Issue No 13 June - November 2003

The magazine of Salford Heritage Service

FREE

LifeTimesLink

Sharing Salford’s Fantastic Story

Useful contacts Phone

Heritage Services Manager Nicola Power

0161 736 2649

Heritage Development Officer

Julie Allsop0161 736 2649

Collections Manager Peter Ogilvie

0161 736 2649

Learning Officer Jo Clarke

0161 736 2649

Exhibitions Officer Meg Ashworth0161 736 2649

Outreach Officer Ann Monaghan

0161 736 1594

Research Officer Ken Craven

0161 736 1594

Librarian, Local History Library

Tim Ashworth 0161 736 2649

Librarian, Working Class Movement Library

Alain Kahan 0161 736 3601

Useful contacts Websites

www.salfordmuseum.org to find out more about what’s

happening at SMAG

www.ordsallhall.org to discover the history

of the hall

www.lifetimes.org.uk featuring the background to

the Lifetimes project

(note: The above three sites are due to be revamped

this year but should still be accessed using the existing

site addresses,)

www.wcml.org.uk to sign up to the mailing list or have

a look through the material they have

www.oninsalford.com to find out about heritage

walks, talks and family events in Salford

Editorial

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The LifeTimes Gallery has been open for over twelve months and has received a very warm welcome by visitors, schools and community groups. We’re very proud to announce that the LifeTimes project and gallery has recently received a national award for excellence from the Association of Heritage Interpretation.

The Interpret Britain Award 2002 recognises excellence in heritage and was awarded following an incognito visit by judges last summer.

Members of staff from the Museum attended the awards presentation at the Museum and Heritage Show in London in February - receiving a certificate from Loyd Grossman, the Association’s patron.

At the ceremony extracts from the judges’ comments declared: ‘Every community should have its own LifeTimes.’ A phrase we’re all proud of - it’s wonderful to see that Salford’s heritage has been recognised nationally.

Not to rest on our laurels, however, there are new displays planned for the LifeTimes gallery and Ordsall Hall for this summer all about the history of childhood, one of the topics we explored in our LifeTimes public workshops at the gallery. The new displays entitled From Marbles to Mario traces childhood over many generations and features toys, games and memorabilia from the museum stores along with cartoon characters from the past… remember Andy Pandy?

This summer also sees another fantastic re-enactment weekend at Ordsall Hall when the hall and grounds come alive with the Yorkshire Yeomanry visiting Sir William Radclyffe’s home in Tudor style. Be sure to visit it Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June - it’s free!

Finally, Salford’s first ever History Day held last November at Salford Museum was such a success we are holding another one this November (see article opposite). We would like to say this year’s will be bigger and better, but don’t think we can make it much bigger!

We hope to see you over the summer and as always we are keen to hear from you about any aspect of Salford’s past and your comments on LifeTimes!

Photo: “Say cheese, with tomato and basil sauce.” - Heritage Service Manager, Nicola Power, and LifeTimes Research Officer, Ken Craven, receive the Interpret Britain award from Loyd Grosman.

Adding a LINK to our chainIf you would like to send in an article or contribute to LifeTimes Link then send it to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link, 51 The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX. Email: info@lifetimes.org.uk. Tel/Fax: 0161 736 1594

The deadline for issue 14 (Dec 2003 to May 2004 is 10 September 2003. We must add that we cannot accept any responsibility for the loss or damage to contributor’s material - so if you want us to copy original photographs, please phone us first. We cannot guarantee publication of your material and reserve the right to edit any contributions we do use.

Editorial 2Contributions 2Useful contacts 2

Salford’s first 3Local History Day

Book Reviews 4-5

Belle Vue Memories 6An Army Marches on its 6Stomach Quick on the Draw 6Sketches from Mr RNL Hamm

Bridging the Years Project 7by Ruth Shuttleworth

A Broughton Childhood 8-9by Freda Lear

Preparing the Horses for 10-11the Whit Walks by Bill Barnett

Poetry 11A Salfordian Abroad by Maria SmithBygone Daysby Margaret Joy

Activities & Events 12From Marbles to Mario 12-13

John Wesley & 14-15 Salford Methodism by Paul Hassall

You Write 16-17(see also p11,13 and 22)

Salford & the Rechabite 18-19Connectionby Ann Lockey Mystery Pics 20

Recollections of 21-22Langworthy Road Schoolby Colin WrightLark Hill Place 22by Bill LongshawPoetry 22Does Anyone Remember?by Richard A Williams

Local History Round Up 23

Poetry 24Not So Barmy Mickby Betty Lightfoot

Contents

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Salford’s first Local History Day

On 24th November 2002 we held our first Local History Day at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

Over 40 stallholders displayed their wares, or simply publicised their work. These included all the local history and heritage societies in the city, the Harold Riley Archive, booksellers, and regional organisations like the Bury Bolton Canal Society, the Museum of Transport, the Jewish Museum, the North West Sound Archive and others too numerous to mention.

Live music was provided by saxophone and piano duo, Ephyra, whilst children were catered for with a traditional Punch and Judy Show. A guest appearance by BBC GMR’s Fred Fielder ensured plenty of laughter and reminiscing from older visitors.

Everyone who attended had the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win a Harold Riley print. Congratulations to the winner, Ms Jackson from Worcester Road, Salford 6. With well over 1000 people attending the last event we are already planning another History Day for this year to be held on Sunday 23rd November - so make a note in your diary now. All organisations who were there last year will be receiving an invitation to attend this years event.

Photos (opposite from top):Swinton & Pendlebury Local History Society stall Musical entertainment in the LifeTimes GalleryMaking friends with Fred Fielder

Front cover: Children in Peelwood Avenue, Little Hulton c1949 (Courtesy of Mrs Joan Margrove)

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Book Reviews

Childhood In Salford

Salford Heritage Service Price: £3.95

Not a book this time but a CD! To coincide with the Marbles to Mario exhibition we’ve taken sixty minutes of extracts from our extensive oral history collection of people talking about leisure, home life, celebrations, and ailments. From Bonfire Night, sweet shops and cinemas to cod liver oil, a large slice of Salford childhood is covered with humour, sadness, and excitement that can only come across from hearing these eyewitness accounts.

‘The tin bath in front of the fire! We didn’t have baths every day. We didn’t have our clothes washed every day. We just had a bath once a week and we used the same water - one would get in, and then another, and then another. We didn’t have fresh water for everybody because it was all boiling the water up, carrying it and then afterwards emptying it. So it was all very labour intensive and very time consuming so it was just not like present day times at all and we must have smelled dreadfully by the end of the week I think.’ Margaret Doyle LTT097

An hour of pure nostalgia - or education, depending on your age - can be gained from listening to over twenty different voices on these twenty-three tracks. A few short extracts can be heard on the Listening Stations in the LifeTimes Gallery so you can come and try before you buy! Buy the CD from the museum shop.

Photo of CD cover: ‘Mountaineering’ ornament image © www.studioarts.co.uk

‘Gods Own’ 1st Salford Pals 1914 - 1916 by Neil Drum and Roger Dowson

Published by Neil Richardson 2003 | ISBN 1 85216 150 7Price £5.75, available from Salford Museum & Art Gallery

The authors, in their preface explain: ‘This book is intended as a memorial to the original volunteers of the 15th (Service) Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers. It tells the story of men of the ‘First Salfords’ from the raising

of the battalion to its virtual destruction on 1 July 1916. The battalion lost so many men that day that it was impossible to replace them all with others from the home area. It ceased to be a Salford Battalion in all but name and this is why the story stops at that point.’

It is evident that Neil and Roger have researched their topic thoroughly and with dedication. The chapter relating to the fateful day of 1 July 1916 is particularly moving and should be part of the history curriculum in all Salford schools.

This 84 page book is lavishly illustrated and includes a detailed alphabetical list of the Pals with several thumbnail portraits, useful to family historians with ancestors who served in the battalion: ‘Pte Frank Dolman, aged 17, lived with

his parents at 4 Broom Street, Swinton, and worked at Fry, Binns & Co’s mill. He enlisted in the 19th Lancashire Fusiliers (3rd Salford) at Swinton Public Hall at the age of 16, transferring to the 15th in late 1915, attached to the Manchester Gun Section.

‘His older brother, Charles, had breakfast with Frank at about 6.30am on 1 July. In a letter home on the 5 July, Charles still had no news. Their father, Thomas, had asked that Frank be returned to the UK as he was so young and on the 31st the Adjutant, Captain Armitage, wrote to say Frank was missing: ‘Your letter was received only a day or so before the great push commenced, and it was, therefore, impossible to do anything.’ Official notification of Frank’s death came in December.’

The title, God’s Own, was given to the Pals by other troops early in 1916 because they had so few casualties. How things changed so dramatically in so short a time. The book concludes with a timely reminder of what any war is really all about: ‘On Armistice Day so many people still lay crosses to the fallen, most notably in Salford at the Lancashire Fusiliers Memorial on the Crescent. Our hope is that after reading this book, the lists of names on the local memorials will be seen as more than just statistics by a wider public. Those men were people with hopes, loves, dreams and families just like us.’

A round-up of riveting reads ...

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A Spark on Salford Docks - Manchester Ship Canal Memories 1954-1962By Bill Hardie

Published by Neil Richardson 2002 ISBN 1 85216 149 3 Price £4.75 Available from Salford Museum & Art Gallery and Salford Tourist Information Centre on Salford Quays

This is a personal memoir of life on the Docks in its heyday, beginning with the first impressions of a 23 year old electrician. It’s packed with anecdotes that really bring the Docks to life: ‘As electricians we had no qualms about leaving our tools, materials, or fittings lying around. We knew they [the dockers] wouldn’t pinch them but there was always the danger that if you went away, you could come back to find a docker hammering a nail into a piece of wood with your best pliers. If you had a go at him and suggested he should have used a hammer, his response would be a blank stare and, ‘It’s all right, ‘lecki, it’s going in OK with these’.

All aspects of life on the Docks and Canal are covered; the shipping lines, the police, unions, locks and bridges, all written skilfully from a personal viewpoint: ‘Entering [the Grain Elevator] was like stepping into a twentieth century Hades, a dimly lit cavern where every horizontal surface is covered in grain dust and the floor and walls are thick with years of accumulated grime. The noise and swirling dust, combined with the peculiar clacking noise of conveyor belts carrying grain to the silos, creates an impression of unreality that only a writer of Dickens’ calibre could accurately record.’

