By train from Chorlton into the Hope Valley in the April of 1957 for a day of rambling

Now it is Sunday April 7th 1957 and I am on Chorlton railway station waiting for the train from Central which left at 9.45 am and is due here just twelve minutes later.

The weather according to the forecast is promising, for “after frost at first, areas will have a fine, mainly sunny day, with normal or slightly higher temperature”* which will gives us about 8⁰C or a little bit more.

And that I reckon is just right for a ramble in the countryside which is what we would have been planning to do on that April morning back in 1957.

This I know from a delightful poster which British Railways published in that year**  advertising Special Excursions to Chinley, Edale, Hope, Bamford and Hathersage.

It is of course a journey that can no longer be made by rail, but back in 1957 our station still had another ten years before it was closed and there are quite a few people who remember making the trip into the Hope valley by train from Chorlton.

All of which makes the poster a valuable piece of history, for not only do we have the journey times for this long vanished service but also the cost.  So from Chorlton it cost 4/3d for a return ticket to Hope and took just 19 minutes.

These were “organised rambles, with leaders provided, details of the routes to be taken and walks for both individuals and parties.”

So having done the ramble the train back would have left Hope at two minutes past seven arriving back in Chorlton at about 8.10 in the evening.


It is a journey I would have loved to have made, not least because it was while in Hope recently that we decided to take up serious walking.  But sadly back in 1957 I was just eight years old and living in London.

Still this little poster gives a flavour to what was on offer back then and an insight into our own railway line.

*The Observer April 7th 1957

**Special Excursions to Chinley, Edale, Hope, Bamford and Hathersage, from Manchester Railway Termini, E.M.Johnson, Foxline Publishing,  1987

Picture; from Manchester Railway Termini, E.M.Johnson, Foxline Publishing,  1987

Walking Well Hall Lane in 1843, all fields and not a lot else

I am back in Well Hall, or to be more accurate just north of what was Well Hall House and heading north through what is now the Progress Estate.

What is now Well Hall Pleasaunce is down at the bottom of the map, and our journey up along Well Hall Lane to Shooters Hill would have been a pleasant enough stroll past open fields.

Now what makes this such a fascinating stroll is that courtesy of this tithe map and the accompanying notes, we know who owned this land, who rented it and what it was used for.

All of which makes such a stroll a journey deep into the Eltham of the 1840s.  We can even find out who lived in the cottages in that year and comparing these with census returns, and rate books get an idea of just how long people stayed put in one place.

Location; Well Hall, Eltham, London













Picture; detail of the land to the north of 1843 from the Tithe map for Eltham courtesy of Kent History and Library Centre, Maidstone, 
http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/kent_history/kent_history__library_centre.aspx

Catching the bus ……….. 1967

Despite all my efforts, I have no idea where we are, but as the following images in the collection are from Collyhurst, I am guessing that we are on the north side of the city.

Now, there will be those who question the significance of the image, given the absence of a location and a pretty mundane set of buildings.

But that is the point.

The workshop, and the terraced houses which were once common, have mostly vanished, along with the bus stop.

Neither of the two posters offer up clues.  One is for British Road Services, and the other advertising the film A Man for All Seasons, might just have listed a local picture house, but instead was showing at the New Oxford in the city centre.

So that is it.

Other than to say I like the picture.

Location; unknown

Picture; catching the bus, 1967, Courtesy of Manchester Archives+ Town Hall Photographers' Collection,  https://www.flickr.com/photos/manchesterarchiveplus/albums/72157684413651581?fbclid=IwAR35NR9v6lzJfkiSsHgHdQyL2CCuQUHuCuVr8xnd403q534MNgY5g1nAZfY

The Albert Club ..... a history and an insight into West Didsbury and beyond ...... over two centuries

Now I am looking forward to reading The Albert Club, A History, which has been written by Jim Machin.

It is one of those books which combines the story of one sport's club in West Didsbury which was established in 1874 and along the way offers up a wonderful social commentary on both the area and a picture of life over two centuries.

Jim Writes, 

"Pre-order your copy at the Albert Club now, over the bar for £10. All profits will go to the Albert Club. 

The Albert Club started in 1874 as a gentlemen’s club for the wealthy merchants, industrialists, and professionals of late-Victorian Manchester, especially those living in West Didsbury, Didsbury and Withington.

It is now a thriving community sports and social club at the heart of West Didsbury life.

Designed by leading Manchester architects of the time, it is believed that the club is the oldest lawn tennis club, still using the same original clubhouse and grounds, in the world.

How did this happen? Who were the gentlemen? How were they connected? How well-known were they in Manchester and Britain? What was club life like? What were the clubhouse and grounds like? How did the sports develop? How does the club’s story reflect the social history of Manchester and Britain? How long did it take women to be allowed full access? And how did that happen?

There is tragedy and comedy, and evidence of other forgotten Manchester histories. The social norms and dialogue of the earlier eras are often shocking, but sometimes surprisingly similar to the modern day. Some things don’t change!

Written in the style of a reference book, the reader can select those subjects and periods they are interested in, from 1874 right up to the last 35 years.

