HYDE CHESHIRE

Harry Rutherford's
Festival of Britain Mural




Tuesday 12 March 2019

Greenfield Street Secondary School: Class 2A 1960


Stephen Hodkinson


Please find attached a photograph of Class 2A in 1960. I was in the class and in the picture, the only one in glasses. I have labelled the students , as far as I can remember, but I cannot name 3 that have been labelled with question marks and there are a few more that I am not certain about , but no doubt corrections will be made by the viewers.





School Photograph: 1960 2A Greenfield Secondary School for Boys.

Back Row:
??           Kevin Sidebottom; Neville Hall: Raymond Bostock; John Wood   Roger Fox; Alan Braithwaite; Roy Richardson

3rd Row:
Ian Linney; Trevor Leach; David Johnson; Stephen Hall; Robert Hillman; Mike Bennett; David Barlow; David Pout; David Timperley

2nd Row;
Graham Newton?; Vernon Woodhouse;       ?? Gerry Robinson; ? Ibbertson;  Robert Herman?; Frank Snelson; Tom Graham; Stephen Hodkinson; Paul Maden

Front Row;
Frank? Lowe; Howard Gee; John Capper; Dave Hall; Pete Hesketh; Ted Fenton (form master); Mike Perrin; John Garbett; Alan Palmer; Terry Holmes; ??



Saturday 16 February 2019

Turbine Gears


Turbine Gears 


Gear Cutting Specialists, Mottram Road, Hyde




Advertisement From 1923 



1936

Wednesday 23 January 2019

Hyde Bus Station Pre-M67







The No.30 Bus, Ashton-Stockport service, shown here in Stockport Corporation livery. Behind the bus is George Street Methodist Church and beyond that, to the left, we can see Ashton Bros. All gone now, sadly.  Thank you to Susan Jaleel For the above picture and information.






George Street Methodist Church

Hyde Methodist Chapel (New Connexion), or George Street Chapel as it was more commonly known stood on George Street just behind the bus station. It was Built in 1858.

In 1954 George Street united with Hyde former Wesleyan Methodist church and Hoviley Brow Church to become the Hyde Central Methodist Church 

Taken from "The Annals of Hyde"

In the year 1830 the (Methodist New) Connexion commenced work in Hyde, a small room in Cross Street being used for religious worship. In 1833, the Church had grown sufficiently to warrant the erection of a small chapel in George Street. The leading spirit in the movement about that time seems to have been a Mr. John Leech. A Sunday school was formed and this appears to have strengthened the church. Progress continuing, the large George Street Chapel was erected in 1858. The old schools were replaced in 1885 by the present spacious building adjoining the chapel.

Alas like many other buildings in Hyde it was bulldozed when the motorway cutting the town in half.



This picture is of the 125 bus, it's taken further up the bus station and George Street Methodist can be seen far left. The white building to the back of the bus is The Woodman.




Map from 1970

Thursday 8 November 2018

Oddfellows Arms


Great little pub at one time...  





Anybody got any other pictures inside or out of the 'Oddies' please send the to me hydonian@gmail.com
 It would be nice to see some of your memories as well .





Thanks to Dave Barlow for sending these in taken by Karl Barlow in the 1980s

Monday 15 October 2018

Hyde Seals Swimming Club Team 1903

Hyde Seals Swimming Club Team





 Hyde Seals Swimming Club Team, The Champions of England in 1903. The team won the Cheshire County League and the Manchester and District League that year.

Thursday 11 October 2018


Post on behalf of Michael Smith


These was taken from an all our yesterdays magazine my dad had.
Hope you like them.























Thank you Michael.

Monday 17 September 2018

Forty Gang Question

This post is from Michael Smith.




This is "The Forty Gang', not certain who they were or when it was taken and I would like to know if anyone has heard of them.

Thank you for sending this post in Michael, we have covered some of the information and hopefully more may come in when people read this...
If you have any pictures or information to share about this please get in touch with us here and I will gladly add it
Thank you
Tom.

Michael, here is a post from 2010 and will give you an insight into the club.

The Forty Gang by Derek Adshead

Photobucket

 Photobucket

Photobucket


This excellent article was sent to us by Judi Brown.
It was written by her late uncle, Derek Adshead (born 1925).  His father, Isaac Abbott, was one of the members of the Gang.