I don’t know about that - Bill Hardie certainly conjures up a vivid image in my mind’s eye from his description.

52 pages illustrated with over 50 photographs from the collection at Salford Local History Library and some previously unpublished images from Peter Wadsworth.

To obtain a full list of local history books available from this publisher send a stamped addressed envelope to: Neil Richardson, 88 Ringley Road, Stoneclough, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 1ET

Life Saving Heroes by James W Bancroft

A5, 32 pages illustrated, published 2002 Price: £3 Available from the author for £3.50 inc p&p: 280 Liverpool Road, Eccles, Salford M30 0RZ

Of the three Victoria Crosses, one was awarded to Harry Crandon who fought in the Boer War. Though born in Somerset on his discharge Harry lived in Swinton, where he was buried in 1953. William Norman from Warrington fought in the Crimean War and was buried in a common grave in Weaste, whilst Eccles born Joseph Malone who served in the same conflict died in Natal in 1883.

‘In the Northern Cemetery at Agecroft there is a section of common graves near the River Irwell where a local unsung hero lies buried. Unfortunately, the final resting place of Jack Burke is unmarked and neglected.’

So begins the chapter on one of the George Cross recipients, the other being Flight Sergeant Jock Bonar.

For over 30 years the author has been collecting

information regarding people from the north

west who have received awards for gallantry.

This book features six such mini biographies of men connected with the Salford area who share

between them three Victoria Crosses, two

George Crosses and one Albert Medal - the latter

belonging to Mark Addy.

His award came about because of an incident at Barton Airport in 1932 where he worked. A plane, on a training flight crashed and caught fire and Jock arrived at the scene and rescued the training instructor who was taken to Eccles and Patricroft Hospital.

‘He had suffered severe burns to his eyes, face and upper body and had a fractured ankle. The staff at the hospital worked round the clock to save him and he was conscious for some of the time but he finally succumbed to his injuries and died on 10 June 1932.’

In the LifeTimes Gallery we have a small display featuring individuals who in some way have contributed to Salford’s history. Indeed, Mark Addy was amongst our first choices when the gallery opened in May 2002. Thanks James, for bringing these others to our attention.

.

June 1960: Dockers on strike at a meeting at which they agreed to stop work in support of Liverpool strikers.

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An Army Marches on its Stomach

Thanks to local historian, Roy Bullock, and Chris Carson from Eccles and District Local History Society (www.colsal.org.uk/sites/edhs), for bringing the following Victorian newspaper report to our attention…

Successful Charge of the Manchester Volunteer Rifles

On the recent occasion of the march of the Manchester Volunteer Rifles in full force to Eccles, which has given its name to cakes of world-wide reputation, they accomplished a feat well worthy of record in the martial annals of 1860. About 800 strong, the gallant volunteers by their hard march had had their appetites considerably sharpened, but report says they were unable to obtain the wherewithal to satisfy the sharp cravings of nature.

In this deplorable condition, hundreds of eyes gleamed with delight on beholding the rival announcements over the shop doors of the two celebrated original Eccles cake manufacturers. At the word of command, the hungry warriors divided into two companies, and passed at quick march into the rival establishments. Never before was there such a demand for Eccles cakes; and never before did Eccles cakes disappear with such marvellous rapidity. The proprietor of the original shop, which had ‘removed from over the way’, by almost superhuman exertions succeeded in supplying 700 cakes; and how many more would have been devoured, had the supply been equal to demand, there are no data from which to form an accurate conclusion. At the original shop which has ‘never removed’ the assault upon Eccles cakes was equally successful; and the gallant volunteers marched back to Manchester with the proud consciousness that they had not left an Eccles cake behind them.

Belle Vue Memories

The North West Sound Archive have recently completed recording the memories of people who worked at, and visited, Belle Vue.

From this large collection the Archive have produced a compilation cassette with recollections of the zoo, fairground, fireworks, ballroom, circus, speedway, and the many other attractions that made Belle Vue so popular. You can buy the cassette for £4.95 (inc p&p) from: North West Sound Archive, Old Steward’s Office, Clitheroe Castle, Clitheroe, Lancs, BB7 1AZ. Tel/Fax: 01200 427897. Email: nwsa@ed.lancscc.gov.uk

The Archive’s new project is Market Memories - so they’d like to record memories of those who remember the old markets in their heyday - either as customers, stallholders, superintendents, or suppliers. If you can help with this project get in touch with the Sound Archive!

Quick On The Draw

LifeTimes Link relies on readers to supply us with material to help fill the 24 pages of our biannual magazine. Contributions have come in the form of letters, poems, and full-length articles. We are pleased in this issue to show you some of the artwork sent to us by of Mr Hamm from Penwortham near Preston.

Roderick N L Hamm MA worked as the Town Clerk’s Personal Assistant (Legal) in the latter half of the 1960s.

He writes: ‘Whilst at the Town Hall in Bexley Square I occasionally walked round the immediate vicinity in my lunch breaks and drew several sketches of older buildings and odd corners, aware that many of them could well disappear on redevelopment. It struck me that, as a record of what the place looked like 35 years or so ago you might find one or two of interest.’

We certainly found them of interest and hope you do too.

Above:John Dalton Street, Salford 3 (20 Oct 1968)From left to right below:Farriers Arms, Bombay Street with Braziers Arms in the background. North of Frederick Street (7 April 1968)William Street, Salford 3 (22 July 1968)Burgess Street, Salford 3 (16 Sept 1966)

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Bridging the Years

The two year project, a partnership between Salford City Council and Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council, aims to tell the story of four major developments in the region. The story starts with the Bridgewater Canal, the catalyst for the canal age, the vision of the Duke of Bridgewater. The Project is also looking at the Manchester Ship Canal and the Port of Manchester, opened in 1894, and the subsequent development of Trafford Park, said to be the first industrial estate in the world.

The history will be brought right up to the present day, including the recent regeneration of Salford Quays, once bustling docks, now home to The Lowry and many residents who live on the quayside, with the Imperial War Museum North just across the Canal.

The lives of those involved in these developments will be an important part of the story. The navvies who worked on the Manchester Ship Canal, pictured fleetingly on photographs of the construction, are an integral part of the story, as are those who worked on the Docks or for the many firms based at Trafford Park.

The project will examine the engineering achievements of the time, with ingenious structures such as the Barton Swing Aqueduct. The impact of such developments on the environment will also be explored – the changing of the landscape and the growth of industry.

These stories will be told online through the project’s website. Visitors to the site will be able to browse through thousands of images, selected from both councils’ collections and digitised to make them easily accessible on the internet. The digitised material will include photographs, documents, plans and objects. Items already digitised include a series of fascinating photographs of the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal in the 1890s, and advertising material for Trafford Park from the early 1900s.

Bridging the Years is part of a wider project called Three Centuries of Transport. This involves three partners telling different transport histories. A team at Leicestershire Record Office are working with the Newton collection of photographs to tell the story of the Great Central Line, whilst colleagues in Gloucestershire are working on the history of aviation developments at Filton and Patchway.

by Ruth Shuttleworth

The project has been running for a year now and a website is now live at www.transportarchive.org.uk - it will continue to develop over the next 12 months until it’s completion in March 2004 - so keep visiting to check on the progress.

If you’d like to contact the team, you can email us:Ruth Shuttleworth – Website Curator: ruth.shuttleworth@salford.gov.ukJan Shearsmith – Research Assistant: jan.shearsmith@salford.gov.uk

Photo above: Navvies working on theconstruction of the Manchester ShipCanal, 1891, courtesy of Mrs Elsie Mullineux

Engraving right:Illustration of entranceto Underground Canals in Worsley,courtesy of Mrs Elsie Mullineux

What links a ticket for Queen Victoria’s visit to Worsley in 1851, a souvenir for the opening of Trafford Park Baths in 1928 and photographs of the construction of The Lowry? The answer is Bridging the Years, a New Opportunities

Fund project currently underway at Salford Museum and Art Gallery.

had been a friend of my Dad’s in the fire service.

I went to Grecian Street School at the age of four and a half and fell in love on the first day with Jack Wood who lived in Mildred Street. We used to play on the croft next to our house, where they later built four police houses. I think a bomb had fallen around there during the Blitz. My Granddad, George James Howard, was killed by a direct hit on the shelter yet I can no find record of this at the Local History Library. Mum and Grandma were also injured. Grandma’s leg was broken and Mum’s leg was almost severed near the ankle. People said she should have had an award for bravery because she insisted others were helped before her. They were taken to Whittington Military Hospital, near Preston, where they

recovered, Grandma fully, but Mum always had a limp and never claimed a civilian’s war pension for this would have seemed like charity to her.

It must have been painful for my Mother and Gran to see me playing where Granddad had died, yet I loved that croft where Rose Bay Willow Herb (‘fire weed’) used to grow, tall enough to hide amongst, or so it seemed to me. We used to dig for gold but never found any. I did, however, learn to use a bow and arrow. I was a quiet child but a real tomboy. Never interested in soppy girls’ games, preferring to play with the boys.

Our little area had all the shops we needed and as you walked to Albert Park we had an ‘offie’ - an outdoor beer licence, and Onion’s the hardware shop. But for a change, and to save money, on Saturdays we would go down the road towards the Victoria Theatre, passing a shop under the veranda where you could buy broken biscuits at a much-reduced price. Then Mum and I would walk back with the heavy bags past Dr Rosenthal’s. I doubt we saved very much but money was very tight so every penny saved was a blessing.

My aunt and uncle, Essie (Mum’s sister) and Alf Brady, had lost their only child at birth so they made a fuss of me. They lived in Fourth Street, Trafford Park. On my many trips to see them I always wished to see Trafford Road Bridge turn, but it never did. I think I must have been the only child to go to Trafford Park for holidays. I now realise what an unhealthy place it was to live. Trees and plants struggled to survive,

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by Freda LearFreda, a LifeTimes

Link reader now living in

Montpon-Menesetol, France, sent us the

following memories of her early life in

Salford.

I was born at the very end of the war, early March

1945. My mother, Marion Bullen (nee Howard) said the last sirens were going

off as I arrived but there was no more bombing.

