Author Topic: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?  (Read 752781 times)

resurrection89

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1635 on: 12:00:04, 28/07/20 »
This sounds exactly like it was described to me! Absolutely the place i would think :) Thank you @Cheethamhillgirl


I hope you don't mind me asking, but what year would this have been for you? I would really like to know the name of the dentist or the shop and how long they were there :)


I think my father mentioned the year 1969? But i could be mistaken.







Mark Jones
:)

cheethamgirl

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1636 on: 12:09:12, 28/07/20 »
Mark, It would have been before 1960 that I visited that dentist. My Dad had told me we were going to see a man about some free milk on the NHS. He knew that, had he mentioned the word dentist, he wouldn't have seen my heels for dust. By the time Boris Karloff (sorry, I never knew his real name) had got me into his treatment room, it was too late! It was in one of the three or four storey houses on Cheetham Hill Rd which had stone steps leading up to them. They were built in the 1800s and were demolished in 1969 when the area's 'slum clearance' began. Our house in Huxley Avenue, like the houses in the immediate surrounding avenues, was built in 1900 and they still stand. I left the neighbourhood in 1973 to move out to Cheshire and only returned once, in 2013. So many changes. 
Author:  'Odd Man Out - A Motiveless Murder?' & 'The Cheetham Hill Murder'

resurrection89

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1637 on: 12:26:58, 28/07/20 »
Thank you so much for your replies @Cheethamhillgirl, they are extremely helpful - and yes the steps leading up are also what they remember of the place!


Such a strange place and character by the sounds of things. A lot of the stories we were told by our parents of the surrounding area just sound like works of fiction sometimes haha. Amazing to hear other accounts of this time.


Hopefully others may have some further info. I know pictures of the area are pretty scarce.


Just for some background - my parents once lived above Fox's Funeral Home, my father worked at the *Jewish Hospital* as he calls it, and I believe he also worked for a Mr.Burn's - a toy maker / toy shop? I find it all fascinating how out-of-time it seems when they describe the place back then. It seems so recent in historic terms, yet the descriptions are often quite the opposite.












Mark Jones
:)

Kennett house boy

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1638 on: 16:24:37, 07/08/20 »
I remember the Jewish Memorial Hospital very well, I had my first stitches there.
Did anybody go to Cheetham Secondary (Heath Street as we called it)?
I went there from 69-73, when we had to leave to go to Abraham Moss.
Loved going swimming in the baths next to the pub on Cheetham Hill Road and often went to the Temple pictures too.

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1639 on: 14:40:58, 03/10/20 »
<blockquote> Hi! Newbie alert! Dropped onto these pages after googling "Orbro" and  reading from page 104 onwards.  I now have a new "lockdown" hobby, back to page 1 to take it all in, and enjoying it very much.
 

 
We lived in a bungalow on Tolworth Drive off Cardinal Street, which was my parents' first married home in the late 1960's.  My younger brother was born there. I was born in Crumpsall Hospital. We moved to Whitefield/Prestwich in 1972 as there were three of us by then, with another brother arriving in 1975.
 

 
I had my tonsils out as a tot at the Jewish Hospital, I remember being given mushroom soup and ice cream afterwards by a kind black nurse. Also reading a little book about a Brahmin who swept with a brush as he walked to avoid stepping on even the tinest spider. Funny, what sticks in the memory!

 
The small back garden on Tolworth had a high vertical brick wall at the end, facing off the whole width, and was overlooked by the older semi-detached houses on Durley Avenue. One of my earliest memories is hiding under the bed by a floor-to-ceiling window as Aunty Lena was waving down to me from her back garden.  They were great friends of my parents, and sometimes would babysit us.  I remember a big white cat called Rupert on Durley Ave, and how Aunty Lena kept the cardboard trays for "the egg man".  When visiting them in the 70's, we would watch "It's a Knockout" on their colour telly (we only had a black and white) with cans of coke and crisps and those little black and white foil-wrapped chocolate footballs in a net from Woolworths.
 
 
My Dad was working then at Macben handbag factory on Lord Street, down the slope from St. Chad's RC Church. He was a sewing machine mechanic and general fix it guy in a blue workcoat there till the start of the eighties. I loved it on the occasional Friday when I was allowed to go to work with him - must have been a babysitting issue somewhere, as it was hardly the place for primary school kids. Machinery and a lift with those stretchy latticework doors, all pre-health and safety era. We had many  wet Sunday afternoons sitting on salvaged carseats in the back of his works van while he visited friends of friends on Cardinal St, Shirley Rd, Alms Hill Road and all around there, to fix their sewing machines, as folk were doing "piecework" at their homes.  4 kids in the back of a van, hitting seven bells out of each each - character building! On the non-rainy days we'd be let out of the van and sometimes went on the swings and roundabout playpark next to the Smedley Lane playing fields. It was high up, looking out over the housing and woods below (Woodlands Rd area). 
 

