wednesday 9 December / Christmas meal / TBA
Wednesday 13 January / Weavers’ cottages /
David George
Wednesday 10 February / 60 years of Eccles and
its history society / Chris Carson
Wednesday 9 March / Gardners of Patricroft /
Paul Hassall
Wednesday 13 April / The Western Front during
World War One / I. H. Walmsley
Wednesday 11 May / Annual General Meeting
followed by a talk or film show / Speaker TBA
IRLAM, CADISHEAD AND DISTRICT LOCAL
HISTORY SOCIETY
We meet at St Paul’s Church, Liverpool Road, Irlam
7.30-9pm. The third Wednesday of each month.
Members £1.00 Visitors £2.00.
Contact: Deborah Yates - [email protected]
www. irlamandcadishead.net/irlam_and_
cadishead_history_society
PROGRAMME FOR DECEMBER 2015 – JUNE 2016
4th December / (Friday Lunch – 12.30pm) /
Christmas Meal, Red Lion – Hollins Green
20th January 2016 / New Brighton – Holidays of
Yesteryear / Deborah Yates
17th February / St Kilda – A social history /
Steve Halliwell
16h March / The Boys who Smashed the Van /
The Manchester Martyrs / Alan Hayhurst
20th April / Our Boys on the Somme /
Peter Thomas Neil Drum
18th May / Breach of Promise to Marry /
Denise Bates
16th June / Wetlands Trust Chat Moss /
Lydia McCool
SALFORD LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the
month (except December) at Salford Museum & Art
Gallery, Peel Park, Crescent, Salford at 2pm
CORRESPONDENCE: Mr D Rainger, 7 St George’s
Crescent, Salford M6 8JG. slhs.btck.co.uk
JANUARY – APRIL 2016 PROGRAMME
27th January / Edith Cavell / David Winston
24th February / Thomas Blood / Debbie Yates
30th March / Medicine and Magic / Peter Watson
27th April / AGM followed by Slides of Salford in the
1970s / Don Rainger
SWINTON & PENDLEBURY LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
Swinton Library, Chorley Road, Swinton
10am / £1.50 (Where there is a Speaker)
or £1.00 (for other sessions)
Contact: Jean Appleby 0161 794 4570 or
Marjory Williams 0161 793 7847
WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY
Meetings as advertised at 51 Crescent, Salford M5
4WX. For information contact Lynette Cawthra Library
Manager on 0161 736 3601, or e-mail enquiries@
wcml.org.uk.
Times of meetings vary: watch out for publicity or visit:
www.wcml.org.uk
Exhibition: To End all Wars / 20th Nov 2015 to 1st
Apr 2016 / Wed - Fri / 1:00 - 5:00pm, and the first
Sat of most months 10:00am - 4:00pm
An exhibition examining how local men opposed
military conscription, introduced into Britain for the
first time in 1916, and how local women developed
organisations to agitate for peace.
Alongside the exhibition there will be performances of
a “living history” play, No Power on Earth, about Salford
conscientious objector James Hudson.
For full details seewww.wcml.org.uk/wariswrong.
The exhibition and accompanying events are
supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
For details of meetings, contact the above, or call at
Swinton Library.
FRIENDS OF THE SALFORD MUSEUMS’
ASSOCIATION – F S M A
The Friends promote, support and assist the
improvement of the City of Salford museums and
galleries in co-operation with their management and
staff’. They actively support the Museum and Art
Gallery at Peel Park and the Grade 1 listed manor
house at Ordsall Hall.
The Friends arrange a series of talks and visits during
the year. These are described on our website:
www.FriendsofSalfordMuseums.org
Membership is only £10 pa and you can obtain more
information from [email protected]
or by contacting Don Rainger on 0161 789 2071.
Above: WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY, CRESCENT,
SALFORD (IMAGE FROM THE WCML WEBSITE).
Left: THE FRIENDS VISITING MRS GASKELL’S HOUSE,
MANCHESTER, 3RD AUGUST 2015 - PHOTOGRAPH BY
ROSEMARY BOARDMAN.
Salford
Quays
Exchange Quay
Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Ordsall Hall
Peel Park, Crescent, Salford M5 4WU
Tel: 0161 778 0800
Email: [email protected]
322 Ordsall Lane, Salford M5 3AN
Tel: 0161 872 0251
Email: [email protected]
Opening times
Tuesday - Friday 10.00am - 4.45pm
Saturday - Sunday 12.00pm – 4.00pm
Fully accessible, gift shop, cafe.
Nearly all rooms fully accessible, gift shop, café
Opening times
Monday - Thursday 10.00am - 4.00pm
Sunday 1.00pm - 4.00pm
(Note: Closed Bank Holidays)
Museum café opening times
Weekdays (including Mondays) 8.30am – 4.00pm
Saturdays and Sundays: 12.00pm – 3.00pm
(Note: Closed Bank Holidays)
Parking charges
£2.00 for up to 3 hrs; £5.00 for 3 to 6 hrs; £8.00 for 6 to 12 hrs
Salford Local History Library
at Salford Museum and Art Gallery
Tel: 0161 778 0814
Opening times (by appointment only, except Wednesday - drop in all day):
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.00am - 1.00pm & 2.00pm - 4.45pm
and Wednesdays (no appointment necessary) 10.00am - 8.00pm
Closed weekends and Mondays.
Booking for the Local History Library is essential on stated days so please
telephone 0161 778 0814 or 0161 778 0800 (museum reception) to
book an appointment.
Parking charges - £2.00 for up to 3 hrs; £5.00 for 3 hrs or more
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