We lived at 1 Laburnum Terrace, Lower Broughton (since renumbered to 367 Lower Broughton Road), which was the beginning of The Cliff. People used

to walk up from Lower Broughton Road on

summer evenings and it was a very pleasant stroll. Families would stop off at

the Priory or the Star in Hope Street where

you could sit out in the gardens and have bottles

of pop and crisps with salt in blue bags.

My earliest memory was being upstairs in my Grandma’s feather bed (which seemed very high off the floor) in 1947 because downstairs was flooded. The flood must have made a real mess of the

house, we had a leather three piece suit and the watermark was always visible. My main concern was the many stuffed toys Dad had made me whilst on standby at the fire station. They were all ruined, as unlike today the fillings were not washable and they were covered in mud, including a golliwog who I loved. He was made out of black velvet and had a belt with a buckle at the front of his fireman’s uniform.

My Daddy had brought lit coals to the bedroom fire grate to get a fire

going but the newspaper ‘blower’ caught fire. Dad was in control as he had been a fireman on Manchester Docks during the war. He had been on a fireboat, which Mum told me was called The Shamrock, or so I recall.

I was invited to the firemen’s children’s parties at the station on the Crescent. I remember being held aloft at one and being called little Freddy because I was so like my Dad. That’s why I was called Freda - or was it my Mother’s sense of humour that she would call a child by a German name, though spelt differently, so soon after the war?

Dad died when I was only three and a half but I still think of him and miss him. I had him for such a short time. He made me a seat to go on his bike which looked away from him so I could see what was going on and he used to take me off for the day to the ‘country’ - Agecroft, Kersal Moor and Broughton Park are some of the places I remember.

Mum and Dad bought me a three-wheeler bike which was kept in the front room. It was far too big for me to reach the pedals so Dad put blocks on. I was only about three then and had it until I was eleven. It was then sold and the money put towards the school trip to Blankenburg, Belgium, which I think was about £11. I had my hair permed at Billy Heseltine’s on Lower Broughton Road. It took hours and hours and I wanted the loo but didn’t like to ask. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted the loo so much since! The perm was a mistake. I had very fine hair and it turned to frizz. ‘Uncle Billy’ did it for free because he

A Broughton Childhood

9

by Freda Lear

as no doubt did the residents, for the air was often polluted with the most awful smells.

Uncle Alf would buy me pop from the Corona van. This was a real luxury for me as Corporation Pop (tap water) was all Mum could give me. Auntie Essie would buy me magic painting books - just add water, crayoning books and paper doll’s clothes books where you could change the clothes by cutting out new ones and attaching them to the paper doll with shoulder tabs. I made endless Dutch knitting mats on a cotton bobbin with four tacks nailed in the end and the ‘knitting’ came down through the centre. But I much preferred to be in Uncle’s shed where he repaired boots and made things out of wood, boiling the brown glue up first to stick it all together.

Then they got television! It was Redifusion and hung high on the wall and you got a crick in the neck watching it. We had to have a table lamp on because watching TV with no lights on could damage your eyesight, or so they said.

I was a thin child and was packed off to the open-air school at Barr Hill. I hated it. The food wasn’t nice, the toast was so hard I used to bring the crusts home in the pockets of my gabardine coat.

My mother, being a widow, was allowed coupons towards clothes for me and we used to go to Pendleton Co-op. I always had hems on hems ‘to grow into’ but I think they were worn out before they fitted me.

Mum and I used to walk everywhere. Up The Cliff to Broughton Park to visit the crippled soldiers in Bella Vista, then all around Agecroft. We went to Cross Lane Market and Peel Park. We were once taken to look in the storeroom in the Art Gallery to see all the things not on exhibition. I felt very privileged by this. Visits to Peel Park instigated my love of art and many years later I met Mr Lowry at his home in Mottram.

In 1953 every girl in Salford was bedecked in red white and blue. End of terraced

house walls had Union Jacks painted on them as a token of the people’s good wishes for our new queen. I went to Broughton Modern School to watch the Coronation on a big screen though I can’t remember whether this was live or recorded.

My Mum spent a lot of time with her friend Janet Bellis (nee Young) who had four children and I was treated as one of the family. If one was naughty we all got shouted at or ‘clocked’ (smacked). If one was constipated we all had opening medicine. One cough and camphor bags all round. Auntie Janet’s bark was worse than her bite and she had the most wonderful sayings, like, ‘If you do that again I’ll make you wish your father had never taken your mother on Kersal Moor.’ It took me years to understand what that meant.

When I was eleven I went to North Salford Girls. We used to walk to school and back as I was not entitled to a bus pass because it was just under three miles. I would call for my friends, Carol Carter, Barbara Weights and Eileen Stapley and we would cut up McMarns to Devonshire Street. Barbara’s parents had a grocers shop opposite North Grecian Street School where we would, if we were flush, buy spearmint chews, cinder toffee, Black Jacks, Victory Vs in winter, and kali or sherbet dip with a penny Spanish. Barbara’s dad made wonderful penny lollies and I loved the bright blue ones, a sort of strong metallic flavour. Goodness knows what was in them but I bet health and safety would not allow it now!

Still, we survived, as I did my fall off Red Rock on the Landslide. Plop, into the River Irwell, coming out with a compound fracture of my left femur, which left me with a limp. Mum told me to get a bike to bring my leg in line with the other so off we went to Jack Taylor’s shop near Blackley. I understand he was Reg Harris’ bike maintenance man. I was 13 and the ‘Pink Witch’ bike had just come out. All the rage with teenage girls but this was far too soppy for me. I had a Dawe’s Diana which I loved and used to go off on my own up the Snake Pass. The limp was cured but I broke my arm and teeth when a dog ran in front of me and I went elbow over eyelash over the handlebars. I was racing after the Manchester Evening News van to get hold of a Football Pink to see how Manchester United had got on.

Other memories from a childhood in Salford include walking in the Whit Walks when I was three years old. I can still recall the smell of my beautiful but heavy bouquet of flowers.

I was christened at the Church of the Ascension, where Mum and Dad were married. As soon as I was old enough I joined the Brownies there and I never

wanted to walk in a frilly dress again. I was so proud to be a Brownie in a uniform then up to the Guides where I worked diligently for arms full of proficiency badges. I loved going off to camp and learning all about woodcraft and the countryside. I always thought I was a country girl at heart - just born in the wrong place.

On a final note, I met my aforementioned friend, Eileen Stapley when we started school at four and a half and our friendship has never wavered despite Eileen going to live in Carlisle when she was about 17 years old. We always said we would have a Salford reunion but didn’t get around to it until November 2001. We really enjoyed visiting our old haunts like Lark Hill Place in the Art Gallery, Albert Park, the Church of the Ascension, my parents’ grave at St Paul’s Kersal, and The Cliff. We also visited the revitalised Salford Quays and The Lowry. We even saw squirrels and a fox! How country is that?

Photos:Far left: Bella Vista, Higher Broughton - 1906 (Ted Gray Slide Collection)

Left: Bogie Trucking in the ‘countryside’ on Kersal Moor 1950 (Salford Local History Library)

Above: North Salford Secondary School for Girls (Salford Local History Library/D Yaffe)

10

Time was, just after the Second World War, when the churches in Walkden could stop the traffic on Manchester Road for several hours on a Saturday afternoon. The occasion was the United Procession of Witness held on the Saturday before Whit Sunday every year.

This event was eagerly anticipated by all the scholars of the respective Sunday Schools, because it meant new suits, dresses, boots or shoes or pumps (plimsolls). Each church school would assemble outside their premises and proceed to a central meeting at the Monument. Various local brass bands were engaged to lead the individual processions, with names like Walkden Prize Band, Wingates Temperance Prize Band, the Salvation Army, Eagley Mills, Farnworth Old Prize Band, Besses ‘o’ the Barn, Bolton Borough Band etc, as many as ten or more amateur bands.

Another feature attached to these processions was a decorated horse and lorry engaged weeks previously by the Sunday School secretaries in order to provide transport for the very young and the very old (arthritic) members of the school who would otherwise have to be carried or miss the occasion altogether.

I became involved in the production of this feature of the Whit Walks when I was courting my wife because her father, Jim Southward, provided the horse and lorry for Walkden Methodist Sunday School. Jim was a very good judge of horse flesh and often attended Bradshaws Horse Auction in Manchester. If anything particularly caught his eye, it would be purchased and transported to Worsley Station. This was because Worsley was the only station in the vicinity which had a ramp from the platform down onto the road (you cannot take a carthorse down steps!). The horse would then be led on foot to Hilton Lane, Little Hulton.

Not only were horses traded at Bradshaws Auction but also all the associated paraphernalia, carts, traps, harness and ‘gears’.

Jim was particularly proud of his saddlery, especially a pair of chrome plated ‘hames’. These were the metal bars which were fitted to the horses collar, one on each side, and these took the main pressure from the shoulder to the cart shafts.

Many weeks of preparation were needed to ensure that the ‘Prims’ (Primitive Methodists) horse and lorry were to be the best in the show and also the one chosen by the conductor of the bands accompanying a short service when all had assembled at the Monument. The harness, or to give it its recognised name cart-gears, had to be cleaned over and over again, many times. Several tins of Cherry Blossom shoe polish were consumed, as were several tins of Brasso, because all the brass buckles (front and back) had to be meticulously polished. The chains attached to the harness came in for some special attention. In order to make them shine as if chrome-plated, they were placed inside an old sack of the type used for flour, sugar, or oats, along with some hardwood chips, small selected sand-stone pebbles and old strips of emery cloth. The neck of the sack was closed and nailed to a convenient post. The tail end of the sack was then grasped by one hand and using a sawing motion, tumbled the contents back and forth.

Preparing the Horses for the Whit Walks by Bill Barnett

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After many hours, spread over several days, the chains would gleam.

The horse herself (always a mare) also had to have special treatment. She would already have been groomed daily with the body brush, dandy brush, curry comb etc. Her mane and tail had to be washed, shampooed with washing powder and dried with copious amounts of sawdust. This was done almost daily in the week prior to the walks. The ‘feather’ on her fetlocks had to be washed in soapy water and likewise dried, and on the Friday night after drying the feather it was protected by sacking to avoid soiling during the night. Shoes and hooves were thoroughly cleaned and each hoof scrubbed with a hard scrubbing brush, and then with each foot in turn resting on an upturned box the wrought iron shoes had to be filed until they sparkled and then grease applied to keep them shiny.