 
I used to go with my Dad to car maintenance in the evening once a week at Abraham Moss, I still remember the smell of oil and dust in the big workshop.  He took us swimming there as well - still remember hearing the song "If I had words" on the tannoy (quick google says that must have been 1977 then.....). We saw the Sound of Music at the Temple cinema in the early seventies?,  I think that was the only time I went there. I just remember wide steps up to the doorway. Our "local" after we moved was the Mayfair in Whitefield, a 35 (135) bus ride away, now gone too.
 

 
Reason I was googling Orbro was I was wondering if any remnants were left of the building that I remember walking past in childhood.  Google Streets shows that there isn't anything obvious left and housing now stands there. I am a big fan of red brick / buff sandstone buildings and offices from the turn of the last centry and through the war years. Since my teens I've liked to photograph these sort of buildings, no doubt from my young years round Cheetham and Broughton. The transport depot on Boyle Street was still, I think, doing bus repairs and servicing in the seventies, and that building is a super one.  I had my driving lessons all round there in the 1980's. I managed to get photos of the Rialto on Bury New Road in Broughton before demolition just before the millenium.   
 </blockquote>
 <blockquote> I've attached a couple of Temple House here, from the nineties. I'll have gone specially after hearing it was going to be demolished as I always liked it.. Pre-internet, it was only ever in the local papers if something like that was going to occur, and it's good to do before they disappear.
 </blockquote>

Parky

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1640 on: 15:13:57, 03/10/20 »
Lovely story to hear  O0 , anymore ?

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1641 on: 16:33:15, 04/10/20 »
Hi again.
I've tried a bit harder to fix the photo re-sizing, so here's yesterday's two photos again and another two, see if this is any better.  If not I'll find out on youtube or whatever how to re-size properly.


I am going to dig out a few more photos hopefully over the coming weeks, as my Dad's sister (my aunty) lived on  Wordsworth St. (I think), and my Dad lived with them for a bit, and my younger brother's godmother lived on Huxley - her house was like a palace inside, my Mum always used to say.


These pages are so full of interesting and sometimes very sad stories. I went back to page 1 (2010) yesterday and have barely dented this treasure trove. Thanks to everyone on here. 

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1642 on: 20:29:13, 04/10/20 »
A few snaps from Tolworth Drive in 1969, and from 1970 as a baby in a pushchair and with my dad in the back garden with the high wall at the end.  The last one, of a family friend's daughter (I think), is on Durley Avenue overlooking our house on Tolworth.


I wonder what was there on that lower ground in times past, before Tolworth and Wigmore were built?


Cheers folks.

St Chads Lad

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1643 on: 20:48:31, 04/10/20 »
Nice pics, I used to pass here on the way to Smedley fields when I was a kid.  :)

Rat_ Catcher

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1644 on: 12:09:03, 14/10/20 »
Like a few others i have found this Forum by accident - wow what memories it has brought back ! It has prompted me to register and put down some of my own . My mum and dad ( RIP ) moved a short distance from rented accommodation in Crumpsall to our own house in Cheetham Hill in 1963 / 1964 . I lived in CH from this time until moving away in 1986 and i am in my late 50s now.
School : I went to St Annes Primary , Crumpsall , and some of my friends were Paul Harding ( younger brother of Mike Harding of Rochdale Cowboy fame) and Chris Smith . Lost contact with them when at 11 i failed the 11 plus exam - they went to St Peters Grammer and i went to St Clares Secondary , Alworth Rd , Blackley. Some of the teachers i remember there are : Mr Dywer the Head later replaced by Mr Cusack  ; Mr Banks the music teacher who did his best to transfer his love of music to us ; Mr Debonaire the French Teacher ( ! ) ; Mrs Campbell and Miss Watson ; Gerry McConville the big Scots art teacher . We also had two nuns at the school Sister Philomena and Sister Magdalene - not sure if its the same Sister Philomena mentioned from St Chads , but both sisters had explosive tempers and Sister Philomena was adept at punching wrong doers at the top of the arm causing an instant " dead arm " . But you knew where you stood with both Sisters and bad conduct would not be tolerated and would be dealt with !! On the whole i had a happy time at St Clares but left at 16 without much academic success . Some years later i went back to college and then onto University which shows everyone develops at different rates and times .