Thank you so much for this, Judi.....it helps to keep the history alive !

Monday 3 September 2018

3 Old Adverts from 1964


Hope these stir a few memories...  








Hope these stir a few memories... 

Monday 16 July 2018

Leavers Card Leigh Street Senior School 1941


In my emails this morning was this from Alf King.
Alt writes " I have been scanning a number of old photographs of my family and in amongst these I came across a School Leavers Card issued by the Hyde education Committee to my mother when she left Leigh St Senior school at the age of 14 in April 1941. I thought that you and some of your readers might be interested in it and the advice" that it contains, which I have attached.







Monday 23 April 2018

Who was Ruth Cox?

Ruth Cox, was a working-class woman from Hyde, born in 1890. Ruth, kept a book of memoirs and letters about her life, school education and her experiences living in Hyde, particularly Nelson Street.  

These memories have been being made available online by Aaron Barton, a 22 year old Literature student. Aaron contacted me a while back now and I've been looking forward seeing what he came up with... I'm very impressed with and happy to share with you the link to his work on Writing Lives.


Working Lives is describe as a "Collaborative Research Project on Working-Class Autobiography".


So who was Ruth Cox? A true Hydonian with the foresight to document her life... a life we can now read about thanks to Aaron Barton and Working Lives.

                                                                               Ruth Cox


Friday 9 February 2018

Gee Cross Laboratories.

Do you recall Gee Cross Laboratories? 

Where in Gee Cross was it? 



The advert below is from The Chemist & Druggist in 1954, so not that long ago really.. 







Friday 5 January 2018

HARRY LEVER

It is my sad duty to inform all that knew local Historian and Author Harry Lever that he passed away last night 04-01-18. If you knew Harry and any of the many groups he was a member of can you please share this. An update on his funeral arrangements will be posted as soon as possible Thank you

Thursday 23 November 2017

Bandstand Hyde Park

Hyde Parks Bandstand 




Thank you to Maria Slater for this excellent shot of the bandstand, looks very atmospheric in Black and White. 

The bandstand was opened officially in 1922 on the 18th of May. It has played host to many music events and still does. 
In the past such bands as the Band Of The Household Cavalry and the Black Watch have entertained the crowds here. Brass bands from many local works and colliery bands would have played here to large crowds of Hydonians. 

The bandstand is a Grade 11 listed building and as such is on the List of buildings of special architectural or historic interest,where it is described as:



 Bandstand. Late C19. Copper roof on cast iron columns and brick base. Octagonal canopy on columns placed at each corner. Base has ashlar dressings. Elaborate pierced cast iron arches span between the enriched columns which have crocket capitals. Similar pierced eaves brackets. Dome- shaped roof with decorative crown and weather-vane.

Tuesday 3 October 2017

Hyde Market in the 20's & 30's

I am well aware we have had a few posts on Hyde Market, but I am sure that another one will not go amiss at the time when the latest version is nearing completion.

This little story I obtained from the same source as the Kingston post, but unfortunately there is no author's name attached. It may well be Elsie Hawkins again but I cannot be certain. It describes the market from around the 1920's to the 1930's.

                                          The Market At Hyde

Hyde market was held on a Saturday years ago, just the one day and then in the 1930's we also had a Friday market day.

Through the week there was fruit and vegetable stalls which were permanent fixtures, a sort of cabin affair and the people that kept them were known to all, they never seemed to change.

At the corner, diagonally across from Woolworths was Riley's. They were wholesalers as well as retail greengrocers. They would sell off any fruit that would not keep over the weekend very cheaply, when it was closing time on Saturday night. Mostly it was large bunches of bananas or soft fruit in summer.

Round the corner to the left was Sinnett's and they took pride in selling the best greengrocery. To the right of Rileys was Hollands, who also had a shop on Mottram Road. There were others of course making about six altogether. There was a tripe stall here too.

The market itself was a great attraction. One could buy almost anything there and people came from all the towns around. It was bright and full of interest. 

The stalls were lit with lamps which the traders hired from a shop in Hamnett St, which faced the market.

A lot of traders would auction their goods and they had a patter which would keep people around their stalls.