Some weeks previously a trip would be made to the Pineapple Hotel in Astley Bridge, Bolton in order to procure and reserve the services of the landlord, Billy Brown, who was renowned locally for his expertise in the intricate art of ‘dressing’ the horses mane and tail. Early on Saturday morning he would arrive by car, (he would have several appointments that day!) with a selection of coloured ribbons and plaits which he would proceed to plait and weave into the horses mane and tail. The collar had to be fitted before the forelock was plaited so as not to spoil the plaiting on the horse’s head. It would take several hours and many pots of tea before the dressing was complete and the final effect was truly spectacular.

The lorry, which had been washed and scrubbed, was hauled into the side street alongside the school. A cloth and paper banner proclaiming ‘PRIMARY’ would be attached, as would a timber fence (for safety) and the whole thing decorated with coloured paper flowers.

Soon after lunch on Saturday a crowd of excited boys and girls in their new rig-outs would appear in the back street outside the stable behind Hilton Lane and they would accompany the now grandly attired horse to the Sunday School. There she was harnessed into the cart shafts, and after taking on her load of passengers, would take up her place at the rear of the procession.

Photo far left:Locally, horses were decorated for Walking day, May Day and Peel Carnival. (Courtesy of Walkden Library and J D Langford)

You Write...NOT SUCH A LOAD OF BULL!

I was recently loaned a copy of LifeTimes Link by a friend. As an ex-Salfordian I found this most interesting - didn’t know there was such a publication - oh, what I have missed?! My friend and I often reminisce about old Salford of the 20s and 30s. We are both around 80 years old now but have many fond memories of the old days. I went to Ordsall Board School and then attained a scholarship to Tootal Road Central School for girls, as it was then. My family lived in Taylorson Street and I well remember the cattle being driven up the street from the Docks to the old abattoirs which, I think, were in Water Street. On one occasion, whilst in Ordsall Park with my younger sister and brother (I must have been about nine years old), we were chased by a bull which had gone berserk. It knocked my sister down and we all ended up in Salford Royal Hospital and the incident was reported in the newspaper - Manchester Evening News, I think, and I always regretted not keeping a copy. Happier memories were of Whit Walks etc. I still have a photograph when I was Rose Queen at St Clement’s which, I think, was taken in West Park Street.

We old Salfordians never forget do we?

Mrs J Grindley(nee Larkin), Tyldesley

More of your letters on page 16-17

A Salfordian Abroadby Maria Smith, Murcia, Spain

I left my beloved SalfordOne year agoI haven’t forgotten anythingIn fact my memories grow.

The people were so magicalSalt of the earth I’d say.Never alone in SalfordEveryone bid you, ‘Good day!’

My father was a Salford man,Union Street born and bred.The stories he used to tell meAre still there in my head.

He stood the old Cross Lane Market,His father before him too.For twenty years I did the sameUntil I left in 2002.

I’m living in sunny Spain now,A beautiful country, I know.But Salford will always be number oneMy memories will never go.

Bygone Daysby Margaret Joy, Thornton, Cleveleys

There were cocoa tins, huge flour bins,Fresh farm eggs by the score,Assorted jams and juicy hamsAnd fresh sawdust on the floor.China tea, straight from the chestAnd the purest of ground coffee,Spices from a far off landAnd old fashioned jars of toffee.The lids were hinged on the biscuit tinsThat climbed up to the ceiling,Old-fashioned brands that tasted grandAnd they all looked so appealing.Life was different in those bygone days,Shopkeepers paused to listen,Now the modern stores are big and brightBut all’s not gold that glistens.They may be bright, they may be grandBut you don’t see as you enter,That friendly seat, so old and worn,Placed for you at the counter.

At the end of April the Broad Street display in the LifeTimes Gallery came down and has been replaced by an exhibition looking at childhood leisure and home life, called From Marbles to Mario to reflect the changes from simple games played in the streets to hand held computer games. It had always been our intention to explore the childhood theme - indeed we held a workshop back in February 2000 when we looked at all aspects of growing up in Salford.

Roy Bullock told us about a simple and inexpensive game he and his friends would play: ‘One game we used to indulge in was ‘bagsying’ (claiming). When two or more kids approached a shop window, usually a toy shop or toffee shop, one would start by shouting, ‘I bags that car.’ Another would say, ‘I bags that ball’. And so the game would carry on at a frenzied pace in an effort to bags more than your opponent.

‘The game would get heated when one would suddenly say, ‘I bags everything on that shelf’, or ‘Everything on this side of the window’, increasing the haul each time. This was looked upon as an unfair dominance and sometimes a scuffle would break out. The problem with this game was that the winner took home the same as the loser. Nothing!’

The exhibition, which will run until March 2004, makes use of some of the many items in the Art Gallery and Museum store, some of which haven’t been on public display since they were moved from Monks Hall Museum. An enormous dolls house and old board games are contrasted with more modern items from our collection such as a skateboard and BMX Annual and loaned items like a Space Invaders arcade machine. We have organised a programme of events throughout the year; talks, and activities to suit every age, and a sixty-minute CD of extracts from our Oral History Collection has also been produced.

Over at Ordsall Hall Museum you will have the opportunity to see examples of the work of local animation studio, Cosgrove Hall. Remember Danger Mouse, Chorlton and The Wheelies, and the updated Noddy and Bill and Ben? This exhibition will run until 27 July 2003 so don’t miss it.

In the Frame Saturdays from Sat 24 May, 2.00-3.00pm LifeTimes Gallery, Salford Museum & Art Gallery Add your childhood photos to our portrait wall and put yourself in our picture. Staff will be on hand to photocopy your pictures. Everyone welcome.

Recall Wall Ongoing from MayLifeTimes Gallery, Salford Museum & Art GalleryDrop in, fill out our Cue Cards, and add your childhood memories to the gallery walls. Everyone welcome.

Talks @2Wednesday afternoon talks with a childhood theme - 2.00pm. Supported by the Friends of Salford Museums Association.Victorian Gallery, Salford Museum & Art Gallery 11 June & 17 September - Tom Dodson’s Childhood Memories - Ken Craven18 June & 6 August - Manchester Children’s Hospital - Pam Barnes2 July & 20 August - Children of the Industrial Revolution - Danny Crosby23 July & 3 September - The History of Meccano - Don Palmer

From Marbles to Mario

Sunday Scenes@ 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pmSalford Museum & Art Gallery Find out what life was like for children through the ages in these mini-dramas brought to life by actors from Barton Theatre Company members. Everyone welcome. 29 June & 10 August The Seventies Scene 20 July & 24 AugustThe Wartime Scene27 July & 31 AugustThe Victorian Scene

Childhood ChatsSalford Museum & Art Gallery Come along on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm and share your memories as you reminisce on childhood themes.Everyone welcome. 22 July - Toys and Games29 July - Ailments and Cures5 August - Films, Books and characters12 August - Home Life19 August - Occasions

Other Salford Heritage Service Activities & Events

May-Nov 2003

LifeTimes Sunday Fundays

The usual family fun and activities with a Victorian

theme, on the last Sunday of every month from May to December.

From 1.00-5.00pmSalford Museum & Art

Gallery

Family Fundays at Ordsall Hall

Fun for all with a Tudor twist, on the first Sunday

of every month from June to December.

From 1.00-4.00pmOrdsall Hall Museum

Museums and Galleries Month The ‘From Marbles

to Mario’ exhibition launches this year’s

Museums and Galleries month, with activities at

Ordsall Hall Museum and Salford Museum & Art Gallery, designed to create a fantastic family

experience.Throughout May

Talks @ 2 21 May - ‘Past &

Prospect’ - Keith Scaffe talks about his work as

book cover illustrator.9 July and 27 Aug -

Major Retrospective Dr Mary Major talks about

the life and work of her father Theodore Major.

Victorian Gallery, Salford Museum & Art Gallery,

2.00pm

From Marbles to Mario - free eventsExplore your childhood with these events and activities.

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TUDOR CHILDHOOD AT THE HALL

*Tudor Games24 July, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm14 August, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pmFind out how children in Tudor times played, as you get skilled in Skittles, Quoits and Morelles! Everyone welcome.

*ArcheryThurs 31 July, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pmThurs 21 August, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pmGet on target and learn the skills of the bow and arrow. Everyone welcome. *Please note. You may have to queue for these activities.

SCIENCE WEEK @ SALFORD MUSEUM & ART GALLERYVisit the exhibition sponsored by the Medical Research Council which explores cell construction through contemporary visual art practice8-12 September

FAMILIES.

The Big Read Throughout SeptemberSalford Museum & Art GalleryListen to stories classic and contemporary and get reading with Salford Libraries.Nominate your favourite children’s book, for the number one slot!

The Big Draw15-22 OctoberEnter into the fun of the Big Draw at Salford Museum and Art Gallery. Contact the Gallery for more details.

Murder Mystery Weekend25 & 26 OctoberSalford Museum & Art GalleryBe a super sleuth and crack the case in this hugely popular event to entertain all the family. NOTE: This event 50p per entry, FREE in Victorian Costume

Lighting the Legend7 Nov Ordsall Hall Museum.This annual Ordsall community event culminates in a light and firework finale at the Hall. A spectacular event not to be missed.Ticket entry onlyContact Salford Museum & Art Gallery or Ordsall Hall Museum for details.

45 YEARS AGO

I was only a child at the time, about ten or eleven maybe. I don’t even remember if it was a weekday or the weekend. But what I do remember is the feel of the place, so quiet, there seemed to be a dread to the day. I didn’t understand it, life was going on as usual in the streets, but missing were the smiling faces of people going about their business. I remember the men mostly, the few men that were about, because it was unusual for a lot of men to be about in the day, they were all at work except those that did shifts. They didn’t seem to have the normal spring in their step and purpose in walking of knowing where they were going. Heads down, men slowly walking, like lost souls all the life gone out of them. Then I noticed one man lift his glasses, wipe his eyes, and then blow his nose. I don’t think I have ever seen a man openly crying in the street before, it wasn’t seemly for men to cry in those days, it shocked me. Of the few men that were about, some were crying, others just had a sad lost look about them. But what was happening? I was not a child who noticed things but I was sensitive to feeling and change. They say when President Kennedy was assassinated an adult remembers where they were and what they were doing at the time they learned the sad news. This I found to be true. But as a child, I only remember the deep sadness that was in the people all around me. In those days, not everyone had a television set, the news came from the radio or the newspaper or, in my case, by word of mouth. I learned later that day the reason the people of Salford were walking around looking so shocked and stunned. The date was February 7th 1958. The evening before, unlike myself, most people had learned that Manchester United’s football team, our ‘Busby Babes’, were no more.

