The origins of the Co-operative Movement date back to the start of the 19th century and the ideals of the Welsh industrialist Robert Owen. He developed a model factory complex at New Lanark which included a store which sold at cost prices.
In 1838, Owen lectured in Hyde where co-op stores known as union or Brighton shops were already in existence. Hyde, Mottram and Mossley had opened in 1830, followed by Broadbottom in 1831 and Ashton in 1838.(Thanks to TMBC website)
Surplus money from the non-profit making businesses was distributed among the members of the co-operative and they were encouraged to save by leaving their dividend in the businesses as shares on which interest would be paid.
Hyde's Greenfield Street store in centre of photo..
Hyde’s own Co-operative Society was established in 1862 as a result of the Cotton Famine caused by the US Civil War. At the time, out of 51,600 people in the Hyde, Staley and Longdendale district, only 3,782 were in full-time employment.
The people of Hyde found the trip to the Dukinfield stores too long so, in local parlance, they decided not to wait for the Co-op but to fetch it. The new society quickly expanded and the Corner of Queen Street and Market Street, Hyde branches were opened on Market Street, Stockport Road, Commercial Street, Furnace Street and Queen Street.
Alongside these there were stables, a laundry, warehouses, an abattoir, houses and even a farm. By 1912, yearly trade was valued at £87,000 and membership had increased to 3,700.
A prestige store was opened at the corner of Greenfield Street and Market Street in the 1930s but it is now run by Wilkinsons.
Queen Street Cooperative society in the 1930's.
The building hasn't changed much over the years!
The building hasn't changed much over the years!
A great view of the "Co-op" from the mid 1970's taken from the bottom of Dowson Road.
Thanks to my very good friend, Nick, for this great photo!
Nancy I'll add these to above here of the busy Dowson Road junction, I've seen these before somewhere but was sent them by an old Hydonian from Sweden who really enjoys the blog.
15 comments:
Great picture this.... The old co-op building looks well, the bay windows of the houses and the little old lady.... who looks familiar.. all make this such a good look back in time.
The Park Drive advert reminds me of my dad who always had one in his mouth.... the ash would be curling downwards as he read the paper and as a kid I would wait for it fall off onto his chest then I'd start laughing..
It is a good picture,isn't it!
I love the 1960's/70's photos - so evocative of bygone years.
I've added the last two pictures of the junction...
It was very busy in the rush hours and dirty before the road was widened... yet I still liked it... once I turned that corner and could see down market street I was happy.. it was a good view and held promise of a good laugh with friends whereever I was off to. It was just 'nice' to be going 'Down Hyde'.
I think the sport shop was called Greasty's but please correct me if you know different. It mostly sold fishing tackle, I would go here for my air rifle pellets.. Marksmen pellets came in card board packets and were £1.25 = 500 the dearer ones were called Bulldog, came in a tin and were £1.50 = 500... I prefered Marksman as I killed more pigeon and rabbits with them. I seem to recall eating a lot of rabbit and pigeon pie back then and duck... ha!
The bus in the last picture looks to be a Selnec bus... which I think would put the picture taken more towards the end of the 70s.. never liked the colour of those busses.. It was this company that did away with the back loaders I liked jumping on and off from...
Do you recall the mad old lady who would walk up and down there asking folks for a cigerette? She used to wear a very tatty looking knitted wig... so every one called her 'Wiggy' which caused me some embarrassment with being called Wigley..
The shop was called "Kellys Fishing Tackle" or something ,Tom. Always used to meet here when I went to the pictures on a sunday!
I DO remember "Wiggy" the old lady. She used to shake both hands and stand on the corner at the Clarkes Arms. We used to be scared at walking past her as she used to shout at everyone! She was run over on that stretch of road outside Macs chippy and sadly died from her injuries. :(
I'm not surprised she got run over... I saw her acost a few drivers on Dowson... seems we had 'care in the community' long before anywhere else.
The shop was definately called Kellys at one point Tom. Gerald has a photo of the shop oh Old Hyde, 14th November 2009, taken by Janet Howie, (Love her photo's) and it clearly shows the shop signage. I remember walking up Dowson Road to my Grans and Dad used to let us look in the window sometimes. He often spoiled us like that! Also I used to love the old Selnec busses, orange and white livery looks so appealing hey. Caught the 330 to Stockport every day and used to love the old Routemaster bus that you could jump on or off between stops. Also, the old lady in the top photo could be anyone of a hundred Hyde ladies of that era, I used to call them Hyde Battleaxes much to my Mum's chagrin. That lady looks like BOTH my Grandmothers....they all wore the same clothes and had almost indistinguishable features. (Well, to me anyway). Also remember Harndens engineering works at the bottom of Dowson Road. You could watch the blokes work from the top deck of the 330 when the lights were on red. Also remeber the expression 'Down Hyde'. Whenever anyone went to the shops, they were going 'Down Hyde'. Ah the memories! Does anyone remember the 'Mong of Hyde'??
