The Old Supermarket or Quality Save as it is now known started life as a cinema or picture house as they were so named ,called The Hippodrome. It was one of many picture houses in Hyde.It was built on the site of Longmeadow Mill.
As it looks today.
The view from the Market Place (Norfolk Street side) showing the UCP cafe on the corner of Hamnett street and the Supermarket in the left background. Note the old wooden stalls.
The old Supermarket sign still proudly displayed.
In the book 'A History Of Hyde' by Thomas Middleton is states the following ;
"Stansfields Hippodrome was originally commenced in a large room of an old mill abutting Clarendon Street, in which Mr. Wilbraham Stansfield, the proprietor, for several years presented varied programmes of Drama, Opera, Musicals, Comedy, Variety and Pictures. The present handsome building was opened on Wakes Saturday, 1914, by Alderman Kenny, a former Mayor of Hyde. Since then, its success has been such, that the building has been largely extended, and it is now one of the best equipped theatres in the district."
Borough Arcade at the side of the old Supermarket.
The bottom part of Market Street showing Borough Arcade to the far right. Dean and Noble electrical shop on the corner.
Showing the view from Market place with The Old Supermarket in the background and the White Lion to the right. This is before "Curleys" fruit shop was erected.
You can still make out the old "Supermarket" sign on the front if you look carefully.
How it would looked with the neon lit up
19 comments:
You both are doing well with this blog, all these very old photos, and swotting up on the history.
It must take hours to get it all come together.
well done to you both.
Imac... thanks for that... it seems both me and Nancy find it a 'Labour of Love'.. and we get much pleasure from putting the posts together..
I recall this well Nancy.. not as a picture house I may had but as the 'Super Market'.. I recall as you walked in on the left was the big stairs, and at the bottom of these was a very big red weighing machine that worked without the need for a penny... yet it was made to take them.
The shop next to that was a florist who was there for years.. then the very smelly fish stall.... the owner was a big old chap and his wife always flirted with the lads... It was like being in a Benny Hill plot, they had a sign on the stall saying 'Pussy Pieces'.. well you can imagine the comments she got... She always said the same thing .. 'oh! you are awful!' ( that's Dick Emery now ).
Then there was a Bakers, excellent cakes had many a Vanilla Slice I've scoffed from there... and they sold those very small Hovis loafs.. one bite big... well maybe two bites.
In the centre was the Cooked meat stall and a bit of a deli, then there was the Pet shop.. I used this shop a lot at one time and remember one bad winter both me and the old chap who owned it had the flu... it really was a bad bout ... it took me months to get over it and the old chap never really shook it off.... he sold up that summer. An older woman looked after the birds and served.. The next shop down was a butchers... I recall 4 different butchers being here the best of all was Hibberts... they now have a shop near to the Queens... I think they must be the last true family butchers left in Hyde. At one time before the butchers had there place there, it was a shop that sold biscuits... a proper biscuit shop... all the biscuits were loose and came in tins from the makers.... you could pick the ones you wanted and bought them by the weight. I'd call in for a bag of broken biscuits instead of getting a proper dinner when I as at Greenfield Street school. I would sulk if there was no chocolate ones.. I seem to recall a cheese and egg stall as well being in there.
Upstairs was the Bingo... and the cafe... a record shop, sweets, hardware, knitting wool and pattern shop.. and of course the button and sowing shop. The shop that I visited the most was the book shop... I still have books I bought there when I was young..... and we bought lots of books when the lads were growing up and these are now being used by our grandchildren. I think it was a great place to shop and was very friendly.. it was a shame when it went but I'm glad to see it being put to good use now by Quality Save
I absolutely LOVED the Old Supermarket. I spent a lot of time in there when I was growing up. The Biscuit stall was excellent. My Mum used to buy these massive chocolate biscuits from there - they were so big there was only 5 in the bag which equalled one each for us!
The man that had a lot to do with the Supermarket was called Reg Lowe. We bought our house off him in the early 1980's when they were selling off all their properties - we got lucky as he had been friends with my father in law since they were boys.I'll always be grateful to Reg as it's in such a beautiful spot.
Do you remember the Cafe upstairs? Geoff Torrances Mum worked there . Dunc used to go there for dinner from Greenfield Street school and she always gave it him for free.hehe how many places would give you service like that now?
The Record Shop was called "Hubbles"...certain boys who shall remain nameless used to slip under the tarpaulin on a Tuesday afternoon (half day closing in Hyde)and nick 7" singles .