Ann Moore, Cadishead

You Write...

Picture This!Salford Museum & Art Gallery 28 July, 1.30-3.30pm, 11 August, 1.30-3.30pm25 August, 1.30-3.30pmBring all the family, dress the part, and get a Victorian Family portrait to take home! Everyone welcome.

Tell TalesLifeTimes Gallery, Salford Museum & Art Gallery 4 Aug & 18 Aug, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pmHear stories classic and contemporary, then illustrate them for our ‘picture book’ that will be displayed in the gallery.

Punch & Judy Shows25 July @ Salford Museum & Art Gallery 22 August @ Ordsall Hall MuseumVarious times throughout the day, from 10.30am-3.30pmEnjoy some classic entertainment, fun for all ages. Everyone welcome.

Cartoon Characters 31 July, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm @ Salford Museum & Art Gallery7 August, 10.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-3.30pm @ Ordsall Hall MuseumTurn your scribbles into superheroes with the help of illustrator Paul Pickford.

Animation Creation!*12, 19 and 26 Aug, AM sessions - 10.30am-12.30pm, PM sessions - 1.30-3.30pmWork as a group and model your own characters for a stop frame animation that will be displayed in the LifeTimes Gallery. Led by animators and modelmakers Andrew Bottomley and Wez Wood. Suitable for ages 9+, parents are welcome to stay.Ordsall Hall Museum*Participants will need to attend for all three sessions

Rocking Horses for CoursesOrdsall Hall Museum15 JuneThe History of the Rocking Horse - Roger Platt

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June 2003 sees the 300th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley. Here the author of The History of Worsley Methodist Church looks at the local connections.

John Wesley was born in 1703 at Epworth in Lincolnshire, the son of an Anglican vicar. After graduating with an MA degree from Oxford, he was ordained a priest in 1727.

Following an unsuccessful missionary tour of America he returned to England in 1738 where in Aldersgate Street, London on 24 May he expressed his ‘heart-warming’ conversion which transformed his whole life. From then until his death 53 years later, he devoted himself to ‘spreading scriptural holiness throughout the land’, travelling a quarter of a million miles, and preaching 40,000 sermons (average of 15 per week) often in the open air, to vast crowds who frequently threatened his life. Wherever he went he formed his converts into ‘societies of Methodists’ - so called from the methodical conduct of their religious lives.

He first visited Manchester in May 1733 to meet his friend Rev John Clayton and whilst there he preached at Trinity Church, Salford. After his conversion in 1738 John Wesley began his open-air

nationwide campaign of evangelism and visited Manchester and its neighbouring towns more often. It was on Sunday 19 March of that year he again preached in Salford.

In his journal, dated May 1747, Wesley writes: ‘I walked straight to Salford Cross. A numberless crowd of people partly ran before, partly followed after me. I thought it best not to sing but looking around asked abruptly, ‘Why do you look as if you have never seen me before? Many of you have seen me in the neighbouring church, both preaching and administering the sacrament.’ [Here he was referring to his visit to Holy Trinity] I then began, ‘Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.’ None interrupted at all, or made any disturbance, till, as I was drawing to a conclusion, a big man thrust in, with three or four more and bade them, ‘Bring out the (fire) engine.’ Our friends desired me to remove into a yard just by, which I did, and concluded in peace.’

Salford Cross stood in Greengate, near the corner of Gravel Lane and was pulled down in 1824.

By 1748 a Society had been formed in Manchester in a house on the banks of the Irwell on the north side of Blackfriars Bridge. The ground floor of the house was a joiner’s shop, Mr and Mrs Berry occupied the middle storey and the top room was used by the Methodists. The congregation had to negotiate dangerous steep stairs and fill the space not occupied by a spinning wheel and furniture. On one occasion when Christopher Hopper was preaching the floor partly gave way and the Methodists had to move out.

Manchester at that time was a rough place (and preachers were often attacked), but not as rough as some neighbouring districts. In fact, Wesley writes of Manchester in 1756 and 1759: ‘The tumults here are now at an end, chiefly through the courage and activity of a single constable,’ and from that time the congregation was permitted to worship God in peace.

However, Wesley gives two accounts of his visits to Bolton in 1748 and 1749: ‘At one I went to the cross, in Bolton. There was a vast number of people, but many of them utterly wild. As soon as I began speaking, they began thrusting

by Paul Hassall

John Wesley and Friends in Oxford from a painting by

Marshal Claxton, owned by Salford Museum & Art Gallery.

John Wesley and Salford Methodism

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Ike Chapman in his book, Brindleheath - a Salford village, explains: ‘In 1767 the Chapel of Ease of St Thomas was founded in Brindleheath and was built by 1772/3. The church was erected by Samuel Brierley, Thomas Fletcher and Robert Baxter. There was a three year delay before its consecration.

‘On 6 April 1774 John Wesley preached to a crowd assembled outside this small church and it was not until 6 July 1776 that the chapel was eventually consecrated and came into use under the Mother Church of Eccles.’

In 1780 a chapel was built in Oldham Street, Manchester and in 1790 another was constructed in Gravel Lane, Salford. The latter was, according to Richard Gill in his book Gravel Lane Chapel - Chapters of Early History: ‘…built on land formerly part of a garden attached to the residence of Rev John Clayton incumbent of Sacred Trinity Church, who is said to have been the first Methodist resident in Salford. Clayton lived here for nearly forty years and here entertained John Wesley. Adjacent to the house at the side facing Norton Street was a brick building used by Clayton as a day school for sons of local gentry. The garden behind extended to Gravel Lane. Clayton came to Sacred Trinity Chapel in 1733, which was then a timber, and brick building erected in 1685.’

Wesley’s last visit to Manchester was in 1790, 57 years after he had first entered the town. Of the Easter Day services he writes: ‘I think we had one thousand six hundred communicants. I preached both morning and evening without weariness, and in the evening lay down in peace.’

Wesley died in London on 3 March 1791 and about six years later the Methodist New Connexion emerged from the parent body. In Salford its adherents first met in the upstairs room of a house in Hankinson Street until the Bethesda Chapel was built in 1806. This was known as the Bellringer’s Chapel after a calico printer, John Bellringer who was a leading figure in the new movement.

The Wesleyan Church at Walkden Moor was founded in 1811. In its centenary celebrations in 1911 Sir George Pollard MP gave his personal view of Wesley’s influence: ‘John Wesley was a religious reformer, but it must not be overlooked

that he was also a social reformer. He had two things to do, and in the course of doing them he changed the hard, sordid 18th century into the democratic and progressive 19th century. John Wesley found England dead to religion: he found it full of parsons whose one idea was to get as many benefits as they could, who hunted the fox and neglected the poor, and took not the slightest interest in either the social or spiritual well-being of the people. Wesley’s preaching, his missions, Sunday Schools, and cheap publications changed all that. Poverty, slavery, and the cruelty of the penal law he renounced as unchristian and unworthy of a civilised state.’

Illustration, left:Salford Cross from a drawing by Ralston (Salford Local History Library)Photo above:Design for a Centenary Window showing John and brother, Charles by Gordon Forsyth, artist from Pilkington’s in Clifton. The centenary was in 1911 but it isn’t known who commissioned the design and if the window was every built. It doesn’t appear to have been installed in Walkden Moor Chapel so we are appealing for you help to solve this mystery. (Geoff Leather - Royal Lancastrian Pottery Society) 15

to and fro; endeavouring to throw me down from the steps on which I stood. They did so once or twice; but I went up again, and continued my discourse. They then began to throw stones; at the same time some got upon the cross, behind me, to push me down; on which I could not observe, how God over-rules even the minutest circumstances. One man was bawling just at my ear, when a stone struck him on the cheek, and he was still. A second was forcing his way down to me, till another stone hit him on the forehead; it bounded back, the blood ran down, and he came no farther. The third being got close to me, stretched out his hand, and in the instant a sharp stone came upon the joints of his fingers. He shook his hand, and was very quiet, till I concluded my discourse and went away.

Of the other occasion he wrote: ‘We came to Bolton about five in the evening. We had no sooner entered the main street, than we perceived the lions at Rochdale were lambs in comparison of those at Bolton. Such rage and bitterness I scarce ever saw before, in any creatures that bore the form of men’.

In the year 1765 the first Manchester Conference was held – the fourth Conference in the whole country. At the time there were 25 stations in England. There were 25 assistants and 49 other travelling preachers. The conference minutes stated that all chapels should have sash windows and there should be no backs to the seats. They also discussed whether men and women should sit together.

Writing in his journal on 6 April 1774 Wesley noted: ‘I preached at Pendleton Pole, two miles from Manchester, in a new chapel designed for the church minister, which was filled from end to end.’ (Standard Journal, VI, p15).

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You Write...Send your letters in to: The Editor, LifeTimes Link, 51 The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX.

Email: info@lifetimes.org.uk. Tel/Fax: 0161 736 1594.Due to space limitations we reserve the right to edit any letters that we do include.

More letters in this issue can be found on pages 11, 13 and 22.

ORDSALL CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

I was born in Hulton Street, moving to Percy Street on marriage during the 1940s; consequently I love our LifeTimes Link and congratulate the team who produce it - but there never seems to be any mention of our beloved Dock Mission and its many activities like annual trips to Blackpool for the day, Christmas breakfasts, weekly penny pictures, the Scouts, and GLB (Girls Life Brigade) Services on the nearby croft after Whit Walks. There was so much going on there - I spent whole Sundays there from morning until evening service, with ‘Pop’ Atkinson (caretaker) always on hand keeping his eye on everyone. And what about St Cyprians Church? I can recall family weddings there - my mother helping in the adjoining hall to provide refreshments later. In the past, during conversations with LifeTimes Research Officer, Ken Craven, I’ve also recalled the ‘Bung ‘ole’ on Ordsall Lane. My mother’s relatives, the Singletons and Houghs, lived there. As you left Ordsall Lane, Worralls Dyeworks weighbridge was on the right. My grandfather looked after the company horses and our front parlour, where granny and granddad lived, was bedecked with his leathers and brasses. Just beyond the weighbridge was a row of small cottages where my sister and I called every Sunday morning. One of these cottages made humbugs, cinder toffee and candy - you could smell the mixtures well before you arrived at the front door. And what about the Salford School Choirs competing each year at what is now our Salford University? I have two very attractive certificates one awarded when our School Choir (Ordsall) won and the other certificate I won for singing solo. Ordsall was a wonderfully happy school - I could see it from our front door step. I still have my leaving reference from Miss Greenhalgh; also recalling Miss Carron, Miss Andrews, and Miss Holt who used to have me in school early for singing tuition. The Salford Lads’ Club! Once every year the family went along to see their display and awards ceremony. My brother is 90 this year - I used to be so proud of my brothers performing.