Mrs Crossley the curtain lady had a shop facing the market. She sold curtains, coat and dress material of a very high standard. She would talk away for hours on her stall while selling her wares and there were lots of people around her stall just listening to her.

Goodwins had a pottery stall and if trade was slack they would suddenly drop a pile of pots to draw attention to themselves. Mr Goodwin had a stick which he used to thump a wooden box as he explained he was not going to charge this or even that but some ridiculously low figure. One would buy a twenty piece tea-set in the 1930's for three and eleven pence in old money (20p in new).
We would all listen to Harry Gilbert who sold watches and clocks, much cheaper than anyone could buy in the shops. They were reliable watches too, and many a Hyde person still has a Harry Gilbert watch. He later opened a jewellery shop next to the Bank of Scotland in Market St, which is now a tailors (Greenwoods).

There was quite a number of drapery stalls selling both men's and women's wear. I remember seeing "long johns" and "combinations" hanging up and of course socks and stockings, a pair of artificial silk stocking could be bought for ninepence (4p) before the war.

The flower stalls were lovely and colourful , very often they were just part of a greengrocery stall.

In the 1930's they started an innovation. They had a large zinc bath and washed the dirt off the celery before it was sold. I used to feel sorry for them on cold winter days. At the other end of the market was a pie and coffee stall 
Barlow's swings and Cookes roundabouts were also here as well. There was also a black pea saloon, but this finished sometime in the late 20's.
In 1927 an indoor market was built. It has since been demolished to make way for the new shopping precinct. I much preferred the old one to the new one. It was light and airy and had  all food stalls, mostly butchers, though Mr Lowe had his grocery stall in there. His son joined Mr Booth's son, the butcher to open the supermarket in Clarendon St.

Nightingales made Godley rock and home made sweets in the market. It was always fascinating to watch them cooking the sweets and pulling the rock on a hook on the side of the stall.
Near this building was a football net and men and boys would pay a few pennies to kick the ball into the net.


The street at the side of the market was Helen Street. If one approached it from Reynold St/Norbury St there was a very nice hotel called the Norfolk Arms. It was pulled down to make way for the new market as was all the property there. There was Meals pawnshop and then the 'Hyde cafe'.

A street ran at right angles here , then came to Ashworths butchers, then to a sweet shop, Cloughs confectioners, Britannic Assurance Co and above these shops Mr Searle had his photographic business. A lot of our old photographs of Hyde were taken by him. next we came to the shop that is still a shoe shop but it was originally Jacksons whose slogan was a Cheshire Cat. They also sold hats:-

"Jackets, hats and caps are fine, Three and six and four and nine".


Facing here in the premises occupied now by Woolworths was Brownsons the tailors. This is a stone building - rather nice. We always made sure we saw Brownsons big window at Christmas. They did a scene that occupied the whole of the window. I well remember Red Riding Hood visiting granny in a cotton wool snow scene. One January about 1926 we had terrible gales and the window was blown in. It was immediately boarded up and a large notice proclaimed "Our windows may not be able to withstand the elements, but our overcoats certainly will".
At the corner of the market near the junction of Market Place and Market Street, opposite Greenfield St, was the Finger Post, a large mastlike village pole with sign boards indicating the directions of the various roads.
Now , on that spot in my day stood a drinking fountain which was used as a meeting place. We would meet our friends from other parts of the town there. It was removed to the park some forty or fifty years ago. It would be nice if we could restore it & put it back on the market place.

The 1920's was the time when women shortened their skirts and cut their hair short so it was no surprise to hear of Dr Marie Stopes disciples speaking on the market of birth control and selling her controversial book "Married Love".

The market itself was much nicer in the old days before the "precinct" was built. We all congregated there on Whit Friday when we had walked in our own parishes. Our Mayor and Mayoress would be on the balcony of the Town Hall and all the banners would be propped up against the railings while we sang our old well loved traditional whitsuntide hymns.

On Sunday evenings the Labour party or Socialists would hold an open air meeting with the speaker standing on a low loader cart. They stopped when they managed to get a labour government together in the 1920's -- previously the candidates had either been Liberal or Conservatives, but this changed after the first world war.











Post was originally posted July 2012

This was one of the many posts where the pictures are not showing up...  it is a long process but we are getting there.. in the meantime bare with us and all picture WILL be replaced eventually