The Bingo brought back memories - it always intrigued me - rows and rows of women sitting there all alert with their shopping bags at the side of them........
Do you remember the clothes stall that was in the little side building to the right?
All happy memories, Tom :)
Another story for you...
When I was in prison in 1979/80 I got a letter off Mick Warhurst.. He wrote to tell me he was in a spot of trouble and had been arrested and was awaiting to go to court. The story was Mick was doing a bit of shopping in the Super Market and needed to pee... he asked the stall holder at the butchers for the key but either the Super Market owner or the shop manager refused... that was about all it took with Mick... he lost it, went berserk and threw stuff about and smashed a display.. the police came and he was arrested... He told me he did not fancy his chances at court as there was 3 sheepheads as witnesses against him... ha!
What a fantastic series of photos. It felt like 1967 when I first moved to Hyde. Thank you so much Nancy and Tom for all your hard work and effort you are both putting into making this such a terrific blog on Hyde. It is really appreciated. I loved the old supermarket♥ happy days sigh........
Hi Manchester Lass,if you are enjoying reading it half as much as Tom and I are doing putting it together then it's well worth it! Thanks :)
Let us know if there are any places you'd like to see and we'll do what we can to oblige .
Ditto all the compliments - great blog :>)
Let us know if there are any places you'd like to see and we'll do what we can to oblige
How about Hoviley & the connecting streets that disappeared with the Motorway? (Cheapside etc.,)
We will see what we can do Ian.... thanks for the visit and taking the time to comment..
Have been away again, missed my dose of nostalgia! With regard to the old supermarket, my mum always called it Stannies Supermarket, long after it had finished up as a picture house. I remember the wooden hand rail of the stairs on the left....my and my reprobate mates used to put a 10p coin on the rail and it would slide down to the bottom. We knew how to have fun in those days! Also had forgotten about Hubbles record store but bought many a single from there. Upstairs always used to remind me of a place that time forgot....similar to downstairs in the market hall.
I love the top photo. The cinema was always Stannies and was a flea pit really. It was cheaper to sit upstairs than down as the seats were wooden and uncomfortable. On the left of the main entrance and to the side of the Arcade, there was a sweet shop [sorry, toffee shop] and the shop shown on the right of the cinema in the photo was the wool shop run by Mary Harrison who lived opposite us in Stockport Road.
My mum always called the Hippodrome Stannies, when she and her brothers and sisters used to go if you carried a child in they got in free you can just imagine with 9 of them some legs must have been dangling. Also I remember the opening of the Supermarket and the ones that did the opening they were Morcambe & Wise, Freddie Frinton and Alma Cogan.
Hi Ceecee
Thank you for letting us know who opened the Supermarket.. It must have been a great day in Hyde that day..... I recall seeing Red Rum opening a bookies in Hyde...
I remember going to The Stannies watching Jailhouse Rock, all the teddy boys were jiving up and down the aisles. I also recall the opening of the Supermarket and getting my autograph book signed. Good days ceecee with memories we will not forget!
I worked at Hubbles record store on Saturday's between 1971-1977 I loved playing each weeks number 1 record!!!
a neighbor of mine called irene hilton worked as a projectionist at stannies she used to tell me about it
hello a neighbour of mine called irene hilton worked at stannies as a projectionist
My earliest recollection of the old supermarket was in the mid 1970s when my Mum would take my brother and myself on the bus to Hyde for a bit of shopping. The buses back then were always the ex-Stockport Corporation Leylands in the SELNEC sunglow orange and off-white livery. Actually, pretty much everything connected with SELNEC was painted in these corporate colours, even the 1920s tram stop/shelter opposite the Town Hall. Anyway, back to the supermarket. I remember playing on the big, red weighing machine on the groundfloor, in fact I'm pretty sure the dial used to be lit with a red neon tube around its circumference. The weighing machine lasted a long time, however does anyone remember the vintage arcade machine on the stairway landing in front of the window. I'm sure it was one of those movable crane / grab the toy style machines. It seemed to have gone by the mid 80s and wasn't replaced. Of course, no account of the old supermarket would be complete without mention of the sweet counter at the back - no wonder I've got fillings!
My father was one of the two business men who converted the Hippadrome cinema into Hyde Supermarket in the 1960s. He had his butchers shop in there and his partner had his grocery shop there. There were offices on the third floor and a bake house which made pies etc for the butchers. The grand opening celebs were indeed Morecambe & Wise but it was Freddy Frinton and not Freddy Garrity as someone has said. Alma Cogan should have appeared but she could not attend through illness.
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