I had a friend living in the posh end of Hulton Street where they had front gardens and bay windows. One Saturday morning whilst I was brown-stoning our front flags, his mother told me they now had a fridge. What excitement! I well remember chasing up the lobby insisting my mother came out to hear more about this wonderful appliance in the Bailey household. There was also great jubilation when we all converted from gas to electricity in 1937 and I still have the bill showing £4.10 shillings for six lights being installed plus 10 shillings to Salford Corporation. Can anyone recall the Young Britons’ Club in Derby Street opposite the Co-op? I was an attendant to the Rose Queen in the 1930s when we occupied a float in the Salford Pageant - I think Doris Dickinson was the Queen that year! I just wonder whether there is anyone else out there who can relate to my memories. We had very little, but enjoyed a wonderful childhood!

Dorothy Sweatman (nee Holiday)Worsley

[Ed: Link has to cover the whole of Salford - from Cadishead to Broughton - yet many of the contributions we receive concern the Ordsall area.]

GRECIAN STREET SCHOOL

I was interested to read the letters from the Whitehead brothers in the last issue of Link. I too went to Grecian Street School and I remember them well. They may be interested to know that in recent months I visited former teacher Norman Grainger at his house in Bury on several occasions. He has now moved to Buxton and is doing very well. Thanks for all the info we get from Link and it brings back happy memories for us old ‘uns!

Alfred Wallwork Worsley

FROM SALFORD TO THE STATES

I thoroughly enjoy your magazine and look forward to it. I visited the LifeTimes Gallery this year (2002) in May and plan to revisit next year, probably in April when I will visit my sister in a nursing home in Eccles. I was born in Lower Broughton in 1932, moved to the Westwood Estate in Pendlebury in 1936 and lived all my life up to 1960 in Salford and Manchester. I now live in a suburb of New Orleans but a great part of my heart is still in Salford.

You are doing a super job.

Dorothy Peart (via email)Terrytown, Los Angeles

WEBSITE WONDERS

I was just killing time on the internet tonight when I found a picture of my great-grandfather, Matthew Whatoff and grandfather George standing next to him, I was quite amazed! I’m not upset or anything, I’m just surprised how much stuff you can find on the internet these days. If you have anything else on the Whatoffs, let me know. Thanks.

Noah Whatoff Via email

Ed: The photo of Matthew in his coffin appeared in Link No 6, Spring 2001 and can be found via the News page on our website www.lifetimes.org.uk. Thanks to the donor of the photo, Mrs Elsie Mullineux, we were able to supply Noah with more Whatoff family history.

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You Write... ISHERWOOD’S SHOE SHOP

I have meant to send in this photo for some time but I wanted to obtain the original. This is a photocopy and I thought you might be interested in its history. The shop was a retail shoe shop at 23A Lower Broughton Road, Salford, about the end of the first world war. My father, standing at the right hand side, was Albert Mee (1885-1954) and he was employed by the owner, Mr (or Colonel) Fred Isherwood, who is standing at the left - a military gentleman still in full dress army uniform, with his wife and son who are standing in the doorway. My father, who had served in the war and had been sent back to England wounded during 1918, began to work at the shop and remained there until about 1923. The photo must have been taken for advertising purposes, showing as it does, the various lines of boots and shoes, and even the small notice in the window, about the Nic Nac Club where customers could join the weekly payment scheme. The hours were long. My mother used to tell me that Dad hardly saw the children as he didn’t get home until 8pm each evening, when they would have been in bed, and on Saturdays, it would be after 10pm, and that was when he received his weekly pay packet! At the time, Mum and Dad had five children, two of whom died in childhood later and we three younger ones were born during the 1920s. I was the last, born in 1928. I hope this may be of interest to you, I do enjoy the booklet.

Mrs A J Callaghan (nee Mee), Rochdale

STRIKE PAY!

I remember my late granddad telling me that he was never financially better off than during the Great Strike. He had a family to bring up, like many others, and was a working man all his life, having worked down the pit at both Pendlebury and Pendleton. So, why was he better off than most? He recollected seeing barges, when being filled with coal, rocking slightly, and coal falling off the sides, into the canal. During the strike, he and a pal took an enamel bucket, knocked holes in it with a hammer and nails, and with a length of rope, took it along to the canal. My granddad then dived in, and filled the bucket by scooping coal into it from the bottom of the canal and his pal pulled it up and bagged it. They then put the bags into a cart, which would take about two or three bags at a time, and wheeled it round and sold it. Remember, of course, that no coal was being mined, and it was getting scarce. He told me of one occasion when a policeman stopped them, and when asked what was in the cart he confessed it was coal and told how they had come by it. The policeman promptly bought it off them for the going rate and they dropped it off at his home for him. Tough times, and ones I am glad I have not had to live through. He was one of those at Gallipoli in the Great War and volunteered during the Second, as well as working hard all his life - to his dying day he carried the scars of a pit collapse, recorded on his army papers.

John Bulger (via email)

THE BREAD AND CHEESE MAN

I was sent as a Docks Checker to work in a grain elevator (CWS Sun Mills) on Trafford Wharf. My job was to periodically check weight measurements of the grain as it passed through the elevator from the ship to the flour mill. During a brief spell, as the Dockers moved the grain suckers, I went aboard the ship. An old Docker, ‘Blackie’ (Blackenbridge) asked me if the Checkers would be solid - ie a hundred percent supportive, of their proposed one day strike. Another old Docker interrupted the conversation and Blackie angrily spun round on him and said, ‘You’re a ***** Bread and Cheese Man,’ he snarled.‘I’m not a Bread and Cheese Man.’‘Yes you are, and you will always be a Bread and Cheese Man until the day you die,’ said Blackie. I quickly moved away as the two old Dockers squared up to each other. Some time later my curiosity got the better of me and I cautiously asked Blackie what a Bread and Cheese Man was and this was his story… During the General Strike of 1926 Salford Dockers and their families suffered starvation and great distress. Yet from the outset a small number of non-strikers, ‘blacklegs’ and ‘scabs’, crossed the striking Dockers’ picket lines to work in the Docks. In due course violence erupted and as they left they were chased across the Salisbury Croft and down the Oller (croft) until they crossed over Trafford Road Bridge. The blacklegs were taken in and out of the Docks in the back of Post Office vans and some of these were turned over by angry strikers. So, with a strong police escort, the blacklegs were taken into the Docks each Monday morning and returned at Saturday noon. The non-strikers slept on army bunks in the cargo sheds and their staple diet was bread and cheese. Blackie said, ‘The scabs are known as Bread and Cheese Men until they die.’ This true incident took place in 1961, 35 years after the General Strike! Bitter memories die hard in dockland.

Dan McCormackCullercoats, Tyne & Wear

[Ed: Whilst working on the Docks in 1962 Dan, who then lived in Little Hulton, was awarded a TUC Educational Trust one-year scholarship to study economics at Ruskin College, Oxford.]

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The Independent Order of Rechabites claims to be the oldest Temperance Friendly Society in the world. It was founded in Salford, with an inaugural meeting in Bolton Street on 25 August 1835. Within the first year 27, or ‘tents’, had been set up in the North West. One reader found a family connection.

When I first received a copy of the LifeTimes magazine last year my first thought was, I don’t really know whether I am entitled to this magazine because I’m really a stranger to Salford and its environs, and I feel rather like an interloper. But when I received my second copy last December I thought I would like to write something for inclusion in the next issue.

My birth certificate shows I was born in 1929 at 45 Meadow Road, Broughton, the home of my grandparents, Charles and Elizabeth Totterdale. However, as a very premature baby, I was quickly transferred to Crumpsall Hospital and then eventually to my home in New Moston where I was to live until the start of World War II.

I feel, however, that I do have more than just that very short connection to the area and this is through my family which has had a long association with Salford. From the mid-1800s my great-great-grandparents lived in and around Salford. In later years in Hulme, Broughton, Salford and Moss Side, the names of the Sharples, Handforth, Totterdale and Vesey families would have been known as all were in business. My late mother, Annie Elizabeth Barlow (nee Totterdale), had a grocers shop in City Road. Her parents, Charles and Elizabeth Totterdale, also had similar shops in the area, as did the Vesey families. The Handforth family were bakers and cheese factors with a factory in Salford and shops in Salford, Chorlton, Moss Side and later in Southport.

The children of Charles and Elizabeth Totterdale also lived in Broughton for many years. These cousins eventually married, some moving to other parts of England and overseas, but one or two still remained in the Salford area.

I wonder whether there are any readers of the magazine who may have records or photographs left by grandparents during the 1920-1930 period?

I remember my mother talking of Italian friends who had an ice cream business - I believe their name was Permelli but I’m not sure whether the spelling is correct.

My parents were keen tennis players, as were their friends. My mother attended Grecian Street school at some stage in her life, and I remember an occasion when she re-visited the school and I met the then Headmaster; this was around 1937.

The strongest link however comes through my mother’s maternal great-grandfather, John Sharples and his sons, Henry and Thomas. The two sons were both heavily involved from their teens almost until their deaths with the Independent Order of Rechabites and, along with many other members of the Order, the Salford Temperance Society, and other similar societies, gave generously of their time and money to help the needy in Salford.

Not only was the Rechabite Order active throughout England at this stage but also in many overseas countries as well. The Rechabites were instrumental in providing what we would now call an insurance scheme to assist families in not only covering the cost of burials but also to assist surviving families on the death of a husband and in times when families were without income through sickness. At the time John Sharples and his sons Henry and Thomas and other members of the Order began working in Salford, the area was very depressed and the Rechabites helped families who were hard hit by unemployment.

