Fire breaks out on Oldham Street

[celeste]

11 April 2013     Fire in derelict building on Oldham Street, Manchester Residents have been asked to keep their doors and windows shut  A fire has broken out at a derelict four-storey building in Manchester city centre.
The blaze started on the ground floor at the old Dobbins store on Oldham Street, Northern Quarter, some time before 18:00 BST.
About 30 firefighters are tackling the blaze. Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said the area is very smoky and buildings are being evacuated.
Residents have been asked to keep their doors and windows shut.
No-one is believed to have been hurt.
Oldham Street is closed between the A665 Great Ancoats Street junction and the Warwick Street junction.   From other news sites

Manchester Evening News Homes, bars and restaurants evacuated as firefighters tackle blaze on Manchester's Oldham Street 1 hr ago

[celeste]

Demolition' needed at Manchester building fire scene story          previous slide next slide 1/4Fire in derelict city centre store  Firefighters are to partially demolish a derelict building in Manchester city centre, following a large fire.
The fire started on the ground floor at the old Dobbins store on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter at about 18:00 BST on Thursday.
About 100 people were forced to leave nearby buildings, although no-one is believed to have been hurt.
The fire service said despite the main blaze being out, small pockets of fire were still being dealt with.
Overnight accommodation was arranged by Manchester City Council for those forced from nearby flats.
Steve Thomas, from Greater Manchester Fire Service, said there was a collapse in the building, with some demolition work required.
"Throughout the night we have been trying to fight the fire. We are working at the front and the rear of the building to bring the final elements under control," he said.
"The difficulty today will be the commuters of Manchester who travel up and down Oldham Street, as it will be closed for some time.
"In the medium-term there will have to be some demolition, which will affect the street."

[john carrington]

That looks so bad I hope there were no injurys.

[celeste]

quote:
'About 100 people were forced to leave nearby buildings, although no-one is believed to have been hurt.'

[cheethamgirl]

I don't remember a Dobbins Celeste, was this formerly something else?
 

[celeste]

Neither do I but found this -
https://www.google.co.uk/#output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=Dobbins%2C+Oldham+Street+Manchester&oq=Dobbins%2C+Oldham+Street+Manchester&gs_l=hp.12..0.1966.11298.0.13643.33.32.0.0.0.0.459.5282.12j13j3j2j2.32.0...0.0...1c.1.9.psy-ab.pfpK_A3FwCo&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45175338,d.d2k&fp=86260bbf12073a3&biw=1093&bih=514
 
Looks like it was a beautiful art deco building
The Serendipity photographs are worth a  look

[celeste]

More history -
quote:   
  Dobbins Cinema, Oldham St, ManchesterFor information about Dobbins in Manchester's 'Northern Quarter' please see comment from chrissyarry below. Thanks chris.Comments and faves

jonkino                                  (53 months ago | reply)               That's because it never was  cinema -

chrissyarry                                 (30 months ago | reply)               hi there the once proud department store dobbins was my grandfathers before the second world war, i know thisbecause my uncle told me as he was in charge of the restureaunt in which tea dances where held every day and was the meeting place for the stars of film,stage and screen of the day, my uncle was also a proffesional photographer and made many photos of famous customers.
the bulding was partly distroyed in the blitz,after the war my grand dad asked for money from the goverment to rebuild but was refused,luckly the local parrish preist was able to get donations from parrishioners and my grandadwas able to open a ladies outfitter shop in didsbury, whether the oldham street department store was ever a store house on that i can make no comment, but the original bulding when it opened had a theatre,dance floor and resturant, and also various departments for cosumer goods.
       my grandfather was johseph dobbin and my uncle is dominic dobbin, my mothers maiden name was dobbin but when she won the miss great britton contest her professional name was  june rivers, from didsbury.
                                  hope this infomation is of use to those in answering some questions.
       my own email adress is             [email protected]