You can also find out if an early Albert member (1874 to 1924) lived in your house, and what they did for a living.

The book is in Royal format (9" x 6"). The main content of the book is 300 pages long, with another 70 pages of appendices, references, index and introduction".

Here’s what the Albert’s proof readers have been saying:

"Meticulously researched and well written, it brings to life the many generations of Albert members.

It made fascinating reading. You have worked wonders researching the lives of all those amazing early members.

You've done a great job mate! Looking forward to reading the rest.

A fantastic read, absolutely amazing to find out about the history of the club and the courts, you’ve done a fantastic job here and should be really, really proud of yourself!

A love letter to the Albert. Tears in my eyes. Amazing!

A fascinating insight into the people and history of Didsbury.

Undoubtedly the best book about the Albert Club that I have ever seen. I picked it up and could not put it down. Must have been the super glue.

Amazing read. Well done! You must be proud and relieved to have finished.

Hear, hear! Brought tears to my eyes."

The Albert Club, 39-41 Old Lansdowne Road, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 2PA

thealbertclub.co.uk

When the past stubbornly hangs on …..

There will come a time and I am guessing it will not be too long when all those old Chorlton street names will have passed out of living memory.

A little bit of the past, Regents Road, 2024

And that would be a shame.

At present Highfield Road, Regent Road, Church Road, and heaps more cling on remembered by those who knew them.

But that won’t be forever, and then the only record will appear in old directories, some maps, and the former road signs.

And so it is with Regent Road, now Reeves Road, although I doubt this one will last for much longer.

The renaming of many of Chorlton’s roads seems to have occurred in the late 1960s into the 70s and I suppose was about eliminating duplication.

That said it is not new.  Cross Road was variously Cross Street and Cross Lane, while Beech Road was once Chorlton Row, and the start of Whitelow Road was originally Lloyd Street.

Oak Bank, 1959

So never pass an old road sign without recording it for posterity or anyone else.

Location; Reeves Road, 

Picture; When the past stubbornly hangs on, 2024 from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and Oak Bank, 1959, now Silverwood Avenue, A.H.Downes m17489, courtesy of Manchester Libraries, Information and Archives, Manchester City Council, http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

With Reg and David on Chorlton station in 1925 and memories of a book stall in Varese

This is just one of those short little stories which feature some of the people and an unusual scene from the 1920s.

We are on Chorlton railway station beside the W.H.Smith’s bookstall and it is 1925.

On the right is David Ball who was the manager and on the left is Reg Croton who ran a taxi and lived on Sandy Lane.

By the time this picture was taken Reg was 36 and was running the family business.

His father would have made the move from horse drawn cab to motor car and was listed in the 1911 telephone book at Chorlton-c-H 481, CROTON, Chas, Coach Proprietor ...Sandy Lane.

And by another of those links with the past the family home had been a farmhouse and by the 1920s may have been a hundred years old.

But it is also the bookstall that fascinates me.  In their way these kiosks have changed little. To quote another famous retailer the simple approach was to “pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap.”  There is here everything the train traveller might want, need or just be seduced into buying.   So, there are piles of books, pencils, crayons, what look like paint brushes, and piles of books and magazines, including the latest issue of the Strand Magazine with a story by P.G.Woodhouse.

And as ever it is the adverts that draw you into the period.  Amateur Garden at 2d, with articles on "Bedding Plants, Dahlia Culture and Melons and Tomatoes" which underlines the growing leisure time that some of our new residents could enjoy.  But for me it is the WHS Pen in its smart case that intrigues me along with the ad “BOOKS WE’D LIKE TO BURN”

These old fashioned kiosks on stations have pretty much vanished as railway stations become just long empty and soulless platforms where even the waiting room is now a glass sided box.

But they live on in other places.

At the bottom of the road in Varese close by our usual bus stop is just such a kiosk where everything seems available, including English magazines and hard by the station is an even busier one which has the added bonus of a taxi rank next door.

Pictures; from the Lloyd collection and the collection of Andrew Simpson

Snapshots of Well Hall ……….. part 1 …….1873

Now this is Well Hall House in 1873.

And what I like about it is the detail showing the old 18th century house, the gardens to the south and the collection of farm buildings to the north, bounded by what is now Kidbrook Lane and assorted cottages beyond.

What interests me is the small water course which feeds into the moat and back in 1873 required a footbridge to cross it.

I must confess that I had never knew that there was a  watercourse or  given any thought to how the moat would have once been supplied.

Which is a huge omission on my part.

But following the stream east, the map shows it joins the River Quaggy.

And opens up that fascinating bit of speculation as to whether our water course was a feeder for the river, or if it had been dug from the Quaggy to fill the moat.

I rather think I must get in touch with the Environment Agency.

On the other hand, I bet there will be someone who knows and will gently point out the obvious to me.

We shall see.

Location; Well Hall

Picture; Well Hall House and surrounding land, 1873, from the OS map of Kent, 1858-1873, First Edition, six inch to the mile, courtesy of Digital Archives Association, http://digitalarchives.co.uk/