Author Topic: Old Trafford - The area, not the football / cricket ground  (Read 9987 times)

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Have been posting for a while on here, but I thought I'd mention where I was born and bred.


Was born in January 1955 in Stretford Memorial Hospital, (So, yes, just passed my 60th birthday) it's still there, but I believe it's now a geriatric hospital. Although the family was still living in Bentley Street, Hulme. I have no recollection of it as we moved to Prestage Street, Old Trafford, when i was barely months old. I think it was a victim of th slum clearances of the time. It's where I spent my formative years up until the age of 14.


I went to Seymour Park School on Northumberland Road, (It was called Seymour Park County Primary School in those days, part of the Lancashire Education Committee). Started in the infants at the age of 5, and moved up to the juniors at about 7. We still had the 11+ in those days, which I failed, so ended up at Old Trafford Secondary School for Boys.


I remember the headmistress at Seymour Park infants as Miss Carter, and the headmaster in the juniors as Mr Thompson.


I attended St Johns Church on Ayres Road and became a member of the Boys Brigade. I particularly remember attending a gathering (I know that won't be the official name) of the Boys Brigade on a gloriously sunny summers day in the speedway stadium at Belle Vue, and then getting free entrance afterwards into the Zoo / Funfair. That was the day I first dared to go on the Waterchute, the Bobs were still too much.


I remember my schools and the area of Old Trafford with much fondness, having many happy memories.


I got my love of railways from those days, riding up and down the electric service between Altrincham and Manchester, now the Metrolink, and sneaking into the loco sheds in Trafford Park behind Uniteds ground, still steam days. The site of the old Trafford Park loco shed is still used by the railway today, known as the container terminal.


I'll post lots more as it comes back to mind.


It would be great to talk to others who grew up in the area.


Pete
« Last Edit: 14:17:29, 03/02/15 by PeteGl »

celeste

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 120865
Waiting to hear more Pete O0
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

Cupcake

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7823
Congratulations on your 60th birthday.  The Chinese refer to that as Golden, because their astrological cycle of animals and elements runs for 60 years.  So as anyone turns 60, things are exactly as on the day they were born.   
It's nice to be important, but it's also important to be nice.

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
I'm a bit taller Cups!!

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Was a member of The Stretford Childrens Theatre for a couple of years in my early teens, I never had any delusions of treading the boards, it was just somewhere to meet friends on a boring Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I just once appeared as a soldier in Macbeth. They used to put their plays on at the Stretford Civic Theatre. Think I got involved because it was run by an English teacher from school, Mr (Dutchy) Holland. Bit of a strict teacher, but I think his heart was in the right place, giving up huge amounts of his own time running it.

Duerrs Jams was based in Prestage Street where I lived for many years, they still have premises there, but I think it's just used for storage these days, fairly certain the production is done at bigger premises in Wythenshawe.

There was a factory round the corner from our house called Ludwig Oppenheimer, they manufactured mosaics. As kids we used to pick up and collect these small bits of shiny ceramic and glass which spilled out of the factory doors, don't really know why now, but if you Google "Ludwig Oppenheimer" they were quite a prestigious company.

Like most kids many Saturday afternoons were spent at the childrens matinees, I went to the Imperial at Brook's Bar, a tanner at the front, 9d in the middle and, if you were posh, a 1/- at the back.

My mother took me to the library for the first time when I was about 7 years old, it was situated in a very impressive building, "Technical Institute" is still written in terracotta on the building fascia, which is on Stretford Road, it's now a Buddhist Temple.
It opened up a whole new world to me, even at that young age I loved reading, and still do, I've always got a book "on the go", but these days the book is on a Kindle. I remember going through all the volumes of Billy Bunter, it was another world of private boarding school and summer holidays spent in the countryside, but great fun and hilarious to my young mind.

Speaking of summer holidays, something I did in the school hols, usually with a pal or two, was a day ticket on the buses and spent hours sat at the front of the upper deck, gazing in wonder at all these new places, Longsight, Levenshulme and onto Stockport, and then through Chorlton past Southern Cemetery onto Didsbury. It was just at the end of trolley buses running out of Piccadilly. Great fun, all for 1/3d a day.

Hideaway69

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 409
Good to read your memories Pete, although I didn't live in the area I spent some time during 1968/70 around Henrietta St/Stamford St area of Old Trafford, where I had friends, Duerr's was a good place to hang out on cold evenings as the exterior walls were always warm, due I suppose to the jam being cooked,

also remember Silcocks fair on Stretford Rd, we also used to ride our bikes from Hullard Park to Pickmere lake during the school holidays, that was some trek,  considering most of our bikes were home made affairs !!.
I Started Out with Nothing and I Still Got Most of It Left

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Blimey Hideaway, Pickmere lake! That was a trek, I once rode my bike to Manchester Airport and I thought that was a long way.

Hullard Park was a beautiful park in it's day, bandstand and brilliant flower displays. Pristine bowling greens, all very well used.

I do vaguely remember the funfairs on waste ground on Stretford Road, but for me the highlight of the year was the  Stretford Pageant, with the cavalcade through the streets of Old Trafford to Longford Park on the Saturday morning. The crowning of the Rose Queens in the park in the afternoon, then the huge funfair Sat, Sun and Mon nights.

Pete
« Last Edit: 08:52:51, 04/02/15 by PeteGl »

celeste

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 120865
wow brings back memories, my brother and I used to ride our bikes to Manchester Airport, up a mud lane called Brooks Drive, stopped at a cottage for coca cola - I remember it well and probably why most of my working life was spent at the Airport

Carry on Pete O0
All that's necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Can't believe there aren't ex Old Traffordians on this forum?!?

Pete

lizzie

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Great memories.I'm from Old Trafford too.I just live around the corner from Prestage St.I lived on Cornbrook. st then Ayres Rd.Moved to Humphrey Rd.Family home still there.Duerrs  jam has been demolished and new houses were built.I went to school at St Alphonsus I'm a couple of years younger at 56yrs.But so much of what you written brings back happy memories.Just walked through Seymour park today to my Dads!

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Nice to hear from you Lizzie, I know all those streets well. Humphrey Rd was considered at the "posh" end of Old Trafford, being quite close to the two parks. I do remember that area being much greener, with all the roadside trees and quieter, but of course, so was traffic generally in those days.

It's been a couple of years ago now since I've walked round there, pity about Duerrs Jam works, but I suppose life has to move on, it was very old property, not much use these days.

Had lots of friends who went to St Alphonsus school at junior school age. The religion part of it going over my head at that young age, and just thinking to myself "why cant I go to the same school as my friends?" Although I did have friends from my own school.

In fact, a close friend of mine, in those days, was Bill Moulder, he's still running the butchers on Ayres Road, but he's retained the original family name (because I think his mothers family used to own it) of Kenyons, quite close to my old junior school, Seymour Park.

If you have any more memories Lizzie I'd love to hear them.

Pete

Frankie1

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
Hey Pete I lived on Stamford St then moved to Fulford St was 60 last October went to St Alphonsus primary school and I also failed 11+ and went to St Mary's Secondary School, we must have met as kids

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
We must have Frankie, I had a few pals lived on that Street. Was your home right opposite Cross Street, the one that went down to the Shrewsbury pub?

Frankie1

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 3
No my street was off Henrietta St, and lived at number 15,

PeteGl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3583
Yes, that was the pleasantly leafier end of Stamford Street, just along from Hullard Park. I remember a narrow alley way, through to Shrewsbury Street, probably not far at all from where you lived on Stamford Street. Along that alley way were a number of the WW2 prefabs. That would've been in the sixties, all very well maintained with nice gardens.

Pete