M. Hitchen's Cafe, Market Place

This post came about when I was contacted on Facebook by Alison Hayton, who's Great 'Nan' kept the cafe pictured below. Alison's Great Nan was Mary Ellen Hitchen who lived at 187 Lumn Road Hyde, Mary died in 1961 when she was aged 71.  She was the widow of Job Hitchen.  They were originally from York.

Alison's Grandad Bill Hitchen and his sister Jessie were the children of Mary and Job, Bill married his wife Ethel and lived at 39 Lumb Road.

Jessie was working as a Midwife whilst helping out at the cafe, she met her husband Les Chapman who apparently worked at the butcher’s near to the cafe. Alison was wondering about the name of the butchers shop.. and members of our Facebook group commented on a request for information and Walter Ashworth's Butchers was being mentioned, Paul Taylor confirmed this by checking a local trade directory which stated the said butchers address as 6a Market Place and the cafe  number as 10 Market Place.

Alison has alway been pleased to see her Great Nan's cafe in the a painting by local artist Harry Rutherford

Harry Rutherford's view of Hyde market was originally called Saturday Afternoon, but is now known as Northern Saturday. I have not been able to find out the reason behind the name change or who or when it changed. If you know please let me know. Date painted 1948, Oil on board. 24" x 29.5"

This pictures is described by many as his most famous, it was acquired by Hyde Corporation in 1948  

Back to the cafe, again the cafe on show in this postcard, there's two chaps stood on the corner putting the world to right, and the shop that has the canopy down could well be 6a where Walter Ashworth traded as a butcher.

Harry's painting and this postcard are a glimpse  of a very busy market day, with many buildings any town would have been proud of, but alas now gone.

Another of the market painted by Harry Rutherford, c1970 titled as The Square, Hyde. It is Oil on Canvas 15.5" x 19.5" owned by Tameside Council. A big difference in views.

Alison also sent in the picture below of a fairground speedway ride that was nearby her Great Nan's cafe on Hyde Market and can be seen on Harry Rutherford's Northern Saturday.

This is how things can fall into place... just by chance a comment came into the blog on a different post showing rides on Hyde Market, The writer was Ross Jones, and his great interests are the fairs of the area.. in fact Ross tells me he intends to compile a book regarding the three Wake fairs or one covering all the Lancashire/Cheshire Fairs. I wish Ross all the best with this project and I'll put my name down now for a copy.

Back to Hibberts Speedway.. Ross tells me that Hibberts over wintered The Ark on Hyde Market and when it was acquired by E.L. Morley he built up quite a following among the local teenagers by playing record requests for them. Ross has many pictures of Hyde Wakes but the majority of them the copyright belongs elsewhere, and whilst he as never infringed on the copyright did receive dire warnings of the consequences for doing so when buying the photographs .   

How's this for tieing in some of the information, The above picture shows another of Harry Rutherford's paintings of Hyde. This one is called The Red Caravan, and is from c1957, it is again oil on board and measures 12" by 17.5".

My mother whose maiden name was Eileen Collins daughter of John Collins known to all as Jack, told me a number of times later in her life that at one time her paternal grandparents, were from Irish travelling stock, and lived around Crook St or Crook Square in a Gypsy caravan, She also told me that part of the Collins fairground family were related in some way as well. The above picture could quite possibly be that caravan. The John Collins fairground family are still going and many folks will have rode on their Waltzers. Long before I found this information out I got to know John Collins junior and we instantly became good friends. I have not seen him since finding this information out so if you know John Junior let him know to look at this.

I'd like to thank everyone involved for their input in putting this post together, I do not think it would have been so interesting or informative if help from our H.C.Blog Facebook Group had not been freely given

Team work at it's very best, for this the first posting fed down from the Facebook group.