Thank you to Jean for making this post possible.
Jean tells us the following:
Found this picture of Smithy Lane, to the right of the picture is where the smithy was, this is now a car park to The Ring "O" Bells .To the top of the right hand side is where The Blue Window Club was. The top house on the left lived The Bentleys, when Smithy Lane was demolished they came on to Mansfield Road., next door to them lived two brothers. The road at the top is Lumn Road and to the right of this is Mansfield Road.
Updated 02/08/2011
By Dave Williams
From the Market Street end.
From the Lumb Road end.
Cheers for the updated pictures Dave... you never let us down ;o)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this early picture of Smithy Lane. I remember it from the days of living in Kensington Street. The post office occupied one of the now demolished houses at the Slack Mills end [it was moved to its present site just to the left side of Market Street when the houses disappeared]. Smithy Lane was also a turning circle for the trolley bus which terminated at the Ring O' Bells rather than going on to Gee Cross. What captures my interest most about this old picture though is the mention of the Bentley family. I remember a lad from Smithy Lane called Melvin Bentley [he was black] who sometimes joined the kids of our street community for playing. Over the last five decades I've asked on my visits to Hyde if anyone remembers him and nobody does! He did exist and I'd be really interested to hear how life treated him.
ReplyDeleteHi Werneth Low,
ReplyDeleteMelvin is still alive and kicking, he now lives in Denton but comes to Hyde on a daily basis to shop.
Mel as had it a bit rough but he carriers on.A girl at school used to brag because she could get in "The Pony Tail" so I talked Mel into taking me {her face was a picture when she saw me}I was only 14 and I think you had to be 16 to get in.
Thanks Jean so much for that. Now I know I didnt dream Melvin up! I think, if memory serves me right, that he had it a bit rough in childhood too. I recall that when we were playing if anything went wrong [like a ball on a window] he would be blamed whether he had had anything to do with it or not.He won't remember me, but give him my best when you see him - Susan Ollerenshaw.
ReplyDeleteHI werneth low,Iused to live in Smithy Lane,my best freind at the time was Melvin,we were in and out of each others houses all the time,this was in the late fortys early fiftys,he was lovely, I will never forget those times. Beryl
ReplyDeleteHi I am Melvyn's daughter! I've just shown him this and he remembers you all. He's still alive and kicking!
ReplyDeleteI remember Melvyn, he went to Leigh St School Juniors,he,s a couple of years younger than me,but I seem to remember he always hung out with a lad named Hunter (Bob)? I last saw him in the Lantern Pike,Little Hayfield around 1964.
ReplyDelete