JOHNOVAN3                                  (16 months ago | reply)               HI THERE MY NAME IS JOHN REECE AND I WROTE THE INFO USEING MY PARTNER;S COMPUTOR ( CHRISSYARRY)  THIS SHOP WAS MY GRANDFATHER'S DEPARTMENT STORE WHERE EVERYTHING WAS SOLD NOT JUST CLOTHES, IT HAD A BALLROOM COME RESTURANT AQND THIS AREA WAS COVERED BY A FRONT TO BACK LENGTH DOUBLE GLASSED ROOF, WHICH WAS NEW TECHNOLOGIE IN THE THIRTIES, THE RESTURAUNT WAS FREQUENTED BUY MANY OF THE STARS OF FILM AND RADIO OF THE DAY, INCLUDING AMOUNGTS OTHER'S  TOM MIX, AND GEORGE FORMBY TO NAME BUT A FEW.
  THE BUILDING WAS HIT DURING THE BLITZ AND AFTER THE WAR THE GOVERMENT WOULD NOT GIVE MY GRANDFATHER COMPENSATION, BUT THE LOCAL CATHOLIC PRIEST MANAGE TO COLLECT MONEY SO MY GRANDFATHER COULD OPEN THE NEW SHOP IN LAPWING LANE DIDSBURY, ALL MY FAMILY ARE GONE NOW THE LAST BEING MY GRANDFATHER'S SON ( MY UNCLE ) SO I WILL BE TRYING TO DISCOVER IF MY GRANDFATHER SOLD THE BUILDING AND THE GROUND.IF NOT THEN I OWN IT AS LAST DIRECT BLOOD FAMILY MEMBER AND ALSO I THINK MAYBE OWED A BIT OF BACK RENT ON THE PROPERTY.                      ANYONE HAS INFORMATION ON THIS FOR ME THEN MY EMAIL IS             [email protected]             i also have photo's of the construction work, opening and inside .

[cheethamgirl]

Thanks Celeste.  I too got side tracked looking at the Serendipity photos.  Lovely.  I'd never seen nor heard of Dobbins. By the way, the name Dobbin is a Huguenot (French Protestant refugees) name and was originally D'Aubin.  In Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, there's an ancient hotel and bar named Dobbins, with an underground passage which once led to Carrick castle. They do nice lunches. There are many people in NI named Dobbin, and lots of other Huguenot family and place names such as Beasant, Crumlin (de Crommelin, originally), Ormeau etc.

[celeste]

Oooh who would have thought Dobbins was a French name, thanks for that D
 
Carrickfergus Castle, if I ever got married again that is the place where it would be but I would love to go there anyway, especially now you've mentioned an underground passage
 
There was a customs officer at Manchester Airport who was called Mr Dobbin, I never knew him as I was working on the export side with an agency and then later I  was with an airline  (or two or three)

[cheethamgirl]

And I was on the passport control there from '73 till '82.  Nice friendly airport.  Carrickfergus Castle was my father's playground when he was a boy.  He loved it.

[celeste]

Interesting job D tell me more I bet you have some stories to tell
 
It was a great place to work, people who left the airport nearly always came back, the place is huge now but when I worked on the cargo side we used to walk across to the terminal for lunch and there were seldom the crowds which are there nowadays, other times we'd get the bus down to Skyways cafe as it was called (Moss Nook now) I was told Alan Clarke of the Hollies lived up the road.  Then there was the Airport Hotel which was halfway down Ringway Road where a lot of plane spotters used to hang out.

[cheethamgirl]

I recall those places very well.  The chaps in our office used to frequent the Robinson's pub at the end of the road, was it The Tatton Arms?  My hubbie and I had our joint stag & hen do there.  Do you suppose we could start a Ringway airport thread?
That place fell out of favour though and they started using the Romper, over the other side of the airport. I see the airport has a rail station with links to all over the place now, and is due to be linked up to the Metrolink trams.

[celeste]

A Ringway Airport thread, yes good idea - you start it 
I know bluemikeaway worked at the airport

[cheethamgirl]

Done .  New thread on Ringway Airport is posted under 'Old Manchester'.  See you at the airport!