Shops i remember :
Joe Makins Newsagents opposite the Esso Petrol Station - i had a paper round there and how i hated Sundays with the papers and magazine supplements !  Young Joe Makin looked a bit like George Best i remember . When they sold up , the shop was taken over by a Indian/ Pakistani family .
On the same side of the road was a posh ladies dress shop which was next door to the( equally posh ) sweet/chocolate shop run by Frank . On the opposite side of the road was the Snooker Hall which was a bit further up from the Ukranian ( ? ) grocery shop . On the same side of the road as Franks , but a bit further up past Waterloo Road
 was the Chemists run by Mr Taylor ( a real gent) and a small mens clothes shop run by a Jewish man called Benny . The barbers " Mackey Davis " was on the other side of the road . As a boy i was fascinated by watching him do hot towel shaves whilst i waited for my short back and sides !
In later years i had a Saturday job at Lennons supermarket which was next to Levy's Furniture shop - i remember my mum saving for years to eventually buy a 3 piece suite from there . I remember going with my mum to Martin Dawes  to pay the weekly rental on our TV as was common at that time . I also have fond memories of Cheetham Hill Library and would spend hours in there .
In later years the huge ( at the time )" Shopping Giant " supermarket opened up . But before this on CHR junc Crescent Rd was Scholes Grocery shop - Mike and Paul Hardings mum worked there part time i remember and they would cut cheese and slices of meat to your individual order . In the precinct before Woolworths were some shops including a quality TV / Hi Fi shop run by a Indian man who was also a real gent . Just before i moved away a bought a Sony portable TV from there .


Dr Royce was the family GP and his surgery was just up from St Chads and opposite the clothes factory with the illuminated Cheetah ( ? )on the front of the building . Family later registered with Dr Mohammed who surgery was at the top of Shirley Road - what a nice man he was ! My dentist was Mr Sareen and Mr Morris on Brideoak St - again good dentists and when Mr Morris re-located to Victoria Avenue, Blackley, i registered with him there   


Sorry , if the above is a bit too random  - but this whole thread has brought back memories of good times and good people

St Chads Lad

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1645 on: 12:22:26, 14/10/20 »
Yeah I remember a lot of your recollection the factory near Chads was 'Raincheetah'  :)

Rat_ Catcher

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1646 on: 13:06:07, 14/10/20 »
Thanks St Chads Lad - it always looked good when illuminated when dark .

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1647 on: 10:39:15, 16/10/20 »
Back again.
I'm now up to page 59 of these pages on Cheetham, it's been so interesting. I can see now that there are lots of funny tales and reminiscences as well as sad ones, that's life I guess.
 
 Another spin off of this stimulating thread is buying a slew of historical maps from Alan Godfrey's, really good service and very reasonable prices. (Google search "Alan Godfrey maps").  In one of my previous jobs at Salford City Council, before the "online" era,   I used to go to Peel Park library on The Crescent and look up past land uses on these and older maps (linens).   I'm delighted to have some of my own now to pore over.
 
Here is a black and white snap from 1967 somewhere around the Huxley Road area.  My Dad's older sister lived on Wordsworth Ave, and he lived there before he got married to my Mum. We lived on Tolworth Drive until 1972.

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1648 on: 10:44:07, 16/10/20 »
.... and not even black and white! I never even noticed that until I posted it.

Tinyclanger

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Re: Cheetham/Hill 1950s/60s?
« Reply #1649 on: 11:03:41, 16/10/20 »
Last two photos today.[size=78%] [/size]


On a similar textiles & manufacturing theme....


Inside Macben on Lord Street , down at the bottom of the slope. They made handbags. My Dad was a sewing machine mechanic here from the late 1960's to the start of the 1980's.  He told me it had been a Timpsons shoe factory at some point before that?


This was his works van, and I'm one of the kids squeezed in the front, outside my grandparents house in Dundee Scotland.  Can only salute my parents' endurance of a nearly 300 mile trip north in a Leyland van (dull mustard colour) with us small kids sat in the back on loose "salvaged" car seats. Will have taken many hours, pre- M74. No nintendo games back then, only I Spy and a spot-the-road-sign game with cardboard cut outs which you stuck on a board. And then argued about.