Nope can't say I remember the "Mong of Hyde" - can you elaborate a bit Ex-Hydeonian?
I STILL saying "going down Hyde" .... :)
Mong of Hyde rings a bell.....but I can't remember more... you will have to nudge me on this... I look forward to reading it. I always liked the walk 'Down Hyde' but not the last bit by the Hardens factory because of the traffic fumes and dust always seemed at their worse there.
Nancy great addition with the Co-op information. I think we missed out on this a lot as we had the Spar on Cheetham Fold to shop at... Mum could have stuff 'on the slate' from there and pay for it on Dads pay day... many people did back then... I know we had Co-op and Greensheild stamps in a certain draw... mum would let me fill the books... I think these were used around Christmas time. Talking of Christmas time... My mum and Dad were not big drinkers... Dad rarely touched a drop... but at Christmas drinks would be bought from Stowells Corner..
I'd love to see pictures from there.... It was a great shop owned and run by 'Scrags' (Faversham) mum and dad... I thought the world of this couple.... always had time for us... never moaned about us hanging out around the shop, and would come out to see what was up if ever the police turned up... always without fail looking out for us. To me Stowells Corner was the predecessor of the 'Grapes Bench'. It was where we met up before school... after school, and at night. I would stand there after school waiting for a certain bus to bring a certain girl home from school.. You never forget your first love... ha! see old Wigleys going all soft on you now...
Stowells Corner was 'our' corner and we looked after it and tried to not get in the way of the shop door or cause any upset there abouts. It seems at times now this 'looking after your own' area is forgotten.
Yep Stowells corner was great! One of my Ex's worked there too for a while for "Mr and Mrs Scrag".....lovely couple indeed! I've got some photos somewhere.....
God I had forgotten all about Stowells Corner! Me and my mate Stephen Fernley (RIP my friend) used to go to night school at Tameside Technical College and would stop in at Stowells for some cans of beer on the way home. From memory it used to have a blue illuminted Stowells Corner sign and it was near to the Shell petrol station opposite Lex Cockshoots / Most motors. If I had known you better then Tom I would have said hello! (Probably not actually, you were a scary mo fo back then!).
And with regard to the ‘Mong of Hyde’, it was possibly just our group that used this term. Every weekend like you did back in those days, we used to either start at the top or bottom of Market Street going to pub after pub. As you walked up and down innumerable times, you got used to the sight of the same people doing the same thing. The Mong of Hyde was some poor bloke who was just going for a beer on his own. He had a German Helmet type haircut and he did look a little dim but that was probably just our immature stupidity. Probably a really nice bloke. Anyhow, Peter Catlow, (Parrot) nicknamed him the Mong of Hyde. And it stuck. Every Friday night he would be walking into the Travellers as we were heading to the Cheshire Cheese or Clarendon etc. It was a ritual.....Parrot would shout Mong of Hyde at the top of his voice. We thought this was hilarious. Ah the maturity!!
Darren you were correct.. when I hung around Stowells I was a td scary and quite grumpy at times... The shell garage is still going, but not Cockshoots.... thats well shot now. In its place are retirement appartments... or flats as we call them ;o) Gerald from Hyde Daily Photo & Old Hyde blogs lives there and I think he likes the place... I'm sure he will correct me if not.
I used to wake up in cars on the forecourt of Cockshoots... I'd be walking home from Hyde drunk and they must have looked comfortable, I used to do the same thing at Smith Knight and Fays. The cars were never locked back them... still it's a wonder I was never locked up for it.
The 'Mong' could have been one of many that spring to mind, but don't feel guilty about the name calling.. it was just the 'Cruelness Of Youth'... ha! we all had that to some extent.
Above comment should have started with the name Graham and not Darren... only just noticed this .. sorry Graham
Tom's never been scary ,Graham, well not to me ,anyway! haha..!
Hi Tom
If its the same woman you call wiggy my mother new her very well, when she was twenty years old she was getting married and at the last minute her boyfriend jilted her which made her like this which is very sad i used to see her regulary near the clarkes arms waving god bless her barry
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