Sunday, 6 October 2013

Imperial Chemical Industries Factory at Newton, Hyde, 1946 (ICI)

I have decided to spoil you again today with a glut of fantastic aerial views from Britain From Above. I make no apologies  for the amount of pictures as I wanted to show them all at once and not to have split them.

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Above we see the ICI works on Talbot Road... to the left is Cartwright Street leading up to join Talbot Rd. To the left of the junction is the The Clarence pub, and St Mary's church beyond.

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Similar view as before, but St Mary's is more defined. The fields behind look stunning, those fields are now either built on, or where Dukinfield golf club is. The hill to the right is still holding on as pasture for horses.

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On the above view The Bay Horse Pub, can be seen right of centre bottom, we can see Victoria Street going off to the left and being joined by Cartwright Street. Talbot Road cuts through from the right to top left. St Mary's road can also be mad out.

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The junction of Talbot Rd, and Cartwright St, bottom left. Shawhall and fields beyond at the top of the picture. The housing centre-left-top is Shawhall Avenue.

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To the left we see Cartwright Street, centre bottom Newton Hurst and the sports fields. Victoria Road looks narrow and more of a country lane, again we can make out the Bay Horse.

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ICI before the main gates were added across from the Bay Horse, seems the main way in back then was just after the bend on Talbot Road.., Newton Hurst, top left. Hyde Gas Works can be made out centre top. 


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Bottom left, St Mary's church, bottom centre, Talbot Road Junction with what was Schofield Street where the post office is now.

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St Mary's centre left...

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Bay Horse bottom right.

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The bottom of this picture is all housing now, Hillary Road, Everest Road, Mallory Road and Charlton Avenue are just some of the roads that are there now.  The first houses are at Newton Hurst, above is Cartwright Street going off to the right. The next lot of houses are running down Talbot Road, with the start of Bradley Green Road to to right. The last houses running across the top of the picture are on St. Marys Road, Notice St Marys stops at Acresfield Road... No Harbour Farm Estate at this time.Centre top right I can make out Holland Road, and where I live on Manor Road, with the soon to be built on field between. Top centre left Blue Bell Close as not been built, it's still the reservoir.  

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Bottom Left, Talbot Road with the Clarance Hotel on the left. Follow Talbot Road round and we see the houses on Shawhall Avenue again but now we can also make out Matley Lane snaking it's way towards Harrop Edge, and Hobson Moor, part way up is the Rising Moon.

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Bottom left, was where ICI had their social club .... and top left is Godley Reservoir. That area would look very different now with all the housing and of course the M67.   

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All the above pictures were taken on the 18th April 1946 


14 comments:

  1. Barry in Oz. Wow, 1946 was the year I was born, 8 months after this photo was taken. Pity you can't see Goodier House on Victoria St eh ? My Mum lived at my Grandads chippy at 156 Talbot Rd and she used to call Newton. 'The village'. She, coming originally from Salford, thought Newton was lovely and green. Dad worked at the ICI (Rexene we called it)from 1955 to 1961 and I was christened at St Mary's in 1947.

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  2. Barry in Oz again, in the bottom photo, oppossite the factory and to the right of the church was Savill's Farm if I remember correctly, then sometime in the 50's ICI built a bowling club on that land.

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  3. Barry in Oz again, bottom picture again, centre of photo at the bottom. The street that had (and still has) the Post Office on the corner, at the bottom of that street you will see a small works. That was a leather dyers works where my Dad worked after he came back from being a POW after being captured at the Battle of Arnhem.

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  4. Barry in Oz AGAIN. Gee these photo's are bringing back some memories. Opposite Bluebell Close on Talbot Rd used to be Barkers Farm. Most of it's land was used to build Hickinfield estate. The Son of the Farm and his girlfriend went camping one weekend and the tent burned down killing them both.
    On the corner of Talbot Rd and Cartwright street there used to be a little shop. It changed hands many times and changed it's goods as well. I always remember one year it sold toys and fireworks, it would have been in the early 50s, and at Christmas it had a fabulous window display. I used to stand in front of it for hours as a lad.
    Also as a lad I used to make my Guy Fawkes on a trolley and stand outside ICI doing my 'Penny for the Guy' act. I used to get enough for all my fireworks from the workers.

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  5. Oh now you are depressing me Tom! All that lovely countryside that has been built on. These photos are exactly as I remember it, and all the fields that my sister & I used to roam about in. Those were the days. Lovely to see how it used to be, but I could weep to think what we have lost.

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  6. Fantastic photos as always thanks for the education because wether you believe it or not you really are passing on history that would otherwise be lost! My children are being force fed this to give them a sense of where they are from keep it up and hope you are recovering we need you !
    Thanks Alan

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  7. To Barry in Oz,
    They demolished Barker's farm and built flats there. My parents lived in one of them for a while. I wonder if you remember the cows from the farm walking up Talbot Rd to the pastures, and back again for milking? And the daughter of the farmer had a pet lamb which, when it grew into a sheep, followed her everywhere like a dog.
    Further down the road, on the opposite side, was Bland's farm. There is a school there now.

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  8. Great comments... so glad these pictures have bought back these memories....
    I have had a comment from 'Frank' who I think will benefit from seeing this post for another full day.

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  9. Barry in Oz. Can't say that I remember that Marjorie, I'm going on mostly what my Mum told me. I left Talbot Rd in the early 50s and moved to Barleycroft rd. Did you know my GRandad, Jesse Lewis who had the Chippy at 156 Talbot Rd next to Mayalls bakery ?

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  10. My mum and dad worked at ICI in the 70's & 80's,their working mans club was brilliant,good freindly atmosphere everytime I went.
    And always had a good christmas do for me and our Johann.

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  11. To Barry in Oz
    I left Hyde in 1960 but must have known your grandad by sight though not by name. I knew Mr Mayall very well from church & pantos.
    Marjorie

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  12. Wonderful photos, brought back many happy memories. Our house on Talbot Road backed on to ICI. The woods and fields around Shawhall were our playgrounds. Certainly looks much different now!!

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  13. I've just come across these fabulous photos. how it's all changed since then ...and will change again in the future, sadly.
    I used to work in the offices at ICI....Happy days!

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  14. I do coinsider all the concepts you've introduced on your post.

    They're really convincing and can certainly work. Still, the postgs are very short for newbies.
    Could you please prolong them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.

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