Author Topic: Victoria  (Read 22344 times)

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #30 on: 22:25:21, 13/06/16 »
Thanks Manx for the photo, I worked at whitehead bros (shown in photo) on fennel st between 1970 to1972 ,it was a great time to work in the centre of Manchester, the street was mainly wholesalers the cafe next store was at the time I was there run by a husband and wife team he was called Harold,the Douglas pub was on the corner but we would go up to the sugar loaf or the Manchester arms Nr Victoria station, we would often walk down Lancaster arcade/avenue, we were always told it used to be a woman's prison, there was great comraderie in fennel st between other workers great days ,although we didn't realise it then.

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #31 on: 22:33:47, 13/06/16 »
Sorry Manx just an add on to my previous post ,you said that Lancaster ave was above the ginnel in the photo, that's incorrect if you went down the ginnel it went into a "horseshoe " around the back of whitehead bros ,the cafe and other buildings, the Lancaster ave entrance was further to the right (looking at photo but out of shot)

Manx

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #32 on: 16:29:51, 14/06/16 »
The words 'Lancaster Avenue' can clearly be seen obove the ginnel archway in original embossed lettered brickwork - surely it must be correct?

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #33 on: 16:42:20, 14/06/16 »
Hi Manx I can only make out the word avenue but I'm not doubting the first word is Lancaster (my bad eyes)? Maybe that was a original entrance to the avenue ,when I worked there if you went down that ginnell at the bottom was Morris/Maurice who was a cloth recycler, as I posted Im certain that the arcade/avenue entrance was further up and was considerably wider

isabellabanks

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #34 on: 00:40:22, 09/08/17 »
Think you're right about the entrance to Lancaster Avenue being a little further up towards The Douglas Pub.
The photo attached looks like the Fennel St entrance and is different to the entrance that has the words 'Lancaster Avenue' carved above. There appears to be a warren of courts between Todd St and Fennel St and I wonder if there was more than one entrance.





Manx

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #35 on: 11:12:17, 09/08/17 »
Thanks for that great shot which clears any doubt, that distinctive arch window can be seen in this photo about four premises along from the Douglas pub.

http://images.manchester.gov.uk/web/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=9905&reftable=ecatalogue&refirn=2025

Entrances? - well there was obviously entrances at both ends and there was some kind of access bridge part way along, which for some curious design intentional reason linked Lancaster Avenue to the large corner building. (see reply #19)

Heres a map view with the long criss-crossed shaded area of Lancaster Avenue clearly shown.

https://s2.postimg.org/i5woe6dqh/Lancaster_Avenue.jpg

regards

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #36 on: 13:07:50, 09/08/17 »
Excellent I'm so glad my memory wasn't playing tricks with me  :) . The workers on fennel street had a " unofficial "bartering system then , we were a tea and coffee warehouse so we'd take a couple of packets and get eggs from a place up the street ,then on to Thompson house a few more packets and in return morning newspapers, and so on with other wholesalers, it wasn't for monetary gain just enough for everyone's brew,

isabellabanks

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #37 on: 16:31:53, 10/08/17 »
Do you know which year Lancaster Avenue was demolished? The Douglas was there until 1986 but I think Lancaster Avenue and the neighbouring shops had been gone for a while. Was it just a covered walkway between two buildings ie was the alleyway once open to the air? Or was it a building in its own right?

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #38 on: 17:17:39, 10/08/17 »
Hi there,  to my knowledge it was always covered in fact many people referred to it as Lancaster arcade , like a lot of places it should never have been pulled down, if it was around today I can imagine it being like afflecks palace but better. I don't know when it was demolished because when I left fennel st in 1972 i seldom went to that part of town,
« Last Edit: 17:23:06, 10/08/17 by Parky »

isabellabanks

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #39 on: 19:21:04, 12/08/17 »
Round the back of Todd St is Halliwell Street (or used to be) where the North Western Hotel stood. I read somewhere that it was demolished as a result of plans for the Picc-Vic underground system. Is it true that buildings were actually demolished for that reason - did the scheme get that far?

krisbrookz

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #40 on: 15:04:36, 08/02/20 »
Hi, I worked in Lancaster Ave. in 1970. The firm was called Central Electrical Services and was about half way down on the 'ground ' floor (as in the pic) but when you went in the office there was another set of stairs down to the 'basement' and from there was a cobbled 'road' which led to an exit opposite Victoria Station.

It was very dark and a bit spooky with a number of boarded up double doors leading to who knows where. The company was owned by the Thatcher brothers + others which was formerly 'Gore Electrical' and 'Lowton Electrical' so there were 4 floors altogether.   :o

Bill Finlay

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #41 on: 16:54:29, 21/10/20 »
I remember the Lancaster Arcade during the early 1970s. As a student at Manchester Uni and born in Bolton, I regularly commuted via Victoria Station, and used Lancaster Arcade as both a short cut and to keep the rain off.

I believe is was originally a Women's Prison. I don't remember anybody telling me this, so I suspect there was some kind of plaque there noting its earlier history.

It had three storeys with a central curved spine and walkways following the same curve but progressively stepping back opening out to a glazed roof which flooded the narrow walkways with natural light.

I was also a regular user of the MSG (Manchester Social Guild) on Hanging Ditch which ran folk nights on Saturdays in its basement.
Both the MSG and Lancaster Arcade were closed and demolished in the mid 1970s.  The city council's stated justification was to open up views of the cathederal from the city centre. The fact that the cathederal is a fairly low building sitting downhill from Cross Street, and that any views from the city centre were therefore effectively impossible, seems to have escaped them.  Bottom line is these buildings were considered slums, and the imperative was not to devalue the Arndale Centre project which was then at construction stage. Back then big was best, and the Arndale Centre was colossal. Roll forward 40+ years and the historical and aesthetical value of the Lancaster Arcade would have easily justified conservation and reuse for boutique shopping and the like. Shame.



Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #42 on: 17:19:19, 21/10/20 »
I have a excellent photo of the inside of Lancaster arcade / ave ,but I’m not tech minded to be able to put it on here , SCL if I send it you via email could you put it on here ?

St Chads Lad

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #43 on: 19:47:31, 21/10/20 »



Apologies for the quality, I  had to take a pic with my phone to upload from my photo's, hence the fine lines sorry mate.  :-\ :)
« Last Edit: 19:55:22, 21/10/20 by St Chads Lad »

Parky

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Re: Victoria
« Reply #44 on: 20:00:48, 21/10/20 »
That’s great mate thank you  O0