Henry Sharples was, by profession, a master watch/clock maker who, for many years, had a jeweller’s shop in Alexander Road, Moss Side. He became a Deputy Chief Ruler and then a High Chief Ruler of the Order from 1891 to 1893. He died in 1903 at the age of 73 years, and according to a newspaper account of Henry’s funeral it was most definitely ‘an Order funeral’ in which he was described as a philanthropist. This bears testimony to what my mother had told me - he died penniless having given his money away to the needy - and she specifically mentioned Salford, what it was like in those days and how Henry walked the streets at night without being harmed when certain areas were patrolled by two policemen at a time.

Henry’s brother, Thomas Sharples, was a Secretary and Trustee of the Rechabite Order for many years, and also worked tirelessly for the cause.

Salford and the Rechabite Connection

by Ann Lockey Wellington, New Zealand

Portrait of Brother Henry Sharples. He was High Chief

Ruler in 1893 when he presided over the thirty-fifth annual

conference in Norwich after his visit to the America Rechabites

18

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After the death of his second wife, Rosetta, the father, John Sharples, returned to Salford where he eventually died. John is buried in the family grave in Moss Side (purchased after the death of his first wife, Mary) along with Mary, his second wife Rosetta, and Henry and his wife, Elizabeth. We have managed to obtain the will of John Sharples who died in 1883 and in this he bequeathed what would have been quite a decent sum in those days to Henry with a lesser amount to Thomas. He mentioned that he had cleared some of Henry’s debts but we have not been able to locate Probate or anything for him so we don’t know if he left any money at all when he died. Henry still worked at home repairing clocks and watches so it would appear that he had lost his jewellers business; the eye work involved in repairing clocks and watches couldn’t have been easy at his age.

I was to spend all my childhood in New Moston and never again visited Salford until about 1943-1944 when my mother and I returned to Manchester. We spent a couple of months living in Littleton Road, Pendleton with the Harper family, old school friends of my parents, and then moved closer to Salford. It was here that I became friendly with two people; a girl called Doreen who had a brother who played in a band, and a young apprentice plumber called Chris who lived near the Cussons soap factory. I was then working in the office at Hough Hoseason.

We then moved into Salford itself, but unfortunately I cannot remember the street where we stayed. We boarded with a woman whose husband was in the army. She was Mary and she had a young son, John. I remember he played the piano and every time I hear ‘Poet and Peasant Overture’ I am reminded of him. We lived across the road from the Williams family who, amongst other

children, had sons Arthur and Jack. Close by, on a corner a few streets from where we lived, was a very small house where two very elderly ladies made the most delicious barm cakes.

I worked at Salford Town Hall during this period and this was where I was to meet up with a couple of cousins I hadn’t seen for years. I had been living in the south of England since the start of World War II. When we returned to Manchester we couldn’t help but notice the difference between the northerners and southerners. Salford was probably considered poor by many, but the warmth of the people was evident everywhere. They were kind and friendly; I was never to find that warmth again until on a return trip back home in 1985 when I visited Newcastle-on-Tyne and found once again the same kindness and friendliness.

We are still researching our family history and have learned about our Sharples’ connection with the Independent Order of Rechabites through the kindness of LifeTimes staff and the Local History librarian, who provided us with more information in 15 minutes than we could have obtained in six months. We are eternally grateful for their help.

As a family we are all very proud of the link our families have had with Salford. In so many ways they have contributed something to make it a better place to live in, and I am delighted to see the pride in the area that exists today. The people write of the very good times when life wasn’t easy; they were young and found pleasure in the simple things of life. I hope they continue to do so for many years to come.

Now I don’t feel quite so much a stranger after all!

This slate plaque, recently unearthed by our Estates Dept, has now been added to our Museum Collection. It commemorates the centenary of the founding of the Rechabites in Salford. The ceremony took place on Sunday 25th August 1935. Unveiling the centenary plaque in Bolton Street, and addressing the assembly, the Rev W C Jackson said, “Today we give honour where honour is due as we think of men who saw a great way in which they could serve their day and generation according to the will of God.”

Rechabites Certificate (from Rechabite History by Robert Highet, Manchester 1936)

Salford Apron with the motto ‘Peace and Plenty, the Reward of Temperance’ (Donated by Mrs Margaret Bruce)

20

Osborne Street decorated for the event Colin’s bother Paul

missed - the 1953 Coronation. (Salford Local History Library

& J W Hassall)

Thanks to Mr P Moore, David Percival, and Alan Whitall for helping us with the first photo in the last issue. The man with the CAPASCO overalls worked for the Cape Asbestos Company in Harpurhey and they made clutch and brake linings. The mobile weighbridge seems to be at the Chapel Street end of Oldfield Road with the ‘Dwellings’ just visible in the background. See letter (page 22) for the second photo.

Eunice Dowd, Mike Mack and Fred Wright all told us the final photo was taken at the bottom of Cheetham Road looking from New Cross Street, Swinton. The van is parked outside the British Legion and just off the photo to the right is the Cricketers Arms.

Can our readers do as well with these three? Top: Demolition. Flat fronted terraced houses, a corner shop, a church tower and a mill? Not a lot of clues in this one.

Middle:. Mill? The part of the building with the clock is the most distinctive. Is it from the Swinton area?

Bottom: Sea Scouts. The long hair and the mix of ‘X’ and new-style TV aerials may date this to the 70s and the words Sea Scouts are visible on the drum major’s sweater.

Salford Local History Library has over 50,000 photos in their collection and from time to time we can’t identify some of the donations. Can you help?

Drop us a line or pop into the Local History Library (open Tues-Fri 10.00am-5.00pm, with a late night closing Weds 8.00pm)

Mystery Pics!

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Our local school was made up of a mixed infant and upper school, where pupils who did not pass their 11-plus examination remained until the age of 14. The upper school was divided into single sex departments - the girls being taught on the upper floor and the boys on the lower. Boys and girls had separate playgrounds and were not allowed to mix! However, as a mixed infant, the mysteries of the ‘big’ boys’ and girls’ school remained largely unknown - something to be looked forward to (or dreaded) when we grew up, ie reached the age of seven!

It was a long time later that I learnt that Langworthy Road had once been used as a hospital to house soldiers injured in the First World War (from 1915-1919) and that it had once been attended by Walter Greenwood, author of ‘Love On The Dole’, a novel set in 1930s Salford.

Memories of my three years of infant school are, naturally, rather fragmented now but I do recall a little of my first day there. The excitement of going to school for the first time, sitting at a wooden desk for registration, painting a house, writing my name on a slate and riding a tricycle around the infants’ part of the playground. My first teacher was Miss Blakely, softly spoken, kind and welcoming, as I recall. Other teachers during my time were Miss Brentnall (head mistress), Miss Fitzsimons and Miss Wood. There must have been a couple of others but I don’t remember their names. Note that all the teachers were ‘Miss’. In those days, if a female teacher married she was unlikely to return to work - it was the role of wife, housewife and mother that lay ahead, not a return to her career. I remember Miss Fitzsimons leaving to get married and, of course, she did not return afterwards.

I still have a couple of class photographs taken during my time in the infants. Names I can still put to faces are Ian Simister (who was to become my best friend until he moved to Kent in the mid-1960s), John Cheadle, John Crimes, Kenneth Hall, John Crook, Douglas (Dougie) Wright (no relation), George Robotham, Ian and Ann Caulfield (twins who lived in Co-operative Street, the next street to mine), Susan Occleston, Marilyn Foulkes and Hazel Banner, whose father, I think, ran a shop on Langworthy Road.

I do remember infant school as a happy time. Thanks to my parents, I could already read when I started school and there were always plenty of books at home to supplement the daily diet of Janet and John books. And the school also ran its own library from which books could be borrowed to take home - one of my favourites being Chicken Licken.

One of the lessons I liked most was PE, especially when we got to use the large climbing net that hung at one end of the hall around which the classrooms were arranged. This was the scene of many a game of pirates, as we climbed the rigging of our imaginary ship - probably inspired by The Buccaneers, a popular TV series at the time.

Morning assemblies were also held in the hall following registration. Anyone unlucky enough to arrive late at this time had to suffer the embarrassment of having to stand in front of the whole school before being dealt with by Miss Brentnall. Fortunately, this never happened to me!

Osborne Street decorated for the event Colin’s bother Paul

missed - the 1953 Coronation. (Salford Local History Library

& J W Hassall)

A little about me: I was born in Hope Hospital

on 15 February 1952. For a couple of years, my

parents and I lived with my paternal grandmother at 11

Kirk Bradden Street (now demolished), off Liverpool

Street, before moving to 53 Osborne Street,

Seedley, where my younger brother Paul was born on

Christmas Eve 1954.

Recollections of Langworthy Road School by Colin Wright

Langwothy Road School in use as a Military Hospital during WWI (Salford Local History Library)

(continued overleaf)

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After morning playtime there was milk and biscuits to look forward to before lessons restarted. My favourite biscuits were ones covered with three stripes of different coloured icing, though, usually, the biscuits were just plain. However, Jammie Dodgers were served up as an occasional treat, too!

Playtimes were usually filled with endless games of chase’, What Time is it Mr Wolf? (by the more organised) and the occasional fight. The girls tended to play skipping or clapping games, accompanied by appropriate songs or rhymes as well as joining in chases. Sanctuary could be sought from these chases in our respective outside toilets but woe-betide anyone caught in the wrong toilet! One girl, whose name I cannot recall, used to delight in telling Miss that such-and-such a boy had invaded the girls’ toilet, even when they hadn’t!

As with today, Christmas concerts tended to be the highlight of the school year. In my first year I got to play in my class’s rendition of Miss Folly had a Dolly’ and in my second year I was the Gingerbread Man - perhaps because I was adept at learning the lines (‘Run, run as fast as you can; you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man’) or maybe it was because I had red hair! I remember, also, being rather put out that I didn’t get a leading part in the third year play - which was always ‘Burgomaster Grumpygrowl’ - produced by Miss Wood, my final teacher in the infants.

We didn’t go on school outings but I still recall one treat - a visit from a puppet theatre who put on The Pied Piper of Hamlin while we sat entranced on the hall floor. Other than that, it was lessons, playtimes and drinks and biscuits! But no homework or SATs at the age of seven to contend with, as infants today have to!

Infant school came to an end in July 1959, after which the boys and girls were split up to move up into the big school. But that’s another story…

MYSTERY SOLVED?

Concerning the Mystery Photograph No 2 in issue 12 of LifeTimes Link. I have looked at the photograph

under a magnifying glass and I am almost certain that the person sitting

on Mayor Goulden’s immediate right, is E G Simm, headmaster of

Salford Grammar School.In the December 1955 Salfordian (SGS School Magazine), page 47, is the following: ‘...School Golden Jubilee Celebrations commenced for us in July with a most enjoyable

and successful garden party at Chaseley Field...’

Coupled with what is already known about this photograph, I

would suggest that there is a very strong possibility that it was taken at the Grammar School’s Parents

Association’s Garden Party at Chaseley Field, in July 1955.Old boys from the Grammar

School should visit our website at www.oldsalfordians.co.uk

S H Andrews (via email)Assistant Secretary (and

webmaster) The Old Salfordians’ Association Winchester

by Richard A Williams (b. 1949 - lived in Melbourne Street) Toronto, Canada

Does anyone remember the rain, the Docks, Ordsall Park duck pond,the Thunder, St Joe’s, the Cattle Market, the Fusiliers Barracks,the bonfires in the streets, the Guy Fawkes in the prams,begging money at pubs and buying fireworks with cash,the Worsley Hotel on Tatton Street, the Hanging Gate, the Trafford, the Ship,the Peeping Tom the Fox, Kersal Hotel and the Kersal Cell.

I watched Manchester Liners and Docks every dayfrom the top floor of the school.

I looked up from my books, through the school window that day,I saw the Dockers unloading those ships, to earn pay.The daydream I had was of countries unseen,Just a matter time, I was living the dream.

Wildest thing at age of thirteen, climb over Thunder wall onto ledgedrop down onto railway signal, climb down to railway tracks belowto retrieve a soccer ball, run like hell when the railway cops or a train came.Ever notice how easy it was when someone is chasing you to scale great heights.

Lark Hill Place

I am sure that most LifeTimes Link readers have grown up, like myself, with Lark Hill Place, the recreated Victorian street at Salford Museum. But how many people actually know how, or when this much loved exhibit came into being?

I am currently researching the history of Lark Hill Place and would love to hear from anyone who remembers its early days, or anyone who was actually involved in its creation.

Lark Hill Place was the brainchild of Salford Museum curator, Albert Frape, who saw a recreated street as the perfect vehicle for displaying the city’s extensive social history collections.

When the council began a programme of slum clearance in the early fifties, Frape realised that much of old Salford would soon vanish forever, and with it would go a whole way of life. In his spare time he began to survey and collect salvaged material from local shops, houses and pubs, ultimately recreating a street that reflected the feel of tight knit communities across the city.

The street opened its doors in 1957 and grew for some years, as the public donated new artefacts to the museum while Salford underwent a period of rapid transformation. If you have any information on Lark Hill Place’s creation or indeed remember Albert Frape then I would love to hear your memories.

Bill Longshaw. Tel: 0161 431 5518 or 07814 548391 (mobile)

You Write...

Does Anyone Remember?

‘Cotton Mills of Swinton & Pendlebury’ with John Cook• Weds 24 Sept, 7.30pm ‘The Victorian Painter & The Poet’s Wife’ with Ken Craven• Weds 29 Oct, 7.30pm ‘Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal’ with Margaret Fletcher• Weds 26 Nov, 7.30pm ‘Children Working in the Coal Mine’ with Alan Davies

Swinton and Pendlebury Local History SocietyMeet at Pendlebury Methodist Church Bolton Road Pendlebury Contact: John Cook on 0161 736 6191 Admission: 50p• Meet every other Monday from September to May, 10.15am Programme to be published late summer.

Walkden Local History Group Meet at The Guild HallContact: Ann Monaghan on 0161 736 1594 or ann@lifetimes.org.uk Admission: 50p

Worsley Community AssociationMeet at Worsley Methodist Church, Barton Road, Worsley Contact: Paul Hassall on 0161 790 5164 or 790 4290 Admission: £3• Fri 20 June, 7.30pm ‘John Dee and Cleworth Hall’ with Stan Smith

Local History Round Up

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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 - but you might want to check details before travelling to an event.

ExhibitionsAt Salford Museum and Art Gallery Open: Mon-Fri, 10.00am-4.45pm and Sat/Sun 1.00-5.00pm Admission: freeFrom Marbles to MarioThe LifeTimes Gallery looks at childhood leisure and home life through the years. Until March 2004Theodore Major - A Major Retrospective The polluted industrial landscape of Lancashire in the first half of the twentieth century was seen as moving and beautiful by this Wigan born artist. Until 7 SeptemberInterfaceFrom 20 September to 2 November

At Ordsall Hall Museum Open: Mon-Fri, 10.00am-4.45pm and Sun, 1.00-5.00pm Admission: freeFrom Marbles to Mario - Part Two - Fictional characters come to life - from Wind in the Willows to Bill and Ben, courtesy of Cosgrove Hall. Until 27 JulyTen Plus Textiles From 2 August to 21 SeptemberBlack History MonthFrom 4 October to 8 November(For museums’ phone numbers, websites, etc please see contact details on the inside front cover)

Heritage Walks Price: Adults £2, children freeA separate leaflet detailing local history walks and countryside walks around Blackleach and Clifton Country Park is available.Barton and its BridgesSunday 29 June, 2.00pmGlen Atkinson is the leader for this short walk that encompasses the story of Brindley’s Aqueduct as well as the Swing Aqueduct and Swing Road Bridge. Meet Trafford side of the Barton Swing Bridge on Old Barton Road. Worsley and the Bridgewater CanalWednesday 16 July, 6.45pmIncluding the Dam, Village and the canal. Meet Worsley Village Library. Leader: David GeorgeSalford Quays and PomonaSunday 17 Aug, 2.00pmMeet at Salford Tourist Information Centre, Ontario Basin, Salford Quays. Leader: David GeorgeSixty Acres of HistorySunday 14 Sept, 2.00pm A walk taking in the site of Worsley New Hall Gardens and the former Kitchen Garden, now Worsley Hall Garden Centre. Meet at Worsley Hall Garden CentreHalls and Houses of the HeightSunday 28 Sept, 1.30pmMeet outside the Height Library, King Street. Leader: Tony FranklandPeel Park and the surrounding areaSunday 12 Oct, 1.30pmMeet at Salford Museum and Art Gallery, the Crescent. Leader: Tony Frankland

Boothstown & District Local History Group Meet at Boothstown Community CentreContact: Ann Monaghan on 0161 736 1594 or ann@lifetimes.org.ukVisitors welcome, £1 per lecture• Wed 18 June, 7.45pm To be announced• Wed 16 July, 7.45pm ‘Mechanical Music: a history of the 19th century Fairground Organ’ Stan Smith (illustrated with sound effects)• Wed 20 Aug, 7.00pm meet at Dam House, Astley for a talk and tour, £5 inc buffet• Wed 17 Sept, 7.45pm ‘The Mills of Boothstown and District’ with Glen Atkinson• Wed 15 Oct, 7.45pm ‘Tyldesley A Century Ago’ with Tony Ridings• Wed 12 Nov, 7.45pm ‘The Lancashire Witches’ a ‘dramalogue’ performed by Lizzie Jones• Wed 17 Dec, 7.45pm ’Another Salford Slideshow’ with Tony Frankland (illustrated)

Broughton District Local History SocietyMeet at Community Room at Rialto Gardens, Great Cheetham Street EastContact: Mrs P Dimond on 0161 798 6382 Visitors: £1• Mon 9 June, 7.30pm Members Evening - no meetings in June or July

Eccles HeritageMeet at Eccles LibraryContact: Miss Ann Humpage on 0161 789 2820 Admission: 50p• Thurs 5 June Visit - to be arranged

Eccles & District History SocietyMeet at Eccles LibraryContact: Mr Andrew Cross on 0161 788 7263 Visitors: £1• Weds, 7.30pm from September to May

Irlam, Cadishead & District Local History SocietyMeet at Irlam LibraryContact: Mr J H Heap on 0161 775 7826• Weds 18 June, 7.30pm ‘Rediscovering the Treasures of Great Woolden Hall’ with Joe Martin• Weds 16 July, 7.30pm ‘History of Meccano’ with Don Palmer

Salford Local History SocietyMeet in Salford Museum & Art Gallery Contact: Roy Bullock on 0161 736 7306 Visitors: £1• Weds 25 June, 7.30pm ‘Barton Bridges Falling Down’ with Glen Atkinson• Weds 30 July, 7.30pm ‘Any Old Iron’ with Cliff Stockton• Weds 27 Aug, 7.30pm

Heritage Open DaysThis nationwide event takes place from September 12 to 15 at various venues. Details will be available from August on www.heritageopendays.org A leaflet detailing events taking place across Salford will be available from Libraries and Museums nearer the time. Contact: Christine Haydon, Strategic Support Officer, on 0161 778 0337 or email christine.haydon@salford.gov.uk.

Salford Local History DaySunday 23 Nov, 10.00am-4.00pm - see feature page 3 23

Not So Barmy Mickby Betty Lightfoot, Swinton

Barmy Mick’s talent knew no boundsSilver plated teapots: ‘Offer me a pound!’Tea sets, toy cars, whatever your needs(So long as your hand went up with speed)His special offer starter went for a song:‘Half a crown now for a model of King Kong.’

Barmy Mick’s brainwave of selling his stockIn auctioneer style meant he soon sold the lot!Some days he’d offer his stall for fifty pound(This guaranteed him a cheer from the crowd)His money back offer was the best around:‘Except on beakers you’ve bounced on the ground!’

Barmy Mick’s cheek was never in doubtHe’d chew you up smartly, then spit you outIf you dared suggest his goods were at fault(He really was an expert at rubbing in salt)His bargains were good, his prices were low:‘Who can I tempt to part with their dough?’

Barmy Mick’s spiel as he swapped goods from stockWas to hint that competitors’ goods were ‘hot’His Bargain Corner was just the job(Ideal for Christmas presents costing ten bob)But Barmy Mick’s banter is heard no moreCross Lane Market’s been tarmaced over.

Previously published in Recollections of Salford, 1992 and Five Star Angel Collection, 1993.

SalfordCity of

Education & Leisure